Gold Derby nuggets: 3 or 5 animated feature Oscar nominees? | "SNL" = Oscar good luck charm?

• Pete Hammond has the scoop on the possibility of the animated feature Oscar race expanding this year. As he reports, "the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences sent out a reminder confirming the 5 PM PT November 1st deadline for 2010 Best Animated feature entries. At this point there do not appear to be enough entries to trigger five nominations rather than the more common three but there is still time, brother. What wasn’t mentioned in the release is the number that have been received so far at the Academy. A really good clue though is a letter I have learned that was sent late last week updating members and potential members of...

127 Hours Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Alice in Wonderland James Franco Jesse Eisenberg Love and Other Drugs Morning Glory Oscars Saturday Night Live SNL The King's Speech The Social Network True Grit
10/29/2010 16:11
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Gold Derby nuggets: 'Shutter Island' reopens | '127 Hours' news and views | Casting news for 'The Hobbit'

• Pete Hammond delivers the scoop on a "high profile kick-off to Paramount's 'Shutter Island' Oscar campaign." As Pete reports, "American Cinematheque will present a retrospective of the film collaborations of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre the weekend of November 13 with the pair participating in a live 'conversation' following a November 14 screening. DiCaprio will appear in person while Scorsese will be satellited in from London where he is currently working on his new film 'Hugo Cabret.'" DEADLINE • In the latest installment of their weekly Oscar Talk podcast, Anne Thompson and Kris Tapley dish about the odds of films like "Solitary Man" and "Welcome to the Rileys" making it...

127 Hours Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Danny Boyle James Franco Leonardo DiCaprio Martin Scorsese Peter Jackson Shutter lsland The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings Toy Story 3
10/22/2010 11:29
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One year ago: What Oscar pundits prophesized

Let this be a lesson to all of us smug Oscar seers who insist that they know how the current derby will play out. Most of us now say that it's "The Social Network" versus "The King's Speech" for best picture, Colin Firth ("The King's Speech") versus James Franco ("127 Hours") for lead actor and Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") versus Annette Bening ("The Kids Are All Right") for lead actress. But true? One year ago today, we weren't even talking about the eventual winners of lead actor and actress: Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") and Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side"). BEST PICTURE: Last year in mid-October we had a decent grasp of the best picture race...

127 Hours Academy Awards Annette Bening Black Swan Carey Mulligan Colin Firth Daniel Day-Lewis James Franco Jeff Bridges Natalie Portman Oscars The Kids are All Right The King's Speech The Social Network
10/21/2010 12:29
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Gold Derby nuggets: Fest faves James Franco & Carey Mulligan | Tom Bosley dead at 83 | Sasha Stone on best picture race

• "127 Hours" leading man James Franco will receive the outstanding performance prize from the Santa Barbara filmfest on Jan. 29. In making the announcement, fest exec Roger Durling described him thus: "A truly exceptional actor who embraces the character and lives the story to tell it, James Franco eases onto the screen, seducing the audience no matter if he is the hero, the villain or the victim." Among the roster of talent that has taken home this prize in the past: Colin Firth (2010), Penelope Cruz (2009), Angelina Jolie (2008), Helen Mirren (2007), Heath Ledger (2006), Kate Winslet (2005) and Charlize Theron (2004). SBIFF • Carey Mulligan will be feted by the Palm Springs...

127 Hours Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Annette Bening Carey Mulligan Carol Burnett Glee Gotham Awards Gwyneth Paltrow James Franco Oscar nominations Oscars Tom Bosley Tony Awards Tonys True Grit Winter's Bone
10/19/2010 13:41
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Countdown to '127 Hours'

Danny Boyle's first film since "Slumdog Millionaire" swept the Oscars two years ago is "127 Hours." The film is based on the true story of hiker Aron Ralston who was forced to cut off his arm when it became pinned by a rock. The picture screened at the Telluride and Toronto film fests to very positive reaction and star James Franco is a strong contender for lead actor. Along with the main website for the film, which features extensive background video along with photos and fact sheets, there is an offshoot -- 127DefiningMoments -- which is collecting inspirational stories as part of a contest. The trailer below captures the intensity of "127 Hours," which opens...

