Oscar fashions: Divas and flops on the red carpet

And most of the stars didn’t disappoint Sunday night. They glittered in their borrowed jewelry and sparkled in their swankiest gowns.

Here’s my take on the best and the worst of Hollywood’s prom night.

The best
> Vera Farmiga got it absolutely right with her first Oscar red carpet trip. Nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her turn in “Up in the Air,” Farmiga looked like a rose in her fuchsia Marchesa ruffled, asymmetrical gown.


> Sandra Bullock, dressed in a form-fitting, shimmering champagne Marchesa gown with an embroidered leaf patterned bodice, looked an awful lot like the Best Actress Oscar she won for “The Blind Side.”


> Zoe Saldana, out from under her blue Na’vi “Avatar” makeup, wore a ruffled Givenchy dress that started at top in the palest lavender and deepened to its big, ruffled midnight blue train.


> Carey Mulligan, nominated for Best Actress for “An Education,” took a step back into Audrey Hepburn territory (complete with pixie haircut) in her beaded black Prada strapless dress decorated with tiny scissors, spoons and forks.


> Helen Mirren, nominated for Best Actress for “The Last Station” is always one of my fashion favs and she didn’t disappoint Sunday night in her sparkling lavender Badgley Mischka gown.


> Penelope Cruz was red carpet perfect, as always, in her strapless satin burgundy Donna Karan gown.


> Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar, sparkled in a mocha sheath dress with a bodice decorated in beaded hearts.

The worst
> Diane Kruger’s black and white ruffled Chanel nightmare brings back painful memories of Uma Thurman’s 2004 shepherdess outfit and Bjork’s 2001 swan dress. There has to be one fashion disaster every year, but Kruger deserved better. Time to fire the stylist.


> Charlize, Charlize, Charlize, what were you thinking? Theron, an Academy Award-winner, has a beautiful body, but that Dior Couture gown put all the focus on her breasts and not in a good way.


> Maggie Gyllenhaal wore a blue brush-stroke Diers van Noten dress that looked more tie-dyed garage project than red carpet glam.


> Sigourney Weaver usually is a fashion star, but her red dress with a Christmas ornament shoulder clasp and black tie belt, just didn’t cut it.


> Elizabeth Banks’ Versace dress was beautiful, but the slate gray color didn’t do her any favors. She looked pale and drab.


And a final note, George Clooney was impeccably dressed as always, but he really needed to make a quick stop at the barber for a trim on his shaggy ‘do before he arrived at the Kodak Theater.

Source:coloradoan.com/

Gold Derby nuggets: Pete Hammond: Best actress 'down to the wire' | Oscars leading men

Pete Hammond -- who pegged Sandra Bullock as a contender weeks before anyone else -- surveys the lead actress field and finds it "all over the map." Pete concludes, "EW's annual survey of four academy voters (not the biggest sample exactly) had Streep winning with 3 to Bullock's 1. I think it is likely much much closer and Gabby and Carey are significant factors. Warner Bros. strategists working on Bullock's behalf privately tell me they prefer that. A tighter four-way contest is better for Bullock's ultimate chances of prevailing than going one-on-one with the imposing Streep. This one's going down to the wire." NOTES ON A SEASON




• "Down to the wire" could well describe the last-minute decision-making of Oscar voters. Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT marked the deadline for returning completed ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers -- that well-known "independent accounting firm" -- which will tally the votes. That pesky preferential method for best picture slowed the usual quick rate of return; in previous years, the majority of ballots were returned within 10 days of receipt. The ballot listed nominees in only 19 of the 24 categories. Academy members were required to attend screenings if they wished to vote for foreign-language film, documentary features and shorts, and animated and live-action shorts.

