In dreams, they are drawn to two places and people: Mother Abigail Freemantle, a 106 year old black woman in Nebraska played by the phenomenal Ruby Dee, and Randall Flag, the embodiment of evil in Las Vegas. Those drawn to Mother Abigail travel to Boulder Colorado to establish a new community, while the Others do likewise in Vegas. Eventually, it becomes clear that Flagg is an agent of darkness, and that the ending hinges on the destruction of one of the groups. Opening scenes depicting the death of 99.9 percent of the world's population are well done.  Molly RIngwald (what happened to her?! Where IS she?!) is effective as the good girl trying to do good.  Ed Harris is reliable as ever, the much underused Gary Sinise as appealing as ever.  The scene stealers are Laura san Giocomo and Rob Lowe, who plays a deaf-mute.  One gets the feeling he should have had a larger role, but this was only a few years after that unfortunate sex-tape, so any work he could get at the time was probably badly needed. With regards to Laura San Giocomo, I have always thought she was an astonishing actor, and am puzzled by her apparent disappearance.  After 'Just Shoot Me' went off the air, what happened?!  In any case, she is a phenomenal presence in 'The Stand' as the would be Bride of Darkness.  What I took away with me after seeing this, more than anything,  was a sense of how BEAUTIFUL that part of America is. Southpark aside, I don't know of any other story set in Colorado.  King is very smart to place The Good in a place as beautiful and unspoiled as Boulder, and The Wicked in the tacky Hell that is Vegas.  Overall, the look of The Stand is not big-budget.  Some of the shots are obviously sound stages, but given the Apocalyptic mood pervading, this doesn't seem to distract.  One realises that if the story is good, and the characters worth caring about, the audience will go along for the ride.  

AFTER finishing The Stand, I almost immediately went and grabbed The Shining, and began on that. Straight away, one knows this is a different kind of entertainment. The Stand was scripted by King, adapting his own novel.  Much of the content is retained, plot is almost religiously followed. The overwhelming mood surrounding The Stand is one of genuine, almost base feeling and emotion.  Heartstrings are pulled and released shamelessly.  The Shining is a far more conceptual/intellectual piece of work.  Kubrick wrote the screenplay himself, and has taken what he wanted from King's novel (seemingly very little), changed what he wanted (lots, personalities are transplanted, a polo mallet becomes an axe...) and eschewed what he feels superfluous (most of the book).  King is known to dislike the film intensely, and I don't blame him.  His book is about many things, and the film is about one.  He had the option of writing the screenplay himself, but declined, having heard horror stories (insert irony here) about what Kubrick could be like to work with.  He must have been kicking himself when he saw what Kubrick left of his novel.  

Nonetheless, the film is absolutely astonishing, and genuinely terrifying.  Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall were Kubrick's first and only choices for their roles. While it does work onscreen, one wonders how.  The point of the novel is they are two relatively normal people who are transformed by a place.  As Torrance, Nicholson is an unusual choice because, well, from the outset he already seems pretty whacky. Duvall is pretty much a nervous wreck from her first moments onscreen. One thinks, how can this work? Where can they go from here?  Well, it does work, because Kubrick manages to send them both even more over the edge than they already are, the end results of which are quite astonishing.  Duvall regularly ran from the set in tears.  She eventually 'ran out' of tears due to repeated takes, and had to drink water all day to remain hydrated.   Scatman Crothers (70 at the time of filming) dropped to the ground sobbing after 40 takes, begging Kubrick to tell him what he was doing wrong.  Kubrick, surprise surprise, simply told him to try it again.  An interesting factoid re casting, when it looked like Nicholson might not be able to take part, Kubrick considered two others for the role; Robert de Niro, and Robin Williams.  He vitoed the former as being 'not psychotic' enough for the role, and the latter as being 'too psychotic'.   Does anyone else think Kubrick might have been a bit nuts himself?  Anyway, If you haven't seen this film, see it. If you have, then see it again.  Kubrick may well have been an unstable wingnut, but he was a genius as well. Interesting note...this film premiered on the day I was born, in the year I was born. I hope thats where the coincidences end...

~Have ya heard? They're takin' dog meat off the menu durin' the Beijing Olympics...Damn! That wuz 1/2 the reason I wanted ta go in the 1st place. I had my eye on some serious French Poodle w/ Noodlez, some Great Day 4 Great Dane, some Mutt Butt, n', a' course, some Golden Retriever Beaver! What'z a Culture Vulture ta do now?

Michael Vick n' I wuz plannin' on havin' a REAL Bad-Ass time over there this Summer, but, uh...he Busy right now--(4 about the next 21 monthz, actually)...n' now This?! = )

~I love the way Asian chicks giggle. It alwayz soundz sooo Giddy!...Like there'z actually a reason ta be THAT excited--even when ya know there'z not. Guess I been hangin' out @ the University waaay toooo much, lately! = )

~Iz it jus' me, but...why iz it that white chicks don't age az well az women of color--almost any otha color but, well...white?

     --I pritty much already know the answer ta this, but dazzle me with yer brilliance, nonetheless!

     --Feel free ta leave a comment below...don't worry, I can take it...Bring It On.

~Allow me ta take it even further while I'm @ it. Jus' ask any Black Man, or any otha red-blooded American male over 30, for that matter. We all know that the above iz true. Think not? Point out any white chick that comparez ta Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, Diahann Carroll, Dorothy Dandridge, Angela Bassett, or Iman. 'Nuf said.

Ok...not really. The only white chick at a comaparable age, that haz demonstrated any real parity ta theze sistas in termz a' her body a' work iz Barbara Walters...n' no one who matterz iz screamin' ta do her.

But even she haz recently copped ta havin' succumbed to her own case a' Jungle Fever (more on this subject, a' course, inna 'notha post) in her recent autobiography, but wuz toooo chickenshit @ the time a' the romance ta admit it publicly. I guess money n' public perceptionz were mo' important to her @ the time. But notice that b/4 she kicks the bucket she wanted ta let it be known ta ALL the world that she'd had Black dick, damn it, n' It Wuz Good! But she didn't even take the courtesy a' checkin' in w/ the brotha in question 1st b/4 publishin' her book. Real classy, Babs! Ok...now I'm done w/ this...for now.

~See. We really do know ev'rythang 'bout y'all...n' y'all don't even know ev'rythang 'bout yerselvez...bet THIS ONE came az a shocker ta ya, tho'!

~But while we're on the subject a' white chicks...ever noticed how France's 1st Lady iz MUCH HOTTER than "ours" (n' not jus' b'cuz she'z younger n' pritty-er)...a' course u haven't.

That'z b'cuz the lamestream media in this country iz the BIGGEST propagator out there a' the fake-ass "America's #1" propaganda that Absolutely SATURATEZ the broadcast airwavez. Actually...they're 2nd only to yer government, itself. So, whenever anybody outside their view(s) duz sump'n cool or haz sump'n else better goin' on...we NEVER hear about it b'cuz it'd make THE BIG LIE that much mo' obvious ta thoze who haven't been sucker'd into it.

That + they're afraid a' losin' market share over the Loserz who still buy into THE BIG LIE--Lock, Stock, and Gun Barrel.

FTR - France's first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy released her new 14 track CD, "Comme si de rien n'etait" (As if nothing had happened), today.

U can check it out for free (if u register) @ https://www.carlabruni.com

The site, itself, iz highable functional, easily navigable, verrry girly, n' tre chic--But Uv Course! Would u expect or accept anythang less than stylish from an Italian/French chick? = )

The music's not groundbreakin' by any meanz...I'd say it'z kinda a French Norah Jones w/ a lil' bit a' early Rickie Lee Jones thrown in, if I wuz ta pigeohole it right outta the gatez...

Tracks #3 l'amoureuse + #4 tu es ma came + #6 ta tienne + #9 le temps perdu are the onez that rest best on my earz...

