Oscars poll: Who'll win best supporting actor?

Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") dominated last year's Oscar race for supporting actor from the outset, but now there's no early front-runner. There's a lot of support for Geoffrey Rush's flamboyant role as wily voice coach to Britain's stammering King George VI in "The King's Speech," but voters may feel been-there-done-that due to his 1996 lead actor win for "Shine." What's curious is that this race isn't overshadowed by the kind of villainous role that ruled this category, with fiendish terror, in recent years (Christoph Waltz, Javier Bardem, Heath Ledger). However, there are a lot of bad-boy roles, including Sam Rockwell as a hooligan wrongly imprisoned for murder in "Conviction," Jeremy Renner as a bully bank...

Academy Awards Javier Bardem Jeff Bridges Justin Timberlake Matt Damon Oscars The Kids are All Right The King's Speech The Social Network The Town
10/29/2010 15:48
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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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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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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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Oscars have always welcomed the world

This year's Oscars numbered only one foreign-born winner -- Austria's Christoph Waltz ("Inglorious Basterds") -- among the four acting champs. However, that does not mean the Oscars are guilty of any homegrown bias. After all, six of the 20 acting nominees were from other countries, including "Nine" supporting actress contender Penelope Cruz, who is from Spain. She won that same category last year for her performance in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Indeed, at last year's Oscars, Cruz was one of just three foreign-born folk among the acting nominees but they all won, including lead actress Kate Winslet ("The Reader") and supporting actor Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight"). Winslet was the latest of 37 English actors to...

Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Christoph Waltz Daniel Day-Lewis Javier Bardem Kate Winslet Marion Cotillard Oscar nominations Oscars Penelope Cruz
03/10/2010 10:19
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Did Daniel Day-Lewis, Jack Nicholson and other stars refuse to share the spotlight at the Oscars?

The two biggest no-shows at the Oscars were Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem. Traditionally, last year's recipients of acting awards return to bestow statuettes on the newest winners, usually of the opposite gender. This year, that procedure was switched. The previous year's champs were asked to give Oscars to winners of the same gender, and each one was joined by four other past champs in that same category who took turns addressing the nominees one by one before the envelope was opened. However, only two of last year's winners showed up: Marion Cotillard and Tilda Swinton. When Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem went missing, their absence was so extraordinary that it was the topic of...

Academy Awards Jack Nicholson Javier Bardem JavierBardem Oscars
03/08/2009 23:10
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Lover could bestow the gift of Oscars gold to Penelope Cruz?

Oh, who'd want a mere gold ring if you could receive a whole big chunk of academy gold from your lover instead? Just got an e-mail from our forums moderator Chris "Boomer" Beachum, who notes "an interesting side note to this year's Oscar ceremony." "If Penelope Cruz wins the supporting actress Oscar for 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona," guess who presents it to her?" he says. "Her current boyfriend, Javier Bardem." True. Traditionally, the acting awards are presented by last year's recipient of the opposite gender. Last year Bardem won best supporting actor for "No Country for Old Men." "Even if her name isn't in the envelope, that certainly makes for an even more tense situation for...

Academy Awards Denzel Washington entertainment news Javier Bardem movie news Oscars Penelope Cruz PenelopeCruz
12/22/2008 09:43
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Sean Penn goes gay — dying for another Oscar?

Good news for Sean Penn fans: At the end of "Milk" — SPOILER ALERT — you get to watch your hero get blown away by gunfire. Sorry, but that seems to be the price Penn must pay if he wants to win another Oscar to match the chunk of academy gold he nabbed for 2003's "Mystic River." That's because gay roles that win Academy Awards for actors almost always must suffer ghastly deaths. No star has ever won an Oscar for portraying a gay, lesbian or transgender person who lives happily ever after. The character of Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) gets to live, yes, at the end of "Capote," but we know that he'll...

Academy Awards Charlize Theron Felicity Huffman Film films Javier Bardem JavierBardem movie news Nicole Kidman Oscars Sean Penn Tom Hanks
11/29/2008 10:33
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Oscars for 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona,' Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen?

Timing of its release couldn't be better for the Oscars prospects of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," which comes just months after its star Javier Bardem, sporting the creepiest hairdo this side of Donald Trump and Jacko, terrified Hollywood into handing over piles of academy gold to "No Country for Old Men." At the previous Oscars, Penelope Cruz ("Volver") posed the most serious threat to usurp Helen Mirren ("The Queen") in the best-actress race but, having failed, now seems due to reign too. At the derby before that, many Oscarwatchers thought Woody Allen would finally have his big comeback, but "Match Point," despite nabbing a screenplay nomination, didn't catch fire, so the three-time winner is now sparking...

Javier Bardem JavierBardem Oscars Penelope Cruz PenelopeCruz Woody Allen WoodyAllen
08/17/2008 12:09
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Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem join non-premiere premiere of 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' in New York

It sure looked like a film premiere to me last night when stars Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem and Patricia Clarkson strutted the red carpet outside Cinema 2 in Manhattan, spinning and mugging for paparazzi minutes before the East Coast debut of Woody Allen's new flick "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." The event was billed just as "a screening," mind you. The official premiere was in Los Angeles on Monday night. But this event was obviously the New York equivalent for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" even though reps for the Weinstein Co. kept downplaying the hoopla. Hey, when did Harvey Weinstein start downplaying hoopla? He has every right to crow now because it looks like he's back in the...

Academy Awards Harvey Weinstein Javier Bardem Oscars Penelope Cruz Woody Allen
08/07/2008 17:42
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Gold Derby nuggets: Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem at 'Vicky' L.A. premiere ... Carpetbagger goes gunning for redemption ... Early Oscars predix ... See peeks at 'W.' and 'Appaloosa'

Last night saw the Hollywood premiere of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," the new comedy by Woody Allen. All four of the film's stars -- Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall -- were in attendance, as was the writer-director himself, seldom seen on the West Coast. This Wednesday's Gotham premiere is being billed as a "private screening," but Gold Derby will be in attendance and report on the behind-the-scenes hoopla (Cruz and Bardem will be with us at the dinner afterward), plus we'll dish the awards potential of this hoped-for return to form for Allen. "With its sprawling ensemble of Oscar nominees and winners, from Forest Whitaker to Jennifer Hudson, 'Winged Creatures' has the...

Academy Awards Javier Bardem Oscars Penelope Cruz Woody Allen
08/05/2008 18:07
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Is 'The Dark Knight's' Heath Ledger doomed at the Oscars?

Don't get carried away with all of the Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" that you see in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, everywhere. Remember: Only one star has won an Oscar from the grave (Peter Finch, "Network") and roles like the Joker are rarely even nominated. Maybe this next Oscars factoid may help to put things in more clear perspective. After the beloved Spencer Tracy died in 1967 after giving a dynamic, heartfelt performance in best picture nominee "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," he was widely expected to win best actor, but lost to Rod Steiger ("In the Heat of the Night"). However, Tracy's de facto widow Katharine Hepburn won...

Academy Awards Daniel Day-Lewis Jack Nicholson Javier Bardem Oscars
07/18/2008 08:46
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