Tag Archives: awards show

2011 Golden Globe winners: ‘The Social Network’, ‘The Kids Are Alright’, ‘Boardwalk Empire’, ‘Glee’

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Honestly, every year the Golden Globes telecast just comes across as drab.  Where are the shiny musical numbers, the high-spirited jokes?  Host Ricky Gervais was funny, but he promoted a rather dreary atmosphere with his harsh jabs at many celebrities.  But let’s move on to the night’s big winners, shall we?

Movies… The Social Network was the night’s big winner.  In addition to winning Best Picture (drama), director David Fincher, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were recognized for their contributions to the film.  The Kids Are All Right was named Best Picture (comedy or musical), and Annette Bening beat out her co-star Julianne Moore for Best Actress (comedy or musical).  The Fighter took home a pair of wins; Christian Bale and Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actor and Actress (drama), respectively.  Other notable mentions: Natalie Portman won Best Actress (drama) for her star role in Black Swan; Colin Firth won Best Actor (drama) for his role in The King’s Speech; Paul Giamatti was Best Actor (comedy or musical) for Barney’s Version; and joining Portman in the “duh!” category was Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Feature.  Quote of the night came from TS3‘s director Lee Unkirk when he described his film as “an animated movie that beat with a human heart.”  No love for Inception‘s brilliant director and soundtrack, unfortunately.

Television… Boardwalk Empire and Glee were the night’s big winners in the TV categories.  The HBO Prohibition-era show won Best Drama and its star Steve Buscemi took home Best Actor (drama); that’s right–Mad Men finally met its match.  Glee won Best Comedy or Musical for the second consecutive year, and Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch were crowned by Best Supporting Actors (comedy or musical).  Fun fact: Colfer and Lynch are the youngest and oldest Globe winners at 20 and 50 years old, respectively.  Other notable mentions: Jim Parsons won Best Actor (comedy or musical) for his fantastic role as Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory; Sons Of Anarchy‘s Katey Sagal (surprisingly) beat out Julianna Margulies, Elisabeth Moss, Piper Perabo, and Kyra Sedgwick for Best Actress (drama); and Laura Linney (The Big C) topped Tiny Fey, Collette, Falco, and Lea Michele for Best Actress (comedy or musical).  The Walking Dead and Modern Family will surely be recognized next year, let’s hope.

Click here for the full list of winners.

2011 Golden Globe nods are in!

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Are you ready to celebrate the best of the best in film and television?  The Golden Globe nods are in!  Let’s take a look at some of the television categories first.  The big five best drama contenders are Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, The Good Wife, Mad Men, and The Walking Dead.  I’m so glad the AMC zombie-fest got nominated!  The short but terrific six-episode arc deserves a major win like this at the show.  And how about the best actors in a drama series?  Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), and Hugh Laurie (House).  A nice bunch there, indeed.  The best comedy contenders are 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, The Big C, Glee, Modern Family, and Nurse Jackie.  I’m sure this will be a tight race between the FOX musical, the ABC hit, and the Jim Parsons-led comedy sensation.  Speaking of Parsons, let’s move onto best actors in a comedy series.  Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Steve Carell (The Office), Thomas Jane (Hung), Matthew Morrison (Glee), and Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory).  Parsons is likely the lock here, but congratulations to Glee‘s Will Schuester!  In other notable nods, Chris Colfer (Glee), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), and Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-O) are nominated for best supporting actor, and Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Jane Lynch (Glee) are up for best supporting actress.  Glee ended up being the most recognized show (Lea Michele was nominated best actress in a comedy!).

This is the space I usually save for my rant concerning the the snub of Fringe’s John Noble.  But you can refer to that in last year’s Globes nomination post.  Other notable TV snubs: Where’s the love for Community, Parks and Rec, and Raising Hope!?

Now let’s branch into the film categories.  Best picture, drama: Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King’s Speech, and The Social Network. This is certainly going to be a tight race.  A really tight race.  It’s hard to make a prediction here.  Best actor, drama: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network), Colin Firth (The King’s Speech), James Franco (127 Hours), Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine), and Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter).  I gotta cheer on Mr. Eisenberg here for his fantastic take on TIME’s Person of the Year; he really gave his first riveting performance here that’s worthy of an award or two.  I could list the best actress category here, but we all know this one’s going to Natalie Portman for her amazing performance in Black Swan.  In other notable nods, Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) and Jeremy Renner (The Town) are nominated for best supporting actor, and Mila Kunis (Black Swan) is up for best supporting actress.  I think it’ll be an exciting race for best director between David Fincher (The Social Network), Christopher Nolan (Inception), and Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan).  And the same goes for best original score between Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network) and Hans Zimmer (Inception).  For best animated feature, Despicable Me or Toy Story 3.  Loved both, but the win will definitely go to the one starring Woody.