• The P.R. people for the Oscars are busy coming up with cute headlines for their now daily announcements of the latest bold-faced names slated to appear on Sunday's show. Tuesday's release was headlined "The Guys Have It" as it touted first-time appearances by Gerard Butler, Bradley Cooper, Tom Ford, Chris Pine, Ryan Reynolds and Sam Worthington, the third appearance by Jake Gyllenhaal and the fifth appearance for Keanu Reeves. AMPAS



• One guy that certainly has it all is Robert Osborne, who will be returning to the red carpet for the fifth year in a row to welcome Oscar's guests. Per the press release: "'Being on Oscar’s red carpet is unlike any other experience,' said Academy President Tom Sherak. 'Robert is the perfect person to welcome our guests and ease them into a night of spectacular celebration.' His red carpet celebrity chats will be audible to the other arriving guests as well as to the bleacher fans on the opposite side of the carpet." The included bio notes, "In addition to writing a column for The Hollywood Reporter, Osborne is the primetime host of Turner Classic Movies and a frequent host of Academy public events in New York and Los Angeles. He also is the author of the Academy’s '80 Years of the Oscar,' the official history of the Academy Awards, and hosts Robert Osborne’s Classic Film Festival in Athens, Georgia." AMPAS



• As per an AP report, Jeff Bridges crooned the right kind of tunes in "Crazy Heart" to win an Oscar. "With a .500 batting average, country has a better track record than other music genres at the Oscars. Soul has produced a string of Oscar losers, including Eddie Murphy for supporting actor as the fictional James 'Thunder' Early in 2006’s 'Dreamgirls' and Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne in the lead categories as Tina and Ike Turner in 1993’s 'What’s Love Got to Do With It.' Jazz and standards singers also have a spotty Oscar history, the losers including Michelle Pfeiffer for best actress as fictional torch singer Susie Diamond in 1989’s 'The Fabulous Baker Boys' and Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in 1972’s 'Lady Sings the Blues.' As French songbird Edith Piaf, Marion Cotillard won best actress for 2007’s 'La Vie en Rose.' Jamie Foxx could be an honorary winner for the country crowd with his best-actor triumph as Ray Charles in 2004’s 'Ray.' Charles’ music drew on soul, blues, jazz, country and other genres, and he did a two-volume series of albums titled 'Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.' " AP



• As Josh Duboff reports, "New York’s Oscar fans may be in for a surprise Sunday night … and it won’t be because of a major upset. ABC’s New York affiliate, WABC-TV, is threatening to pull the Oscar telecast if it doesn’t receive the payment it is demanding from Cablevision. The TV station and cable provider, who have not had a deal for two years (they’ve been 'granting extensions on a month-to-month basis'), are disputing retransmission fees. As a bargaining tactic, ABC has said it will inform subscribers that they may no longer have access to the station beginning March 7, the day of ABC’s Academy Awards telecast. NEW YORK

Source:goldderby.latimes.com/

LEE DANIELS - DANIELS IMAGINED OSCAR SNUB

Filmmaker LEE DANIELS was convinced his movie had been left out of the Oscar nominations, because he was so tired he forgot the film titles would be announced alphabetically.
The director, who helmed Precious: Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire, got out of bed to watch Anne Hathaway reveal this year's (10) Academy Award nominees with Academy President Tom Sherak at an early morning TV news conference last Tuesday (02Feb10).
Daniels thought the nominations for Best Picture would be read out in order of the directors' names and he was convinced Precious had been left off the list when he heard Quentin Tarantino's nod for Inglourious Basterds.
And the moviemaker had already gone back to bed when his name was called out after Tarantino's.
He says, "When Tarantino was mentioned prior to Daniels, I went, ‘Oh, well, nuts.' And literally as I got back to the pillow I heard ‘Daniels,’ and I bounced back up.”
Daniels is also up for the Best Director award at the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

Source:contactmusic.com/

Top 10 Best Oscar Dresses

Jennifer Aniston in Valentino

When Jennifer Aniston really needed to pull it out of the bag - and show Brad what he's missing - she absolutely nailed it. The Marley & Me star rocked up to the Oscars 2009 in a stunning strapless beaded Valentino gown. Totally jaw-plummeting.