Nuthin' on there really rocks out, tho'. I guess when yer starchy hubby'z runnin' the show, ya can't go whippin' out yer inner-Madonna (let alone yer outer-Led Zeppelin = ) on 'im n' the resta the country any ol' way ya like!

Ok...1 outright slam I gotta take, even tho' she iz...did I mention it already? hot Hot HOT!...iz the 1 English language track on there. It soundz like a cheezy adult nursery rhyme...if such a thing exists. She should stick ta French.

But ya gotta dig a chick w/ a cool accent...even if ya don't undertand word-1 a' what'z she'z sayin...

I can't speak a' lick a' French...even after havin' spent a killer coupla weekz there a number a' yearz back...BUT...after listenin' ta her stuff, I quickly realized that I sure could stand ta lick sump'n French again soon.

...n' I Sure Az Hell AIN'T talkin' 'bout no damn "freedom fries"!{ ( 8K

I may hafta steal her away from her LOSER husband.

~I'll let gwb (twb - that white boy - actually) keep Laura Bush, tho'...4 obvious reasonz. = )

[I'm sure she'z a NICE lady n' all (n' her work in spreadin' the Gospel a' Literacy IZ Laudable)...but I bet "her album" would suck!]

Also FTR - I'm no mo' a Francophile than I am a "my country, right or wrong" American. We're all tempoary Citizenz a' the Planet...n' the sooner we have a' Critical Mass a' people who realize this n' ACT on it in their daily livez...the better off we'll ALL be... = )

[ Anúncio dos Candidatos ]

A data (anteriormente marcada para o dia 20 de Janeiro de 2009) será adiada por dois dias.

Motivo: Segundo Ric Robertson - executivo da Academia de Artes e Ciências Cinematográficas - a cerimônia de posse do novo presidente dos E.U.A está marcada para o mesmo dia.

[ Data da Cerimônia ]

A 81ª Edição do Oscar acontecerá no dia 22 de Fevereiro de 2009.

[ Mudanças na categoria de Melhor Canção e Melhor Filme Estrangeiro ]

Em Melhor Canção, o que mudou foi o seguinte: A partir do próximo ano, apenas 2 músicas poderão ser indicadas por filme (logo, situações como a dos filmes Dreamgirls e Encantada - que receberam 3 indicações nesta categoria - não voltarão a acontecer), porém, o número de canções inscritas pelos produtores é ilimitado.

Já em Melhor Filme Estrangeiro, a mudança consistiu na fase seletiva (que é composta por duas fases). Agora, qualquer membro, que tenha assistido ao mínimo de filmes elegíveis, pode votar para escolher seis das nove produções que irão para a segunda etapa. Os outros três longas serão determinados por um comitê especial.

[ 96 países recebem formulários da Academia ]

Visando facilitar as inscrições no Oscar na categoria de Melhor Filme Estrangeiro, a academia enviou formulários para 96 países.

Para competir, é necessário que o longa tenha sido lançado em seu país de origem entre 1° de outubro de 2007 e 30 de setembro de 2008. Também é preciso que a produção tenha sido exibida nos formatos 35mm, 70 mm ou digital por, pelo menos, sete dias consecutivos em cinema comercial.

Os diálogos devem ser falados predominantemente em outra língua que não seja a inglesa. Nas cópias enviadas para a Academia é preciso que sejam colocadas legendas em inglês.

[ Academia convida novas personalidades para se tornarem membros da organização ]

No total, foram 105 artitas convidados. E aqueles que aceitarem, passam a fazer parte do quadro integrantes de votantes do Oscar.

Vejam alguns nomes da lista:

- Os diretores: Walter Salles, Michael Haneke, James Gray, Jason Reitman, Doug Liman e Gore Verbinski.

- Atores/Atrizes: Josh Brolin, Ray Winstone, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jet Li (HÃ???), Marion Cotillard e Ruby Dee.

Outros nomes que compoém a vasta lista incluem: o compositor Michael Giacchino, o produtor Andrew MacDonald, o diretor de fotografia Tim Orr e a roteirista Diablo Cody.

Querem ver a lista completa? Ok, ok... Lá vai!

Diretores:
Sergei Bodrov
James Gray
Michael Haneke
Doug Liman
Kimberly Peirce
Peyton Reed
Jason Reitman
Walter Salles
Gore Verbinski

Atores:
Sacha Baron Cohen
Josh Brolin
Marion Cotillard
Ruby Dee
Allison Janney
Jet Li
Ray Winstone

Roteiristas:
Judd Apatow
David Benioff
Jean-Claude Carriere
Diablo Cody
Tamara Jenkins
Jeff Nathanson
Nancy Oliver

Diretores de Fotografia:
Jonathan W. Brown
Clark Mathis
Kramer Morgenthau
J. Michael Muro
Tim Orr
Tom Richmond

Montadores:
Barry Alexander Brown
John Carnochan
John Gilroy
Mark Livolsi
Dylan Tichenor
Juliette Welfling

Compositores:
Glen Ballard
J. J. George
Michael Giacchino

Produtores:
Armyan Bernstein
Jennifer Fox
Lianne Halfon
Hal Lieberman
Andrew Macdonald
Karen Murphy
Peter R. Newman
JoAnne Sellar

Designers de Produção:
Jack Fisk
Clayton R. Hartley

Figurinista:
Isis Mussenden

Maquiadores/Cabelereiros:
Jan Archibald
Kate Biscoe
Didier Lavergne
Christien Tinsley

Decoradores de Set:
Larry Dias
Katie Spencer
Sandy Reynolds Wasco

Especialistas em Som:
Craig Berkey
Fernando Camara
David Giammarco
Mike Hopkins
Robert J. Kizer
Alyson Dee Moore
Mark Onks
Jon Taylor

Especialistas em Efeitos Visuais:
Nick Davis
Brian Gernand
Dan Glass
Bryan Grill
Edward T. Hirsh
Helena Packer
Kelly Port
Ted Rae
Doug Roble
Carey Villegas

Animadores:
David Bowers
Ash Brannon
Doug Cooper
Jeremy Lasky
Caroline Leaf
David Schaub
David Silverman
Suzie Templeton

Coordenação de Dublês:
Melissa R. Stubbs

Diretores de Casting:
Ronna Kress

Documentaristas:
Nanette Burstein
Heidi Ewing
Liz Garbus
Michele Ohayon
Deborah Shaffer

Curta-metragista:
Philippe Pollet-Villard

Executivos:
Alan Bergman
Dana Goldberg
Sidney Kimmel
Chris S. LeRoy
Andrew Rona
Jeff Skoll

Relações Públicas:
Stephanie Allen
Suzanne Fritz
Kevin Goetz
Stephanie Kluft
Tim Palen
Marc Weinstock

Por contribuições à indústria cinematográfica de uma forma geral:
Jim Houston
Neil Machlis
Sheila Nevins

To the unknowing, "Show business" can be an illusive invalid as well as a glamorous occupation. There was a time, however, when for the black performer, it was not too illusive nor was it an invalid. For many years, being in show business was fabulous and most times glamorous. It was fabulous in 1821 when the African Company, with John Hewlett as its star, presented the classics at Brown's Theatre on Bleecker and Mercer Sts., in what was later to become Greenwich Village. The company was so successful that they graciously made a partition in the back of the house to accommodate the whites. It was fabulous when Ira Aldridge was world famous for his portrayals of Othello and the Moor in "Titus Andronicus"; when the black performer decided to make some of the big money being made by the minstrel shows that imitated him by imitating the imitators; and when the Lafayette Players sent two acting companies a season with such stars as Laura Bowman, Abbie Mitchell, Clarence Brooks, Frank Wilson, Rose McClendon and many others.

