Grammy Winners

Here is a bunch of the bigger winners of the night, to check out the rest go to grammy.com. I actually did OK with my predictions, the Grammys are predictable and unpredictable at the same time, so I was pretty happy with my guesses. Overall, this has been kind of a boring night. Nice performances, no huge surprise winners, and overall good, but not outstanding. Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year, and we see 4 different artists win the general categories.

Album of the Year - Taylor Swift "Fearless"
Song of the Year - Beyonce, et al. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
Record of the Year - Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
New Artist - Zac Brown Band
Female Pop Vocal Performance - Beyonce "Halo"
Male Pop Vocal Performance - Jason Mraz "Make it Mine"
Pop Performance Duo or Group - Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling..."
Pop Vocal Album - Black Eyed Peas "The E.N.D."
R&B Album - Maxwell "BLACKSummer's Night"
Contemporary R&B Album - Beyonce "I Am...Sasha Fierce"
Male R&B Vocal Performance - Maxwell "Pretty Wings"
Female R&B Vocal Performance - Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"
Rap Album - Eminem "Relapse"
Rap Solo Performance - Jay-Z "D.O.A."
Rap Sung w/ Collaboration - Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Rihanna "Run This Town"
Rap Group - Eminem, 50 Cent, & Dr. Dre "Crack A Bottle"
Rap Song - Run This Town
Country Male Vocal Performance - Keith Urban "Sweet Thing"
Country Female Vocal Performance - Taylor Swift "White Horse"
Country Song - Taylor Swift "White Horse"
Country Album - Taylor Swift "Fearless"
Country Duo or Group - Lady Antebellum "I Run to You"
Rock Solo Performance - Bruce Springsteen "Working On a Dream"
Rock Album - Green Day "21st Century Breakdown"
Rock Song - Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Rock Group or Duo - Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Dance Recording - Lady Gaga "Poker Face"
Electronica/Dance Album - Lady Gaga "The Fame"

Grammy Predictions: General Category.

Album of the Year

Should Win: Lady Gaga "The Fame"
Will Win: Dave Matthews Band "Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King"
Commentary: Everyone is predicting Taylor Swift, and they will probably be right. I'm also hearing a lot of love for Lady Gaga, but when was the last time the Grammys awarded the biggest or hippest album. Black Eyed Peas shouldn't have even been nominated. Then that leaves Beyonce who scored the most nominations. I think they will go with the more "due" artist or as I put it, the oldest and least hip one.

Record of the Year

Should Win/Will Win: Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Commentary: This type of soaring rock ballad has consistently won this category, and while the others are bigger and more pop, I think that the Kings will rule.

Song of the Year

Should Win: Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Will Win: Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me"
Commentary: Everyone talks about Taylor's songwriting abilities, and since I think this is her best chance to take home a general award.

Best New Artist

Should Win: Keri Hilson
Will Win: Zac Brown Band
Commentary: I think Keri really has a shot, but country singers have done notoriously well in this category and have sold more records.

DGA Winners!

Tonight, the DGA made history. Kathyrn Bigelow became the first woman to ever win the top prize. I think it's safe to say that no matter what happens with Best Picture, that Bigelow is the one to beat come March 7.

The rest of the winners:

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
TV Movie: Taking Chance
Television Series: Mad Men
Comedy Series: Modern Family
Documentary - The Cove
Musical/Variety - Obama Inauguration
Reality TV - Build it Bigger

Andrew's Awards Nominations

So below are my personal picks and categories. I wanted to get this list out before nominations are announced on Tuesday. Take a look at my favorite movies and performances this year.

Best Picture

Avatar
District 9
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air

Best Director

Kathryn Bigelow “The Hurt Locker”
James Cameron “Avatar”
Lee Daniels “Precious”
Jason Reitman “Up in the Air”
Quentin Tarantino “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney “Up in the Air”
Matt Damon “The Informant!”
Colin Firth “A Single Man”
Viggo Mortensen “The Road”

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock “The Blind Side”
Maya Rudolph “Away We Go”
Zoe Saldana “Avatar”
Gabourey Sidibe “Precious”
Meryl Streep “Julie & Julia” and “It’s Complicated”

Best Supporting Actor

Alec Baldwin “It’s Complicated”
Woody Harrelson “The Messenger”
Christian McKay “Me and Orson Welles”
Stanley Tucci “Julie & Julia”
Christoph Waltz “Inglorious Basterds”

Best Supporting Actress

Marion Cotillard “Nine”
Vera Farmiga “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique “Precious”

Best Adapted Screenplay

District 9
Julie & Julia
Precious
Star Trek
Up in the Air

Best Original Screenplay

Avatar
(500) Days of Summer
Inglourious Basterds
It’s Complicated
Up

Best Animated Feature

Coraline
The Fantastic Mr. Fox
Mary and Max
The Princess and the Frog
Up

Best Comedy/Musical

(500) Days of Summer
The Hangover
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Up

Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Horror Movie

Avatar
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Star Trek

Worst Movie of the Year

The Hannah Montana Movie
Miss March
The Pink Panther 2
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Grammy Predictions: Rock, Pop, & Dance

Best Rock Solo Performance

Should Win: Neil Young "Fork in the Road
Will Win: Bruce Springsteen "Working On a Dream"
Commentary: At least once a year Bruce wins a Rock Grammy.

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Should Win/Will Win: Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Commentary: I'm hoping their Song and Record of the Year nominations means they can beat out the less deserving, but other Grammy-esque nominations.

Best Rock Song

Should Win/Will Win: Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Commentary: Because if they don't its a travesty.

Best Rock Album

Should Win: Green Day "21st Century Breakdown"
Will Win: Dave Matthews Band "Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King"
Commentary: Well Since DMB beat out U2 and Green Day for the Album of the Year spots, I say that it has a lot of support.

Best Dance Recording

Should Win/Will Win: Lady Gaga "Poker Face"
Commentary: With a lot of general category nominations, Gaga should easily sweep the Dance awards. Watch out though for Madonna and BEP

Best Electronica/Dance Album

Should Win/Will Win: Lady Gaga "The Fame"
Commentary: Duh?

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

Should Win: P!nk "Sober"
Will Win: Taylor Swift "You Belong With Me"
Commentary: Since Beyonce really isnt a Pop vocalist, and P!nk is underappreciated, the whiny off-key Swift wins again.

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

Should Win: Maxwell "Love You"
Will Win: Stevie Wonder "All About the Love Again"
Commentary: While most of these aren't really Pop acts, I think that Stevie has the best shot, simply because he is well...himself.

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group w/Vocals

Should Win: MGMT "Kids"
Will Win: Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"
Commentary: They have won this category before for much worse work, I say its a consolation prize if they don't win Record of the Year.

Best Pop Collaboration w/Vocals

Should Win: Ciara & Justin Timberlake "Love Sex Magic"
Will Win: Willie Nelson & Norah Jones "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Commentary: They tend to awards more seasoned pros in this category, but it is really up in the air in my opinion.

Best Pop Vocal Album

Should Win: Kelly Clarkson "All I Wanted"
Will Win: Black Eyed Peas "The E.N.D."
Commentary: If there is a God the Black Eyed Peas will not win this award, considering there wasn't really anything Pop or Vocal about it.

Grammy Predictions: Rap & R&B

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

Should Win/Will Win: Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
Commentary: Seriously is there really any competition.

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

Should Win/Will Win: Maxwell "Pretty Wings"
Commentary: Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild could put up a fight, but this may be the easiest category for Maxwell to finally win his elusive Grammy.

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Should Win: Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige "Ifuleave"
Will Win: Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain "Blame It"
Commentary: There are a lot of unknown songs to the general populist, and although the Auto-Tune reliant Blame It isn't exactly great vocals, its pretty damn catchy.

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

Should Win/Will Win: Anthony Hamilton "Soul Music"
Commentary: Yes, I know Beyonce is nominated, but this is a chance for them to be different, and it's not really her style of R&B, but I'm probably wrong.

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

Should Win/Will Win: India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore "Pearls"
Commentary: To be honest, I only picked this song because it had India.Arie in it, I really have never heard any of them all year. That's usually not a good sign....oh well.

Best R&B Song

Should Win: Maxwell "Pretty Wings"
Will Win: Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
Commentary: Sing both are nominated for Song of the Year, it's really a toss up. My guess is Beyonce who I think has the best shot at winning the big Kahuna of the two.

Best R&B Album

Should Win/Will Win: Maxwell "BLACKSummers Night"
Commentary: Should have been nominated for Album of the Year, so maybe this is it's consolation prize.

Best Contemporary R&B Album

Should Win/Will Win: Beyonce "I Am...Sasha Fierce"
Commentary: Duh

Best Rap Solo Performance

Should Win: Mos Def "Casa Bey"
Will Win: Jay-Z "D.O.A (Death Of Auto-Tune)"
Commentary: Watch out for Eminem, but Blueprint 3 is hot right now, and so is Hova.

