65 nations compete for best foreign film at the Oscars

Movies from 65 nations will compete for best foreign film at the Oscars, including entries from Ethiopia and Greenland, which are new to the race. The rundown just issued by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be whittled down to a short list of nine titles after they are screened and scored by academy members, who are divided into four color-coded teams (white, green, blue and red) that each view 16 movies between Friday and Jan. 13. The teams will select at least six titles. An academy review committee has the authority to add up to three more movies to complete a short list of nine to be announced in January. Then...

Academy Awards Cannes Film Festival Oscars
10/13/2010 13:12
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Toronto Film Festival lineup loaded with Oscar hopefuls

The 35th annual edition of the Toronto Film Festival is scheduled to include the world and North American premieres of a slew of awards contenders. This year's festival is to kick off on Sept. 9 and run for 11 days. Among the 50 titles announced Tuesday are the following films that could well figure in the contests for kudos this year: "Another Year" -- The latest domestic drama by Mike Leigh ("Happy Go Lucky") is centered on a middle-aged couple (Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen) and their assorted friends and family, including a saucy alcoholic (Lesley Manville). "Biutiful" -- Oscar champ Javier Bardem won best actor at Cannes for his portrayal of a dying father looking...

Academy Awards Cannes Film Festival Carey Mulligan Helen Mirren Hilary Swank Javier Bardem Nicole Kidman Oscar nominations Oscars Toronto Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival Woody Allen
07/27/2010 10:45
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Gold Derby nuggets: Sandra Bullock returning to red carpet? | Can Cannes boost Oscar hopes? | Tonycast details

• Sandra Bullock may actually be on hand to collect a golden popcorn bucket or two at the MTV Movie Awards on June 6. Ted Casablanca and John Boone deliver the scoop: "While nothing is confirmed, a fashionable source spills that Sandra's stylist has been pulling together outfits from top-notch labels for 'The Blind Side' babe to check out should she decide to strut her stuff for the photogs." Bullock is in the running for three awards -- best kiss (with her co-star from "The Proposal" Ryan Reynolds), best female performance ("The Blind Side") and best comedic performance ("The Proposal"). Bullock won three MTV kudos back in 1995 for her breakout hit "Speed" and contended...

BAFTAS Cannes Film Festival Emmy Awards Emmy nominations Emmy nominees Emmys Glee Lost Modern Family Sandra Bullock Sean Hayes Tony Awards Tonys
05/25/2010 13:58
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Quelle surprise! 'Uncle Boonmee' nabs Palme d'Or at Cannes

Thai film "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" became the first Asian movie since 1997 to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The previous Asian champ was Japan's "The Eel," which shared the golden palm with Iran's "Taste of Cherry." "Uncle Boonmee," by director Apichatpong Weerasethakul -- about a man taking a mystical journey as he dies of kidney failure -- pulled off a bit of an upset. Front-runners were considered to be Xavier Beauvois' "Of Gods and Men," which won the grand prize, and Mike Leigh's "Another Year," which won nothing. "Uncle Boonmee" may have been popular with the fest jury, but not with Hollywood execs. It failed to...

Cannes Film Festival Javier Bardem
05/23/2010 12:54
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Pete Hammond's canny take on Cannes Film Festival

Our great pal and fellow Envelope contributor Pete Hammond has jetted off to the South of France and is filing a series of must-read reports on the annual Cannes film festival. For Pete, "the festival may not quite be an Oscar movie magnet. After all it is held in May and many academy-friendly movies just aren't ready and/or willing to make the trek and take the risk this early, but we have to say, if Telluride/Toronto/Venice in early September is the 'official' start of the season, then Cannes is the 'unofficial' start particularly for the foreign-film Oscar race." As he notes, "last year the top two Cannes award winners, 'The White Ribbon' and 'Un Prophete,'...

Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Cannes Film Festival Oscar nominations Oscars
05/13/2010 08:13
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Cannes film festival competition short on Oscar contenders

Only one American film -- "Fair Game" from Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity") -- numbers among the 16 entries in the official competition of this year's Cannes Film Festival. This politically charged biopic about real-life diplomat Joe Wilson and his spy wife Valerie Plame stars two-time Oscar champ Sean Penn ("Mystic River," "Milk") and Naomi Watts who earned an Oscar nod opposite Penn in "21 Grams." The director of that 2003 film was Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who went on to win the best director award at Cannes for the Palme d'Or-nominated "Babel" in 2006. Prior to that he had picked up two critics prizes in 2000 for "Amores Perres," and he returns to the Croisette...

Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Cannes Film Festival Javier Bardem movie news Naomi Watts Oscars Sean Penn
04/15/2010 13:43
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Gold Derby nuggets: Laura Dern 'Enlightened' by HBO | ACM honorees include Keith Urban | Tony Awards eligibility updates

• Laura Dern has inked a deal with HBO for her first regular TV gig. She and Mike White -- who directed her in "Year of the Dog" in 2007 -- have created "Enlightened" a half-hour single-camera comedy about "a self-destructive woman who has a revelatory experience at a treatment center and becomes determined to live an enlightened life, creating unexpected havoc at home and work." Dern's mother, Diane Ladd, as well as Luke Wilson and Sarah Burns are to co-star in this showcase for Dern, which will begin its 10-episode run this year. Last year, Dern won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the HBO...

Academy Awards Academy of Country Music Cannes Film Festival Curb Your Enthusiasm Emmy Awards Emmys entertainment news Family Guy Jerry Seinfeld Jon Hamm Larry David Oscars television news The Cove Tony Awards Tonys TV news Up
04/08/2010 16:57
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Gold Derby nuggets: 'Glee' gives back | Tonys a no-go for Conan O'Brien | 'Avatar' rules Empire awards | 'Lost' finale finds big bucks

• "Glee" fans who can't wait for the return of the freshman hit to Fox on April 13 can see the show a few days early at "Glee" charity screenings in nine cities nationwide. Monies raised from the preview of the 14th episode of the Golden Globe-winning musical comedy series will support the school music program run by the Grammys foundation. • Oscars co-host Steve Martin told Sandy Cohen he wasn't nervous the second time around on the stage of the Kodak Theater because he has been performing live so much as of late. The musical Martin has been strumming the banjo out on tour with the Steep Canyon Rangers. AP • Add comic-book star...

24 Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Avatar Cannes Film Festival Charlize Theron Christoph Waltz Clint Eastwood Conan O'Brien Emmy Awards Emmy nominations Emmy nominees Emmy winners Emmys George Clooney GLAAD Awards Glee Lost Matt Damon Oscars Steve Martin Tony Awards Tonys Zoe Saldana
03/30/2010 07:00
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Christoph Waltz: The glorious villain in 'Inglourious Basterds'

As a sadistic Nazi officer in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds," Christoph Waltz is the most deliciously evil villain seen by movie-goers since Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" and Anthony Hopkins in "Silence of the Lambs." Wait! Is it a coincidence that both of those roles were Oscar winners — in flicks that won best picture? Christoph Waltz won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival in May for "Inglourious Basterds" and now "is probably also destined for an Academy Award nomination," according to Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. But in which category? Waltz has more screen time than Hopkins, who won in lead, and a comparable amount to Bardem, who won...

Brad Pitt BradPitt Cannes Film Festival Inglourious Basterds Oscars
08/21/2009 11:40
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Will Cannes Film Festival winners repeat at the Oscars?

The Cannes Film Festival unveiled its award champs: Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" (best picture), Christoph Waltz in "Inglourious Basterds" (best actor) and Charlotte Gainsbourg in "Antichrist" (best actress). However, odds say they won't repeat at the Academy Awards. Only one movie has won Cannes' Palm d'Dor and Oscar's best picture prize: "Marty" (1955). Other champs prevailed in other Oscar categories like "The Pianist" (best director for Roman Polanski, best actor for Adrien Brody, 2002). Some nabbed best-picture nominations, like "Secrets and Lies" (1996) and "Pulp Fiction" (1994). Only three best actors have been shared by both kudos: Ray Milland ("The Lost Weekend," 1945), Jon Voight ("Coming Home," 1978) and William Hurt ("Kiss of the...

Cannes Film Festival
05/24/2009 17:23
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Oscars buzz from the Cannes Film Festival

So far the flick with the most Academy Awards buzz at the Cannes Film Festival is "Bright Star" by Jane Campion of "The Piano," which won best screenplay in 1994 and garnered nominations for best picture and director. Variety's review: "Breaking through any period-piece mustiness with piercing insight into the emotions and behavior of her characters, the writer-director examines the final years in the short life of 19th-century romantic poet John Keats through the eyes of his beloved, Fanny Brawne, played by Abbie Cornish in an outstanding performance. Beautifully made film possesses solid appeal for specialized auds in most markets, including the U.S., where it will be released by Bob Berney and Bill Pohlad’s yet-to-be...

Academy Awards Cannes Film Festival Oscars
05/23/2009 11:32
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Cannes Film Festival tattle: Oscar hopes looking up for 'Up'

Pixar's 10th flick, "Up," is getting a joyous reception at the Cannes Film Festival. It's the fanciful tale of a grumpy old man (voice of Ed Asner) who ties thousands of balloons to his house so he can travel in comfort and see South America. Four previous Pixar flicks won best animated feature at the Oscars: "Wall-E" (2008), "Ratatouille" (2007), "The Incredibles" (2004), "Finding Nemo" (2003). In an interview article with "Up" filmmakers, the Associated Press says, "The Oscars compartmentalize animated films into their own category. Audiences often do the same, lumping animation in as a genre meant mainly for kids. But Pixar's creative minds feel the choice of "Up" as the Cannes curtain raiser...

Cannes Film Festival
05/13/2009 10:39
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