Penelope Cruz in Versace




Wowser! Penelope Cruz really upped the style stakes in her voluminous Versace gown with a woven bodice and all-over feathered skirt. It certainly got tongues wagging - for all the right reasons!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Michelle Williams in Vera Wang




This might just be our all-time favourite Oscars gown... Well, it's definitely a contender for the title! Michelle Williams made mustard work in a way no other star ever has in 2006. Her Vera Wang dress, with its understated ruching and frills, was simply divine. And the red lippie was an inspired finishing touch.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anne Hathaway in Armani Prive




Anne Hathaway's best look ever? We think so! Anne simply wowed at the Oscars 2009 in her Armani Privé Champagne-coloured gown, featuring hundreds of Swarovski crystals. Cartier jewellery finished the look beautifully.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sienna Miller in Matthew Williamson




A young Sienna Miller made her Oscars debut in 2004. Wearing a dress by designer pal Matthew Williamson, Sienna showed just why she was the fashionista British girls most wanted to dress like

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Charlize Theron in Gucci




How divine was Charlize Theron in dazzling Champagne-hued Gucci at the Oscars in 2004? We love this dress - and the elegant 30s-style curls.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Marion Cotillard in Jean Paul Gaultier




Public Enemies star Marion Cotillard was on fine form at the Oscars in 2008 in a scalloped Jean Paul Gaultier mermaid gown and Swarovski clutch.

Natalie Portman in Lanvin

Natalie Portman was nominated for her role in Closer in 2005 and looked utterly sublime on the Oscars red carpet. Wearing this pewter-hued Lanvin dress the actress teamed her gown with nude nails and make-up and a discreet Alice band for a look that was pure class.

Renee Zellweger in Carolina Herrera

In 2003, Renee Zellweger successfully worked the red carpet in a colour-popping beaded Carolina Herrera gown.

Cameron Diaz in Valentino

Oh, Cameron, how we love thee! Ms Diaz's fold-detail strapless Valentino gown in 2007 had us practically drooling! Love the silver peep-toes and stunning green drop earrings, too.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Source:instyle.co.uk/

Sandra Bullock Earns Oscar And Razzie Nominations In Same Week

For seven long years, she was the girl in that failed movie/ TV show that you vaguely recognized. In 1994, she took the bus ride from hell with Keanu Reeves and became America's new sweetheart. Now, after a decade and a half as the A-list star of various chick-flick hits, Sandra Bullock has begun a new stage of her career: Oscar nominee.

Oddly enough, Bullock's sweet success was made bitter by another distinction: a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress. Being simultaneously nominated as the best and worst at your job is something truly rare. Yet, for Bullock, such a dichotomy seems oddly appropriate.

"I could not begin to tell you about the plot of the movie, because we'd be here for one hour and 35 minutes. I literally can't. Next question," Bullock said at the premiere for "All About Steve," the film behind her Razzie noms. "It's not complicated, but if you had to summarize your life in one little sentence for the media, could you do it?"

It certainly would be hard to briefly summarize Bullock's life. Born to a German opera singer and her voice coach, Bullock's maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist and the family moved frequently all over Europe and the U.S. A high school cheerleader who quit college only three credits short of graduating, she moved to Manhattan and worked as a coat checker to support herself. After starting out in junk like the TV movie "Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman" and the short-lived TV adaptation of "Working Girl," she broke through in 1994's "Speed." (That's three sentences — we cheated.)

"The worst thing that ever happened [after I became famous] was I was in a toilet stall at a club, and a camera came in underneath," Bullock told us once of the downside of becoming a household name. "[It was] a still camera. I think I got everything covered pretty much, but you just go, 'Oh my God, do you think I won't just swing this stall door open and clock you one?' But first, you have to pull the pants up, and it could get to be messy. That's when you realize there are boundaries that will be crossed.

"Now I'm prepared for [fame], and I don't use stalls anymore," Bullock explained. "I hold it."

That fame is only going to soar further now that, at age 45, she pulled off the back-to-back hits "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side," the latter of which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination as outspoken football mom Leigh Anne Tuohy. But despite her hugely successful year, the dichotomy of her Oscar/Razzie noms reminds fans that for every "Blind Side" she has an "All About Steve," for every "Speed" there's been a "Speed 2: Cruise Control," and for every "Miss Congeniality" her fans have had to sit through a "Two if by Sea."

Much like such stars as Bruce Willis, Jim Carrey and Dennis Quaid, all her decades of hits had never translated into an Oscar nomination — until now. There have been some apparent Oscar-bait movies ("28 Days," "Crash," "Infamous"), but according to Bullock, she wasn't even aiming for awards when she relented and agreed to be in "The Blind Side."

"I'd always assumed that the road to Oscar was planned. I thought people chose projects that were considered 'Oscar-worthy,' " Bullock said after learning about her nomination. "No one wanted to make this film. I didn't want to make this film for the better part of the year. Everyone is as blindsided — can I say that? — as I am."

