The Screening Room

From the Associated Press:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- The Academy Awards are doubling the number of best-picture nominees from five to 10.

Academy President Sid Ganis said at a news conference that the academy's board of governors made the decision to expand the slate. Ganis said the decision will open the field up to more worthy films for the top prize at Hollywood's biggest party.

So, the Cannes International Film Festival got an uplifting start yesterday with Disney-Pixar's Up. There's always a first time, and this first was all animated. And 3-D.

Big names crowd the competition at this year's edition of the festival, including Jane Campion, Quentin Tarantino, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodovar, Ang Lee and Ken Loach. Don't hate them because they're talented. Check out the list.

(Photo of Jane Campion by James Bridges)

It was December 1971. I was spending the holidays in New York City, where I decided to go to the opening night of a new movie set in Texas, titled The Last Picture Show. As a native Texan, it blew me away. I had no idea what a national sensation it would become, launching the careers of Cybill Shepherd, Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges and giving director Peter Bogdanovich his best film ever. And no one, of course, can underestimate the genius of author Larry McMurtry, who wrote the novel in 1966. It was "lovingly dedicated" to McMurtry's hometown, Archer City, where the movie was filmed. He co-wrote the screenplay with Bogdanovich, earning the pair one of the film's eight Oscar nominations. And that's why Thursday night's screening of The Last Picture Show, and post-film discussion with Bogdanovich at the Nasher Sculpture Center, was so memorable. It proved to be one of the highlights of the AFI Dallas International Film Festival and served as a sublime beginning to the Nasher's new series, Free Films on First Thursdays. (See previous Playlist item for further details on the series and click below to read on!)

Photo: Peter Bogdanovich

South by Southwest Film festival had its closing ceremonies Tuesday, right before the hordes descended for the music portion of the fest. While the music festival is the loudest, the film festival has quietly become a place for innovative filmmakers to gather. Here are the prizes:

Film prizes go to eclectic set
By Susan King
(c) 2009, Los Angeles Times

HOLLYWOOD - Award winners for the South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival were announced Tuesday evening at the Austin est's closing ceremonies. The prizes were divided into jury awards and audience awards.

Judi Krant's "Made in China," about an inventor lost in Shanghai, won the jury award for best narrative feature and also took home the SXSW / Chicken & Egg Emergent Woman Award.

OK, this is not exactly Oscar chatter, since the film in question isn't nominated for anything. But something has been bothering me since I saw the Holocaust movie, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, whose DVD release is March 10. I saw it in West Texas soon after it opened. The theater was packed. But when we got to the ending -- which I won't give away for those who have yet to see it -- the crowd reacted with such shock and horror that ... it left me cold, as though nothing having to do with concentration camps had bothered anyone up to that point. I'm not saying the crowd reaction was anti-Semitic, but have we as a culture grown so accustomed (jaded?) to stories of the Holocaust that the evil business of concentration camps no longer provokes a strong reaction? (Please click below to read on.)

Kate Winslet, Mickey Rourke (right) and Slumdog Millionaire continued their gallops toward the Oscars as each won big at the British Academy Film Awards. Slumdog won seven awards, including best picture and best director for Danny Boyle, who thanked the folks who helped get his father's cable back on. Winslet (The Reader) and Rourke (The Wrestler) took home best-acting honors.

Heath Ledger won the award for best supporting actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

(Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

Which one of five nominated fims (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, Milk and Slumdog Millionaire) will win a SAG award in the category Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture? Find out Sunday at a viewing party for the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. The party, presented by the area branch of the Screen Actors Guild, will be at the Angelika Film Center. The awards ceremony will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 7 p.m. from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Visit the Web site to check out nominations in other categories. Reservations are recommended.

- Staff Writer Bindu Varghese

As the Morning News writer who reviewed both The Reader and Frozen River, I was thrilled to see that Kate Winslet and Melissa Leo both earned nominations for Best Actress. And believe me, "earned" is the operative verb. I don't envy Academy voters having to choose between those two. Initially, I was surprised to see that Clint Eastwood was shut out for Gran Torino (a fine film), but I, for one, can't think of anyone more deserving of Best Actor nominations than the five who earned them. I was surprised Bruce Springsteen didn't get a nod for Best Song (for The Wrestler). My biggest objection came in the documentary category, involving snubs for two films with Texas connections. (Please click below to read on!)

Photo: David Kross and Kate Winslet in The Reader

Studios with multiple nominations for the 81st Academy Awards:

Paramount: 17

Fox Searchlight: 12

Universal: 11

Focus Features: 9

Warner Bros.: 8

Walt Disney: 7

Miramax: 6

Paramount Vantage: 6

The Weinstein Company: 5

Sony Pictures Classics: 3

(From the Associated Press. Totals are based on the studio of record for domestic distribution for each film.)

