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.

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

You only have a few more hours to get over to the Nasher Sculpture Center to see the Hollywood classic The Last Picture Show, filmed in Archer City, Texas, the hometown of author Larry McMurtry, who wrote the novel from which the movie was made. He also co-authored the screenplay with director Peter Bogdanovich, who will be at the Nasher. Actor Timothy Bottoms was supposed to be there, but I'm told he won't be able to make it. It's all part of a new program, in which a Hollywood classic will be screened at the Nasher on the first Thursday of each month. Upcoming movies include The Graduate (May 7); M*A*S*H* (June 4), Jaws (July 2), The Grapes of Wrath (Aug. 6), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Sept. 3), The Maltese Falcon (Oct. 1), All the President's Men (Nov. 5) and It's a Wonderful Life (Dec. 3). Tonight's presentation will include dining and cocktails at the Nasher Cafe by Wolfgang Puck beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a "film chat" with WFAA-TV (Channel 8) movie critic Gary Cogill from 6:30 to 7. The "movie introduction" takes place at 7, followed by the screening from 7 to 9. From 9 to 9:30, there will be a post-film discussion with the special guest, Bogdanovich. Wonder how many people will ask not about The Last Picture Show but about his recurring role on The Sopranos as Dr. Melfi's psychiatrist.

Photo: Cybill Shepherd in a scene from The Last Picture Show

Kathy Goolsby just shared this sweet story she found in the HPISD newsletter about the unusual and lovely red dress that 1988 Highland Park grad Megan Mylan wore when she accepted the Oscar for her documentary Smile Pinki, about a young Indian girl whose life was changed when her cleft lip was repaired.

Her grandmother, Julia Principe, designed the dress back when she was a fashion illustration student at the Pratt Institute in the 1930s. Megan had promised that if she were ever nominated for an Oscar, she'd have that dress made. And she did. Her grandma died five months before at age 95. Kathy writes that before she knew the story, when she and her daughter were watching the Oscars, her daughter said, "I like the dress, but what's up with those wings on the back?"

But now, knowing who designed it, and who was watching the telecast from a higher place, it all makes beautiful sense.

They certainly look angelic, but this photo of some of the younger Slumdog Millionaire cast members shows there's at least one prankster in the bunch.

Photo: At the Governor's Ball after Sunday's Oscars ceremony. (Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images)

Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony wasn't the only excitement this weekend for the young cast members of Slumdog Millionaire. Some of them got to go Saturday to California's Universal Studios Hollywood.

Photo: (from left) Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Madhur Mittal, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar and Tanay Hemant Chheda pose with Woody Woodpecker. (AP Photo/Universal Studios Hollywood)

The little movie that could took home 8 of the 9 Oscars it was nominated for.

Now that the show is over, we have to ask: Who got robbed? It seems to us no onr really did. Everyone who won was expected to win. (I would have liked for Mickey Rourke to win. But at least he's back.)

A humbled Sean Penn for his role as Harvey Milk.

(He's wearing reading glasses and his hands are shaking during his acceptance speech. That makes him a bit more endearing.)

Kate Winslet finally gets her Oscar -- and a whistle for her dad -- for her performance in The Reader.

What do you think? Did she deserve it? Or would you rather she had won for Revolutionary Road?

Danny Boyle takes home the seventh Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.

So says Holly:

"Well played: Queen Latifah sings "I'll Be Seeing You" to accompany the "In Memorium" montage."

I agree. I'll also say the best thing Queen Latifah ever did was become a bona fide singer.

I'm not sure if its fair to call Slumdog Millionaire a little movie anymore. It's in the top 10 at the box office and it's spreading out to theaters all over the place. AND? It just took its SIXTH award of the night, winning with one of two nominated songs (out of only three nominations).

Thoughts?

Highland Park High alum Megan Mylan accepted the award for best documentary short for her film Smile Pinki, a 39-minute film "telling the story of a young Indian girl born into poverty who receives surgery to repair her cleft palate through the efforts of the charity, The Smile Train."

Mylan previously won an Independent Spirit Award as co-director of the film, Lost Boys of Sudan.

Big surprise: Heath Ledger wins a posthumous Oscar for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight. The award was accepted by his father, mother and sister.

Again with five presenters: Alan Arkin, Joel Grey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Christopher Walken and Kevin Kline.

Okay, it's a little cool, but this sort of thing? Might have been a good place to cut back time on the show. As fellow blogger Bridgette pointed out earlier: "This is the Oscars. Not the Tonys."

