RIP Sidney Lumet

Some very sad news: one of my favorite directors of all time is the great Sidney Lumet who did such classics as Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Murder on the Orient Express, The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead died of lymphoma last night or early this morning. He had been nominated for five Oscars (and was wrongly robbed of at least one or two in my opinion), and was a legend that will be forever remembered. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Rest in peace old friend.

Grammy's Dramatically Change Format

While the Grammy's are usually one of the lesser awards shows I cover, I still take a great interest in them. According to The  Envelope of The Los Angeles Times:

"The Recording Academy on Wednesday announced a major overhaul of its musical categories that, among other changes, will consolidate a number of awards, eliminate separate awards for male and female vocal performances in the pop, rock, R&B and country genres, and reduce the overall number of categories from 109 to 78, beginning next year. A number of other formerly distinct categories have been combined or folded into existing ones. A new rule will also allow the academy to suspend and eventually eliminate categories that receive fewer than 25 entries for three consecutive years, and to transfer subsequent submissions in that category into the "next most appropriate category." The changes do not affect the top four categories, album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist."

In some ways, I think this is good, because the pre-Grammy ceremony is so bloated with categories that it takes hours and hours. In other ways, I think that this could be detrimnetal, particualrly combining the female and male vocal performances, which in many ways I think could be negative. Also, I know some genres of music are not so popular, but by elminating and consolidating smaller categories, the Recording Academy is losing a forum in which smaller forms of music can get nationwide recognition. We'll have to wait and see how this turns out I guess in order to determine whether it was a good or bad idea.

Here is the link to the rest of the story: http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-et-grammy-awards-20110407,0,567728.story

State of the Race: First Predictions - Best Original Screenplay

Predictions
Mike Mills "Beginners"

Dustin Lance Black "J. Edgar"

Woody Allen "Midnight in Paris"

Terrence Malick "The Tree of Life"

Diablo Cody "Young Adult"

Other Possibilites - Win Win, The Iron Lady, Shame, Contagion, Take This Waltz, Larry Crowne, Meek's Cutoff, Haywire, Higher Ground

Commentary - There are some serious contenders this year for original screenplay, including many previous winners and nominees. Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman are pairing up again, a duo that won her her first Academy Award, for the highly buzzed Young Adult. If it is as half as good as Juno, it will definitely be a top contender for this prize. Terrence Malick returns again as writer/director, and the long-awaited Tree of Life could be a real threat. Dustin Lance Black also comes hot off of his Milk win, with another biopic, which has a great cast and director. If he brings the same passiona and intelligence to J.Edgar, he could be a winner again. I am also going with a quirkier, smaller choice in Beginners, as the Academy is not afraid to do the same, aka Another Year, in this category. This means that a film like Win Win could also be in contention. Finally, I picked an obvious choice in Woody Allen. If it is good Woody Allen he's in. If not...well I think you know the answer to that one.

If I Had Been An Academy Voter - 2002 Part 2

Best Art Direction
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - The sets of Chicago were fantastic, between the showy stages to the dark prison interiors.

Best Cinematography
Academy Winner - Road to Perdition
My Pick - Gangs of New York
Commentary - Let's face it, Conrad L. Hall, won his third Oscar for Road to Perdition because he had passed away. I hate to say that, but it definitely was a factor. Instead, I would have given the award to Gangs of New York, which was not only completely shut out, but was beautifully shot.

Best Costume Design
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - Good choice for the Academy. Atwood did a great job of mixing razzle-dazzle stage clothes with prison garb, with 1920's period pieces.

Best Film Editing
Academy Winner - Chicago
My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - The one problem I had with Chicago was that it dragged a little towards the end. In contrast, the succint Two Towers was well put together, much shorter than its LOTR counterparts, and action packed from first frame to last.

Best Makeup
Academy Winner/My Pick - Frida
Commentary - Well, The Time Machine sucked ass, and the eyebrow alone was enough for Frida to get my vote.

Best Original Score
Academy Winner - Elliot Goldenthal "Frida"
My Pick - Elmer Bernstein "Far From Heaven"
Commentary - I preferred Berstein's score in Far From Heaven, as it captures the emotional impact of the film perfectly.

Best Original Song

Academy Winner/My Pick - "Lose Yourself" from "8 Mile"
Commentary - I am surprised and thrilled that the Academy actually recognized the brilliance of this song, and they definitely made the right choice. Who would have thought that Eminem would be an Oscar winner?

Best Sound Mixing
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chicago
Commentary - The vibrant music that pumped into audience's ears was crisp, bright, and pitch perfect. The sound people of Chicago definitely deserved some recognition.

Best Sound Editing
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - A pleasure for the eyes and ears, like the rest of the series.