Oscars: 'Slumdog,' Benjamin Button' get best picture nominations; Heath Ledger receives supporting actor nomination

Complete nominee list for the 81st annual Academy Awards

81st annual Oscar nominees' photos and trailers

Batman & Bollywood? Oscars eye 'Knight,' 'Slumdog'

To regain populist footing, Oscar needs a hero

Oscar loves 'em, dead or alive

Official Oscars Web site

The nominations are in! (Well, at least the big ones. We'll fill in the gaps soon.) Here are the nominees for the top six awards:

Best supporting actress: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Marissa Tomei (The Wrestler)

Supporting actor: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Milk), Heath Ledger (The Dark Night) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married); Angelina Jolie (The Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt) and Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Best Actor: Richard Jenkins, Frank Langella, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke

Best Director: David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Stephen Daldry (The Reader) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Best picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader; Slumdog Millionaire

So tell us: Which actor, actress, director or film did the Academy overlook? Who should have gotten a nomination?

Good morning, movie fans! We'll be keeping you up to date with the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards. The announcements begin at 7:30 on E!

7:44 a.m.: Well, that was fast.

7:38 a.m.: Best supporting actress: Amy Adams (Doubt), Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Viola Davis (Doubt), Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Marissa Tomei (The Wrestler)

Supporting actor: Josh Brolin (Milk), Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Milk), Heath Ledger (The Dark Night) and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

Best Actress: Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married); Angelina Jolie (The Changeling), Melissa Leo (Frozen River), Meryl Streep (Doubt) and Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Best Actor: Richard Jenkins, Frank Langella, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Mickey Rourke

Best Director: David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Gus Van Sant (Milk), Stephen Daldry (The Reader) and Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Animated feature: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E

Best picture: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader; Slumdog Millionaire

7:35 a.m. Hold tight. E! presenters are filling time until the announcements get under way.

Set your alarm clocks (and be glad you don't live on the West coast) -- nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards will be announced beginning at 7:30 a.m. CST (that's 5:30 a.m. for our poor Californian brethren.)

Join us here starting at 7:30 to find out who got snubbed and who's getting a 5:45 wake up call from their agent.

And since the Golden Globes are often a good indicator of which way the Academy will vote, don't forget who has already taken home an award this year.

Thank you, Hollywood Foreign Press for wrapping up tonight's show in just two minutes over 10 p.m. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? Take a lesson.

So Slumdog Millionaire score Best Motion Picture. Well played, Danny Boyle. Does this signal Oscar gold in the future? Time will tell.

I don't know whether to love or hate his outfit, but, man, I sure do respect it. Parts Johnny Cash, parts Elvis, parts Plastic Man (or Elongated Man, you pick), parts Waylon Jennings ... I could go on.

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) says it's been a long way back for him, this winner of tonight's best-actor award. He would be right. Let's see if that face gets him some more real, meaty roles. Judging from the wild applause and cries when his name was announced, I'd say there's hope. Plus, he talked about his dog ... Wow, if anyone deserved to ramble, it's Mickey.

While I would have been happy to see any of these shows win (Dexter; House; In Treatment; True Blood), I'm glad to see the AMC show's sophomore season was just as strong as its first.

Kate Winslet was shocked when she was named for her second acting award of the night. After receiving the best supporting actress award for her turn in The Reader, she took Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for Revolutionary Road.

Oh, SNAP. The audience seemed to be less than underwhelmed at Cohen's jokes this evening. Personally, I thought the comment that "Victoria Beckham hasn't eaten in three weeks" deserved a chuckle or two. But Charlie Sheen not paying for sex? Madonna firing personal assistant Guy Ritchie? C'mon! I didn't get the feeling he was being particularly vitriolic. It makes me wonder if another comedian could have gotten away with the same comments.

Slumdog Millionaire earns its second award of the night (the first was for Best Original Score) as Danny Boyle wins Best Director - Motion Picture.

Then Colin Farrell beats In Bruges co-star Brendon Gleeson and three others for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy.

I loved the walk down cinematic memory lane that Steven Spielberg's clip show just provided.

the best part: I had completely forgotten that Spielberg direction one of my all time favorite TV episodes: The Night Gallery pilot, "Eyes," starring none other than Joan Crawford. So while you're thanking Cecile B. DeMille for starting your film career, Steven Spielberg, thank you for helping create the science fiction/horror fan I have become.

Oh, Tracy Morgan. Way to sweep away with "Best Acceptance Speech of the Night," speaking for 30 Rock as "the face of post-racial America."

"Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for 30 Rock from now on," he said.

I wonder then: If McCain/Palin had won, would Tina Fey have accepted the award with a heartfelt "you betcha!"?

Not taking home the award tonight: Showtime's Californication and Weeds, HBO's Entourage or NBC's The Office.

OK, so I'm a little late with this, but ...

Paul Giamatti won best actor for miniseries or made-for-TV movie for you know what. Maybe the Globes could just play back the acceptance speeches from awards shows past when a cast member from HBO's John Adams wins an award tonight.

I'm just saying.