When Harlem had little theatre groups like the Allied Re players, the Rose McClendon Players, The American Negro Theatre, The Suitcase Theatre and various church groups -- these groups were the proving grounds for Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Frederick O'Neal, Earle Hyman, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Alice Childress and on and on -- these were more of the fabulous days! It was fabulous when Williams and Walker captured the crowned heads of Europe with their production of "In Dahomey," and when Broadway would present at least two major black productions a year, such as "Shuffle Along," "Liza," "Africana," "Running Wild," "Chocolate Dandies," "Blackbirds," "7 Come 11," plus large touring musicals like "The Models," and "Desires." The glamor was evident when we had not two but many film stars like Clarence Muse, Nina Mae McKinney, Daniel Haynes and matinée idol, Lorenzo Tucker.

It was fabulous when Oscar Micheaux, Toddy and Million Dollar Films produced rather good films without using the trite racial conflicts so overworked by Hollywood. I might add that Oscar Micheaux produced, wrote, directed and edited his films and we haven't had one black person or company attempt to take his place in this lucrative field that has a ready market hungry for such a product. No, the films were not all fabulous, nor were the stage productions, but the artists were great and they were able to learn and practice their trade in the only way possible...by working at it.

It was fabulous when every social gathering hired a black band and the choices were Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Noble Sissle, Eddie South, Chick Webb, or one of many small singing and playing combos all over the country; when Harlem was peppered with night spots like the Cotton Club, Dickie Wells', Connie's 101 Ranch, and the Plantation, with full stage shows and not just weekend combos; when Harlem had not just one theatre with stage presentations, but the Lafayette, the Odeon, the Lincoln and the Alhambra with full stage shows every night in the week; when variety theatres over the country didn't feel that they had a good "bill" unless there was a black act starred; when the performer could be certain of at least fifty weeks a year on tour, with shows managed, written and staged by blacks; and when there were scores of chorus girls and show girls plus many singing and dancing novelty acts.

From these opportunities came the stars like Florence Mills, George Walker, Josephine Baker, Bessie Smith, Ada Ward, Ethel Waters, Bob Cole and Bert Williams. It was fabulous when we had serious singers like Caterina Jarboro, Marian Anderson, Etta Moten, Roland Hayes, Hall Johnson Choir, Paul Robeson, and Black Patti and when we had the Helmsley Winfield Dancers, the Van Grona Negro Ballet and the always working and touring Katherine Dunham group. It was fabulous when we had comics like Tim Moore, and a host of fine straight men like Slick Chester. These performers would be tops today without the aid of the black face make-up that was their stock in trade.

I don't want to convey the notion that we don't have great artists today, for we well know that we have. I am saying, however, that we have too few in some fields and none at all in others. Sadder still is the fact that we have few places for our talented young people to get their feet wet and few producres to give them the opportunity to prove their talent. If you look into the backgrounds of the stars of today, such as Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Sammy Davis, Jr., you will find that they all started in small bistros, churches, and experimental theatres in Harlem or in their hometowns where their own people had faith in their ability and gave them the initial help and chance of exposure to eventually make the grade. Believe me when I tell you the big Broadway agents didn't snap them up for the big money jobs until they were well on their way to stardom. I have said all this to express that, if the old invalid of black show business would throw away the crutch of the white producer, director, writer and agent and would crawl backward, black performers just might once again become fabulous and success not so illusive.

The names in this Directory are those show biz folk who have achieved recognition in some way and who serve as building blocks to inspire those who are still unknown in the performing arts

Kenn Freeman, Historian

Negro Actors Guild

Live convention 8 is a record that was made out of mixtape and was put out by Johnny Soul (R.i.p) Disco Wax label and features DJ Grand Wizard Theodore alongside rappers Waterbed Kev, Master Rob, Dot-A-Rock, Prince Whipper Whip and Ruby Dee, with Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee.

BIG UP Martini & Jopparelli for posting this.  Check out their blog.  Good stuff and good people.

LISTEN! Live Convention ‘82 SIDE A

LISTEN! Live Convention ‘82  SIDE B

The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., announced today that on Monday, June 2, 2008, it will host its fourth annual Hall of Fame Induction & Gala -- a magnificent affair that includes a glamorous red carpet, a tribute concert and awards ceremony and a grand tented after-party. The star-studded event will bring together the best and brightest in business and entertainment to raise funds in support of the Apollo's 74-year legacy and its initiatives for emerging artists, education programs and community outreach efforts in New York City and beyond.

Hosted by comedienne and actress Wanda Sykes, this year's event, in preparation for the Apollo's 75th Anniversary, will commemorate the life and music of Apollo Legend Smokey Robinson with a ceremony inducting the performer into the Apollo Legends Hall of Fame where he will join predecessors Gladys Knight, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald and Little Richard. The awards ceremony will continue with the Ruby Dee & Ossie Davis Arts and Humanitarian Award given to Pauletta and Denzel Washington as well as appearances by the presenters of the evening including Oscar nominated actress, Ruby Dee, Oscar nominated actor, Terrence Howard and Grammy-Award winner, Janet Jackson. The corporate award will be presented to Verizon for their ongoing commitment to the community. The much-anticipated evening will commence in the historic, legendary Apollo Theater where guests will be entertained with a wide range of performances and appearances by the Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter India.Arie, Nnenna Freelon, and Earth Wind & Fire. The event will culminate with the Apollo Supper Club -- a stylish lounge atmosphere featuring the generous gourmet creations of celebrity chef, Alexander Smalls prepared by Great Performances, plentiful libations courtesy of Belvedere and late-night dancing to music spun by DJ D-Nice.

Jonelle Procope, president and CEO of the Apollo Theater Foundation, explained that, "As the Apollo prepares to enter into its 75th Anniversary next year, we continue to champion the mission of honoring the history of our much revered Theater as well as securing its future. This is more than a venue. The Apollo is an experience and this year's Spring Benefit, in particular, completely embodies that sentiment. This is the one event where everyone from the business community to the entertainment world to the Harlem community -- can come and celebrate and help preserve their Apollo Theater."

Richard Parsons, chairman of the Apollo's board of directors, expressed the significance of the evening and the institution as, "The Apollo Theater shares a unique relationship with everyone who walks through its doors -- from the countless stars that were born on its stage to its world-famous, international audience to the thousands in Harlem's communities served by its programs. With the support of businesses combined with commitments from civic-minded individuals, this milestone event will go far in helping to guarantee the future of the Apollo and its programs."

Time Warner Cable is the Title Sponsor for the event. Lead Sponsors include American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hearst Corporation, Skadden Arps, Time Warner, TV One, Verizon and W Hotels.

Tickets are available for $1,000. To purchase tickets or to make a donation to the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., call 800.618.3444. Press inquiries contact Jake Spitz at 646.688.6379 or jake@expagency.com.

About the Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater is one of Harlem, New York City, and America's most iconic and enduring cultural institutions. The Apollo was one of the first theaters in New York, and the country, to integrate, welcoming traditionally African-American, Hispanic, and local immigrant populations, as well as headlining uniquely talented entertainers who found it difficult to gain entrance to other venues of similar size and resources. For that reason, the Apollo has been a pioneer in presenting the cultural contributions of black and Latino communities and played a central role in the development of American music into the 21st century. The Apollo has launched and nurtured the careers of seemingly countless legendary performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sara Vaughan, James Brown, Gladys Knight, Michael Jackson, Lauren Hill, and Alicia Keys.

The Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc., was established as a nonprofit, charitable organization in 1991 and is dedicated to the preservation and development of the Apollo Theater. The Foundation brought stability to the Theater's operations and focused its efforts on reinvigorating the Apollo legend. Over the past few years, the Apollo has roughly tripled its operating budget, full-time staff, annual audience, and weekly programs.

The Apollo's mission is to honor the influence and advance the contributions of African-American artists and advance emerging creative voices across cultures and artistic media through the Apollo Experience of world-class live performances and educational programs. The Apollo reigns as one of New York City's premiere uptown attractions and is the cultural anchor of the current reinvigoration of the 125th Street corridor.