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

Should Win: Beastie Boys & Nas "Too Many Rappers"
Will Win: Eminem, Dr. Dre, & 50 Cent "Crack A Bottle"
Commentary: They really do love Eminem, and 50 has never won a Grammy, I think this could finally be his place.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Should Win: Beyone & Kanye West "Ego"
Will Win: Jay-Z, Kanye West, & Rihanna "Run This Town"
Commentary: I acutally love the choices in this category, but I think were going to see a two-year run for Blueprint 3

Best Rap Song

Should Win: C. Harris, R. Tadross & J. Timberlake "Dead and Gone"
Will Win: Shawn Carter & Ernest Wilson "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
Commentary: Based on pure writing merits, Dead and Gone is the easy choice. but D.O.A. was "practically assault with a deadly weapon", and has the popularity to pull it off.

Best Rap Album

Should Win: Q-Tip "The Renaissance"
Will Win: Eminem "Relapse"
Commentary: If I had one wish this year, Q-Tip would take home the prize. But alas, the Grammys love Eminem so much, they'll even reward him for this uninspired, mediocre collection.

Grammy Predictions: Misc.

Here is a smattering of other awards that don't really fit into major categories.

Best Alternative Music Album

Should Win/Will Win: Yeah Yeah Yeahs "It's Blitz!"
Commentary: While there are some great choices here, I think that the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had the best album, and the more recognizable brand than the other choices.

Best Americana Album

Should Win: Wilco "Wilco (The Album)"
Will Win: Bob Dylan "Together Through Life"
Commentary: Because they can't resist him.

Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual Or Group

Should Win/Will Win: Allen Toussaint "Bright Mississippi"
Commentary: The last two years, the Album of the Year awards have gone to legendary acts who have released ok but not their best work simply because they were overdue. Here we have a legend who releases a fantastic album, and this is the year they go straight populist. What a shame.

Best Spoken Word Album

Should Win: The Maltese Falcon.
Will Win: Jimmy Carter "We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land"
Commentary: Politically charged has won it in the past, and so have presidents and former presidents.

Best Comedy Album

Should Win/Will Win: Kathy Griffin "Suckin' It For the Holidays"
Commentary: To be honest there are too many good acts to pick just one, but Kathy Griffin is now an awards darling, and I think stands the best chance to win, if not only just to see her acceptance speech.

Best Musical Show Album

Should Win: Shrek the Musical
Will Win: 9 to 5 The Musical
Commentary: C'Mon it's Dolly Parton, this is not the Tony's, and who doesn't want to see Dolly win again?

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

Will Win/Should Win: Cadillac Records
Commentary: They like musicals, so it's a safe bet (See Ray and Walk the Line winning this award.

Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

Should Win/Will Win: Michael Giacchino "Up"
Commentary: Maybe this will be his Oscar precursor, they gave it to him for Ratatouille?


Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

Should Win/Will Win: Bruce Springsteen "The Wrestler" from The Wrestler
Commentary: They also tend to correct some of the mistakes made in the music categories by the Oscars, and this was a HUGE mistake. Plus the Grammys love Bruce Springsteen and the rock category is crowded this year, so this is an easy way to at least give him something this year.

Costume Designers Guild Nominations

Fantasy

Avatar (Mayes C. Rubeo, Deborah Lynn Scott)
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme)
Star Trek (Michael Kaplan)

Contemporary

(500) Days of Summer (Hope Hanafin)
Bruno (Jason Alper)
Crazy Heart (Doug Hall)
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Marina Draghici)
Up in the Air (Danny Glicker)

Period

Coco Before Channel (Catherine Leterrier)
Julie & Julia (Ann Roth)
Nine (Colleen Atwood)
Sherlock Holmes (Jenny Beavan)
The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)

Grammy Predictions: Country

So I crapped out and didn't really give the Grammy coverage I was planning on doing, but this year's Oscar season has been red hot and has monopolized my time. So everyday I'm going to post some predictions for each major genre category. Today I tackle the Country awards.

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

Should Win: Carrie Underwood "Just a Dream"
Will Win: Taylor Swift "White Horse"
Commentary: I understand Taylor Swift's popularity and she really is a talented artist, and will win this award. For me though, Carrie Underwood's vocals are far superior, and so my pick is going stricktly by the title of the category.

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

Should Win: I don't really care
Will Win: Keith Urban "Sweet Thing"
Commentary: I'm not really a huge Country music fan, but Keith Urban has won this award a couple years now, I guess it could just as easily be George Strait.

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

Should Win: Lady Antebellum "I Run to You"
Will Win: Zac Brown Band "Chicken Fried"
Commentary: "Chicken Fried" was a big song, and ZBB has had a great year, I think good enough to knock Sugarland out.

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

Should Win: Dierks Bentley and Patty Griffin "Beautiful World"
Will Win: Brad Paisley and Keith Urban "Start A Band"
Commentary: Because I simply have no idea, and this sounds like the big name act that wins these types of awards.

Best Country Album/Song

Taylor Swift. It is her year, and in my opinion there really is no other reason to explain.

Why "The Hurt Locker" Could Hurt the Oscars

Disclaimer: Although The Hurt Locker was not in my top ten, it does not mean that I do not think it was a fine film, and if it were to receive the Best Picture win, I would be thrilled for its entire crew especially the wonderful Kathryn Bigelow. Okay, now that I have that out of the way, let me dive into the meaning of the title of this post. If the Academy were to reward the Best Picture prize to the best film of the year, then many would say that The Hurt Locker would take the prize. Of course, I find it interesting when people say that one movie is the best, pure and simple. What is considered the best is subjective, which is why every year there are those bloggers and fans and such that love the Best Picture choice and some that loath the Best Picture choice. That being said, isn't there an argument to be made that the Best Picture Oscar is more than just critical reviews. To me the top awards should be considered on a variety of different factors.

1) Quality of Movie: This is probably the most obvious, but simply put is has to be a good movie, it has to have good reviews, and be generally well-received. For the five frontrunners this year, Avatar, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, Up in the Air, and of course, The Hurt Locker, this factor is completely mute. All of them were well received by critics and have the industry behind them.

2) Box Office: No one wants to here that this is a factor, but let's face it, it could be the potential derailer of The Hurt Locker's improbable ride to the Oscars. Now let's be frank, just because a movie is big doesn't mean that it is go, ala Transformers 2. However, it doesn't hurt that people saw your movie and liked it, and by people I mean outside of Academy members. To me The Hurt Locker is a critic's darling that has been completely missed by the general public.

3) Momentum: There were some great movies that came out earlier this year that are slowly being forgotten, even films like Precious who might have seen its peak way to early in this race. For Avatar and The Hurt Locker, momentum is what is making this a two-horse race. Both of them have been splitting the big awards and therefore have now left other contenders in the wind.

So I'm sure you are asking what these factors and this article has to do with it's title. The Academy Awards purposefully expanded this Best Picture race to ten in order to include big movies that are great, but normally ignored. Alas, Avatar, District 9, Inglourious Basterds, Star Trek, and others are in the running for one of those ten spots. So how would it look if they purposefully created ten slots for monetary purposes then rewarded The Hurt Locker, the box office dud with Best Picture? As I've said before it is unfortunate that these types of factors even come into play, but it is worth considering. If The Hurt Locker wins BP over its more popular rival, namely Avatar, many people who purposefully tuned in to finally see a movie they liked be a contender may see themselves skipping the Oscars in future years. So the question remains, Is The Hurt Locker going to hurt the Oscars? One Word: Ratings.

PGA Awards

In what many will consider an upset, The Hurt Locker beats out Avatar for Best Picture at PGA. This is good news for The Hurt Locker, but it doesn't mean anything yet. Because it is such a small picture, and Avatar will have huge support among the technical guilds. DGA will tell us a lot, especially if Bigelow or Cameron win, which will probably happen.

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Comedy Television: 30 Rock
Long Form Television: Grey Gardens
Documentary: The Cove
Animated Feature: Up
Live Entertainment and Competition: The Colbert Report
Selznick Award: John Lasseter
Non-Fiction Television: 60 Minutes
Stanley Kramer Award: Precious
TV Drama: Mad Men
Vanguard Award: Joss Whedon
Milestone Award: Sony’s Amy Pascal and Michael Lynton

SAG Winners

Now the BP race is really screwed up, with The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air taking most of the Critics Awards, IB taking the SAG and Avatar taking the Globes, with Precious all at their heels. Sandra Bullock pulled a major upset, and is now on her way to making the biggest upset of them all: winning the Oscar. The Betty White segment was the best part, she is still a firecracker. Congrats to all the winners

Movies:

Best Ensemble — Inglourious Basterds
Best Actress — Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
Best Actor — Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
Best Supporting Actor — Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Best Supporting Actress — Mo’Nique, Precious
Best Stunt Ensemble — Star Trek

TV:

Best Ensemble, Drama — Mad Men
Best Actress, Drama — Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Best Actor, Drama — Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Best Ensemble, Comedy — Glee
Best Actress, Comedy — Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Best Actor, Comedy — Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Best Actor, Miniseries — Kevin Bacon, Taking Chance
Best Actress, Miniseries — Drew Barrymore, Grey Gardens
Best Stunt Ensemble — 24

SAG Predictions

Tonight the Screen Actors Guild presents its annual awards. Here is a quick preview and my predictions.