Uh, I meant Renee Zellweger. What is she wearing?! My grandmother would say she dyed a croaker sack black. For those of you not versed in the old Southern ways, that's the rough bag they used to put flour in. Emphasis on the rough.

If you think you've heard it all before, well, you have. John Adams swept the SAG Awards and the Emmys last year (!) and now we get to watch them win all the awards again. "My," you say, "that must be some miniseries. I've got to see that." Well, you'd have to rely on HBO's programmers to run it back for you. And if they're worth any of the salary that they're making, they'll do a John Adams marathon. Or at least make a big DVD push.

I mean, people want to see what all the fuss is about. Right? I'm just saying that two years of honoring this could be quite enough. The Thorn Birds didn't get this type of hype. And I'll bet your grandmother saw that one.

The award goes to... Waltz With Bashir, the animated war film from Isreal, which opens here in Dallas on Jan. 23.

Director Christopher Nolan accepted the drama award for late actor Heath Ledger. The Globes had enough foresight to prepare a scene of the character's winning work as the Joker in The Dark Knight, since we all knew the well-liked and talented actor would win.

I don't know about a "hole ripped in the future of cinema" that Nolan mentioned opening upon Ledger's death, but his acceptance speech was respectfully brief. I thought Ledger's performance in the film was fearless, edgy and just what the Batman series of films needed. I mourn the passing of the once and future Joker (sorry, Jack and Cesar).

Why was Johnny Depp speaking that way? Is it his Dillinger voice? He's set to play the folk hero bank robber in a movie later this year. Or is it more Method nonsense?

It almost brought the show to a crashing halt, subduing it beyond recognition. I love you, Johnny, but really?

Of course, it was followed by a teary acceptance speech from Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), who won actress in a film/comedy or musical. Is she still talking?

Anna Paquin of True Blood takes home the statuette for actress/TV drama. She must have been as surprised as I was, since her speech lasted all of a two seconds. I was hoping she wouldn't win so we wouldn't get more of that awful accent that she uses on the show.

I'm a child of the South, and we don't all talk alike. And I watch and listen to that show. That's a lot of different dialects for what's supposed to be a small, vampire-ridden town. Ah, well.

Let's hear it for Gabriel Byrne of In Treatment, who won actor/TV drama and Laura Dern (Recount), who won supporting actress/TV series, miniseries or movie.

A voice just introduced us to what happens during a commercial break at the Golden Globes. He says they find old friends and make deals. Really?! Make deals? Come on ... the Globes' reputation as a freewheeling drink-a-thon belies that.

Maybe it's just a lot of "I'll call you" and "Let's do lunch" and "I haven't seen you since Surfer Dude!"

Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or TV movie (enough categories woven into one?!) went to Tom Wilkinson for John Adams, in probably the first of more than a few awards for that miniseries.

So glad it went to him. One can only hope he sweeps his categories. He's such a wonderful presence in anything he decides to act in. He's also nominated for best actor in a miniseries or made-for-TV movie.

It was nice to see Blair Underwood nominated, though. He should get some sort of longevity award ...

Of course, Globes voters couldn't resist giving Bruce Springsteen the song award for "The Wrestler" from The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. Even he remarked on the fact that he was against Clint Eastwood (!) for the award. I'm torn between whether I want the Globes to start getting the nominees to sing the songs. Or not.

I mean, sometimes it's a welcome respite from all the star- and navel-gazing. And other times, it's some sort of random torture tactic dreamed up in a madman's world.

And in a category that I hoped would give us a surprise, we get Kate Winslet as Supporting Actress/Drama. She looks really good in the black dress, even if her present form makes me wish for Kate past. (Hold on, Viola, who also looked remarkably happy and relaxed. Remember, this isn't the Oscars.)

They're all so shiny. Jennifer Lopez, who always looks good in gold, presented the award.

Anyone remember that Madonna (right) directed a movie last year? Well, I'm not the only one who remembered Filth and Wisdom. She was honored (poked fun at?) with a Razzie nomination. You know the Razzies, for "the worst of the worst in entertainment." Other nominees included Tom Cruise, The Hottie and the Nottie, High School Musical 3 and a surprise nomination for Reese Witherspoon for Worst Actress for her work in Four Christmases and other 2008 films.

But Kate Hudson seemed to take it on the chin when she was nominated twice in the same category: Worst Screen Couple. This, on top of the dismal reviews her new movie, Bride Wars, is getting. Some people just can't get a break.

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Associated Press)

Fresh on the heels of its nomination for Best Picture from the Producers Guild, The Dark Knight received a nomination for best adapted screenplay from the Writers Guild of America.

The film was snubbed by the Golden Globes for any type of non-actor nomination, though Heath Ledger received a well-deserved supporting nod. And the movie did receive a nod for the stunts from the Screen Actors Guild. A note to the Academy: Just because a film has ears, a cape and a Joker doesn't mean it's not worthy of flying high.