The funny man goes all Joaquin Phoenix to present the award best cinematography.

There seems to be some changes to this year's show.

I'm loving how they sort of packaged together the awards for the art direction, costume design and make-up. And the stage set just adds to the magic. Plus, who better to present those categories than style-maven Sarah Jessica Parker?

Also great was the presentation of best supporting actress by five former winners. While that sort of presentation can *seriously* add to the length of an already looong show, it's great to see such great actresses back on the stage. And what brilliance in having Whoopi Goldberg present for Doubt-nominee Amy Adams.

The movie about the lovable robot takes home the Oscar best animated film. Holly, you saw Wall-E. Deserving or no?

Dustin Lance Black, from San Antonio, gives an emotional acceptance speech for best original screenplay for Milk.

Penelope Cruz takes the first award of the night, winning best supporting actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The nominees were announced by five former best supporting actress winners, including Whoopi Goldberg and Tilda Swinton.

Is it just me or did cutey Hugh going overly informal? It doesn't quite seem like the style of past shows. I miss the ceremony. I'm all for the fun, but this seems too ... chipper.

I would like to point out that Hugh Jackman is not naked and drunk as he promised.

Hugh Jackman takes the stage for his first shot at hosting the Oscars. So far, so good, even if he is singing. We're already chuckling. And there's dancing!

Is there anything the Project Runway sage can't do? It took him all of five minutes to prove himself a better celebrity interviewer than any of his ostensibly professional counterparts. Talking to Amy Adams, he asked the best question of the evening: For your role in Doubt, you were enshrouded in your nun'[s outfit while Marisa Tomei played a topless stripper -- Is that fair?" Amy thought a moment and said, "no, it's not."

Oh Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind, hey Mickey, hey Mickey. He rambled up to Ryan Seacrest, sporting an open collar. No bowtie, no tie, no ascot. Just a leather strap necklace with a picture of his beloved Chihuahua, Loki, who died a few days ago. "This is my version of a tux," he said.

Ryan gets all urban with John Legend, greeting him as "my brother."

Here's the breaking-news, "big reveal" that E!'s crack investigative team just announced. The big secret of tonight's Oscars telecast -- one of them, anyway -- is that big stars, not announced and not appearing on the red carpet, will be appearing throughout the evening, unannounced, to present some of the big awards. They will be previous winners presenting this year's winner. Wow. This is what passes for revolutionary on Oscar night.

E! opened its two-hour red carpet special with this news-bulletin scoop: Nicole Richie is pregnant, with her second child. Woo-hoo. Then came some fawning over Miley Cyrus' arrival on the red carpet. Before viewers could ask themselves: what does Miley Cyrus have to do with the Academy Awards, the answer was provided. It's going to be a "big Disney night" with Disney stars like Miley and Zac Effron. One of the synergizing benefits of ABC hosting the Oscar telecast. They don't call the Disney-owned network ABC-D for nothing.

Join us Sunday night during the 81st annual Academy Awards. Chime in on our posts, join the discussion and share your thoughts on Hollywood's golden night.

Kick off the night on the red carpet with Christopher Wynn and Jason Sheeler at the Shopping Blog. Then head back here at 7 p.m. and join the party with Media Critic Tom Maurstad, Pop Arts Editor Dawn Burkes, and GuideLive.com editors Holly Warren and Bridgette Williams.

Until then, catch up on Tom's analysis of the big races:

Best picture

Best Director

Best actor and actress

Best supporting actor and actress

This just in from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Faheem Ahmed and Anish Patel from Rice University have been selected as the Grand Prize winners for the first-ever "Oscar Correspondent Contest," a joint promotion by the Academy and mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network. They have earned a spot on the red carpet for the 81st Academy Awards® arrivals this Sunday, Feb. 22, and will also have access to the backstage press rooms and the Governors Ball. The winning team's Oscar coverage will be posted on www.Oscars.mtvU.com the week of Feb. 23.
The duo beat out teams of college journalists from around the country to win this opportunity. Runners-up were Megan Telles and Andrew Huse of San Diego State University and Justin Shackil and Garry Van Genderen of Fordham University.

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.)

Tickets go on sale at noon Friday for AMC Theatres Best Picture Showcase of the 2009 Oscar Nominees. Blogger Mary Gladstone fills you in on the details:

Oscar night (Feb. 22) will soon be upon us, and if you haven't had a chance yet to see this year's nominees for best picture, AMC Theatres has a deal for you.