Like anyone who has even remotely participated in our family’s gene pool, he at one point got the acting bug. Unfortunately,  his screen career was limited to about 15 seconds as an extra in the 1949 film “Bad Boy,” when – sentenced along with Audie Murphy to a juvenile delinquency facility -- he can be seen on camera rising up in anger and threatening the judge. (By the way, he was great!)

As I grew up, each re-run of “Bad Boy” would be an opportunity for a real family celebration. We would gather around the television, wait for the scene, watch his brief grimace, and cheer. And that is when I started watching these actors. 

I don’t know why I feel funny using the term “character actor.”  It has always  seemed  to demean the brilliance I would see in their performances, suggesting limitations rather than versatility. I know that some people use the term as high praise. I finally settled on “actor.”   

My favorite recent example – out of hundreds -- is the absolutely brilliant Ned Eisenberg. In the first fifteen minutes of Oliver Stone’s World Trade Center, Eisenberg – playing one of the Port  Authority police officers heading toward the towers – arrives on the scene and simply looks up.  But his reaction, so full of complexity and bewilderment and fear, and lasting no more than a brief moment, haunts the rest of the film.  His character knows that he has been instantly thrust into the worst day of his life. And we know this because of one subtle, nuanced and masterfully delivered glance.  

But I am a huge fan of these masters of their craft and wanted to share some absolutely random names. They could just as easily be followed by hundreds of others. Some occasionally made their way into starring roles, but their greatest moments were often glances, smirks, grimaces, or blank stares into the distance.

Thelma Ritter, Edward Arnold, Dabbs Greer, Robert Loggia, Ruby Dee, Andrew Robinson, Ward Bond, Robert Walker, Morris Ankrum, Charley Grapewin, Alfre Woodard, Ned Eisenberg, Paul Meurisse, Jane Withers, John Doman, Amanda Randolph, Margaret Dumont, Miriam Colon, Guy Kibbee, Barnard Hughes, Harry Dean Stanton, William Daniels, Bruno Kirby, H.B. Warner.       

Who would you include? Full-blown, leading-role movie stars are ineligible.

Direção: Ridley Scott

Roteiro: Steven Zaillian

Atores bons quase sempre ajudam no decorrer de um filme. Em "O Gângster" as presenças de Denzel Washington e Russel Crowe garantem um filme de qualidade e muitas vezes tenso.

O roteiro conta a história de Frank Lucas, um motorista negro de um dos mafiosos de Nova York, que na década de 1970 tornou-se o maior comandante na distribuição de drogas na cidade, deixando para trás toda a máfia italiana. Frank consegue trazer diretamente do Vietnã toneladas de heroína usando aviões do exercito americano e sua droga, a "magia azul" torna-se em pouco tempo a mais usada na cidade, suas vantagens eram que além de mais barata que as demais é mais pura e seguindo as ordens de Frank, não sofria nenhuma adição de qualquer outro elemento. Frank comandava um esquema em que toda a sua família participava e utilizava estabelecimentos comerciais como oficinas e lojas como pontos de distribuição.

Em contraponto a Frank, temos o detetive Richie Roberts, um policial incorruptível interpretado por Russel Crowe. Richie comanda uma divisão anti-drogas da cidade vizinha Nova Jersey e em meio a um quebra cabeças, descobre a real participação de Frank Lucas no tráfico de drogas.

O filme é baseado em fatos reais e a maioria dos personagens realmente existiu. Na época vários policiais foram presos no caso Frank Lucas, acusados de envolvimento com o tráfico de drogas. Frank foi julgado culpado e condenado a 70 anos de prisão. Em 1991 foi liberado da prisão pelo seu novo advogado, Richie Roberts.

"O Gângster" foi indicado a várias premiações, incluindo Oscar, Globo de Ouro e BAFTA. A direção é do genial Ridley Scott. "O Gângster" presta.

Best Picture -- No Country for Old Men

No surprise there.

Best Directors -- Joel & Ethan Cohen

Finally these guys are getting the recognition they deserve.

Best Actor -- Daniel Day-Lewis

Again, no surprise. Day-Lewis completely deserved the award and none of the other actors could even hold a candle to his performance in 'There Will Be Blood'.

Best Actress -- Marion Cotillard

Though Julie Christie was favoured to win the award, Cotillard swept in and stole it. I was really hoping that Christie would win it (although she has won before, 42 years ago for 'Darling'), her performance in 'Away from Her' was amazing. And the film was written and directed by Canadian Sarah Polley, so of course I had to root for it. However, Cotillard did an amazing job portraying Edith Piaf in 'La Vie en Rose' and she definitely deserved to win as well.

Best Supporting Actor -- Javier Bardem

 No surprise here. Truly one of the best actors in Hollywood.

Best Supporting Actress -- Tilda Swinton

This was a huge surprise. I was really expecting Ruby Dee to win, and felt that her performance in 'American Gangster' was 100 times better than Swinton's.

As I did with dresses, I breakdown my views on which hairdos I thought were good and which were bad and ugly.

Good

I adored Katherine Heigl, Julie Christi, Keisha Whitaker and Amy Adams' hair. I’ve always been a fan of the look from the 40s and 50s and I think these styles look fresh.

Updos
Updos that have all the hairs in place or with hairs all over the place were a nice as well. I felt Heidi Klum's updo was stunning. While Jennifer Gardner's updo with loose pieces framing her face was beautiful in a more casual way then Heidi.

Hair Accessory

I thought Kristin Chenoweth hair accessory was attractive. As a woman with a lot of hair, I'm always looking for eye-catching hair accessories.

Hair Color

Ruby Dee’s Oscar look proved L’Oreal wrong. You don’t need all over hair color to look your best. I found her hair stunning. She proves that an older dog can teach a younger dog new tricks ;) When I go greyer, I'm totally gonna try this look.

Bad

I Hated Calista Flockhart's hair even Harrison Ford (her date) was looking at her hair with a face that said "WTH!"....LOL

Eine jährliche Tradition, der ich wohl auch noch mit achtzig fröhnen werde ist, mir die Oscar-Verleihung im Innsbrucker Metropol Kino anzusehen. Mit im Oscar-Paket waren drei frei wählbare Filme, unendlich Nachos und Popkorn und die Übertragung der Verleihung von Pro7.

Einen sanften Einstieg gönnte ich mir mit Charlie Wilsons War in der Originalversion. Sehr kurzweilig, aber nichts Besonderes. Die Szenen in den afghanischen Flüchtlingscamps wirkten angestrengt und alle Witzchen über Congressman Wilsons weiblich-attraktives Sekretariat waren niveaulos. Ach ja: Julia Roberts als Society-Lady? Ich könnte kotzen.

Eher harte Kost war dann der österreichische Beitrag Die Fälscher. Ganz ohne Patriotismus kann ich sagen, dass der Film die goldenen Statuette wirklich verdient hat. Natürlich gibt es Lästerzungen, die nicht zu unrecht behaupten, dass es sich mit Antinazi oder Antikommunistenthematik gut Oscars gewinnen lässt.

Doch die relativ unbekannte Geschichte der Geldfälschungsmaschinerie der Nazis in Sachsenhausen ist nicht nur wahr, sondern in Die Fälscher auch noch äußerst einfühlsam und vielschichtig erzählt. Der moralische Konflikt zwischen dem Überlebensinstinkt der KZ-Insassen und ihrer solidarischen Verantwortung gegenüber ihren Mithäftlingen und den anderen Opfern der Nazis wurde bis ins letzte Detail herausgearbeitet.
Drehbuch, Schauspiel und auch Bildsprache waren technisch wie künstlerisch überzeugend und mitreißend (besonderes Lob auch an die Beleuchter). Wie schon nach Der Pianist wurde mir wieder bewusst, dass man nie genug über den Holocaust geschrieben, gefilmt und geredet haben darf. Nach diesem Film fiel es mir schwer, nicht an der Geschichte zu verzweifeln. Ich hoffe, dass Herr Burger den Oscar als Zeichen werten kann, dass es noch Menschen gibt, die kein Interesse am Vergessen haben.