(Photo by Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Pictures)

OK, so I'm watching the David Letterman show on Monday night, when the guest is Dustin Hoffman, who's appearing in the new movie Last Chance Harvey. He tells a great story about the time he played a woman for the movie Tootsie (best comedy ever), for which he won the Oscar as Best Actor. He was dressed up in drag and found himself on an elevator near the Russian Tea Room in New York City. Legendary actor Jose Ferrer happened to be on the same elevator. Mr. Hoffman, who decided to remain in character, started a conversation with Mr. Ferrer, leading up to an obscene remark, which was of course bleeped from the Letterman show. But before then, he, or rather she, kept telling Mr. Ferrer how she had learned to act while doing shows in Dallas. Don't you love these local connections?

Photo: Dustin Hoffman

In my business, we're always looking for the local connection. So, it was quite a kick to come across it twice in recent days (see entry above as well). I got a chance to see the fabulous new movie The Wrestler, in which Mickey Rourke plays a broken-down professional wrestler. For my money, Mr. Rourke deserves to win an Oscar for Best Actor. It's an incredible performance. At one point, the wrestler is working in a butcher shop, which bores him to tears. A guy comes in to buy some meat. The wrestler pretends he's a quarterback and asks the customer to go out for a pass. He hurls the wrapped-up meat, which makes a perfect landing in the guy's shopping cart. "How 'bout them Cowboys!" the wrestler shouts. See, I told you there was a local connection.

Photo: Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

From the Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The Batman epic "The Dark Knight," the political biopic "Milk" and the gritty drama "The Wrestler" were among critical favorites that landed on the American Film Institute's list of the year's 10 best movies.

Also on AFI's list, released Sunday, were the animated "Wall-E," Clint Eastwood's "Gran Torino," the superhero blockbuster "Iron Man," the indie dramas "Frozen River" and "Wendy and Lucy," the adapted play "Frost/Nixon," and the Brad Pitt epic "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

Unlike other film honors, the institute does not rank films or pick one as the year's best. The filmmakers behind the top 10 choices will be honored at a luncheon Jan. 9.

Many of the films on the list picked up Golden Globe nominations last week and are expected to compete for Academy Awards. Oscar nominations are to be announced Jan. 22.

Among Globe best-drama nominees were "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," David Fincher's drama about a man who ages backward, starring Pitt and Cate Blanchett; and Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon," based on the Peter Morgan play about the famous TV interview of Richard Nixon by David Frost, starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen.

The AFI also released a top 10 list of TV shows for 2008, featuring "Breaking Bad," "In Treatment," "John Adams," "Life," "Lost," "Mad Men," "The Office," "Recount," "The Shield" and "The Wire."

The top 10 lists were chosen by two 13-member panels, one each for movies and television. Members included writer Mark Harris, filmmaker Robert Towne, and critics Leonard Maltin, Elvis Mitchell and Richard Schickel.

PICTURE, DRAMA: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Slumdog Millionaire.

PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY: Burn After Reading, Happy-Go-Lucky, In Bruges, Mamma Mia!, Vicky Christina Barcelona.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE PICTURE: Baader Meinhof Complex, Everlasting Moments, Gomorrah, I've Loved You So Long, Waltz With Bashir.

DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire; Stephen Daldry, The Reader; David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon; Sam Mendes, Revolutionary Road.

DRAMATIC ACTOR: Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road; Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon; Sean Penn, Milk; Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler.

DRAMATIC ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married; Angelina Jolie, Changeling; Meryl Streep, Doubt; Kristin Scott Thomas, I've Loved You So Long; Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road.

ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL: Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Colin Farrell, In Bruges; James Franco, Pineapple Express; Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges; Dustin Hoffman, Last Chance Harvey.

ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL: Rebecca Hall, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky; Frances McDormand, Burn After Reading; Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia!; Emma Thompson, Last Chance Harvey.

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Tom Cruise, Tropic Thunder; Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder; Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt; Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams, Doubt; Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Viola Davis, Doubt; Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler; Kate Winslet, The Reader.

ANIMATED FILM: Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, Wall-E.

SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire; David Hare, The Reader; Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon; Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; John Patrick Shanley, Doubt.

ORIGINAL SCORE: Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Clint Eastwood, Changeling; James Newton Howard, Defiance; Hans Zimmer, Frost/Nixon; A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire.

SONG: Down to Earth (performed by Peter Gabriel, written by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman), Wall-E; Gran Torino (performed by Clint Eastwood), Gran Torino; I Thought I Lost You (performed Miley Cyrus and John Travolta, written by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele), Bolt; Once in a Lifetime (performed by Beyonce), Cadillac Records; The Wrestler (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), The Wrestler.

Nominees for television

They'll never do it, but the Golden Globe skit I'd most like to see is Meryl Streep in her nun habit from Doubt forgetting in the midst of a quietly intense tirade with Philip Seymour Hoffman what movie she's in and breaking into a song from Mamma Mia!, preferably "Mamma Mia, here I go again..."

I mean, if you're trying to save time in the telecast, wouldn't that be a fun way to combine mention of her nominations for Doubt and Mamma Mia!?