On Feb. 21, the chain is offering a $30 all-day pass ($25 if you're an AMC MovieWatcher member), with back-to-back screenings of the five nominees: Milk, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon.

That's a lot o' sittin'. But AMC is sweetening the deal with a large popcorn (and free refills!) for each pass holder.

And no, you don't have to watch them all if you don't want to. The souvenir lanyard will give you the right to come and go as you like.

Click here for locations and schedules.

Among the Hollywood bold-face names of this year's Academy Award nominations is one that deserves special mention: Megan Mylan.

Friends and relatives have been telling me for months how much they like the on-demand feature on their cable outlets. Well, I'm a DirecTV (satellite television) subscriber, and it too offers an on-demand feature. I hadn't really explored it until recently and was amazed at what it offers. We watched Witness for the Prosecution, the 1957 film starring Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich and directed by Billy Wilder, who was nominated for an Oscar. (Laughton was nominated for Best Actor, and his wife, Lanchester, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.) We also watched The Fortune Cookie, the 1966 film starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. I was amazed to learn that Wilder directed both. Both great movies, and I wasn't charged a penny for either one. There's so much out there nowadays, when it comes to computer-related downloads of movies, it's amazing. And Apple TV, which allows you to watch what's on your iPod or iTunes in high-def, is also amazing -- the envy of every teenager, I've come to find out.

Photo: Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau

BERLIN (AP) -- Kate Winslet says she is prepared to leave this year's Oscar ceremony as she has five times in the past - without a golden statue.

"I'm so used to it, having gone through it before and having lost so many times," Winslet says. "Being in that losing state is something I'm much more comfortable in, in a funny kind of a way."

Winslet was at the Berlin Film Festival Thursday for a screening of "The Reader," the Holocaust-themed drama that earned her a best-actress nomination.

In January, she won best supporting actress for that performance at the Golden Globes, as well as best dramatic actress for her role in "Revolutionary Road."

"I've been lucky so far, and if that's it, then that's fine," Winslet said. "I think that's the attitude you have to take."

February is the best month of the year for movie lovers. Forget summer blockbusters, holiday epics or fall awards contenders.

No, February marks Turner Classic Movies annual 31 Days of Oscar.

Yeah, it's exactly what it sounds like: From Feb. 1 through March 3, TCM showcases Oscar-winning films, actors and actresses. Each day covers a different topic in the TCM University, from agriculture and journalism to criminology and psychology.

Today's line up tackles music with two loosely-based-on-reality biopics of legendary musicians:

Tonight at 7, revel in the magic of Cole Porter's music and Cary Grant's charming good looks with Night and Day, which "professes to give us the true story of Cole Porter; but in reality, it's just a grand showcase for Cole Porter's most famous tunes."

Hey, who needs reality when you've got a crooning Cary Grant?

Next up is one of my favorite films at 9:30: Rhapsody in Blue, a biopic on legendary American composer George Gershwin. According to TCM, the film veered pretty far from reality in order to create a "compelling" storyline. No matter. Just revel in 2-1/2 hours of Gershwin's music. But don't expect to win your next Trivial Pursuit game with anything gleaned from the film.

Oscar night (Feb. 22) will soon be upon us, and if you haven't had a chance yet to see this year's nominees for best picture, AMC Theatres has a deal for you.

On Feb. 21, the chain is offering a $30 all-day pass ($25 if you're an AMC MovieWatcher member), with back-to-back screenings of the five nominees: Milk, The Reader, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon.

That's a lot o' sittin'. But AMC is sweetening the deal with a large popcorn (and free refills!) for each pass holder.

And no, you don't have to watch them all if you don't want to. The souvenir lanyard will give you the right to come and go as you like.

Find out more, including locations and schedules, at AMC's Web site (click on Best Picture Showcase).

From cnn.com:

History of the Oscars
The Academy Awards will be handed out for the 81st year. The first awards ceremony was held in 1929 at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. Click through the interactive to see other famous moments in Oscar history.

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.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Guess who's coming to the Oscars this year?

Leslie Unger, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, says none of the superstar presenters will be announced before the February 22 telecast.

Awards shows, including the Academy Awards, typically tout celebrity presenters to generate interest. But Oscar producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are breaking tradition. They're hoping to lure TV viewers by keeping the star power a secret until showtime.