Source:mtv.com/

And the Winner Should Be

The Oscars are still six weeks away, but I'm already thinking about all the talented actors who aren't going to get nominated. It seems like every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences chooses to ignore lesser names in favor of the usual suspects. Sure, there's always a token newcomer, but for the most part, the Oscars are all about big movie stars. That seems unfair, so I'm going to set things right by bringing some amazing performances to your attention. If you haven't already seen these actors do their thing, I suggest you do so immediately, because their work will inspire and motivate you.

Let's start with one of the best character actors in the business. I'm talking about Sam Rockwell. I don't think I've ever seen this guy give a bad performance. It's just not in his DNA. And if you want to see him rock the house, check out his work in a low-budget indie called "Moon." Except for the voice of Kevin Spacey, the entire movie is Sam Rockwell from beginning to end. His nuanced performance keeps your attention riveted to the screen. Without him, this challenging film would never work. But despite the brilliance of his acting, Rockwell will never get nominated, because most of the Academy voters have never even heard of this movie.

I have a question. Am I the only one who saw "Me and Orson Welles"? Set in 1937, it's about a teenager who gets cast in a stage production of "Julius Caesar" that's being directed by a young man named Orson Welles. The teenager is played by Zac Efron (trying to prove he's more than a Disney Store employee), but that's not who I'm here to rave about. Welles is played by Christian McKay, a 35-year-old Brit with a limited résumé. I don't know how an unknown got this part, but the man is brilliant. Unfortunately, even if McKay were to score a best supporting actor nomination, he would never win, because Christoph Waltz from "Inglourious Basterds" owns that statue. You can bet the farm on that one.

You can also bet that George Clooney has an excellent shot at the gold for his fine work in "Up in the Air," but let's shift our attention to one of the supporting actors in that movie. Does the name Anna Kendrick ring a bell? If you're one of the billions who are hooked on the "Twilight" series, then you know her as the character Jessica. Broadway musical fans remember her as the third-youngest performer ever nominated for a Tony, for her work in 1998's "High Society" (she was 12). Based on her performances in the "Twilight" films, no one expected this 24-year-old to do such impressive work in "Up in the Air." Her part could've easily become a one-note stereotype, but she digs deep, masters the reaction shot, and then slams it all home with a terrific closing scene. Kendrick might not get invited to the Kodak Theater this year, but she'll definitely show up there one day soon.

Now let's shift our attention to a major studio bomb with a $100 million budget. Peter Jackson's adaptation of "The Lovely Bones" is a deeply flawed film based on what might be a perfect book. The reviews haven't been good, and the box office has been worse. That means no one's getting nominated. But both Stanley Tucci and 15-year-old Saoirse Ronan should be acknowledged for their outstanding work. Tucci, another character actor who never misses, plays a man who appears normal on the outside but is pure evil on the inside. Ronan, an Oscar nominee for "Atonement," plays his victim, who comments on the story from beyond the grave. These are difficult challenges, and both actors are more than up to the task.

These five performances prove that talent may not always win awards, but it certainly cannot be denied. So enjoy watching these actors grow. Learn from them and then get out there and become the best possible actor that you can be.

Source:backstage.com/

Hollywood

Eyeing the Oscars: Brian picks his favorite flicks from 2009

On Tuesday, all eyes will be on Hollywood as the 2010 Academy Award nominees are announced. Ten movies may be set to be nominated for Best Picture - not five, as in years past - but that does not mean there is any less debate about the ballot. Which movie will take home the top honors? Who were the best actors and actresses of the last year? And is there any category in which Avatar will not be nominated?

What follows is a summary of the best movies of 2009 in two parts. At the end, I name some probable Oscar winners and a few movies which might receive surprise nominations. But first I list my five favorite films of the last year - I'll leave the debate about the 10 best to others. These are not necessarily predictions of which films will get Best Picture nominations; instead, read them as one avid moviegoer's attempt to sort out his favorites from a great year at the movies.