Movie snubs: Leonardo DiCaprio (Inception), armie hammer (The Social Network), True Grit.

Comedian Ricky Gervais will host (again!) the 68th Annual Golden Globe Awards when it airs Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 8PM on NBC.  You know the drill: look after the break to browse all the nominations.

[Via EW] Continue reading 2011 Golden Globe nods are in! →

2010 Video Game Awards honor Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 (debut trailers enclosed)

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Saturday night Spike aired the 2010 Video Game Awards hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.  Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption beat out CoD: Black Ops, God of War III, Halo: Reach, and Mass Effect 2 for the coveted Game of the Year award; Redemption also won Best Original Score and Best DLC for “Undead Nightmare.”  Mass Effect 2 managed to prove its worthiness by taking home Best RPG and Best Xbox 360 Game; game developer Bioware was crowned Studio of the Year.  Other notable winners include: God of War III (Best Graphics, Best PS3 Game), CoD: Black Ops (Best Shooter), Halo: Reach (Best Multiplayer Game), Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Best Wii Game), and Limbo (Best Independent Game).

In addition to handing out awards, the VGAs are also used as a platform for game developers and studios to premiere titles and announce surprises about future releases.  The biggest announcements include: Mass Effect 3 is slated for a Holiday 2011 release; Professor Hugo Strange has been confirmed as Batman: Arkham City‘s main villain (in a new fantastic CGI trailer it is revealed that Strange knows Batman’s true identity); Bethesda Studios put together a teaser trailer for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and the game’s set to release November 11, 2011; Insomniac Games’ Resistance 3 ships September 6, 2011; Activision officially announced a sequel to Prototype and it’s expected to drop in 2012; Turn 10 is bringing Forza Motorsport 4 to Xbox 360 in Fall 2010 with Kinect support; EA resurrected the SSX franchise with SSX: Deadly Descents, and gone are the cartoony graphics–they have been thrown out and a more realistic approach to the snowboarding genre has been implemented; Thor: God of Thunder will complement the superhero’s spring theatrical release on May 3, 2011; Kratos, the protagonist of the God of War franchise, is confirmed as a playable character in the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot game (he’s a PS3 exclusive); developer Volition (Red Faction, Saints Row) is teaming up with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Hell Boy, Pan’s Labyrinth) to create a horror game called Insane due out at in 2013; and finally Naughty Dog closed out the show with an extended trailer for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and revealed it’s release date: 11/1/11.

Hop after the break to see the full list of winners and watch game trailers for the titles mentioned above.

[Via Spike; IGN; CraveOnline] Continue reading 2010 Video Game Awards honor Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect 2 (debut trailers enclosed) →

2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed

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Last night the MTV Video Music Awards made big winners out of Lady Gaga and Eminem.  Gaga, who was nominated for a record-breaking 13 moon mans, was awarded Best Female, Pop, and Dance video for “Bad Romance” and Best Collaboration for “Telephone” (featuring Beyonce).  Eminem took home Best Male and Hip Hop awards for “Not Afraid.”  Video of the Year–you guessed it–went to Gaga for–right, again–“Bad Romance.”  When she accepted the top prize (covered in meat, mind you), Gaga announced the name of her second record (it’s called Born This Way) and she even recited a line from a new song: “God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track baby. I was born this way.”  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

11.4 million viewers tuned into this year’s VMAs making it the third most-watched telecast in MTV history.  See MTV?  People want music videos, not crap reality shows.  The over-the-top performances really made the show worth watching.  Eminem started things off with a bang by performing his smash hit “Not Afraid” followed by “Love the Way You Lie” with a surprise guest appearence by a red-headed Rihanna.  The Bieb followed with “Baby”, “Somebody to Love”, and a drum solo.  Next his mentor Usher lit up the stage (literally) with an amazing dance routine for “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” and “OMG.”  I really didn’t mind that he dropped most of his vocals from the performance; he is a dance god.  And that light up floor was beyond cool.  Florence + the Machine performed “Dog Days Are Over”, proving to be a huge contender in the music industry.  That Florence Welch can sing.  A bit later young miss Taylor Swift took the stage barefooted to sing her song about the Kanye West incident that happened last year.  The song was introduced by a brief video recap of the incident; without that you might not have been able to tell it was even about the controversial night.  I will have to scan the lyrics to find clues; anywho, let’s all move on from that fateful night, shall we?  Swift looked great and the performance was classy, per usual.  Drake, Mary J. Blige, and Swizz Beatz did “Fancy”, and boy did they sound great together.  This marked Drake’s first time performing at the VMAs, and he proved he can work the crowd.  I’m looking forward to what he’s got in store for next year.  Linkin Park nailed it with a fun performance right outside the Griffith Observatory.  And then came Mr. West.