Die Oscarverleihung nach diesen zwei Filmen war wie immer überaus peinlich begleitet durch Pro7. Denkwürdige Fremdschäm-Augenblicke waren: Der Moderator verdrängt seine Kollegin von FOX und fuchtelt Jessica Alba penetrant mit dem Mikro vor der Nase rum, bis sie gezwungen ist, ihm zu antworten. Ruby Dee, nominiert für beste Nebendarstellerin im Film American Gangster, sagt vor laufender Kamera ungehalten zu ihrer Assistentin (?): "Give me a tissue". Bekommt aber keins und fingert langsam und umständlich (sehr feinfühliger Kameramann übrigens) ein blutiges (?) Exemplar aus ihrem Täschchen, das sie noch langsamer und noch unauffälliger zu ihrer Nase führt. Der Moderator fragt einen Interviewpartner, wie er sich Notizen macht, "because I always forget, what I write down in the night". Der Moderator nimmt Helen Mirren immer das Mikro vom Mund weg, wenn sie was sagen will (will aber eh keiner hören, was die zu sagen hat).
Die Verleihung selbst war gar nicht mal schlecht moderiert, von den auswendig gelernten Ansagen diverser Filmschönheiten und drei furchtbaren Musik-Performances aus Enchanted mal abgesehen.

Um sieben, als der Tag schon freundlich ins Kino grüßte, habe ich mir mit fünf Mitstreitern noch Sweeny Todd im Saal1 angesehen. Man darf es ruhig aussprechen: Johnny Depp + Tim Burton ist keine Garantie für einen guten Film. Echt nicht. Meine Begründung deckt sich, wenn auch nicht so fachmännisch mit der Rezension der fünf Filmfreunde. Keine Tiefe bei den Charakteren, schlechte Lieder, Story vernachlässigt. Aber schönes Setdesign.

Ich freu mich schon aufs nächste Jahr.

Ach ja: Der Titel stammt aus der Dankesrede von Marion Cotillard, die einen Oscar für ihre Rolle als Edith Piaf in La Môme bekommen hat.

Foto: Don.Lee

I never thought I would have ties to the fashion world, but I guess I am four degrees from the red carpet! (and what a very large four degrees they are, based on my own lack of fashion.) My mother-in-law is friends with Kevan Hall, a famous designer in L.A. (They met at a young adults church group back in the day -- who among our Kairos pals will be famous  one day? discuss.)

Kevan designed her wedding dress, back when he was just starting out, and was so kind as to make her lovely mother-of- the-groom dresses last year, even though he is famous now. How famous is he, you ask? As reported in yesterday's New York Times, he also designed the dress that Ruby Dee, nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, wore last night at the Oscars. The ruby red number is pictured above. Go Kevan!

Spike Lee, Hilary Swank, and Wesley Snipes got together on the red carpet for a nice picture. Quincy Jones arrived with yet another young beautiful woman on his arm. Jennifer Hudson looked nice. Diddy got his laugh on with Faye Dunaway and Ruby Dee was a class act.

Here's IMDb's nice and concise list of nominees and winners again.

So where were my predictions right and where was I way off, I wonder...

Best Picture

My personal favorite, No Country For Old Men, received the trophy and not my Academy prediction, There Will Be Blood. (I guess what they say about the Berlin Film Festival is true after all: If you take a Bear home from Berlin, you ain't gonna make it big at the Oscars.) I'm truly very happy for the Coen Bros for finally having their great talents be recognized. Big kudos from across the pond, guys.

Actor in a Leading Role

Well, nothing needs to be said here. This was clear as daylight from day one. The trophy went to Daniel Day-Lewis (as wished and predicted), a true actor who did a fantastic job, a man who does not even take credit for his own work when he holds a damn Oscar in his hands.

Actress in a Leading Role

In contrast to the Leading Actor award, this one was a major surprise. I don't think "anyone" honestly had Marion Cotillard on their list, not even Marion Cotillard herself. Brave choice. It's just a bit sad for the wonderful Julie Christie, who was my prediction. Ellen Page (who was my wish) on the other hand has many more nominations ahead of her and at least one win is surely going to be among them.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Just like the Lead Actor, this category has always been clear. Javier Bardiem got the golden boy for his stunning performance, as hoped for and predicted. Nicely done.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Tilda Swinton took home the trophy. In all honesty, I did not see that coming (I had predicted Cate Blanchett or Ruby Dee). Ms. Swinton seemed a bit startled herself, too. Again, kudos to the Academy for making a statement.

Directing

My dying wish, the decision I had to make with a gun point blank in my face, came true: the Coens got the Oscar for best Directing. Outdoing Paul Thomas Anderson again. My surprise prediction (Julian Schnabel) did not come true, of course. There were enough other surprises already.

Original Screenplay

Both my own favorite and prediction pulled through. Diablo Cody got the thing for Juno. Here's another real artist who's got a great future ahead of her if she doesn't sell herself out. Which she won't. No way.

Adapted Screenplay

The Coen boys did it again (as hoped). This was actually their first Oscar of the night. When they announced it I was happy and a bit disappointed at the same time because I deemed all chances for a Best Picture Oscar to be gone. My prediction for this one had been Paul Thomas Anderson.

Sound Mixing

No Country didn't get it, as hoped, but The Bourne Ultimatum did, as somewhat expected.

Animated Feature Film

For me, this was the one real disappointment of the night because both my hopes and predictions were with Persepolis. Only one time during the night did the Academy go really popular/commercial, and this was it. Ratatouille got the Oscar. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a bad film. But compared to Persepolis, it's not even worth mentioning. The high level of art and story of that little French film was superior to any animation film from last year. Period. But still kudos to the Academy for not having nominated The Simpsons Movie.

Animated Short Film

I was actually happy that Peter and the Wolf received the Oscar simply because I've seen that gem already. I cannot quite remember when and where, but I know I have.

Cinematography

This went to Rober Elswitt for There Will Be Blood, which is very justified. Although The Diving Bell and the Butterfly would have been, too.

Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum. Seeing that this was the only action film among the nominees in this category, it might not be such a bad decision because in order for an action film to work, its editing needs to be of the highest quality.

Art Direction

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. I can see where they get the idea to vote for his.

Costume Design

Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Quite justified, I must say. Although strong consideration should have been given to Across the Universe with its sometimes freakishly weird outfits that are out of this world. But when it comes to Costume, the Academey tends to give the nod to the "oldest" film, in terms of the year it's set in. So Elizabeth wasn't a real surprise.

Makeup

This went to La môme (or La vie en rose, as the international "English" title goes). This was a bit of a surprise, judging from the few minutes of footage that I have seen of this film. But I'm just glad that Norbit didn't get it.

Original Score

... went to Atonement, the only Oscar this film got out of seven nominations.

Original Song

I loved this. Although Disney's dumb-ass flick Enchanted had three (!!) "songs" nominated in this category (and of course performed during the ceremony), the Oscar went to the utterly wonderful song "Falling Slowly" from the very independent film Once (sung by the leading actors of the film Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová). When called up on stage to receive the award, the two of them gave very heartfelt acceptance speeches. The show's host, Jon Stewart, even brought Markéta Irglová on stage again after the commercial brake because she got cut off before by the orchestra just as she had wanted to start talking. These two speeches alone were worth staying up all night (mind you, I'm nine hours ahead of L.A. time).

Sound Editing

... went to The Bourne Ultimatum again, resulting in three Oscars for the movie. There Will Be Blood only received two!