5. (500) Days of Summer

When was the last time a romantic comedy was this original? (500) Days of Summer is heartwarming, heartbreaking, hilarious and poignant, a riot of awesome characters and memorable dialogue. Rookie director Marc Webb - who will soon be helming the Spiderman reboot - makes this rom-com defy the Hollywood formula by telling the story out of chronological order and creating one unforgettable sequence in which the left side of the screen shows what a character wants to happen, and the right side shows what actually happens.

Strengths: The funniest, most remarkable romantic comedy since Much Ado About Nothing (1993).

Weaknesses: The movie's style seems gimmicky at first. Also, why are there parentheses around the 500 in the title?


4. Up in the Air

George Clooney (Ocean's Eleven) stars in the year's most timely movie, a story about a man (Clooney) whose job is to fire people. He lives and works deep in the heart of the current economic crisis, but the movie is at its strongest examining his own problems. Clooney's character is a loner who thinks he is happy, but what happens when he finally discovers the joys of human attachment? A marvelous character study that just happens to preserve as art the spirit of 2009.

Strengths: Clooney gives the performance of a lifetime, and Vera Farmiga (Orphan) and Anna Kendrick (Twilight) deliver great supporting performances. Hilarious one-liners and a surprisingly honest, realistic ending.

Weaknesses: The interviews with actual fired people, about how it feels to be unemployed, are unnecessary.


3. Up

Pixar has only ever had one slip-up (Cars), but even in the midst of its glorious run of movie magic, Up stands out. This is a movie fueled by magic, awash with glorious colors and propelled to greatness by a beyond-perfect soundtrack. Make no mistake: Up is a movie for adults. A friend of mine, Wiess College junior Michelle Conway, described the opening montage showing the lives of Carl and Elly Fredricksen as "the most romantic thing I've ever seen in a movie." And come to think of it, I agree.

Avatar set a new standard for special effects, but with that incredible opening sequence, Up set a new standard for computer-generated storytelling. And storytelling beats special effects any time.

Strengths: Incredibly mature themes, fabulous colors and music, perhaps the most romantic scenes ever, characters who defy family-movie stereotypes and an adorable bird.

Weaknesses: Like most animated movies, Up has an annoyingly one-dimensional villain.


2. Sugar

The most underappreciated movie of the year, Sugar begins as a baseball movie and ends up being something much more important. It tells the story of Miguel "Sugar" Santos, a Dominican baseball player who is drafted by a major league team and heads to the United States to prove his worth. Despite the appearance of several ballgames in the movie, Sugar is more about the immigrant experience, and ultimately about chasing the American dream. It's heartwarming and surprising, and it defies all the stereotypes of sports movies.

Strengths: Vivid, realistic, humorous and original, with great plot turns and a beautiful ending. Algenis Perez Soto, who is not an actor at all but a real Dominican baseball player, turns in a wonderful performance as Sugar Santos.

Weaknesses: For the DVD release, the creators censored the movie in an attempt to reduce the rating from R to PG-13. Why would anybody want to lower the rating on a DVD? At any rate, I want to see Sugar again but will wait until they sell the original release. In theaters, the movie was just about perfect.


1. The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is an all-time great film. It is a war movie about an Iraq War soldier (Jeremy Renner, 28 Weeks Later) whose job is to dismantle roadside bombs in Baghdad. Director Kathryn Bigelow - likely to become the first woman ever to win an Oscar for Best Director - controls the story with incredible suspense and power.

Strengths: Like no other movie this year, The Hurt Locker feels authoritative. It expresses itself with such confidence, such assurance and such authenticity that I never questioned or doubted the way the story was told. It disarms the critic's sense of "could that have been better?" The Hurt Locker will be watched, analyzed and maybe even taught decades from now.

Weaknesses: None. Seriously, none. If Locker loses the Oscar for Best Picture to Avatar, the only reason will be money. Locker is the best movie of the year, plain and simple.


Honorable mentions: I loved An Education and thought Inglourious Basterds was pretty cool. Star Trek exceeded my expectations, since I'd never watched the original series. Funny People was a better movie than everybody thinks, even though it was way too long.

Notably absent: Avatar. Special effects, imaginative settings and a wildly plagiaristic story do not a great movie make, unless you're Star Wars.

Best male acting performance: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

As SS Colonel Hans Landa, Waltz owned this movie; he is quite possibly one of the scariest movie villains of all time, and certainly Hollywood's greatest Nazi. More importantly, Basterds just wasn't as good when Waltz was off the screen. His energy and his evil charisma were the best parts of the whole film.