Unger said Wednesday: "There will be fantastic movie stars that appeal to a whole range of movie lovers and fans of our show. We're just not going to tell you who they all are."

The Oscars will air live from the Kodak Theatre.

From The Associated Press:

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- One of the digital wizards behind such cartoon smashes as WALL-E, Ratatouille" and Finding Nemo is getting an Academy Award.

Pixar Animation co-founder Ed Catmull is receiving the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, an honorary Oscar statuette, for lifetime achievement in computer graphics for filmmaking.

Catmull is receiving the prize at the academy's Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony Feb. 7, which precedes the Feb. 22 Oscars.

It's the second honorary Oscar for Catmull. He's a previous recipient in 2000 for developing Pixar's RenderMan software, which has been used in digital imagery for 45 of the last 50 films nominated for the visual-effects Oscar.

Catmull also has three past scientific and technical awards from the academy.

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

One of the finest documentaries I've seen in years is Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father, which had an enthusiastic reception last March at the South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin. The filmmaker is Kurt Kuenne, whom local audiences may remember as the director of the heavily Texas-flavored Drive-In Movie Memories, produced by Don and Susan Sanders of Grapevine. Mr. Kuenne informs me in an e-mail that Dear Zachary, now being shown theatrically in various cities (thus making it eligible for consideration in the upcoming Academy Awards), will make its national television debut on MSNBC on Dec. 7. No dates yet for any theatrical showings in Dallas, so don't miss the showing on MSNBC. The story is nothing short of amazing.

Photo: The late Andrew Bagby, left, with filmmaker Kurt Kuenne

To watch a trailer of Dear Zachary, click the play button below:

From Associated Press:

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) -- Stargazers seeking an up-close glimpse of Hollywood's royalty can win seats on Oscar night along the red carpet.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that 300 bleacher seats will be up for grabs in an online lottery.

Beginning at 9 a.m. PDT Monday, movie buffs can enter for a chance to win a seat in front of the Kodak Theater for the Oscars scheduled for Feb. 22. The lottery runs through 9 p.m. Sept. 28.

Applicants can register for up to four seats at http://www.oscars.org/bleachers .

In previous years, as many as 20,000 fans have applied online for the bleacher seats.

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.

Questions at the top
Is The Incredible Hulk a hit? It's tough to say after one weekend. On the plus side, it finished first with $55 million. But it should be pointed out that 2003's The Hulk opened at $62.1 million and quickly fell off from there. It's looking like it will take a few more weeks to know for sure which way The Incredible Hulk will lean.

Tell Us:

Who do you think got robbed Oscar night?

What was the most surprising moment during Sunday's show?

How did Jon Stewart fare as host of the big event?

From the Associated Press:
See behind-the-scenes video, slideshows and multimedia projects on the 80th Annual Academy Awards.

If you've seen There Will be Blood, well, there should be laughter while viewing this SNL skit.

That was a fairly uneventful Oscarcast, and I like that. Didn't have to make any last-second tweaks to to my lead except plug a few quotes in and crunch some single-digit numbers, then it was off to the capable hands of my editor (what up Becker).

Sorry if that's too much info on how the sausage is made. Here are Some random observations to close things out:

For anyone who might care (hi mom), it looks like I had a pretty solid night, going 11-for-13 on the categories I predicted. I'll take that any day...
Picture: No Country
Director: Coens
Actor: Day-Lewis
Actress: Cotillard
Sup. Actor: Bardem
Sup. Actress: Dee --- miss (Swinton)
Original Screenplay: Juno
Adapted screenplay: No Country
Animated film: Persepolis -- miss (Ratatouille)
Documentary: No End in Sight
Foreign Film: The Counterfeiters
Song: Falling Slowly from "Once"
Score: Atonement

With four awards, No Country for Old Men ends up the night's biggest winner, earning picture, director, supporting actor and adapted screenplay. The real surprise comes with the second most honored film, The Bourne Ultimatum. Who would have thought?

We now have 16 films that have taken home awards, the same number of films that won Oscars last year. If you picked The Bourne Ultimatum as the night's big winner, you're looking good, as it leads the pack with three. Close behind are La Vie en Rose and No Country for Old Men with 2. Look for No Country to take over the lead shortly...

Taxi beat out the Iraq overview No End in Sight, which, in hindsight, makes sense. Taxi puts a more human face on what's happening in Iraq and Afghanistan. Powerful film. It's also still at the Angelika, so you can check it out pretty easily.