With Hancock out this week, it got me thinking about who are the top performers when it comes to having both recording and acting careers. Admittedly, it's pretty subjective, but I think Will Smith may be the top dual threat performer of all time. His movies have grossed more than a billion dollars and he's been nominated for two Oscars; on the music side, he was awarded the first-ever rap Grammy and he's had several No. 1 hit singles.
That being said, I don't think it's a slam dunk. Here are the other four performers who I would consider to be in the top five. I'm sure that I am forgetting someone, so I am relying on you all to serve me up good
-- Frank Sinatra: The music side needs no discussion as he's maybe the most famous and loved crooner in American history. But he was no slouch on the big screen either, as he was nominated for best Oscar for The Man With the Golden Arm and he won the supporting actor award for From Here to Eternity.
-- Barbra Streisand: She may be Sinatra's female counterpart when it comes to music. On the movies front, she has been nominated for five Oscars, winning the best actress award for Funny Girl and for a song in the film A Star is Born. She also gave memorable performances in The Prince of Tides and The Way We Were.
-- Cher: Between her solo career and her duo with Sonny Bono, she's sold more than 275 million records worldwide and is resposible for the biggest selling dance single ever, "Believe". She won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Moonstruck and she picked up another GG for Silkwood, for which she was also Oscar-nominated.
-- Bette Midler: She's got a pair of Oscar nominations (For the Boys and The Rose) and four Grammies to show for her storried career (and a Tony to boot).
So there's the list. I also considered Elvis, but his movies were really more vehicles for him designed to sell more records. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson also crossed my mind, but they all still have a ways to go to match this bunch. So, again I ask, who am I missing?

The early reviews of The Dark Knight are trickling in, and word is that Heath Ledger's final performance is one to remember him by. Los Angeles area critics got an early press screening Thursday night (luckies) and the best-supporting-actor campaign has already begun.
David Germain of the Associated Press writes, "With his final full film role, Ledger delivers what may be remembered as the finest performance of his career ... At times sounding like a cross between tough guy James Cagney in a gangster flick and Philip Seymour Hoffman's fastidious Truman Capote, Ledger elevates Batman's No. 1 nemesis to a place even Jack Nicholson did not take him in 1989's Batman.
The Dark Knight comes out July 18, aka, not soon enough.

Star power doesn't hurt when it comes to getting people out to a film festival, and the crew over at AFI-Dallas has certainly recognized that. The festival announced this morning that it will present its Star Award to festival attendees Helen Hunt, Mickey Rooney, Todd Wagner and Charlize Theron. Jack Lemmon will also receive the award, accepted by his widow, Felicia Farr.

Last week we broke down the best actor and actress categories, throwing our weight behind Daniel Day-Lewis and Julie Christie. And now it's on to the last two major categories: best director and picture. In the interest of saving our dessert for last, let's discuss the best director race first. Typically, the favorite in this category is whoever directed the best-picture favorite, leading me to believe that the Coen Bros. have the inside track. But I think there is a ligit wild card in this field: Julian Schnabel. The Diving Bell in the Butterfly is a film where you see the director's artistic fingerprints all over it. And I think the reason Schnabel scored the nomination over Joe Wright is Wright took a very heavy-handed approach to directing Atonement. The result is that the viewer feels as if Wright is constantly tapping him on the shoulder saying, "Hey, don't forget who put all of this together!" Schanbel took a lighter approach, and the result is a film that feels effortless.

Last week we looked at the supporting categories, placing our bets on Javier Bardem and Cate Blanchett to win their respective categories. Today it's time to break down the lead acting categories. Let's start with the men, and what seems to be the obvious question: Daniel Day-Lewis seems to be the heavy favorite here -- is there any reason to think that he won't take the stage and accept the award next Sunday?

It's that time again -- time for the DMN Oscar watchers (aka, Chris Vognar, Tom Maurstad and me) to break down the big races leading up to the Feb. 24 Academy Awards. Today, we'll discuss the supporting categories, beginning with supporting actor. I want to proclaim this race as all but over, with Javier Bardem putting the finishing touches on his acceptance speech. He's already claimed the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award in this category and was installed as the favorite well before then. So my question is: Is there any way one of the other nominees reaches up and grabs this one?

Among last year’s 20 acting nominees, there were five black actors (Eddie Murphy, Will Smith Djimon Hounsou and winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudston), two Latin nominees (Penélope Cruz and Adriana Barraza) and one Asian (Rinko Kikuchi). But this year, the diversity trend seems to have reversed itself: Ruby Dee and Javier Bardem are the only non-white actors nominated this year.

Every Oscar race has its showdowns, those one-on-one match-ups that transcend the field of five. Wanna know which ones we find most intriguing? Keep reading, oh loyal blog peruser.