Best female acting performance: Carey Mulligan, An Education

Mulligan is the next Audrey Hepburn, a future superstar. Her performance in An Education defined the movie and announced her arrival as a major actress, the same way that Ellen Page won our hearts in Juno. The problem is that Mulligan is too young, so, like Page, she will lose the Oscar to an older actress, probably Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side).

Best director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Just think about this: One of the most emotionally powerful moments in The Hurt Locker is a man buying cereal at the grocery store. How many directors could make such a dull scene into a gripping psychological turning point? How many directors can justify putting a grocery store in a war movie? No woman has ever won an Oscar for Best Director. Bigelow will change that.

Best original musical score: Michael Giacchino, Up

The best soundtrack of the year gives us an unforgettably beautiful tune which we will always mentally associate with images of old Carl flying through the sky in his floating house. When I hear the music from Up in my head, my mind's eye can see Carl and Elly waltzing around their living room. Movie music doesn't get more perfectly suited to the subject matter than this.

Likely Oscar winners: The Hurt Locker, best picture; Jeff Bridges, best actor (Crazy Heart); Bullock, best actress (The Blind Side); Waltz, best supporting actor (Inglourious Basterds); Mo'Nique, best supporting actress (Precious); Bigelow, best director (The Hurt Locker); Quentin Tarantino, best original screenplay (Inglourious Basterds); Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, best adapted screenplay (Up in the Air).

Some possible surprise nominations: Adam Sandler for best actor (Funny People), Marc Webb for best director ((500) Days of Summer), Ramin Bahrani for best director (Goodbye Solo), Star Trek for best adapted screenplay, Star Trek for best picture, Up for best picture.

Source:ricethresher.org/

Oscar Update: New Oscar Predictions and the SAGs are Just Around the Corner

I haven't updated my predictions for almost a month, but following the Golden Globes and a month's worth of box-office business there are plenty of changes to be made as we make our way toward the Screen Actors Guild Awards this coming Saturday, January 23 and the announcement of the Oscar nominations almost a month later on Tuesday, February 2nd. Yeah, perhaps that's the most interesting part of this whole race. Following the SAGs this Saturday, we will be waiting over a month for the Academy to weigh in with its awards. However, on the bright side this gives Academy members more time to see all the potential nominees as nomination ballots are due on Saturday, January 23 and final voting ballots are due on March 2.

But enough of all that, let's try and sort out those potential Oscar nominees as I have made significant movement on four of my six prediction charts and will be curious to hear your thoughts.

BEST ACTRESS (get the full chart here)

I've decided to begin with one of the more interesting races as it appears Carey Mulligan (An Education) and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) are battling for third and fourth place with Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia) and Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) facing off for the top prize. Currently I have Streep in the #1 slot, and the only thing that could possibly make me change my mind would be a Bullock win at the SAGs.

One thing I have to ask, however, is how much does an actor donning an accent for a role help their award chances? Had Streep and Bullock used their normal voices for their roles would they be looked at in the same way? Personally I think an accent changes voters' perspectives way more than it should and people begin looking more at the mimicry rather than the performance. Both Mulligan and Sidibe gave powerful, emotionally charged performances that didn't require them to change their voice, but the fact they were offering more of a performance rather than an imitation seems to be a non-factor. I guess my question is when does imitation end and performance begin? Or is there even a difference and the two are one-in-the-same?

EDIT: A couple of commenters have challenged my assertion that Sidibe did not "change her voice" for Precious and in hindsight I think they are absolutely right, she not only changed her voice, but overhauled her entire being to become Precious. Perhaps I just respected it more than what Bullock and Streep were doing and the fact I didn't necessarily see it as an "imitation", which is why I didn't think of it in that way. Either way, I think the question is still valid, when does imitation end and performance begin? Do you think of Sidibe's performance as imitation in the same way Streep and Bullock were imitating their true life personas?

Now don't run off to the comments all upset, I think both Streep and Bullock did a fine job. Personally I would hand the award to Sidibe with the likes of Mulligan and probably Zoe Saldana as my runners-up, but that isn't to say I didn't find both Streep and Bullock to be very impressive.