Supporting Actor and Actress -

Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz....need I say more?

Best Actress

This one is the really tricky one. They just awarded Meryl the prize last year, and may not want to be too generous or greedy or whatever. Another point, they tend to award bigger blockbusters than the Oscars, which may give an edge to Sandra Bullock, although it wasn't like Julie & Julia was a dud by any means. To be honest, I think its almost a virtual tie, but I'd bet more money on Streep at this point.

Best Actor

Once again, we have another horse race. While Jeff Bridges will most likely go on to win the Oscar, here at the SAG awards, I think we could see an interesting turn of events. George Clooney has never won an individual SAG award, (for that matter neither has Bridges), and there is a possibility that because of Up in the Air being a bigger movie, more people have seen it. That being said, I feel that the entire Hollywood community also doesn't want a black mark on their Oscars, and so they may continue Bridges' role towards the Oscar he deserves.

Best Ensemble

If Nine still wants a shot at landing a Best Picture nod, it needs a huge upset victory here, a victory I don't think will happen. Just cause it has starpower does not mean that actors are completely dumb enough to reward a bad movie (they haven't done it yet at least). An Education could also see a huge bump, but it might be too small for the Guild's taste. That leaves a three horse race. The Hurt Locker could pull a Slumdog where they reward the better film, not the better cast. However I think that Precious or Inglourious Basterds has the better chance, and if I had to choose between the two, I'd go with the pure starpower and box office power of Inglourious Basterds.

BAFTA Nominees

To be honest, there are only a few surprises, like the exclusion of Emily Blunt, and of course the unique British choices. But overall, Best Picture tended to go how it was expected to. Inglourious Basterds missed out, but I don't think it suddenly kills any huge chances it has for any major categories at the Oscars. Nine had one last shot to make up some ground, and it was here; no chance in hell now. It might not even get any technical awards or a nod for Penelope Cruz and Marion Cotillard, simply because of the bad reviews, even if those aspects of the film were actually awards worthy. Right now I think Avatar rides all the way to the bank. Also cool to see Alec Baldwin and Christian McKay, two forgotten performances that could surprise people come Oscar morning.

BEST FILM

AVATAR James Cameron, Jon Landau
AN EDUCATION Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer
THE HURT LOCKER Nominees TBC
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness
UP IN THE AIR Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman, Daniel Dubiecki

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

AN EDUCATION Amanda Posey, Finola Dwyer, Lone Scherfig, Nick Hornby
FISH TANK Kees Kasander, Nick Laws, Andrea Arnold
IN THE LOOP Kevin Loader, Adam Tandy, Armando Iannucci, Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche
MOON Stuart Fenegan, Trudie Styler, Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker
NOWHERE BOY Kevin Loader, Douglas Rae, Robert Bernstein, Sam Taylor-Wood, Matt Greenhalgh

DIRECTOR

AVATAR James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 Neill Blomkamp
AN EDUCATION Lone Scherfig
THE HURT LOCKER Kathryn Bigelow
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

THE HANGOVER Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
THE HURT LOCKER Mark Boal
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Quentin Tarantino
A SERIOUS MAN Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
UP Bob Peterson, Pete Docter

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

DISTRICT 9 Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
AN EDUCATION Nick Hornby
IN THE LOOP Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE Geoffrey Fletcher
UP IN THE AIR Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

BROKEN EMBRACES Agustín Almodóvar, Pedro Almodóvar
COCO BEFORE CHANEL Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Philippe Carcassonne, Anne Fontaine
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN Carl Molinder, John Nordling, Tomas Alfredson
A PROPHET Pascale Caucheteux, Marco Chergui, Alix Raynaud, Jacques Audiard
THE WHITE RIBBON Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Margaret Menegoz, Michael Haneke

ANIMATED FILM

CORALINE Henry Selick
FANTASTIC MR FOX Wes Anderson
UP Pete Docter

LEADING ACTOR
JEFF BRIDGES Crazy Heart
GEORGE CLOONEY Up in the Air
COLIN FIRTH A Single Man
JEREMY RENNER The Hurt Locker
ANDY SERKIS Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll

LEADING ACTRESS

CAREY MULLIGAN An Education
SAOIRSE RONAN The Lovely Bones
GABOUREY SIDIBE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
MERYL STREEP Julie & Julia
AUDREY TAUTOU Coco Before Chanel

SUPPORTING ACTOR

ALEC BALDWIN It’s Complicated
CHRISTIAN McKAY Me and Orson Welles
ALFRED MOLINA An Education
STANLEY TUCCI The Lovely Bones
CHRISTOPH WALTZ Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

ANNE-MARIE DUFF Nowhere Boy
VERA FARMIGA Up in the Air
ANNA KENDRICK Up in the Air
MO’NIQUE Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Nowhere Boy

MUSIC

AVATAR James Horner
CRAZY HEART T-Bone Burnett, Stephen Bruton
FANTASTIC MR FOX Alexandre Desplat
SEX & DRUGS & ROCK & ROLL Chaz Jankel
UP Michael Giacchino

CINEMATOGRAPHY

AVATAR Mauro Fiore
DISTRICT 9 Trent Opaloch
THE HURT LOCKER Barry Ackroyd
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Robert Richardson
THE ROAD Javier Aguirresarobe

EDITING

AVATAR Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua, James Cameron
DISTRICT 9 Julian Clarke
THE HURT LOCKER Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Sally Menke
UP IN THE AIR Dana E. Glauberman

PRODUCTION DESIGN

AVATAR Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
DISTRICT 9 Philip Ivey, Guy Poltgieter
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Nominees TBC
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds Wasco

COSTUME DESIGN

BRIGHT STAR Janet Patterson
COCO BEFORE CHANEL Catherine Leterrier
AN EDUCATION Odile Dicks-Mireaux
A SINGLE MAN Arianne Phillips
THE YOUNG VICTORIA Sandy Powell

SOUND

AVATAR Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Tony Johnson, Addison Teague
DISTRICT 9 Nominees TBC
THE HURT LOCKER Ray Beckett, Paul N. J. Ottosson, Craig Stauffer
STAR TREK Peter J. Devlin, Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Mark Stoeckinger, Ben Burtt
UP Tom Myers, Michael Silvers, Michael Semanick

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

AVATAR Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andrew R. Jones
DISTRICT 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros, Matt Aitken
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE John Richardson, Tim Burke, Tim Alexander, Nicolas Aithadi
THE HURT LOCKER Richard Stutsman
STAR TREK Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh, Burt Dalton

MAKE UP & HAIR

COCO BEFORE CHANEL Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen, Jane Milon
AN EDUCATION Lizzie Yianni Georgiou
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS Sarah Monzani
NINE Peter ‘Swords’ King
THE YOUNG VICTORIA Jenny Shircore

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

LUCY BAILEY, ANDREW THOMPSON, ELIZABETH MORGAN HEMLOCK, DAVID PEARSON Directors, Producers –Mugabe and the White African
ERAN CREEVY Writer/Director – Shifty
STUART HAZELDINE Writer/Director – Exam
DUNCAN JONES Director – Moon
SAM TAYLOR-WOOD Director – Nowhere Boy

SHORT ANIMATION
THE GRUFFALO Michael Rose, Martin Pope, Jakob Schuh, Max Lang
THE HAPPY DUCKLING Gili Dolev
MOTHER OF MANY Sally Arthur, Emma Lazenby

SHORT FILM

14 Asitha Ameresekere
I DO AIR James Bolton, Martina Amati
JADE Samm Haillay, Daniel Elliott
MIXTAPE Luti Fagbenle, Luke Snellin
OFF SEASON Jacob Jaffke, Jonathan van Tulleken

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)

JESSE EISENBERG
NICHOLAS HOULT
CAREY MULLIGAN
TAHAR RAHIM
KRISTEN STEWART

Cinema Audio Society's Nominees

This is usually a good indicator for nominations, maybe a sneak in for Up or Nine. I'll post BAFTA later.


Avatar
Re-recording Mixers:
Chris Boyes
Gary Summers
Andy Nelson
Production Mixer:Tony Johnson, CAS

District 9
Re-recording Mixers:
Michael Hedges
Gilbert Lake
Production Mixer:Ken Saville

The Hurt Locker
Re-recording Mixers:
Paul N.J. Ottosson
Production Mixer: Ray Beckett

Star Trek
Re-recording Mixers: Andy Nelson
Anna Behlmer
Production Mixer: Peter J. Devlin, CAS

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Re-recording Mixers:
Greg P. Russell, CAS
Gary Summers
Production Mixer:Geoffrey Patterson, CAS

Foreign Language Finalists

I'm not sure if Broken Embraces was considered in this category, but if it was, then it is an upset considering the two big Academy Awards winning names attached to it. Some big names not listed include Baaria, Letters to Father Jacob, and Broken Promises. Looks like it comes down to a battle between The White Ribbon and Un Prophete.