I'm going to try to address some of the many snub comments/questions in one bulk posting. Here goes:

American Gangster: I think a lot of people just don't know what to make or do with it. It's a big, fairly mainstream entertainment with a morally ambiguous antihero, and it's a bit on the slick side. Denzel has had his Oscar glory recently (and has two awards), and his performance might have reminded some too much of Training Day. I will still steadfastly defend it, and him. The guy's got charisma and screen presence to burn.

Eddie Vedder: He got caught up in the surprising indifference to Into the Wild. His songs were the highlight of the film for me. I wonder if there's some Sean Penn hating afoot....

Ryan Gosling: I wasn't a big Lars fan; I could never get over the nagging feeling that everyone in it was slightly daft. I liked Half Nelson a lot more. In any case, he's going to be around for years, and he'll he part of the Oscar conversation for as long as he wants to be.

Here's a look at the nomination leaders, how much they've made at the box office and where you can see them:
Noms. Title Box office Where to see?
8 No Country for Old Men $48.6 mil. In theaters
There Will be Blood $8.7 mil. In theaters
7 Atonement $31.8 mil. In theaters
Michael Clayton $39.3 mil. In theaters
5 Ratatouille $206 mil. On DVD
4 The Diving Bell and the Butterfly $2.6 mil. In theaters
Juno $85.3 mil. In theaters

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again And again. And again. And again.

Sound mixer Kevin O'Connell picked up his 20th Oscar nomination, for Transformers. He has yet to win. Somewhere, Susan Lucci is smiling ear to ear.

It's now official: Juno is this year's Little Miss Sunshine, the boutique studio (Fox Searchlight) crossover that slayed the box office and scored nods aplenty. It has now made $87 million domestically on fewer screens than a lot of major releases. Jason Reitman, Ellen Page and Diablo Cody earned nominations to go with the best picture nod. I was especially happy to see Reitman get his - Cody has gotten endless, well-earned buzz for her screenplay, but Reitman has such a deft comic touch, as he showed with Thank You for Smoking. At 30, he's got plenty of plaudits ahead.

Looks like Sicko, Michale Moore's deconstruction of the American healthcare system, is one of the five nominees in the documentary category. Oddly enough, he may be rooting for another nominee in the field, No End in Sight. It's a lot more critical of Moore's favorite punching bag, Pres. Bush, than Sicko.

Cate Blanchett manages the rare double nomination, one in the lead category for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and one in the supporting category for I'm Not There. Many prognosticators felt that her frontrunner status in the supporting category meant that she'd be left off the lead actress list, but apparently Oscar voters can't get enough Cate. The last person to score two acting nominations in the same year was Terrell's own Jamie Foxx in 2004, for Collateral (supporting) and Ray (lead, which he won). The last time an actress turned the trick was 2002, when Julianne Moore scored for Far From Heaven (lead) and The Hours (supporting). She walked away with neither.

I can't say American Gangster's solo nod (for supporting actress Ruby Dee) is a shock; I think the movie was under-appreciated from the start, and I think time will treat it very well. (Nice to see it's still getting love over at IMDB).

Once again we see the value (not much) of a Golden Globe win in the musical/comedy category. Dreamgirls didn't get nominated, and neither did Sweeney Todd. It's hard out there for a demon barber.

And what about Into the Wild? Some experts predicted nods for Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch and Catherine Keener. Zip, zip and zip.

As some of you know, I've been tracking the possible nominees week by week since October, so today is the I was going to finally get to show the world how smart I am. Instead, I would say this is the day I showed the world how sorta smart I am. Of the 30 nominees in the major categories, I correctly predicted 22, giving me a batting average of 73 percent. If you're curious about my exact misses, read on...

So this is what life looks like before 8 a.m. Fascinating.

Tommy Lee Jones and Laura Linney are both considered surprises, but to me both are no-brainers. I said TLJ's Elah performance was the best of his career when the film came out, and I still think so. So much of his acting is in his face, very appropriate for a character who can't admit to himself that he's in a lot of pain. It's a luminous portrait of stifled grief. As for Linney, she can do no wrong in my book (her other great performance of the year, in Breach, has been all but forgotten by now). She makes deeply flawed people appealing and human.

Here are the nominees in the major categories:
Best Picture: “Atonement,” “Juno,” “Michael Clayton,” “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood.”
Actor: George Clooney, “Michael Clayton”; Daniel Day-Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”; Johnny Depp, “Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street”; Tommy Lee Jones, “In the Valley of Elah”; Viggo Mortensen, “Eastern Promises.”
Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”; Julie Christie, “Away From Her”; Marion Cotillard, “La Vie en Rose”; Laura Linney, “The Savages”; Ellen Page, “Juno.”
Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”; Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”; Hal Holbrook, “Into the Wild”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Charlie Wilson’s War”; Tom Wilkinson, “Michael Clayton.”
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”; Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”; Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”; Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”; Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton.”
Director: Julian Schnabel, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”; Jason Reitman, “Juno”; Tony Gilroy, “Michael Clayton”; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, “No Country for Old Men”; Paul Thomas Anderson, “There Will Be Blood.”