BEST ACTOR (get the full chart here)

The Best Actor race has boiled down to three contenders with Jeff Bridges currently in the driver's seat for his outstanding performance as down-on-his-luck country singer Bad Blake in Crazy Heart. Bridges just won the Golden Globe and should he come out on top at the Screen Actors Guild Awards this weekend there is no doubt in my mind he will take home the Oscar. There is very little doubt in my mind right now he will take home the Oscar, but the likes of George Clooney (Up In the Air) and the most-deserving Colin Firth (A Single Man) still loom and a change in the winds thanks to SAG could throw a real monkey wrench in the works.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS AND ACTOR (get the full charts here: supporting actress | supporting actor)

No sense in doing these two separately as these are the two top line awards that are pretty much all sewn up. Mo'Nique will sweep the major awards following her Globe win on Sunday with a SAG win this Saturday and an Oscar win on March 7. The same goes for Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) and I wonder if there will be anyone in the audience cheering for anyone else.

Woody Harrelson (The Messenger) is coming on strong in this category and I am still holding out faith Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles) will get a nomination. On the ladies side I would love to see Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies) get a nom and I think Harrelson's Messenger co-star Samantha Morton is assured a nod. However, we are talking nominations here as the wins are pretty much already in the bag.

Source:ropeofsilicon.com/

Oscar Predictions: The Screenplay Categories

The screenplay races just may be the purest contests of the entire Oscar ceremony. After all, these are the awards where the presence of big movie stars or flashy special effects shouldn't matter. The Academy is voting exclusively on the merits of the words on the page. Here are the films whose stories I expect will make the cut this season:

Best Original Screenplay

Inglorious Basterds: How could Quentin Tarantino's war drama be considered anything but a lock for a nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category? This script is bursting with originality, from its controversial rewriting of WWII history to the spelling of its title. The typical Academy members may be a little too squeamish to hand QT a Best Picture or Best Director prize for such an unabashedly violent film, but they can't resist his stellar dialogue.

A Serious Man: Despite heaps of critical praise, the latest offering from the Coen brothers failed to ignite enough of a fire to establish itself as much of a contender for the major races, most likely due to its lack of big-name stars. A writing award would be the easiest way for the Academy to recognize the Coens' fine work without risking losing any glamour from the acting and Best Picture races.

Up: Pixar's latest may be one of the most visually beautiful films of the year, but it also told an emotionally rich story that still has people reaching for the Kleenex six months after it hit theaters. It also features the most realistic dog dialogue of all time.

(500) Days of Summer: Unfortunately, this innovative indie gem may seem like "too small" a film to secure a Best Picture nomination. Luckily, the Academy's rom-com prejudice doesn't seem to extend to the writing categories, which have shown love for films like Juno and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in the past decade. Look for Summer to shine brightly here.

The Hurt Locker: The most honored film of the year is a safe bet to be nominated in pretty much every category except the acting races. This war drama most likely won't take home a writing award, but it won't be left out of the mix.

Possible spoilers: It's Complicated simply because it's Nancy Meyers , and Avatar, simply because it's Avatar.

Best Adapted Screenplay

An Education: I, for one, would be perfectly OK if the Academy called off the race and just handed the award directly to Nick Hornby for his sparkling story about a young girl ready to give up her schoolbooks for some real world lessons.

Up in the Air: It's funny, it's timely, it gives good banter to glamorous movie stars, and it leaves the audience with some things to think about. Up in the Air may be losing its front-runner status in the Best Picture race, but it is definitely the film to beat here.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Like the aforementioned Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson is an offbeat writer/director who the Academy may prefer to recognize for his writing rather than his directing. Hopefully they'll find this comedy about the existential angst of a restless fox as fantastic as the Film.com staff did.

A Single Man and Precious: Look for the last two slots in this category to be filled by two moving adaptations of two equally moving novels.

Possible Spoilers: District 9 and Crazy Heart have both picked up enough smaller prizes that they shouldn't be counted out here yet.

Source:seattlepi.com/

Oscar Best Actor

In the last fifteen years, only four times have the nominees in the Academy Awards’ best actor category matched those up for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Two of those times took place in the last three years.

There’s a very good chance that this year will be the fifth time the two lists will mirror one another. So, why wasn’t Morgan Freeman listed up above for his stately performance as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood’s Invictus?