127 Hours Academy Awards Danny Boyle James Franco Oscar nominations Oscars
10/15/2010 17:34
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Latest Oscar predictions: Lead actor

Right now it looks like Colin Firth is far ahead in the Academy Award race for lead actor. All Oscarologists know that voters are suckers for actors who portray real-life characters (Forest Whittaker in "Last King of Scotland," Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote"), especially ones with handicaps (Jamie Foxx in "Ray," Geoffrey Rush in "Shine"). In "The King's Speech," Firth portrays Britain's monarch George VI struggling to overcome a stammer while rallying his countrymen to fight World War II. Firth has something else going for him — the old Oscar Makeup Rule: If you lose one year, don't worry, you'll win the next. All of these stars (plus many others) won an Academy Award one...

127 Hours Academy Awards Colin Firth James Franco Oscars The King's Speech The Social Network
10/13/2010 16:10
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New trailers: 'Blue Valentine,' '127 Hours,' 'The Way Back'

"Blue Valentine" just got slapped with an NC-17 rating, which may hurt it at the box office and therefore at the Oscars, but it's certainly in the derby thanks to realistic, deeply felt performances by past nominees Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. See trailers for "127 Hours" and "The Way Back" after the jump. Here's the second trailer for "127 Hours," which is a shoo-in to be nominated for best picture, director (Danny Boyle) and lead actor (James Franco). Pete Hammond recently reported that "The Way Back" just jumped into the derby thanks to Newmarket giving Peter Weir's drama about escapees from a Siberian prison camp a December qualifying run. Includes strong performances from Ed...

127 Hours Academy Awards Danny Boyle James Franco Oscars
10/08/2010 16:46
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'127 Hours': Oscar time for James Franco and Danny Boyle?

Having viewed "127 Hours" at the Telluride Film Festival, L.A. Times scribe John Horn (24 Frames) says it "cuts an impressive swath." That's a squeamish play on words considering it's a tense, real-life drama about a mountaineer (played by James Franco) who cuts off his arm when trapped in a canyon, but "impressive" is the most important of those words. It suggests another major accomplishment from director Danny Boyle and writer Simon Beaufoy, who swept the 2008 Oscars with "Slumdog Millionaire." "127 Hours" must, therefore, be considered a serious rival for best picture. "It’s a tour-de-force for Franco, virtually never off screen in the same way Spencer Tracy triumphed in the similarly spare 'The Old...

127 Hours Academy Awards Danny Boyle James Franco Oscars
09/07/2010 06:49
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Spirits regain some independence from Oscars

After flirting with the Oscars for much of its 24-year history, this year's edition of the Independent Spirit Awards struck out on its own somewhat. For the first time in six years, none of the best picture contenders at the Spirits went on to reap an equivalent Oscar bid, though the ultimate winner — "The Wrestler" — was in the mix. By snubbing "Milk" as a best-picture nominee in favor of fare like "Ballast" and "Wendy and Lucy" that had no chance of making it into the final five at the Oscars, the Spirits regained a degree of their one-time independence. However, while the acting nominees — as selected by screening committees — also had...

Academy Awards James Franco Mickey Rourke Oscar nominations Oscars Penelope Cruz PenelopeCruz Sean Penn Woody Allen WoodyAllen
02/21/2009 18:30
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Hollywood Awards hail James Franco and Sally Hawkins for having a breakthrough year

The Hollywood Film Festival will bestow special kudos upon James Franco and Sally Hawkins as this year's breakthrough actor and actress when it bestows laurels on Oct. 27. Both appear in top Oscar-contending films: Franco as Sean Penn's lover in Gus Van Sant's "Milk" and Hawkins as an unflaggingly chirpy British schoolmarm in Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky." "Milk" scribe Dustin Lance Black will also receive a breakthrough award. The Hollywood Awards will also honor "Doubt" helmer and author John Patrick Shanley, "Wall-E" and director Andrew Stanton plus the visual effects supervisors of "Ironman," John Nelson and Ben Snow. The Hollywood Awards are co-chaired by Paul Haggis ("Crash," "Million Dollar Baby") and appear to try to anticipate...

Academy Awards films James Franco Oscars Sean Penn
09/16/2008 17:24
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