It wasn't an upset - the Enchanted songs canceled each other out, and they simply weren't as good. But Falling Slowly is still the best underdog story of the night. Once was made for next to nothing, and it is about the power of music. Great line by Stewart after Hansard's humble acceptance: "Man is that guy arrogant." And very nice touch letting Irglova come back out to say her piece after the commercials.

With 13 of the 24 awards given out, the leaders, all tied with TWO, are No Country for Old Men, The Bourne Ultimatum and La Vie en Rose. Seven other films are tied with one. Not hearing their names called yet: best picture nominees Atonement, Juno and There Will be Blood.

Cotillard was considered a possibility by many, but I'm pretty shocked. I didn't think enough people had seen the film. Shows what I know. Kudos to the Academy for making a surprising and cosmopolitan move. (And, yes, to Becker for calling it).

Good to see Bourne pick up a couple, even if they were in the un-glamorous sound categories. I still say it was one of the best films of the year. And yes, it did sound good.

She deserves it, too. I kinda like the Goth/funereal look, set off by the shock of red hair. The Oscars could use a little punking up. Nice crisp speech too, with props for Clooney. More for Michael Clayton ahead?

Nice to see Dallas' Owen Wilson presenting the best short animated film Oscar. He's been through a rough couple of months, but at least for a few minutes out there onstage, he looked pretty good. Here's hoping for more of the same.

If you're scoring, with the best short film Oscar now handed out, that marks 7 Oscars tonight won by 7 different films.

Botched haircut victims the world over rejoice. Seriously, he's a great actor, and that was a terrifying performance.

Among the presenters tonight, we have Katherine Heigl, The Rock and Miley Cyrus. Now you might ask: Why them and not other people who have no real ties to this year's ceremony. The answer may lie in the fact that the show is being broadcast on ABC (home of Heigl's Grey's Anatomy), which is owned by Disney (the studio behind The Game Plan featuring The Rock and Hannah Montana featuring Miley Cyrus). Could all be a coincidence, but on a show this big, you can bet everything is thought out.

So with the strike did Jon Stewart and company have only two weeks to prepare or did he/they have more than two months? Based on the quality of the jokes, it could go either way. An opening bit on the strike fell flat but then he gained a little traction when talking about "the slate of Oscar-nominated, psychopathic-killer movies." He summed up the year's movies by asking "Does this town need a hug? thank god for teen pregnancy?" -- a reference to the lone comedy, Juno.

Shouldn't we have given out a little supporting sumthin-sumthin by now? Some of us have deadlines over here. Growl. Now we get an Enchanted song.

Ratatouille wins for animated feature, and as much as I loved Persepolis, I can't front on the rat. Brad Bird is genius; his two major Pixar films, The Incredibles and Ratatouille, form a passionate, high-flying defense of high standards.

Elizabeth wins for costumes...which, at this point, are the only parts of the movie I can remember. Sorry Cate.

Just to be on the record, here are my predictions:
Picture: No Country
Director: Coens
Actor: Day-Lewis
Actress: Cotillard
Sup. Actor: Bardem
Sup. Actress: Dee
Original Screenplay: Juno
Adapted screenplay: No Country
Animated film: Persepolis
Documentary: No End in Sight
Foreign Film: The Counterfeiters
Song: Falling Slowly from "Once"
Score: Atonement
I think I will skip the other categories. Feel free to slap me around when I miss one and tell me how awesome I am when I get 'em right.

George Clooney just showed why he's George Clooney, making Regis feel like a million bucks and an old drinking buddy all at once. Talking the usual Oscar stuff, he casually mentioned the rising fortunes of Notre Dame's basketball team. He knows where Rege's passions lie, and he was quick to make ever-casual small talk over sports. Check out Joel Stein's highly entertaining "I had Clooney over for dinner" story in the new issue of Time, which ends with this nugget: "George Clooney is a movie star because he's happiest when he controls how everyone around him feels. Because that's what movies do."

Count on Gary Busey to provide some welcome wheels-offness on the red carpet. First he calls out Seacrest - "I've been looking for you" - then he gives Jennifer Garner some, um, unwelcome hug-and-kiss action. "He almost puched her in the face right there," quipped Seth Rogen moments later. Go Gary. Break up the monotony with madness.