Well, in all honesty, we’ve decided to go out on a limb in the Best Actor category. Apart from his National Board of Review win early in December, Freeman has had his name mentioned here and there, but he’s hardly been a favorite to win anything. A Serious Man fans, on the other hand, have been more enthusiastic; proof of that is the number of awards for best screenplay that this Joel and Ethan Coen dark comedy has received. Stuhlbarg, for his part, has also earned great reviews and even managed to land a Golden Globe nomination — something unusual for an actor who isn’t a stellar attraction.

So, we believe there’s a chance that Michael Stuhlbarg will be an upset nominee. That’s why we have him listed.

Other possible upsetters are: Viggo Mortensen for The Road, Matt Damon for The Informant!, Joseph Gordon-Levitt for (500) Days of Summer, and Robert Downey Jr for Sherlock Holmes. (Downey Jr’s humorous speech at the Golden Globes probably won him some extra votes.)

Hal Holbrook shouldn’t be completely discarded. It all depends on the number of screeners Academy members received. And if they bothered to watch That Evening Sun, which has been mostly ignored by critics and other groups.

If Daniel Day-Lewis gets a nod for Nine, Academy members will be turned into stone.

Photos: Crazy Heart (Lorey Sebastian / 20th Century Fox); Up in the Air (Dale Robinette / Paramount); The Hurt Locker (Jonathan Olley / Summit Entertainment); A Single Man (Eduard Grau/ The Weinstein Company); A Serious Man (Focus Features)

Source:altfg.com/

Oscar Best Director

Four of the directors above were nominated by the Directors Guild of America. European Film Award winner Michael Haneke is the exception. We’re replacing DGA choice Lee Daniels with Haneke because we’ve reached a tentative consensus. Actually, we’ve reached no consensus at all. Haneke is on the list simply because we’ve decided to go out on a limb once again.

Of course, the DGA and the Academy seldom agree 100% on their choice of nominees. Smaller and foreign films usually fare much better with the Academy. Also, Haneke’s The White Ribbon is a director’s film, much like Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is a director’s film. Lee Daniels’ Precious is less obviously so. One could see it as a screenwriter’s and/or an actor’s film.

Having said that, Daniels has a great chance of landing a nomination — greater, in fact, than Haneke. But every year really unexpected surprises take place when the Oscar nominations are announced, and this may be one of them. Remember, a fair number of Academy members watched the foreign-language film screenings. If they admired The White Ribbon — it’s one of the nine semi-finalists in that category — they surely remembered Michael Haneke when filling out their ballots.

Three other strong possibilities to replace Daniels are Clint Eastwood, less because of Invictus than because he’s Clint Eastwood; Neill Blomkamp of the sleeper hit District 9; and the brothers Joel and Ethan Coen for A Serious Man, a biting comedy that has a number of ardent fans.

Less likely: Lone Scherfig, An Education.

Photos: Up in the Air (Dale Robinette / Paramount);

The Hurt Locker (Jonathan Olley / Summit Entertainment); Avatar (Mark Fellman / 20th Century Fox); Inglourious Basterds (François Duhamel / The Weinstein Co.)

Source:altfg.com/

Oscar Best Documentary

Like in the best foreign language film category, the best documentary feature Academy Award nominations are decided by a relatively small group of people. Like in the best foreign language film category, controversies have plagued the Academy’s documentary branch since its inception decades ago.

Four of the five films above have been widely talked about, especially The Beaches of Agnes, which earned veteran Agnes Varda a Cesar last year, and The Cove, a topical and multiple award-winning documentary about the merciless slaughter of dolphins in the fishing town of Taiji, Japan. Depending on when ballots for this category were due, the Haiti earthquake may have helped Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders. That’s why we’ve included it here. Admittedly, it’s a wild guess.

Other strong possibilities are Greg Barker’s Sergio, about the United Nations representative killed in Iraq; Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey’s Mugabe the White African, a portrait of a white family fighting to keep their land in today’s Zimbabwe; and James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo’s Every Little Step, about auditions for a Chorus Line revival.

But this being the feature documentary category, any of the 15 semi-finalists may land a nomination. And some of the absolute favorites may be left out.

Source:altfg.com/