Visual Effects
... went to The Golden Compass. Personally, I don't like visual effects in movies, but I suppose there's no way around an Oscar category for these. This movie is still the best choice out of the three, though.

Foreign Language Film

This one went to Austria for Die Fälscher (The Counterfeiters). Good choice, I have to admit, especially since it's the second German-language film in a row, after last year's win by Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others). I thought either 12 or Katyn would get it.

Documentary Feature

Taxi to the Dark Side. I was just happy about this, that's all.

Documentary Short

Freeheld. I don't really know anything about the films in this category, but I thought it a bit ironic that the nod to a piece about a dying lesbian police officer, who is refused to give her pension benefits to her life partner, was announced via satellite by young soldiers stationed in Iraq.

And last but not least...

Live Action Short Film

Le mozart des pickpockets. Again, I know nothing about the works in here, but the title sure seems nice.

As mentioned at the beginning, tonight's show was really a good one. Which is mostly thanks to a really great year in the world of filmmaking. Many true artists received trophies tonight. Granted, many true artists were already nominated. But this just goes to show that either the Academy went a step forward by not nominating commercial, popular "blockbusters," or the filmmakers themselves went a huge step ahead in putting better stories on screen, made by better people.

A lot of the films were independent productions and finally got the recognition they deserve. In the Original Screenplay category, female nominees outnumbered male ones. I believe this is a first in Oscar history. The Coens were extremely humble in their speeches. The only two words that Ethan said each time he was up at the mic were "Thank you." You just gotta love these guys.

During the acceptance speech for Best Picture, they didn't say a word and just let their co-producer Scott Rudin speak. (After all, they were just on stage right before accepting the Directing Oscar.) Rudin, at the end of his speech, dedicated the award to his partner Brian (I forget his last name) by saying, "Honey, this is for you," clearly stating that he is gay. This went out live on national, conservative, American, network television (ABC) at primetime. What a great move. If the Oscars would've been broadcast on super-conservative FOX this year, this would've been even better.

It was a great event full of welcome surprises and only few disappoinments. And I cannot say it enough, most of the people who took home a Golden Boy tonight were those who are genuinely truthful to their art and craft: Ethan & Joel Coen, Daniel Day-Lewis, Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Diablo Cody, Glen Hansard, and Markéta Irglová. This of course does not mean that those who didn't get an Oscar are not "truthful to their art." One really worthy candidate who got passed over was Paul Thomas Anderson.

That shall be the first half-assed "analysis." Maybe there'll be more as all of this settles in and the world wide talk gets going.

Oh yes, I'm not going to discuss Jon Stewart's skills as a host. The films matter, not the show in itself.

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in my mind you WON!

Stunning I tell you.

By John Anderson*

Thursday morning on Morning Edition, there was an interesting report on the behavior of children. The story centered on a study done in the 1950s that monitored how long children could sit still. They tested a 3, 5, and 7-year-old. The 3-year-old lasted about 15 seconds. The 5-year-old lasted a little over a few minutes and the 7-year-old could sit still and quietly for about as long as you asked him. Some researchers re-performed this study recently (last couple years) and found that a 3-year-old is still the same. But, today, the 5-year-old could only sit still for a few seconds, and the 7-year-old could sit still for less than a few minutes.

What framed the results of the study discussed on Morning Edition? The Mickey Mouse Club… that and the advertising that was targeting children with toys and games. The cause researchers hypothesized is that the amount of structured activity that has surfaced in the past 60 years is causing children to be incapable of monitoring themselves, disciplining themselves, in terms of how they structure their time, how they have quiet time and “self talk” (which is what they called thinking through an activity and establishing rules), and how to think creatively.

Give kids toys based on movies they’ve seen, and watch them structure their time recreating the movie with the action figure: or recreating the comic book or television show. See: Transformers, GI Joe, Pokemon, Star Wars.

They further speculated that this also trickled into how parents structured child activities: soccer practice, karate, swimming lessons, language lessons, music lessons, and on and on and on. While parents perpetuating the fear that their child isn’t cultured enough, that the child needs to get ahead, and that the child needs to stop wasting time sitting around doing nothing, what researchers are finding is that, when the child is sitting around “doing nothing,” the brain is actively engaged in something. It is structuring rules. It is making plans. It is learning how to sit still and contemplate. It is learning how to create something from nothing.

It’s no wonder that some researchers discuss latent adolescence, and want to extend the boundary of adolescence into the late twenties and early thirties… y’know… where adult-hood should be.

This translates into the classroom. I’ve only been teaching for three years, but seldom do I see students that are really engaged within the subject of the course. Maybe it’s me, but this was something I also observed when I was a student. Sometimes I was that student! And, sometimes I became that student because I didn’t want to be the lame kid who contributed all the time… the know-it-all with a hand in the air that the teacher looks at and sighs because the teacher longs to have a conversation with the w-h-o-l-e class, not just Dewey in the front row.

Outside of class, with the exception of study, rarely did I talk about my hopeful vocation with my friends when I was an undergraduate. Sometimes we’d discuss the size of font libraries. But on rare occasion did we talk about issues in design or painting. That was until I studied abroad – then it was all we talked about. The same held true for graduate school. The subject was all we discussed. It’s not because we were super stars of the vocation. It’s probably more to do with our brains properly clicking. We were finally figuring out we didn’t have to repeat: that we could get excited about the subject: that we could talk about it at parties: that we could get in furious arguments and call one another idiots for disagreeing or having blind vision: that we could get geeky with the subject matter: with the medium: with the language: that we could break the rules: that we could invent new rules: that we could break those new rules: that we could seek out our professors with questions: with dialogue: that we could create colleagues. The words Colleague and College have a relationship.

And, of course, some of this is revisionist–it’s hindsight–it’s come to light in the last few years. But, that doesn’t make it any less true. Is the reason that we sometimes look at college classes as a fraud, as another hoop, because we had too much structured play as kids: because the adults have already set the rules and paved the path and have fed it to us on spoons that we haven’t engaged ourselves to think – just do!?? Mmmm… it’s worth consideration.

It might also explain why some movies seem to suck. And I don’t mean simply boring or lame. An interview Wednesday on DC101 Elliot in the Morning, between Elliot and movie critic Leonard Maltin went roughly as follows. (Note: I only listened because Morning Edition loops every two hours, and I had already listened to the loop.)

ELLIOT: “Are you excited about any upcoming movies?”

Maltin: “No.”

ELLIOT: “C’mon!”

Maltin: “I can’t think of any in the new year that will be good.”

ELLIOT: “That’s because the studios target the good movies until the end of the year. Right?”

Maltin: “Well, there is that…”

ELLIOT: “What about Semi-Pro?

Maltin: (Sigh)

ELLIOT: “You don’t like Will Ferrell?

Maltin: “I’ll put it to you this way. I wish I enjoyed Will Farrell movies as much as Will Farrell enjoyed Will Farrell movies.”

The sophomoric and crude films that Will Farrell, The Farley Brothers, Judd Apatow, and a whole host of others create (a couple of which are good) are sometimes guilty pleasures. The same holds true for the sequel nonsense. Seldom are they good. But they are familiar, like relatives on the holidays: you don’t want to see them, but somehow you must. Then there are those formulaic Hollywood bits of tripe: Good Luck Chuck and the like. Let’s face it, the films that win the Oscars attract the audiences that don’t $#!t themselves—those who have read a book outside of what they’ve been assigned in high school or church.

This might further explain why the majority of Oscar nods lately go to seasoned veterans of acting and directing, or to biopics. Look at this year’s nominees. There might be two exceptions to this postulate—three at best—but most everyone is in the 40 years and up category, or has been in the industry for over 20 years or better. Hal Holbrook and Ruby Dee are up for the Oscar for the first time. For as exciting as Ellen Page’s nom is, Holbrook and Dee are in their 80s and seasoned veterans of silver and small screens. On the one end, it is because they are craftsmen who have honed their skills these last 20, 30, and 50 years and have finally reached their stride. It could also be because the up-and-coming have had too much structured play, aren’t raising their hands enough in the classroom, and aren’t finding the right crowd to have those passionate discussions that deconstruct the artists of today, while blindly drunk at parties.