Best Visual Effects
Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Commentary - See above.

Cannes 2011 Poster

Hollywood is gearing up for another Oscar season, and the line up being announced soon, Cannes is probably the first major step. The always wonderful AwardsDaily, has posted a picture of the poster for the 2011 fest, with the endearing Faye Dunaway on the front in a picture taken in 1970. The caption has this written about the photo: "Model of sophistication and timeless elegance, it is an embodiment of the cinematic dream that the Festival de Cannes seeks to maintain." PS - Just for a reminder, Woody Allen's latest, "Midnight in Paris" will be the opening film. It's going to be a great year. The poster is below:

State of the Race: First Predictions - Best Supporting Actress

Predictions
Jessica Chastain "The Tree of Life"
Marion Cotillard "Midnight in Paris" or "Contagion"
Viola Davis "The Help"
Kiera Knightley "A Dangerous Method"
Marisa Tomei "The Ides of March"

Other Possibilities - Kate Winslet "Contagion", Gwyenth Paltrow "Contagion", Evan Rachel Wood "The Ides of March", Carey Mulligan "Drive", Chloe Moretz "Hugo Cabret", Amy Ryan "Win Win", Allison Janey "The Help", Octavia Spencer "The Help", Patricia Clarkson "One Day", Judi Dench "J. Edgar", Naomi Watts "J. Edgar"

Commentary - This is a stacked category this year, with plenty of potential nominees to choose from. Jessica Chastain's name has been thrown around every year that we thought The Tree of Life was coming out, so if her performance is a good as her buzz, she is definitely a contender. Marion Cotillard has missed out on many deserved nominations since her suprise Oscar win, and this year has two big projects, Midnight in Paris and Contagion, coming out, which should push her back into the derby. Since her Oscar nod in 2005, Viola Davis has risen into many people's conscious, and with August's The Help, she has a real potential to shine, and once again show everyone why she is one of the most underrated actresses in Hollywood. A Dangerous Mind is one that I have missed on earlier predictions, and in the next State of the Race will reconsider in the other categories. That being said, Kiera Knightley looks like she could easily get some attention for her role in the film. Finally I went with past Academy favorite Marisa Tomei, simply because she is in a buzzed project, and continually churns out excellent roles that get noticed by the Academy.

ACM Award Winners

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift Top Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley
Top Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Top Vocal Duo: Sugarland
Top Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum
Top New Artist: The Band Perry (defeating Top New Solo Vocalist: Eric Church)
Album of the Year: Need You Now, Lady Antebellum
Single Record of the Year: “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
Song of the Year: “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
Video of the Year: “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
Vocal Event of the Year: “As She’s Walking Away,” Zac Brown Band and Alan Jackson

If I Were An Academy Voter - 2002 Part 1

Best Picture

Academy Winner/My Pick- Chicago

Commentary - This razzle-dazzle musical may have not struck the right chord with everyone. But for me it was an exuberant musical, with an incredible cast, incredible technicals, a wonderful screenplay from Bill Condon, and a playlist that had audience toe-tapping for weeks after. Some people believe that it shouldn't have won, but I guess enough people agreed with me.

Best Director
Academy Winner/My Pick  - Roman Polanski "The Pianist"
Commentary - I was going back and forth between Polanski and Marshall, but in the end I think the Academy made the right decision. While The Pianist was no Tess or Chinatown or Rosemary's Baby, and Polanski is a child molester, I think that this was the perfect year to give him the Oscar he deserved. Marshall was too young and had yet to prove himself, and while Polanski is a criminal, he makes damn good movies.

Best Actor
Academy Winner/My Pick - Adrien Brody "The Pianist"
Commentary - The other four were previous winners, and Brody was devastatingly brilliant in The Pianist, so the Academy made the right choice.

Best Actress
Academy Winner - Nicole Kidman "The Hours"
My Pick - Julianne Moore "Far From Heaven"
Commentary - I like Nicole Kidman, but the Academy really missed the boat on this one. Julianne Moore was leagues above the other nominees in Far From Heaven. The devastated and embarrased wife, that rises to her own strength. She should be Academy Award Winner Julianne Moore. Oh well.

Best Supporting Actor
Academy Winner/My Pick - Chris Cooper "Adaptation"
Commentary - Chris Cooper was hilarious, wild and wacky, and absolutely pitch perfect considering Kaufman's incredibly strange script. I'm glad the Academy took notice.

Best Supporting Actress
Academy Winner - Catherine Zeta-Jones "Chicago"
My Pick - Queen Latifah "Chicago"
Commentary - I liked Catherine, but in my opinon, the best supporting actress from Chicago was actually her nominated co-star Queen Latifah. The energy, sexiness, and suave she brought to the role of  Big Mama Thorton overshadowed Zeta-Jones, which was a tough task to do.