From AwardsDaily:

9 Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar® Race
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Argentina, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Juan Jose Campanella, director;
Australia, “Samson & Delilah,” Warwick Thornton, director;
Bulgaria, “The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner,” Stephan Komandarev, director;
France, “Un Prophète,” Jacques Audiard, director;
Germany, “The White Ribbon,” Michael Haneke, director;
Israel, “Ajami,” Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, directors;
Kazakhstan, “Kelin,” Ermek Tursunov, director;
The Netherlands, “Winter in Wartime,” Martin Koolhoven, director;
Peru, “The Milk of Sorrow,” Claudia Llosa, director.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and January 16. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 29, through Sunday, January 31, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots

State of the Race: Post Critics Choice and Golden Globes

Now that the dust has settled on this whirlwind weekend, let's take a look at the damage that has been done, and where we sit, before the BAFTA nominees are announced on Thursday.

Animated Feature

If Fantastic Mr. Fox or Princess and the Frog wanted to stand a chance against Up, they really needed an upset victory at either award ceremony, and it got neither. Instead Up also won original score, meaning its support is much broader. I think it's safe to say that Up is quickly becoming a done deal.

Technicals

Well, the Globes don't have technical categories, but the Critics Choice do, and with a well deserved costume victory for The Young Victoria, Avatar cleared the decks. This is not a real surprise, but if The Hurt Locker wants to triumph at the Oscars it might need to steal at least one of these tech awards, seeing as war movies are technical movies. Just a thought.

Best Supporting Actor and Actress

Done Deal!

Best Actor

Almost a done deal. George Clooney had the best shot at an upset at the Globes, but they joined the Jeff Bridges train. I think they are giving this as not only an awards for his brilliant performance in Crazy Heart, but also as a lifetime achievement award.

Best Actress

Now this one is a real horse race. While I think the BAFTA could potentially boost Carey Mulligan, I think that this is really a two horse race between superstars Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock. Right now it all comes down to the SAG. Although it this plays out like 2007, then the SAG winner might not even be enough of a momentum shifter to pull it away from a tight race till the end. My money is on Streep, but I'm not betting the house.

Best Director

Another horse race. I feel a BP/BD split this year for some reason. I think Kathryn Bigelow has a lot of support, and no matter how The Hurt Locker fares, I think see still has a great shot at winning. But do not discount The King of the World. Cameron is a favorite among the Academy, and is more well known than his former spouse. However there are big detractors that may not have enough support to derail Avatar for BP, but may get Cameron out of the way at least.

Best Picture

This race is boiling down to The Hurt Locker v. Avatar. However, do not count out some of the other movies. With the SAG, PGA, and DGA still on the line, anything can happen. For example, Precious and Inglourious Basterds have a great shot at winning the Ensemble victory, which could throw a wrench in the aforementioned supposed battle. However, I see DGA and PGA splitting, and Bigelow and Avatar splitting as well. On a side note, For all the Avatar haters out there. Last year you complained when The Dark Knight didn't get nominated because it got great reviews and box office. Avatar has great reviews and box office, and is WINNING awards, and now we are complaining that the awards givers only see dollar signs...pick and choose. Anyway, it is nice to see that we have no idea what's going on yet. It makes it more fun for people like me.

Critics Choice Winners

Here are the winners for the Critics Choice Awards, on Monday or Tuesday after the Golden Globes I will reassess the race after two major precursors.

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart"
Best Actress: (Tie) Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia" and Sandra Bullock "The Blind Side"
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz "Inglourious Basterds"
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique "Precious"
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino "Inglourious Basterds"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner "Up in the Air"
Best Acting Ensemble: Inglourious Basterds
Best Young Actor/Actress: Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"
Best Documentary: The Cove
Best Foreign Language - Broken Embraces
Best Animated Film - Up
Best Comedy - The Hangover
Best Action Movie - Avatar
Best Score: Up
Best Song: "Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart
Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria
Best Make-Up: District 9
Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound, Editing, Art Direction: Avatar

Critics Choice Predictions

This Friday, the Broadcast Film Critics Association will present the winners of the Critic's Choice Awards. Here is a look at my thoughts on the ceremony.

Best Picture

This one is up in the air, no pun intended. Up in the Air stands to be the favorite here, but could easily see its spot taken by The Hurt Locker or Avatar. Out of those three, Up in the Air has the highest rating at 97, followed by Hurt Locker at 93, and Avatar at 89. In that aspect UITA is the favorite, but as we know that usually doesn't hold as much weight as it should.

Prediction: Up in the Air

Best Director

Once again, there is no clear cut favorite. Kathryn Bigelow may have won every critics awards known to man, but James Cameron has already won one of these awards, and they may go with his visionary blockbuster. I'm going to play it safe for now however.

Prediction: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker"

Best Actor

Well, the ambiguity continues, as this, to me at least is a two horse race between Jeff Bridges and George Clooney. Bridges is the sentimental favorite, but they loved Up in the Air more than they did Crazy Heart, so I'll go with the momentum.

Prediction: George Clooney "Up in the Air"

Best Actress

This one seemed like a two-horse race only a month ago. Now I could see a four-horse race to the finish line. Last year this award was split, and we could see this again. I see this though going to the favorite and beloved Meryl Streep over two newcomers (Sidibe and Mulligan) and Sandra Bullock, but don't count them out yet.

Prediction: Meryl Streep "Julie & Julia"

Best Supporting Actor/Actress.

Four words: Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique

Best Young Actor/Actress

Since she managed a Best Actress nomination as well as this one, I'm going with Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan.

Prediction: Saoirse Ronan "The Lovely Bones"

Best Acting Ensemble

This one is kinda tricky, because in year's past they have given consolation prizes here for Best Picture losers. So I'm making a bold choice and going with:

Prediction: Inglourious Basterds

Best Original Screenplay

If Inglorious Basterds takes home Ensemble, then I say they give this one to The Hurt Locker to balance things out.

Prediction: Marl Boal "The Hurt Locker"

Best Adapted Screenplay

While there are some strong nominees, Up in the Air has this one locked up. Especially if it loses all the other awards (which is possible), they are going to give it something.

Prediction: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner "Up in the Air"

Best Comedy

I hope they go with the best movie and not the popular choice, but that probably won't happen. It should be (500) Days of Summer, instead:

Prediction: The Hangover

Best Animated Film

While FMF is great, Up got a Best Pic nod, so this should be a cakewalk.

Prediction: Up

Best Action Movie

Prediction: Avatar

The Rest:

Cinematography - Avatar
Art Direction - Avatar
Costumes - Nine
Editing - Avatar
Makeup - District 9
Sound - Avatar
Visual Effects - Avatar
Foreign Language - The White Ribbon
Documentary - Michael Jackson's This is It
Picture Made For Television - Grey Gardens
Song - "The Weary Kind" - Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett - Crazy Heart
Score - Marvin Hamlisch – The Informant!

GLAAD Nominees

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation announced their nominees today. Check out the list:

Best Film - Wide Release

Everybody's Fine
I Love You, Man
Precious
A Single Man
Taking Woodstock

Best Film - Limited Release

Casi Divas
The Country Teacher
Little Ashes
Phoebe in Wonderland
The Secrets

Best Drama Series -

Brothers and Sisters
Grey's Anatomy
Mad Men
Skins
True Blood

Best Comedy Series -

Beautiful People
Glee
Greek
Modern Family
United States of Tara

Best TV Movie or Mini-Series

An Englishman In New York
Pedro
Prayers for Bobby
Torchwood: Children of the Earth

Best Documentary

Ask Not
Be Like Others
Derek
The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls
U People

Best Daily Drama

All My Children
As the World Turns
Guiding Light
One Life to Live

Best Music Artist

Bradi Carlile
Lady Gaga
Gossip
Adam Lambert
Otep

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM

"The Amazing Race 15" (CBS)
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (Bravo)
"Making His Band" (MTV)
"The Real World: Brooklyn" (MTV)
"RuPaul's Drag Race" (Logo/VH1)

Outstanding Talk Show Episode

"Ellen DeGeneres and Her Wife, Portia de Rossi" The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
"Hell to Pay – Gay Teen Exorcism" The Tyra Banks Show (The CW)
"Mormon Church & Gays" The Joy Behar Show (HLN)
"The Science of Intersex" The Dr. Oz Show (syndicated)
"Sirdeaner Walker Interview" The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated)

ACE Nominees

The Eddie Awards have gone one to be excellent predictors of Best Picture winners and nominees. So this is a big boost for Star Trek and District 9. Especially considering that they got in over Best Pic potential winners Precious and Inglorious Basterds. Even though A Serious Man got in, I think that its Best Picture hopes are slowly dying. People keep prediciting it, and I think it has a shot, but it looks like its spot might be taken by the fast-approaching Star Trek.

Drama

Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Up in the Air
District 9
Star Trek

Comedy:

The Hangover
Julie & Julia
It’s Complicated
A Serious Man
500 Days of Summer

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Up

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY:
The Cove
Food, Inc.
This Is It

Make-Up Finalists

As always an interesting list. My bets are District 9, Star Trek, and The Road/The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. This really isn't a big indicator of anything really, maybe a slight boost for Star Trek and District 9, but very very very little boost.