Should be getting the nominees any minute. Interesting that ABC decided it would be a good idea to show an ad for the Oscars, without knowing that they're definitely even having a show.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences

Do you agree? Disagree? Share your thoughts and your picks.

Yeah, your lives are tragic. But cheer up, Oscar's on the way (Focus Features)

I think the Oscars are looking like a best picture/director split between Atonement and the Coens. I just don't think Schnabel has enough skins on the wall to win the big one, though I'm sure he'll be nominated, and Joe Wright doesn't have the rep. I also think Bardem, Christie and Day-Lewis can give their victory speeches now. Blanchett? Not as sure.

Ok, so they're not anti-American in the traditional sense. But this year further proves that the Golden Globes cannot be taken seriously as a predictor of the Academy Awards for one simple reason: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association seeminly picks a foreigner whenever possible. A quick rundown: Drama actor Daniel Day-Lewis (British), drama actress Julie Christie (British), comedy or musical actress Marion Cotillard (French), supporting actor Javier Bardem (Spanish) and supporting actress Cate Blanchett (Australian). In fact, the only American to win a major acting award was Johnny Depp -- and he lives in France. The best drama winner was Atonement (made in England), the comedy or musical winner was Sweeney Todd (ditto) and the directing award went to Julian Schnabel, whose film is in French.
All of these winners are perfectly deserving on a case-by-case basis. But collectively, it sure seems as if the HFPA prefers the import.

It should be noted that, although the Writers Guild did not picket the new conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, about a dozen entertainment industry workers gathered outside to beg the writers and producers to return to the bargaining table. With many productions shutdown because they are out of scripts, the worker bees on those shows have found themselves out of jobs. Howard Keys, a set medic with the ABC show Private Practice, told the Associated Press, “We're the workers, the grunts of the industry. A grip, a camera operator, a set lighting technician — they can't work elsewhere. These are our full-time jobs, our careers.”

NBC has got to be royally furious. It's 8:38 and E! and the Golden Globes Web Site have already announced all the winners (congratulations Atonement, btw). Meanwhile, NBC plots along to the finish, announcing winners to an audience that can potentially see into the future. If there was a way for this news conference to be botched any further, this is it.

Bardem wins. Meanwhile, the Cowboys blog has 381 comments posted since the end of the game.

Strangely, the AP already seems to have the winners list. I'll refrain from posting it here, but note that the time is 8:21 and I am predicting Javier Bardem as the winner in the supporting actor category.

And the first winner announced, for Best Supporting Actress, movies, announced by Billy Bush was "Cate Blanchett for I'm Not There. And, sure enough, she wasn't there. Coming soon, the sequel, "I'm Not Here, Either."

How sweet would it be if all awards shows moved this fast? I think these striking writers are onto something here.

It's been a tough day (unless you are a Cowboys hater like Vognar), but we will try to muster up the strength to blog tonight on the Golden Globes following the life-force-sucking loss of the Cowboys today.
So far, none of NBC's prepackaged junk has inspired me much to forget the game. Dated interviews with nominees and 15 minutes of Kathy Griffin being snarky have me wishing the network would just move up tonight's episode of American Gladiators. I'm sure things will pick up once the new conference gets here. (Has that sentence ever been written in the English language before?)

There's one awards presentation the WGA will still participate in: its own. The scribes announced the nominees for this year's WGA awards today, and one local film made the cut: The Rape of Europa, co-produced by Dallasite Robert Edsel, snagged a nod for best documentary screenplay. Wanna know the rest? Keep reading.

The Golden Globes have already been reduced to a not-so-golden press conference. Might the Oscars suffer a similar fate? Check the Hollywood Reporter's update here.

I'm an oilman and I'm OK: Day-Lewis gets bloody (Paramount Vantage)

Incidentally, both Blood and Country make excellent use of the arid Marfa landscape. Maybe the National Society will be vacationing there this year.

The Golden Globes have always been good for some wacky celebrity drinking escapades and a little Oscar prognosticating. But it looks like the party element is about to take a hit, courtesy of the writers strike. The latest word is that the stars won't show next Sunday when NBC broadcasts the show.

I usually watch the Globes only because I have to, but suddenly my interest level has shot up. What will the cameras do in lieu of a drunken Nicholson shot? Will any B-listers dare cross the picket line? Might Conan come by and spin his wedding ring form laughs? It should be interesting, and let's face it, that's not a word often associated with this dog and pony show.

Where's the love for Josh? (Miramax)

I was fascinated with the movie No Country For Old Men from the very first scenes. With very little dialog, Josh Brolin gave a fantastic performance. It was as though he was born and raised in the West Texas desert country. For me, he, not "the killer," set the tone of the entire picture. Why do you think he wasn't nominated for an award? It reminds me a bit of Kurt Russell and the fact that he always gives a stellar performance (even in bad movies) with little or no recognition.