Best Animated Feature
Academy Winner/My Pick - Spirited Away
Commentary - Awesome pick my the Academy, as this was one of the few anime films that I actually enjoyed, probably because it was impeccable.

Best Original Screenplay

Academy Winner - Pedro Almodovar "Talk To Her"

My Pick - Nia Vardalos "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

Commentary - This is a personal choice for me, as I still love My Big Fat Greek Wedding, found it hilarious, and still pop it in the DVD player every once in a while when I need a good laugh. Plus, it truly was original.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Academy Winner - Ronald Harwood "The Pianist"
My Pick - Bill Condon "Chicago"
Commentary - I know this one may piss some people off. But I thought that Condon's job of adapting a stage musical, juggling all those characters, and going in and out from the stage world to the real world, was much more difficult, and he pulled it off. Plus, personally, I am a huge Bill Condon fan, so there is a little bit of bias.

Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Winner - Nowhere in Africa
My Pick - Hero
Commentary - Hero was brilliant, and while I like Nowhere in Africa, it paled in comparison to Jet-Li's martial arts masterpiece.

Best Documentary Feature
Academy Winner/My Pick - Bowling For Columbine
Commentary - One of the most shocking films I had ever watched, it literally left me breathless with its incredible sadness, poignant realism, and incredible filmmaking. Love or hate Michael Moore, he scored a winner with this one.

The State of the Race: First Predictions - Best Supporting Actor

Predictions
Jim Broadbent "The Iron Lady"
Paul Giamatti "The Ides of March"
Phillip Seymour Hoffman "Moneyball" or "The Ides of March"
Sean Penn "The Tree of Life"
Christopher Plummer "Beginners"

Other Contenders - Archie Hammer "J. Edgar", Vincent Cassell "Dangerous Methods", John C. Reilly "We Need to Talk About Kevin", Ben Kinglsey "Hugo Cabaret", Matt Damon "Contagion", Jude Law "Contagion", Alex Shaffer "Win Win", Aaron Eckhart "The Rum Diary", Richard Jenkins "The Rum Diary"

Commentary - There are not a lot of contenders as of now. A lot of big names, but a lot of projects that have big question marks. Right now I am going with five big names who have been popular with the Academy in the past. Paul Giamatti should probably be nominated for Win Win, but Clooney's The Ides of March could be a big contender for him, or for another co-star Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who might get in for Moneyball as another option. If The Tree of Life is any good then Sean Penn's name needs to be in the mix, as a two-time winner. If The Iron Lady is good, and Meryl Streep isn't too overpowering, then the always great Jim Broadbent should definitely be included in the mix. Finally I went with my personal FYC favorite this year Christopher Plummer, who is apparently perfect in Beginners, and deserves an Oscar.

If I Were An Academy Voter - 2003 Part 2

Best Art Direction

Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Commentary - Medieval sets accentuated the incredible fantasy elements. True acheivements of of talented art directors.  

Best Cinematography

Academy Winner - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

My Pick - City of God

Commentary -  I perferred the grittiness of City of God, which was dark and somehow beautifully shot, compared to the more traditional, oceanic Master and Commander.

Best Costume Design

Academy Winner - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

My Pick - The Girl With a Pearl Earring

Commentary - While Girl With a Pearl Earring was one of the most dreadfully boring films I have ever sat through, the costumes were stunning.

Best Film Editing

Academy Winner - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

My Pick - City of God

Commentary - I loved the first two films, and enjoyed the third, but if anything was wrong with the final chapter it was that I thought it was never going to end, a fault of the editors. I prefer the taut City of God, much less strenuous to sit through.

Best Makeup

Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Commentary - The Orcs alone are enough for this to win.

Best Original Score

Academy Winner - Howard Shore "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

My Pick - Danny Elfman "Big Fish"

Commentary - This is solely because Danny Elfman has yet to win an Oscar, and Howard Shore would still have two without this one. Plus I really liked Big Fish and felt like it deserved something.

Best Original Song

Academy Winner - "Into the West" from "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

My Pick - "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from "A Mighty Wind"

Commentary - I loved A Mighty Wind, and A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow was a hell of a lot better than the slow Annie Lennox power ballad.

Best Sound Mixing

Academy Winner/My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Commentary - The best choice of the bunch. Period

Best Sound Editing

Academy Winner - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

My Pick - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Commentary - I liked POTC better, and though its sound was more intricate than MaC. Maybe I'm wrong, but it still would habe gotten my vote.

Best Visual Effects

Academy Winner/ My Pick - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Commentary - Duh.