“District 9”
“Il Divo”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”
“The Road”
“Star Trek”
“The Young Victoria”

American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Nominations

Barry Ackroyd, BSC for The Hurt Locker
Dion Beebe, ASC, ACS for Nine
Christian Berger, AAC for The White Ribbon
Mauro Fiore, ASC for Avatar
Robert Richardson, ASC for Inglorious Basterds

Maybe with the exception of Bright Star or Harry Potter, these seem to be the frontrunners, and were before these nominations were announced. Also, Nine was included. The way it was going, I thought it would miss out on tech nods, despite those aspects being the best part of the film, and actually deserving.

WGA Nominations

A few thoughts: Avatar must have a lot of support considering that most people felt that the weakest part of the movie was the script. Most of the nominees are the usual suspects. Great to see Julie & Julia and Star Trek get into the adapted race, I hope this means they get some surprise nods come Oscar morning. The Hangover also makes a surprise entry, although for the WGA it's really not that surprising. I still think Hurt Locker and Up in the Air are our winners, but we'll wait and see.

Adapted Screenplay

“Crazy Heart” (Scott Cooper)
“Julie & Julia” (Nora Ephron)
“Precious” (Geoffrey Fletcher)
“Star Trek” (Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci)
“Up in the Air” (Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner)

Original Screenplay

“(500) Days of Summer” (Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber)
“Avatar” (James Cameron)
“The Hangover” (Jon Lucas, Scott Moore)
“The Hurt Locker” (Mark Boal)
“A Serious Man” (Ethan Coen, Joel Coen)

Documentary

“Against the Tide” (Richard Trank)
“Capitalism: A Love Story” (Michael Moore)
“The Cove” (Mark Monroe)
“Earth Days” (Robert Stone)
“Good Hair” (Lance Crouther, Chris Rock, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson)
“Soundtrack for a Revolution” (Bill Guttentag, Dan Sturman)

Art Directors Guild Nominees

The most interesting inclusion is Avatar, considering very few sets were actually built, and most was done by a computer. The biggest snub was of course for Nine. Despite bad reviews, it seemed it had a lock on costume and art direction nominations. It could still easily get a nod here, but if it doesn't have technical support, its BP coffin just got another nail in it.

As of now I think the nods will be

Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Inglourious Basterds
Sherlock Holmes
Star Trek

But my expertise in this area is zero to none, so don't take my word for it.

FEATURE FILM NOMINEES

Period film

“A Serious Man,” production, designer, Jess Gonchor
“Inglourious Basterds,” David Wasco
“Julie & Julia,” Mark Ricker
“Public Enemies,” Nathan Crowley
“Sherlock Holmes,” Sarah Greenwood

Fantasy film

“Avatar,” Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg
“District 9,” Philip Ivey
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” Stuart Craig
“Star Trek,” Scott Chambliss
“Where the Wild Things Are,” K.K. Barrett

Contemporary film

“Angels & Demons,” Allan Cameron
“The Hangover,” Bill Brzeski
“The Hurt Locker,” Karl Juliusson
“The Lovely Bones,” Naomi Shohan
“Up in the Air,” Steve Saklad

DGA Nominees

Looks like the five best possibilities took the day. No surprises here:

James Cameron, “Avatar”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker”
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
Lee Daniels, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”

So for now the buzz stays on course...no major shakeups for now.

BAFTA Long Lists

Some interesting choices, but for me the most striking things was the almost total exclusion of Nine. To me, the categories it is listed here are the ones it can potentially be competitive in at the Oscars (Actress, Supp. Actress, Techs); BP is dead.

Over 6000 members of the British Academy vote in three rounds to decide the winners of the Orange British Academy Film Awards. The long list is the result of Round One voting, which reduces the eligible films down to fifteen in each category. Round Two voting will reduce these fifteen contenders down to the five nominees. Asterisks denote the top 5 (or in some cases 6) voted by each chapter of the Academy in this first round.

Best Film

Avatar
District 9
An Education
Gran Torino
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The Road
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air

Director

Avatar *
Bright Star
District 9 *
An Education *
Fish Tank
Gran Torino
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Moon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
A Prophet *
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air

Leading Actor

Aaron Johnson (John Lennon) – Nowhere Boy
Andy Serkis (Ian Dury) – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll *
Ben Whishaw (John Keats) – Bright Star
Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine) – Inglourious Basterds
Clint Eastwood (Walt Kowalski) – Gran Torino
Colin Firth (George) – A Single Man *
George Clooney (Ryan Bingham) – Up in the Air *
Jeff Bridges (Bad Blake) – Crazy Heart
Jeremy Renner (SSgt. William James) – The Hurt Locker *
Michael Sheen (Brian Clough) – The Damned United
Morgan Freeman (Nelson Mandela) – Invictus *
Peter Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker) – In the Loop
Peter Sarsgaard (David) – An Education
Sam Rockwell (Sam Bell) – Moon
Viggo Mortensen (Man) – The Road

Leading Actress

Abbie Cornish (Fanny Brawne) – Bright Star *
Amy Adams (Julie Powell) – Julie & Julia
Audrey Tautou (Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel) – Coco Before Chanel
Carey Mulligan (Jenny) – An Education *
Emily Blunt (Queen Victoria) – The Young Victoria
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
Helen Mirren (Sofya Tolstoy) – The Last Station
Katie Jarvis (Mia) – Fish Tank
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jean Craddock) – Crazy Heart
Marion Cotillard (Luisa Contini) – Nine
Melanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus) – Inglourious Basterds
Meryl Streep (Jane) – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep (Julia Child) – Julie & Julia *
Penelope Cruz (Lena) – Broken Embraces
Saoirse Ronan (Susie Salmon) – The Lovely Bones *

Supporting Actor

Aaron Wolff (Danny Gopnik) – A Serious Man
Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape) – Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Alec Baldwin (Jake) – It’s Complicated
Alfred Molina (Jack) – An Education *
Anthony Mackie (Sgt. JT Sanborn) – The Hurt Locker
Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge) – The Hurt Locker
Christian McKay (Orson Welles) – Me and Orson Welles *
Christoph Waltz (Col. Landa) – Inglourious Basterds *
Christopher Plummer (Leo Tolstoy) – The Last Station *
Dominic Cooper (Danny) – An Education
Matt Damon (Francois Pienaar) – Invictus
Stanley Tucci (Mr Harvey) – The Lovely Bones *
Stanley Tucci (Paul Child) – Julie & Julia
Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor) – The Damned United
Zachary Quinto (Spock) – Star Trek

Supporting Actress

Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener) – Up in the Air
Anne-Marie Duff (Julia) – Nowhere Boy *
Claire Danes (Sonja Jones) – Me and Orson Welles
Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark) – Inglourious Basterds
Emma Thompson (Headmistress) – An Education
Julianne Moore (Charley) – A Single Man *
Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi) – Nowhere Boy *
Mariah Carey (Mrs Weiss) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Mo’Nique (Mary) – Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs) – An Education
Penelope Cruz (Carla) – Nine
Rachel Weisz (Abigail Salmon) – The Lovely Bones
Rosamund Pike (Helen) – An Education *
Susan Sarandon (Grandma Lynn) – The Lovely Bones
Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran) – Up in the Air

Adapted Screenplay

Crazy Heart
The Damned United
District 9 *
An Education *
Fantastic Mr Fox
In the Loop *
Invictus
Let the Right One In *
The Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire *
The Road
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air *

Original Screenplay

Avatar
Bright Star
Broken Embraces
Fish Tank
Gran Torino
The Hangover
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
It’s Complicated
Moon *
Nowhere Boy
A Prophet
A Serious Man *
Up *
The Young Victoria

Make Up & Hair

Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Inglourious Basterds
Julie & Julia
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
The Road
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

Special Visual Effects
2012 *
Avatar *
District 9 *
Fantastic Mr Fox
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *
The Hurt Locker
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
Star Trek *
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Watchmen
Where the Wild Things Are

Sound

Avatar *
District 9 *
An Education
Fantastic Mr Fox
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
Nine
Nowhere Boy
The Road
Star Trek *
Up *
Where the Wild Things Are

Editing

Avatar *
Bright Star
District 9 *
An Education
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
The Lovely BonesMoon
Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
The Road
A Serious Man
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up
Up in the Air *

Costume Design

Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel *
District 9
An Education *
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Inglourious Basterds
Me and Orson Welles
Nine
Nowhere Boy
Sherlock Holmes
A Single Man *
Star Trek
The Young Victoria *

Production Design

Avatar
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel
District 9 *
An Education
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince *
The Hurt Locker
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus *
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
Sherlock Holmes *
A Single Man
Star Trek

Cinematography
Avatar *
Bright Star *
Coco Before Chanel
District 9
An Education
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker *
Inglourious Basterds *
The Lovely Bones
Moon
The Road
A Serious Man *
A Single Man
Star Trek
Up in the Air

Animated Film

Coraline *
Disney’s A Christmas Carol
Fantastic Mr Fox *
Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Up *

Music

Avatar *
Bright Star
Coraline *
Crazy Heart *
An Education
Fantastic Mr Fox *
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Lovely Bones
Moon *
Nine
Nowhere Boy
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Up *
Up in the Air
Film Not in the English LanguageBroken EmbracesCoco Before ChanelLet the Right One InA ProphetThe White Ribbon

41st NAACP Image Award Nominations

Here is a look at the nominees, a big boost for Precious, or at least a place to give it some deserving honors. Interesting inclusion of Sandra Bullock, she really is having an incredible year!