*(John Anderson has lectured on fine art and new media at American University, George Washington University, George Mason University, and The Corcoran College of Art and Design. He has also performed in Golden Hour Pictures productions. He last appeared as a disgruntled cinema studies teacher in “Shady Kids.”)

George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)

Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)

Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)

Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)

Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)

Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)

Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)

Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)

Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)

Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)

Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)

Ellen Page in “Juno” (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)

Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)

Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)

Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)

Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Best animated feature film of the year

“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney): Brad Bird

“Surf’s Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Achievement in art direction

“American Gangster” (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino

"Atonement” (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo

"There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Achievement in cinematography

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.): Roger Deakins

"Atonement” (Focus Features): Seamus McGarvey

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Janusz Kaminski

“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Roger Deakins

"There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit

Achievement in costume design

“Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky

"Atonement” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran

“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal) Alexandra Byrne

"La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Marit Allen

"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in directing

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Julian Schnabel

"Juno” (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production), Jason Reitman

"Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy

“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Paul Thomas Anderson

Best documentary feature

“No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins

“Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production: Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara

“Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

"War/Dance” (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production: Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best documentary short subject

“Freeheld” A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth

"La Corona (The Crown)” A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega

"Salim Baba” A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production: Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello

“Sari’s Mother” (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley

Achievement in film editing

“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal): Christopher Rouse

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Juliette Welfling

“Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment): Jay Cassidy

“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes

"There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Dylan Tichenor

Best foreign language film of the year

“Beaufort” Israel

"The Counterfeiters” Austria

“Katyn” Poland

“Mongol” Kazakhstan

"12″ Russia

Achievement in makeup

“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

"Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“Atonement” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli

"The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias

“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard

“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

"3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Falling Slowly” from “Once” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova

"Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

"Raise It Up” from “August Rush” (Warner Bros.): Music and Lyric by Jamal Joseph, Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas

“So Close” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best motion picture of the year

“Atonement” (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers

"Juno” (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production) A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers

"Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers

“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best animated short film

“I Met the Walrus” A Kids & Explosions Production: Josh Raskin

"Madame Tutli-Putli” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

"Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse

"My Love (Moya Lyubov)” (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov

"Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best live action short film

“At Night” A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production: Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth

"Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production: Andrea Jublin

"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard

"Tanghi Argentini” (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans

"The Tonto Woman” A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in sound editing

“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg

"No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay

“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney): Randy Thom and Michael Silvers

“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Christopher Scarabosio and Matthew Wood

"Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing

“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis

"No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland

"Ratatouille” (Walt Disney): Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane

"3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate): Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe

“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects

“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney): John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier

"Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Adapted screenplay

“Atonement” (Focus Features), Screenplay by Christopher Hampton

"Away from Her” (Lionsgate), Written by Sarah Polley

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Screenplay by Ronald Harwood

“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

"There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay

“Juno” (A Mandate Pictures/Mr. Mudd Production), Written by Diablo Cody

"Lars and the Real Girl” (MGM), Written by Nancy Oliver

“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.), Written by Tony Gilroy

“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird

"The Savages” (Fox Searchlight), Written by Tamara Jenkins

Note: Many assumptions are based on wild guess.

Due to the fact that my personal favorites and the actual recipients will greatly differ, I'm going to offer two sets of different predictions—one list of whom I myself would give the Oscars to and one for what I believe the actual winners will be; in each case with a short explanation.

First of, have a look at the list of nominees at IMDb. This way, I only have to give winners for each category and don't have to list all nominees. Plus, links to the individual movies are collected there as well, i.e. I can save some time on this post.

Best Picture

My Oscar goes to... (haven't seen Atonement yet) No Country For Old Men because it had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Although I would be extremely happy if Juno got it; highly unlikely, though.

The Oscar will go to... There Will Be Blood simply because it's such a massive epic and the Academy digs that.

Actor in a Leading Role

My Oscar goes to... (this is hard to judge because I have only seen two of the five performances so far) Daniel Day-Lewis because he really carried the film in a way the other four (probably) didn't. Plus, he simply moved me.

The Oscar will go to... Daniel Day-Lewis for the same reasons.

Actress in a Leading Role

My Oscar goes to... (this is even harder to judge because I've only seen wonderful Ellen Page thus far) Ellen Page (o: because she is Juno and because I want to be sitting on the steps in front of the house singing "Anyone Else But You" with her.

The Oscar will go to... Julie Christie because she simply deserves the damn thing.

Actor in a Supporting Role

My Oscar will go to... Javier Bardem because he scared the living bejesus out of me whilst staying very quiet himself. Did you see those eyes when he strangled the cop at the beginning of the film? Holy fuck, friendo!

The Oscar will go to... Javier Bardem because the Academy just doesn't want to fuck with this guy. He'll come after them.

Actress in a Supporting Role

My Oscar will go to... I can't judge at all because I haven't seen a single one of them. But I would like to see Cate Blanchett or Amy Ryan get one.

The Oscar will go to... Ruby Dee or Cate Blanchett.

Directing

My Oscar goes to... It's a full-fledged tie between the Coen Bros and Paul Thomas Anderson. I cannot decide and I would not want to, but if I absolutely had to, it'd be the Coens.

The Oscar will go to... Julian Schnabel because that'll be the surprise of the night.

Writing (Original Screenplay)

My Oscar goes to... Diablo Cody for Juno because of the way I felt at the end of the film and because of the dialogs. Also, I'm very happy that three (and a half) of these nominees are indie productions.

The Oscar will go to... Diablo Cody for Juno because it'll be just like with Little Miss Sunshine last year: a respectable indie film is nominated for Best Picture and Best Screenplay, but the Academy doesn't have the balls to give a Best-Picture trophy to an indie flick, so it'll get the one for the script.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

My Oscar goes to... the Coen Bros for No Country For Old Men because the movie is all about the story, unlike There Will Be Blood, which is all about the character of Daniel Day-Lewis.

The Oscar will go to... Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood because he won't get one for directing and because the Academy doesn't want to acknowledge the achievement of the other three films besides No Country.

Sound Mixing

My Oscar goes to... No Country For Old Men because of those harrowing sounds of the stun gun and the rifle with the home-made silencer on it. It always sent shivers down my spine when that thing went off.

The Oscar will go to... I have no clue, but probably it will go to 3:10 to Yuma or The Bourne Ultimatum

Animated Feature Film

My Oscar goes to... Persepolis for the visual pleasure of the film and the courage of the filmmakers.

The Oscar will go to... Persepolis for much the same reasons and because they don't want Pixar to win every single time they're nominated.

As far as all the other categories are concerned, I honestly cannot judge them. You'll just have to make due with this. I'm curious as to how often I actually was right. Only time will tell. We'll find out tomorrow night.

If you want, comment about your predictions. I'm curious!

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BEST DIRECTOR - (Tony Gilroy, The Coen Brothers, P.T. Anderson, Julian Schnabel, Jason Reitman)
Who Should Win: Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
So maybe I'm a bit biased here. Not only was this my favorite drama of the year, (as I mentioned in an earlier post) but I'm a sucker for emotional, visually arresting and innovative films. I've never seen a movie like this one before, and the lion's share of the credit must go to Schnabel. I love movies that are cinematic, meaning that the story cannot possibly be told without the medium of film. This is a surprisingly rare trait for films today (not including special effects heavy action movie extravaganzas), and I love Schnabel for his contribution. The movie itself IS the story-- there's no way we get in Bauby's mind or into his visual POV without Schnabel's camera. The film is beautiful to look at, emotionally moving, and perfectly exeuted at every turn. Schnabel is my winner, hands down.