John Travolta is sporting a close-trimmed hair cut that makes him look even more like a Ken doll than usual. The hair looks painted on. And what do you know up comes Dwayne The Rock Johnson with the identical hair cut. Let the rumors fly.

Um, what's Patrick Dempsey doing at the Oscars?

E's crew are all abuzz about George Clooney coming with his girlfriend Sarah Larson. The presence of the former Vegas cocktail waitress and Fear Factor contestant (she bit the head off of a scorpion) set off a frenzy of engagement speculation.

Ryan could not contain his man-crush. He was still swooning over George and his perfect hair when Jason Bateman walked up. Jason said "Yeah, it's looks so real. But if you get the camera up close you can see the netting."

Jason Bateman confirmed that there is a push to make Arrested Development: The Movie a reality. "The snowball is rolling downhill and getting bigger. All the creative are on board."

Quote of the night: Asked about how hard the intense scenes in Michael Clayton were to shoot, Tom Wilkinson said no, in fact, it was easy. "I mean Hamlet is going through hell, but the actor isn't, because it's written so well." Also he confessed to be a "Friends" addict, watching it every day, getting upset when he can't watch it. "I met Lisa Kudrow the other day and I was completely tongue-tied and blushing. She must have thought I was mad, but I was thinking 'she's Phoebe."

She's wearing Calvin Klein, if you care. And she's looking forward to a "magical night" but the pay-off of her red-carpet moment was her pretending to punch Ryan Seacrest again and again, complete with "Thwack" sound effects. Nice.

With no big stars arriving yet -- no little stars either, for that matter -- the next best thing is to talk about the stars that will be here. The first big news of the night: Ryan unofficially outed Angelina Jolie as pregnant. Showing a picture from her arrival at yesterday's Spirit Awards, with her belly obviously bulging, he quipped "She's either pregnant or she's got gas." Har.

E's red carpet/carpet-bombing coverage of the Oscars actually began hours ago, but Ryan Seacrest and the rest of his A-team of C and D listers is on the carpet so it begins in earnest now.

Don’t feel like watching the Oscars from your couch on Sunday? Then head over to the Angelika Film Center (5321 E. Mockingbird Lane in Dallas) to watch the Academy Awards on the big screen. The free event begins at 6 p.m. and will feature some special giveaways. Might want to get there early, though, as seating is first come first served.

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.

The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, could make Oscar history this year, says the AP's David Germain. The siblings could win four awards for one movie, No Country for Old Men. And one of those awards might go to a man who wasn't there: Roderick Jaynes, the Coens' film-editing pseudonym.

There's one big question should the Coens sweep all four of their categories come Oscar night: Will the real Roderick Jaynes be there to collect his editing prize? The Coens describe their alias as a cranky geezer in his late 80s who lives in England and doesn't like to travel.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences acknowledges the Coens as quadruple nominees even though their names are not on the ballot for editing.

So who gets the trophy if Roderick Jaynes wins?

"We're going to read the name on the card," said academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger. "Who comes up remains to be seen."

Our "Actors who've never won an Oscar" series: They're among the best in the business. But they don't have an Academy Award. Yet. We've been counting down the five best regularly working actors who haven't had their moment of Oscar glory.

No. 5: Laura Linney
No. 4: Don Cheadle
No. 3: Leonardo DiCaprio

Tell us: Also, who do you think should take home the best actor/actress Oscars on Sunday?

Many questions came to mind when the Oscar nominations were announced: Who's going to win best picture? Why wasn't Once nominated more than once?

Does anyone care anymore?

It's not the kind of question anyone in Tinseltown would ask aloud. However, the entertainment industry must surely be wondering if its biggest night has started, like the pictures in Sunset Boulevard, to become small.

Read more.

Tell us: Do you care about the Oscars?

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...

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.

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.

Russell Crowe made an interesting comment about American Gangster in an interview with co-star Denzel Washington in the Nov. 2 issue of 'Entertainment Weekly':

EW: There's already Oscar buzz around American Gangster and your performances. Is it hard not to get invested in it when you hear that?
WASHINGTON: What are you going to do? There's no Oscar gym you go to to get in Oscar shape. There's not much you can do about it. If you get invited to the show, you go. The work is done. You know what? It beats a sharp stick in the eye that people are talking about it. That's gravy.
CROWE: Let's not discourage people from going to see it, though.
WASHINGTON: By saying it's Oscar-worthy?
CROWE: I think it just gets into a ho-hum thing. ...