My response:
I think there may be a couple of things at work here. The biggest thing working against Brolin (and Tommy Lee Jones for that matter) is that No Country is film made up of a bunch of supporting players — really, there is no lead actor in the story. Brolin just doesn’t have as much work to do in the movie as, say, George Clooney in Michael Clayton or Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will be Blood. So if we can say that Jones, Brolin and Bardem are all sort of supporting players, Bardem has been getting the most buzz I think because his role is the showiest. He gets to kill people and be menacing. Brolin (and Jones) are much more internal. Now, I agree with you that it’s a lot more difficult to pull off the subtle performance. But unfortunately, subtlety isn’t usually what grabs the attention of awards voters.

I'm always here to help. sbecker@dallasnews.com

I'm starting to second-guess my confidence in Cate Blanchett's spot in the best actress field, though I have had her in the mix since I started my predicting. What's changed my thinking? I've been doing some heavy reading of theenvelope.com, the awards site run by the Los Angeles Times that puts all others to shame. On the site is a little section called The Buzzmeter, which polls various critics and insiders to see who they think will score the nominations. And let's just say the buzz isn't very good over there on Cate. The thinking, I think, is that she's a dead-solid lock for a supporting nomination for I'm Not There, and maybe Oscar voters want to spread the love a bit.
So who is the most likely candidate to replace Cate in the field? The smart money is on Keira Knightley from Atonement, but there also seems to be a swell of support for Amy Adams for Enchanted.
I suppose I would not be all that surprised to see both of them in the field, though I think with no Blanchett, Angelina Jolie will be able to fend either Adams or Knightley off.
What does it all mean? Julie Christie, Ellen Page and Marion Cotilliard are all still locks. The other two spots will come from some combination of Blanchett, Jolie, Knightley and Adams. If i had to pick today, I'd go with Jolie and Knightley for the final two.

Could someone, anyone, name a movie besides No Country for Old Men the best of 2007? Now it's the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association's turn. Congrats to the Coens. This is the one that really counts.

The rest, in order of preference:

2.Juno
3. There Will be Blood
4. Atonement
5. Michael Clayton
6. Into the Wild
7. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
8. The Kite Runner
9. The Assassination of Jesse James by etc.etc.
10. Charlie Wilson's War

Other DFW winners:

Best actor: Daniel Day Lewis, There Will be Blood
Best actress: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem, No Country
Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton
Best director(s) - The Coen Brothers, No Country
Best documentary: King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters
Best foreign language film: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Best animated film: Ratatouille

It's surprising that there are actually any snubs here, as the HFAA has no limit on how many nominees it will name in a given category. But the following people may have slammed down their coffe cups this morning after not hearing their names called:
Tommy Lee Jones -- This was maybe the biggest shocker, as the Texan gave two of his finest performances this year in No Country for Old Men and In the Valley of Elah. Look for this situation to right itself come Oscars time.
Brad Pitt -- Apparently winning best actor for The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford at the Venice Film Festival doesn't carry a lot of weight these days. At least the Coward Robert Ford (Casey Affleck) scored a much-deserved nom.
Judd Apatow -- How could the funniest movie of the year (Knocked-Up) and second-funniest movie (Superbad) not break intot the best picture, musical or comedy category? Apatow directed Knocked-up and produced Superbad. And to make matters worse, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story was also left out of the field. At least John C. Reilly was named in the best actor, comedy, field.

First off, let's acknowledge that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is not about making tough choices. For starters, there are different categories for drama and comedy or musical. But on top of that, why limit the number of nominees in each category to five when you can just nominate everyone? That seems to have been the thinking in the best picture, drama, category, as seven films will compete. Those films are: American Gangster, Atonement, Eastern Promises, The Great Debaters, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. The HFPA kept the musical or comedy category to the tradional five with Across the Universe, Charlie Wilson’s War, Hairspray, Juno, Sweeney Todd.
Some of you may be scratching your heads at seeing Charlie Wilson's War named in the category comedy. Afterall, isn't this a film about the U.S.'s role in helping Afghanistan defeat the invating Russians in the 1980s? Well, yes, but it happens to be a funny movie about that time period. I know -- I was as surprised as you when I saw it.

Smile, you won: Javier Bardem looms large in No Country (Miramax)

The rest of the NBR list, in alphabetical order:

The Rape of Europa, co-produced by Dallas' Robert Edsel, joined 14 other films today on the short list for the Academy Award for documentary feature. The other films making the list are (films in bold have already played in Dallas): Autism: The Musical, Body of War, For the Bible Tells Me So, Lake of Fire, Nanking, No End in Sight, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, Please Vote for Me, The Price of Sugar, A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman, Sicko, Taxi to the Dark Side, War/Dance, and White Light/Black Rain. (White Light/Black Rain actually played on HBO -- if you missed it, this look at the aftermath of the atomic bomb is worth catching up on.)
Good luck to Mr. Edsel as his film moves forward in the voting process. If you haven't seen The Rape of Europa yet, it's playing at the Dallas Angelika.