Who Will Win: The Coen Brothers - No Country For Old Men
The clear front-runners after taking home the Directors Guild Award last month. Their work on this film was flawless; each shot perfectly calculated, patient and well-composed. But is the movie really that good? It might be perfectly done, but for money, this film is the perfectly done chicken breast to Julian Schnabel's filet mignon.

Who Could Win: Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
Thought about going with industry favorite Gilroy, but the buzz on Blood is too much to ignore. I've found that people are extremely divided about this film, and are wildly passionate about their opinions. 50% think it's a stroke of genius, a brilliantly crafted masterpiece that is surely the pinnacle of Anderson's career. The other 50% (myself included) think it's an indulgent, and pointless film that features the year's best acting (more on that later). It doesn't seem likely, but if the passionate fans are loud enough, Anderson just might strike gold.
BEST ACTOR - (Daniel Day-Lewis, Johnny Depp, Viggo Mortensen, George Clooney, Tommy Lee Jones)
Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
No contest here. Lewis will win easily, by what I'd guess will be an enormous majority. As with every role he plays, Day-Lewis completely inhabits the character to the point that the line between actor and role disappears. In his past few films, Day-Lewis hasn't had a chance to really spread his wings, but I'd say that any time this bro gets a meaty, wide-ranging role like Blood's Daniel Plainview, he's a veritable Oscar lock. Absolutely no contest.

Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
The Academy might be stupid sometimes, but they aren't too stupid to recognize DDL here. He's won all the big critics awards and he will take home the statue on Sunday night, guaranteed.

Who Could Win: No one.
Seriously. DDL is so far in front of the race that it's useless to even speculate another winner. If I had to pick one of these guys, it'd have to be Clooney. Viggo and Depp are wildly undeserving and I just don't think enough voters will have seen Jones in In The Valley of Elah to merit him any real consideration. This one is over.
BEST ACTRESS - (Cate Blanchett, Julie Christie, Marion Cotillard, Laura Linney, Ellen Page )
Who Should Win: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Cotillard's transformation into French singer Edith Piaf is not only the best female performance of the year, but one of the best I've ever seen.  In fact, while she is terrific throughout the whole film, Cotillard's portrayal of Piaf in her older years might be the best performance of a young woman playing an old woman in the history of cinema.  I can't think of a better one- can you?  If Cotillard doesn't win, it's proof that the Academy voters simply do not award those who most deserve it in every case, for if they did, the beautiful Cotillard's win would be as wrapped up as DDL's in the Actor cat.

Who Will Win: Julie Christie - Away From Her
The Academy loves to recognize an actor's entire body of work by forking over the Oscar for one particularly good performance towards the end of that actor's career.  This is the scenario we will likely see tomorrow night when Christie wins the Oscar for her strong, but not Oscar-worthy performance in the little-seen film Away From Her.  Super duper lame, considering how frickin good Cotillard is.

Who Could Win: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
There's no way Ellen Page wins; she's lucky just to have been nominated and looks to have a very promising career ahead of her, if she chooses the right project.  Cate Blanchett is  equally lucky to have be nominated, as she was essentially  nominated for playing a role she's already played and for which she was already nominated.  Plus, her nominated turn as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There is being highly touted and voters are much more likely to pick her there than here.  Laura Linney is a terrific actress, but no one saw The Savages and the performance is too low-key to garner any serious attention.  Which leaves Cotillard as the only real option to steal this award from Academy-fav Christie.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - (Saoirse Ronan, Ruby Dee, Cate Blanchett, Amy Ryan, Tilda Swinton )
Who Should Win: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
My favorite performance of the year.  Amy Ryan was absolutely brilliant in this film-- brilliant.  In the (underrated, in my opinion) film, Ryan's daughter is kidnapped, which would usually cause viewers to sympathize with her, but Ryan's portrayal of a white trash drug addict is so despicable, that we almost hate her most of all.  It's rare that we as an audience are so wildly unsure how to feel about a character, but Ryan's work evokes exactly this indecision.  Brilliant.

Who Will Win: Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
This is definitely the hardest race to call.  It could go to SAG winner Ruby Dee, as the Oscars and SAG awards have coincided in this category for the past five years running.  But I have a feeling that Dee's win was only recognition of her entire career, and I don't think this  kind gesture will translate onto the bigger stage of the Academy Awards.  It could also go to Blanchett, who is a big time Academy favorite.  But I'm going to stick with Ryan here, who is just too damn good not to win.  But even as I write this, I have a sinking feeling in my stomach that Blanchett will be the one taking home the statue tomorrow night.

Who Could Win: Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Saoirse Ryan was the best part of the mediocre Atonement, but she should count the nomination as her true prize.  Tilda Swinton was terrific in Michael Clayton, but her role was too small and her performance too soft-spoken to compete with the big, bold performances by Blanchett and Ryan.  If Ryan doesn't win, and the Academy doesn't pull a huge stinker and dump the award to Dee (who is the least deserving of all the actresses here), it's gotta be Cate.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- (Javier Bardem, Casey Affleck, Hal Holbrook, Tom Wilkinson, Phillip S. Hoffman )
Who Should Win: Everyone
Yes, it's a cop out, but honestly, I'd be happy for any of these five terrific actors to take home the prize.  Holbrook was heartbreaking and scene-stealing in Into the Wild, Bardem was spooky as hell in No Country, Casey Affleck cemented himself as the better Affleck brother and a young actor to watch for the future with his breakthrough turn in The Assasination of Jesse James..., Phillip Seymour Hoffman was hilarious and the best thing about the otherwise overlooked Charlie Wilson's War, and Tom Wilkinson was sensational as a bipolar lawyer in Michael Clayton.  But, if I have to pick one, I'll go with  Hal Halbrook.  I don't care that he's been in the biz a long time and that a win here would recognize a long, terrific body of work-- he was the most moving and affecting part of Into The Wild (a movie I loved, by the way, and was sad to see get so ignored by the Oscars), and his performance has really stayed with me.

Who Will Win: Javier Bardem - No Country For Old Men
He's got all the buzz, all the critics awards, and his film is the most well-known and most-viewed of the five.  Barring a huge upset here, I think Bardem is a lock, despite the fact that I think he might be the least deserving of the bunch.
Who Could Win: Hal Holbrook - Into The Wild
As I mentioned, the Academy loves to recognize vets for their entire body of work, and that could be the case here.  Plus, the film wasn't nominated for anything else important, so this would be a way for voters to recognize the film as a whole.  And most importantly, Holbrook deserves the win.
BEST PICTURE - (No Country For Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Atonement, Michael Clayton, Juno )
Who Should Win: No Country For Old Men
This category is a joke.  If I had it my way, none of these films would be nominated.  But No Country is winning all the critics awards and is definitely the best film of this sorry bunch.  Atonement is as average a film as I've ever seen, Juno is the most overrated movie since Crash, There Will Be Blood is a great performance bound within a mess of a movie, and Michael Clayton was a cold and emotionless as the corporate lawyers it portrays.

Who Will Win: No Country For Old Men
I'm going to go out on a limb here and call this one a lock.  I just can't see anyone else beating it.

Who Could Win: There Will Be Blood
If anyone is going to steal it, it's got to be There Will Be Blood, as the people who love this movie absolutely LOVE it.  But I just don't see anyone taking this away from The Coen Brothers.

SOME OTHER QUICK PICKS:

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Who Should Win: Persepolis
A terrific, moving, deeply affecting portrait of hellish life in revolutionary Iran.

Who Will Win: Ratatouille
Oscar loves Pixar, plain and simple.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Who Should Win: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
A true adaptation, taking Bauby's autobiography and turning into a stunning cinematic experience.

Who Will Win: No Country For Old Men
I'm calling the sweep.