Outstanding Motion Picture

"The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
"Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
"Michael Jackson's: This Is It" (Columbia Pictures)
"Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
"The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Denzel Washington – "The Taking of Pelham 123" (Columbia Pictures)
Idris Elba – "Obsessed" (Screen Gems)
Jamie Foxx – "Law Abiding Citizen" (Overture Films)
Morgan Freeman – "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Quinton Aaron – "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Anika Noni Rose – "The Princess and the Frog" (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Gabourey Sidibe – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Sandra Bullock – "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Sophie Okonedo – "Skin" (Jour De Fete Films)
Taraji P. Henson – "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Adam Rodriguez – "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" (Lionsgate)
Anthony Mackie – "The Hurt Locker" (Summit Entertainment)
Chiwetel Ejiofor – "2012" (Columbia Pictures)
Danny Glover – "2012" (Columbia Pictures)
Lenny Kravitz – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

Alfre Woodard – "American Violet" (Universal Pictures)
Mariah Carey – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Mo'Nique – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Paula Patton – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Zoe Saldana – "Avatar" (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

"American Violet" (Samuel Goldwyn Company)
"Amreeka" (National Geographic Entertainment)
"Endgame" (Montery Entertainment)
"Medicine for Melancholy" (IFC Films)
"Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Foreign Motion Picture

"The Maid" (Elephant Eye Films)
"Rudo y Cursi" (Sony Pictures Classics)
"Sin Nombre" (Focus Features)
"Skin" (Jour De Fete Films)
"The Stoning of Soraya M." (Mpower Pictures)

Outstanding Documentary (Theatrical or Television)

"Capitalism: A Love Story" (Overture Films)
"Crips and Bloods: Made in America" (Gravitas Ventures)
"Crude" (First Run Features)
"Good Hair" (Roadside Attractions)
"More than a Game" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Comedy Series

"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)
"Glee" (FOX)
"Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)
"Ugly Betty" (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell – "Brothers" (FOX)
Donald Faison – "Scrubs" (NBC)
Dulé Hill – "Psych" (USA Network)
LaVan Davis – "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)
Tyler James Williams – "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series

America Ferrera – "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Cassi Davis – "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)
CCH Pounder – "Brothers" (FOX)
Sherri Shepherd – "Sherri" (Lifetime)
Tichina Arnold – "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Lamman Rucker – "Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns" (TBS)
Lance Gross – "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)
Larenz Tate – "Rescue Me" (FX)
Malcolm-Jamal Warner – "Sherri" (Lifetime)
Tracy Morgan – "30 Rock" (NBC)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Ana Ortiz – "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Keshia Knight Pulliam – "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)
Tisha Campbell-Martin – "Rita Rocks" (Lifetime)
Vanessa Williams – "Ugly Betty" (ABC)
Wendy Raquel Robinson – "The Game" (CW)

Outstanding Drama Series

"Cold Case" (CBS)
"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
"HawthoRNe" (TNT)
"Lincoln Heights" (ABC Family)
"The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series

Anthony Anderson – "Law & Order" (NBC)
Hill Harper – "CSI: NY" (CBS)
LL Cool J – "NCIS: Los Angeles" (CBS)
Laurence Fishburne – "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS)
Taye Diggs – "Private Practice" (ABC)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series

Chandra Wilson – "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
Jada Pinkett Smith – "HawthoRNe" (TNT)
Jill Scott – "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" (HBO)
Regina King – "Southland" (NBC)
Sandra Oh – "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Corey Reynolds – "The Closer" (TNT)
Delroy Lindo – "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (NBC)
James Pickens, Jr. – "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
Mekhi Phifer – "Lie To Me" (FOX)
Rocky Carroll – "NCIS" (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Anika Noni Rose – "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" (HBO)
Audra McDonald – "Private Practice" (ABC)
Gabrielle Union – "Flash Forward" (ABC)
Jurnee Smollett – "Friday Night Lights" (NBC)
S. Epatha Merkerson – "Law & Order" (NBC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

"America" (Lifetime)
"Brick City" (Sundance)
"Georgia O'Keefe" (Lifetime)
"Gifted Hands" (TNT)
"Relative Stranger" (Hallmark)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

Cuba Gooding Jr. – "Gifted Hands" (TNT)
Eriq La Salle – "Relative Stranger" (Hallmark)
Gus Hoffman – "Gifted Hands" (TNT)
Jaishon Fisher – "Gifted Hands" (TNT)
Philip Johnson – "America" (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie,Mini-Series or Dramatic Special

Aunjanue Ellis – "Gifted Hands" (TNT)
Cicely Tyson – "Relative Stranger" (Hallmark)
Kimberly Elise – "Gifted Hands" (TNT)
Rosie O'Donnell – "America" (Lifetime)
Ruby Dee – "America" (Lifetime)

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series

Bryton James – "The Young and The Restless" (CBS)
Cassius Willis – "The Young and The Restless" (CBS)
Cornelius Smith, Jr. – "All My Children" (ABC)
Terrell Tilford – "One Life To Live" (ABC)
Texas Battle – "The Bold and the Beautiful" (CBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series

Daphne Duplaix – "One Life to Live" (ABC)
Debbi Morgan – "All My Children" (ABC)
Eva Marcelle – "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)
Tatyana Ali – "The Young and The Restless" (CBS)
Tonya Lee Williams – "The Young and the Restless" (CBS)

Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special)

"Anderson Cooper 360: President Obama's African Journey" (CNN)
"CNN Presents: Reclaiming the Dream 2" (CNN)
"The Inauguration of Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States" (BET)
"Judge Mathis" (Syndicated)
"Leading Women: India.Arie, Dr. Maya Angelou" (Centric)

Outstanding Talk Series

"Lopez Tonight" (TBS)
"The Mo'Nique Show" (BET)
"The Tyra Banks Show" (CW)
"The View" (ABC)
"The Wanda Sykes Show" (FOX)

Outstanding Reality Series

"American Idol 8" (FOX)
"America's Next Top Model" (CW)
"Dancing With the Stars" (ABC)
"Extreme Makeover" (ABC)
"Real Housewives of Atlanta" (Bravo)

Outstanding Variety – (Series or Special)

"BET Awards 2009" (BET)
"Bill Cosby: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor" (PBS)
"Michael Jackson Memorial Service" (ABC, BET, CNN, MTV, NBC)
"Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me" (HBO)
"We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial" (HBO)

Outstanding Children's Program

"The Backyardigans – The Action Elves Save Christmas" (Nickelodeon)
"Dora The Explorer: Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure" (Nickelodeon)
"Go, Diego, Go: Diego Reunites Hippopotamus and Oxpecker" (Nickelodeon)
"True Jackson, VP" (Nickelodeon)
"Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children'sProgram – (Series or Special)

Caitlin Sanchez – "Dora the Explorer" (Nickelodeon)
Keke Palmer – "True Jackson, VP" (Nickelodeon)
LaShawn Jeffries – "The Backyardigans" (Nickelodeon)
Nick Cannon – "TeenNick HALO Awards" (TeenNick)
Selena Gomez – "Wizards of Waverly Place" (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Alyson Fouse – "Brothers" – Meet Mike Trainor (FOX)
Hallsted Sullivan with Warren Lieberstein – "The Office" – Café Disco (NBC)
Kenny Smith – "The Game" – The Wedding (CW)
Marc Willmore – "The Simpsons" – The Good, The Sad, & The Drugly (FOX)
Saladin Patterson & James Roday – "Psych" – High Top Fade Out (USA Network)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series

Alexander Woo – "True Blood" – Beyond Here Lies Nothin (HBO)
Kathleen McGhee-Anderson – "Lincoln Heights" – Home Again (ABC Family)
Sara Hess – "House" – The Greater Good (FOX)
Shonda Rhimes – "Grey's Anatomy" – What a Difference A Day Makes (ABC)
Zoanne Clack – "Grey's Anatomy" – Stand By Me (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)

Anthony Peckham – "Invictus" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Geoffrey Fletcher – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
John Lee Hancock – "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker – "Notorious" (Fox Searchlight)
Tyler Perry – "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself" (Lionsgate)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Ali LeRoi – "Everybody Hates Chris" – Everybody Hates The G.E.D. (CW)
Justin Lin – "Community" – Introduction to Statistics (NBC)
Ken Whittingham – "30 Rock" – The Funcooker (NBC)
Michael Shultz – "Drop Dead Diva" – Second Chances (Lifetime)
Reggie Hudlin – "The Office" – Koi Pond (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series

Chandra Wilson – "Grey's Anatomy" – Give Peace a Chance (ABC)
Edward James Olmos – "Battlestar Galactica" – Islanded in a Stream of Stars (Syfy)
Ernest Dickerson – "Dexter" – Road Kill (Showtime)
Kevin Sullivan – "Lincoln Heights" – Aftershock (ABC Family)
Paris Barclay – "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" – Coup de Grace (CBS)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)

F. Gary Gray – "Law Abiding Citizen" (Overture Films)
George Tillman, Jr. – "Notorious" (Fox Searchlight)
Lee Daniels – "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire" (Lionsgate)
Scott Sanders – "Black Dynamite" (Apparition)
Spike Lee – "Passing Strange: The Movie" (IFC Films/Sundance Selects)

Outstanding New Artist

Jeremih (Def Jam)
Keri Hilson (Mosley Music Group/Zone 4 Inc/Interscope Records)
K'Jon (Universal Republic Records)
Kristinia DeBarge (Def Jam)
Melanie Fiona (SRC/Universal/Motown)

Outstanding Male Artist

Anthony Hamilton (SoSo Def/Jive Records)
Charlie Wilson (Jive Label Group)
Jay-Z (Atlantic Records)
Maxwell (Columbia Records)
Ne-Yo (Def Jam)

Outstanding Female Artist

Alicia Keys (Columbia Records)
India.Arie (Universal Republic Records)
Mary J. Blige (Matriarch/Geffen)
Rihanna (Def Jam)
Whitney Houston (Artista Records)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

3 Mo' Divas (MariMo' Music Inc.)
The Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records)
Day26 (Bad Boy Records)
Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys (Atlantic Records)
Jay-Z ft. Rihanna & Kanye West (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album

"Detroit" – Gerald Wilson Orchestra (Mack Avenue Records)
"He and She" – Wynton Marsalis (Blue Note Records)
"Kind of Brown" – Christian McBride & Inside Straight (Mack Avenue Records)
"Poetically Justified" – Marcus Johnson (Three Keys Music)
"The Real Thing" – Vanessa Williams (Concord Records)

Outstanding Gospel Album – (Traditional or Contemporary)

"A City Called Heaven" – Shirley Caesar (Light Records)
"How I Got Over" – Vickie Winans (Destiny Joy)
"Love Unstoppable" – Fred Hammond (Verity Records)
"Still" – BeBe & CeCe Winans (B & C Records)
"We Are All One: Live In Detroit" – Donnie McClurkin (Verity Records)

Outstanding World Music Album

"11:11" – Rodrigo y Gabriela (ATO Records/Red)
"Black President" – Sila and the Afrofunk Experience (Visila Records)
"Morabeza" – Maria de Barros (Sheer Legacy [Sheer Group South African Label])
"ReCreation" – Zap Mama (Heads Up International/Concord Music Group)
"Seya" – Oumou Sangare (Nonesuch/World Circuit)

Outstanding Music Video

"Blame It" – Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
"Boom Boom Pow" – The Black Eyed Peas (Interscope Records)
"I Look To You" – Whitney Houston (Arista)
"Pretty Wings" – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
"Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart" – Alicia Keys (J Records/MBK Entertainment)

Outstanding Song

"Bad Habits" – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
"Blame It" – Jamie Foxx ft. T-Pain (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
"Empire State of Mind" – Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys (Atlantic Records)
"God In Me" – Mary Mary (Columbia Records)
"Pretty Wings" – Maxwell (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Album

"The Blueprint 3" – Jay-Z (Atlantic Records)
"BLACKsummers'night" – Maxwell (Columbia Records)
"The Element of Freedom" – Alicia Keys (J Records/MBK Entertainment)
"Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" – Mariah Carey (Def Jam)
"Stronger With Each Tear" – Mary J. Blige (Matriarch/Geffen)

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction

"Basketball Jones" – E. Lynn Harris (deceased) (Doubleday)
"Before I Forget" – Leonard Pitts, Jr. (Agate Bolden)
"Life is Short But Wide" – J. California Cooper (Doubleday)
"The Book of Night Women" – Marlon James Riverhead Books)
"The Long Fall" – Walter Mosley (Riverhead Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction

"Brain Surgeon": A Doctor's Inspiring Encounters With Mortality and Miracles – Arnold Mann with Keith Black, MD (Grand Central Publishing)
"Family Affair: What It Means to be African American Today" – Gil L. Robertson, IV (Agate Bolden)
"Freedom in My Heart: Voices From the United States National Slavery Museum" – Cynthia Jacobs Carter (National Geographic Books)
"In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past" – Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (Crown)
"Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis" – Al Gore (Rodale Inc.)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author

"3rd Generation Country" – BeNeca Ward (Xlibris Corporation)
"A Question of Freedom" – R. Dwayne Betts (Avery Books)
"Black Water Rising" – Attica Locke (Harper)
"Kiss the Sky: A Novel" – Farai Chideya (Atria Books)
"Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange" – Amanda Smyth (Three Rivers Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Auto-Biography

"Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud" – Dr. Cornel West (SmileyBooks)
"Michelle Obama" – Deborah Willis (W. W. Norton)
"POPS: A Life of Louis" – Terry Teachout (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
"Shooting Stars" – LeBron James and Buzz Bissinger (The Penguin Press)
"Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne" – James Gavin (Atria Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional

"Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man" – Steve Harvey (Amistad)
"The Conversation: How Black Men & Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships" – Hill Harper (Gotham Books)
"Down to Business" – Clara Villarosa with Alicia Villarosa (Avery Books)
"Start Where You Are" – Chris Gardner (Amistad)
"Your Money or Your Life" – Alvin Hall (Atria Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry

"Bicycles" – Nikki Giovanni (William Morrow)
"Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry" – Camille Dungy (The University of Georgia Press)
"Cooling Board: A Long-Playing Poem" – Mitchell L. H. Douglas (Red Hen Press)
"Mixology: National Poetry Series" – Adrian Matejka (Penguin Group)
"Roses and Revolutions: The Selected Writings of Dudley Randall" – Melba Joyce Boyd (Wayne
State University Press)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children

"Child of the Civil Rights Movement" – Paula Young Shelton (Random House Children's Books)
"Negro Speaks of Rivers" – Langston Hughes (Author), E.B. Lewis (Illustrator) (Disney-Jump at the Sun/Disney Book Group)
"Our Children Can Soar: A Celebration of Rosa, Barack, and the Pioneers of Change" – Michelle Cook (Bloomsbury Children's Books)
"Peeny Butter Fudge" – Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
"Sugar Plum Ballerinas: Toeshoe Trouble" – Whoopi Goldberg (Disney-Jump at the Sun/Disney Book Group)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens

"Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice" – Phillip Hoose (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Farrar Straus and Giroux)
"Just Another Hero" – Sharon Draper (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)
"Mare's War" – Tanita S. Davis (Random House Children's Books)
"Michelle Obama: Meet the First Lady" – David Bergen Brophy (Collins-An Imprint of HarperCollins Children's Books)
"Rock and the River" – Kekla Magoon (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing)

USC Scripter Nominations!

The first two are interesting, and welcomed. While this awards has very little Oscar significance, if District 9 can get a WGA nod, combined with a PGA nod, it is looking like a serious BP contender.

Crazy Heart – Fox Searchlight Pictures
Scott Cooper, screenwriter
Thomas Cobb, author

District 9 – Tri-Star Pictures
Neill Blomkamp, screenwriter and author
Terri Tatchell, screenwriter

An Education – Sony Pictures Classics
Nick Hornby, screenwriter
Lynn Barber, author

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire – Lionsgate
Geoffrey Fletcher, screenwriter
Sapphire, author

Up in the Air – Paramount Pictures
Jason Reitman, screenwriter
Sheldon Turner, screenwriter
Walter Kirn, author

Producer's Guild of America Nominees!

A great list in my opinion. I went 9/10, thinking that Up wasn't eligible for Best Picture (In past years animated films weren't eligible). To me this means that Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Invictus, Precious, Up, and Up in the Air are locks. That leaves two spots to fight over. Hopefully District 9 and/or Star Trek get the last spot/spots. Most likely however, only one, or maybe neither will get in. The last spot could go to Nine, The Blind Side, The Messenger, or A Serious Man. If only this list would just translate perfectly, then I would be estatic. Also, interesting inclusion of 9 in the Animated Feature race, apparently this race is not a done deal as I had thought.

Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures:

"AVATAR"
Producers: James Cameron, Jon Landau

"DISTRICT 9"
Producers: Carolynne Cunningham, Peter Jackson

"AN EDUCATION"
Producers: Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey

"THE HURT LOCKER"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS"
Producer: Lawrence Bender

"INVICTUS"
Producers: Clint Eastwood, Rob Lorenz, Lori McCreary , Mace Neufeld

"PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL 'PUSH' BY SAPPHIRE"
Producers: Lee Daniels, Gary Magness, Sarah Siegel-Magness

"STAR TREK"
Producers: J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof

"UP"
Producer: Jonas Rivera

"UP IN THE AIR"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

"9"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"CORALINE"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"FANTASTIC MR. FOX"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG"
Producer: Peter Del Vecho

"UP"
Producer: Jonas Rivera

Producer of the Year Award in Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:

"BURMA VJ"
Producer: Lise Lense-Moller

"THE COVE"
Producers: Paula DuPré Pesman, Fisher Stevens

"SERGIO"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

David L. Wolper Producer of the Year Award in Long-Form Television:

"GEORGIA O'KEEFFE"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"GREY GARDENS"
Producers: David Coatsworth, Lucy Donnelly, Rachael Horovitz, Michael Sucsy

"LITTLE DORRIT"
Producers: Lisa Osborne, Anne Pivcevic

"PRAYERS FOR BOBBY"
Producers: Stanley M. Brooks, Damian Ganczewski, David Permut, Daniel Sladek, Chris Taaffe

"THE PRISONER"
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination.

"TAKING CHANCE"
Producers: Lori Keith Douglas, Ross Katz, Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischner-Sola

Producer's Guild Awards Predictions

Here is my list:

An Education
Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Invictus
Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire
Star Trek
Up in the Air


With Up out of the race because of PGA rules, the spot I filled in with Star Trek. This is for no reason other than I have a small hunch. District 9 and The Blind Side are wild cards in the race, as both are suprise hits, and they might get a boost here.

Nationl Society of Film Critics Winners

The Hurt Locker wins big, votes beside the name.

BEST PICTURE
1. The Hurt Locker 64
2. Summer Hours 23
3. Inglourious Basterds 17

BEST DIRECTOR
1. Kathryn Bigelow 85 (The Hurt Locker)
2. Olivier Assayas 23 (Summer Hours)
3. Wes Anderson 18 (Fantastic Mr. Fox)

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
1. Summer Hours 61
2. Everlasting Moments 21
3. Police, Adjective 20
3. 35 Shots of Rum 20

BEST NONFICTION FILM
1. The Beaches of Agnes 40
2. Tyson 30
3. Anvil! The Story of Anvil 25

BEST SCREENPLAY
1. Joel and Ethan Coen 33 (A Serious Man)
2. Olivier Assayas 25 (Summer Hours)
3. Quentin Tarantino 22 (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST ACTRESS
1. Yolande Moreau 22 (Seraphine)
2. Meryl Streep 21 (Julie & Julia and Fantastic Mr. Fox
3. Abbie Cornish 19 (Bright Star)

BEST ACTOR
1. Jeremy Renner 30 (The Hurt Locker)
2. Jeff Bridges 24 (Crazy Heart)
3. Nicolas Cage 15 (Bad Lieutenant)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
1. Mo’Nique 28 (Precious)
2. Anna Kendrick 24 (Up in the Air)
2. Samantha Morton 24 (The Messenger)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
1. Christoph Waltz 28 (Inglourious Basterds)
1. Paul Schneider 28 (Bright Star)
3. Christian McKay 27 (Me and Orson Welles)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
1. The White Ribbon 33 (Christian Berger)
2. The Hurt Locker 32 (Barry Ackroyd)
3. Everlasting Moments - 19 (Jan Troell)

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
1. Nelson Lowry 43 (Fantastic Mr. Fox)
2. Rick Carter 28 (Avatar)
3. Henry Selick 12 (Coraline)

HERITAGE AWARDS-
-Restoration of “Rashomon”Academy Film Archive and National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo, as well as Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.
- Bruce Posner for his restoration of “Manhatta”
- Treasures of American FIlm Vol. 4 (Avant Garde 1947 - 1986)
- Warner Archive Collection
- UCLA Film & Television Archive for the restoration of “The Red Shoes”6) Kino International, Avant Garde Vol 3. Experimental Cinema 1922 - 1954

Review: Up in the Air

In only his third film, Jason Reitman has created a meaningful story about life, love, and commitment in a way no one truly expected.

Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a corporate junkie whose life consists of flying around the country over 250 days a year to fire people. For most that description would sound depressing, but Ryan hates being tied down, finding comfort in the little things that most people hate about traveling. He even has a goal in mind of 10 million miles, not for trips or for anything specific but for simply getting there.

Along the way he meets two significant women that drastically change his outlook on life. Alex (Vera Farmiga) is the female counterpart to Ryan who finds joy in the technology of sexting, the flying miles, and the intamacy, or lack of, involved in their casual fling. Natalie (Anna Kendrick) is a quick-witted overeager new colleage who is trying to revolutionize the firing process, a move that could ground Ryan forever.

So these three get caught up in a world and get emotionally involved in a world that asks for surface level commitments and casual relationships. These women, and the help of his long-lost family, help him try to discover something more to his life. Some clever twists help bring out something that was lost in Ryan.

The ending is ambiguous, but maybe that is the point. We have no idea if Ryan has changed or whether his encounter with these women was simply a bump in the road of his former life, and to be honest, if there was nothing to talk about, then why watch it in the first place.

The writing and directing is top notch, witty, and in Jason Reitman's case, minimal. He allows for his actors to play their characters, something Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones) and Rob Marshall (Nine) could have taken heed of this year.

Clooney shows surprising emotional depth, and clever wit. Vera Farmiga is sexy and sassy, and Anna Kendrick is fiesty. Throw in some great cameos from Danny McBride, J.K. Simmons, and Jason Bateman, and you have a top notch acting cast that shows the strengths of each actor.

Overall however, it is the wit and message that sticks with you. Up in the Air is a great blend of heartbreak, wit, and charm and creates a warm and thought-provoking movie that shows a genre of adult dramedy, a genre that is often missing from out arsenal of holiday movies. A real gem.

Grade: A-

Review: Avatar

In the somewhat distant future, a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully replaces his brother on the far off moon of Pandora. There the US government is trying to mine unobtanium, a mineral that has a crazy price value. In a struggle between a military operation and a diplomatic solution stems from the fact that the native population the Na'vi are on top of the moon's biggest deposit. When Sully inhabits Avatars, which mix human DNA with native DNA to try to understand the native people, he falls in love, and becomes one of the Na'vi, then tries to save their planet and their way of life.

The story is, as has been commented on by many, is actually pretty simple, and definitely misses on some points, especially background information. However, the story is also energetic, romantic, and at times funny, suspenseful, and not as big of a detractor as critics make it out to be.

The acting is actually pretty good, especially from Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, and Michelle Rodriquez. Unfortunately, Sam Worthington leaves much to be desired, but hopefully he will grow into a leading man.

To be honest, none of the aforementioned aspects of the film means much to me at all. From the time I put on my funky-looking 3-D glasses, I was transformed into another world, I became fully enthralled in the story, and especially the incredible, and yes, groundbreaking visuals, that make this the most entertaining experience I think I have ever had in a movie theatre. This can be attributed to the mastermind, the true King of the World, the great Jim Cameron. His vision had to wait for technology, and his picky detail to perfection missed some spots, but Cameron has created a modern masterpiece that completely blew me away.

To be honest again, the only problem with this movie is that I had to take off my glasses, walk out of the theater, and leave behind Jim Cameron's amazing world

Grade: A

Top 10 Movies of 2009

One more retrospective...Personal picks, some guilty pleasures...enjoy.

10. Nine - Say what you want about Rob Marshall's latest, but for me, I stopped thinking like a critic and enjoyed this movie simply because of the fact that it was a lot of fun to watch. Sure the direction and editing was a little off. But the shear starpower, incredible technicals, and showstopping musical outweighed the bad. Guily pleasure alert.

9. Pirate Radio - The story and direction were all over the map, but for me, I have never laughed more in a movie than I did in this little British gem. The actors were being themselves, having a good time, and dammit it was contagious....another guilt pleasure.

8. Precious - While I felt this was a little overrated, you cannot deny the superb acting, especially by the wisecracking turned vicious Mo'Nique, and the subtly beautiful performance from newcomer Gabby Sidibe. More importantly, you can't deny the movies utter power and the resonance it leaves with you long after you leave the theater.

7. The Princess and the Frog - In an incredible year for animation, this 2-D, handsketched Disney gem really stood out for me. It was so nice to finally see an African American princess, combine that with humor, toe-tapping music, and brilliant visuals, and you have a stirring event.

6. In the Loop - This quirky little comedy was robbed at the Golden Globes, and Peter Capaldi was a revelation. There's really not much else to say, except, see this movie!

5. Julie & Julia - Meryl Streep was a revelation as Julia Child, combine that with an edible story, a bright co-star, and you have a winner. In a summer of loud, dramatic movies, J & J provide us with a suprising culinary delight - an enjoyable movie.

4. Up - Like I said, this was a great year for animated movies. Pixar continually outdoes itself, and raises the bar on originality and pure entertainment. Up was a delight to watch, and while it lacked the full knock-out of Wall-E, it definitely had the story and visuals to become one of the finest bullets in the Pixar cannon.

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - After flip-flopping on directors, the Harry Potter series has finally found the right tone. Combining teen angst, with the growing darkness made the sixth entry one of the most dramatic and entertaining of the series. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say, I can't wait to see how it ends.

2. Up in the Air - I had to see it to believe it, but the buzz is absolutely deserved for Jason Reitman's lastest dramedy masterpiece. George Clooney is perfect, Vera Farmiga is radiant, and Anna Kendrick is snappy, a combination that makes for a winning ensemble. The incredible script and excellent directing don't hurt.

1. Avatar - I'll post a review tomorrow for both Avatar and Up in the Air, or at least by Sunday, so for now all I will say is this: Wow!