Comedian Aziz Ansari hopped onto stage to give a hilarious introduction to the main (and closing) event.  Anticipation built as Kanye walked onto stage donned in a red suit to meet his sampler.  As ballarinas began to flutter around the stage, Kanye dropped the heavy beat to a never-before-heard track called “Runaway”.  And the chorus goes: “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags, Let’s have a toast for the assholes, Let’s have a toast for the scumbags, Every one of them that I know/Let’s have a toast to the jerkoffs, That’ll never take work off/ Baby, I got a plan, Run away fast as you can.”  With “Runaway” Kanye acknowledges his past mistakes in a rather tongue-in-cheek manner, but at the same time retains his comeback stature.  In other words, it was a runaway success.  Can’t forget to mention fellow G.O.O.D. Music artist Pusha T who added a worthy verse to the mix.  Any “booos” that might have lingered before the epic performance had quickly turned into “Kanye, Kanye, Kanye” cheers by the time the song was over.  Jump after the break to watch the performance, complete with Aziz’s intro.

A few more highlights.. Host Chelsea Handler did a great job (when she came out wearing that house I was in stitches, plus seeing Chuy there was a nice treat); house DJ Deadmau5 looked freakin’ sweet in his LED mouse head piece; Nicki Minaj’s pre-show performance (featuring will.i.am) was a ton of fun; and how amazing did MTV do up LA’s Nokia Theatre? Continue reading 2010 MTV VMA highlights, winners enclosed →

2010 Emmys results: Modern Family, Mad Men win; Lost emerges empty-handed

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Jimmy Fallon hosted the 62nd Primetime Emmys Sunday night.  Overall the awards show proved to be underwhelming.  Fallon brought his ecclectic musical abilities to the table; the opening Glee-inspired number and the tribute to shows that ended last season (24, Lost, Law & Order) were the most entertaining parts of the show.  There was also a humorous Modern Family segment that coughed up plenty of laughs.  Despite the lack of exciting bits and jokes, 13.5 million viewers tuned into the telecast; that’s the largest audience for any non-sports telecast this year since American Idol‘s season finale in May.  The awards show also saw the highest adults 18-49 rating (4.1) for any telecast since the Glee season finale in June.

But let’s move on to the winners and losers, shall we?  Modern Family and Mad Men took home the top prizes for outstanding comedy and drama series, respectively.  It was certainly a nail-biter between Modern Family and Glee, but the voters made it known that the more grounded sitcom was worthy of the Emmy.  This is the third win in a row for Mad Men in the top category; they beat out the fantastic final season of the beloved Lost.  Speaking of Lost, the show was completely shut out.  Dexter‘s Steve Shill beat out Lost‘s Jack Bender for best directing; Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) topped Matthew Fox for best actor; Terry O’ Quinn (Lost) and Michael Emerson (Lost) likely split the vote and lost against Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) for outstanding supporting actor; and Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse did not win for writing the final episode “The End”–that award went to Matthew Weiner & Erin Levy for Mad Men‘s “Shut the door. Have a Seat.”

Let’s look back at the comedy categories.  Modern Family continued to impress when Eric Stonestreet (he plays Cameron) won outstanding supporting actor against costars Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Ty Burrell.  Showrunners Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd won outstanding writing for the pilot episode.  Though it did not win best comedy, Glee did have its time to shine.  Jane Lynch won outstanding supporting actress for her awesome portrayal as the snarky Sue Sylvester, beating out Modern Family‘s Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara in the process.  Glee creator Ryan Murphy won for his direction of the captivating pilot episode.  Moving on… Jim Parsons finally won best actor for playing the nerdtastic Sheldon Cooper of The Big Bang Theory and Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie) surprised us all by claiming the best actress award.

Other honorable mentions include: Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) beat out Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife) for best actress in a drama; Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) beat out Mad Men‘s Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss for best supporting actress in a drama; the HBO movie Temple Grandin took home outstanding movie, directing for a movie, lead actress in a movie (Claire Danes), and supporting actor (David Strathairn) and actress (Julia Ormond) in a movie; another HBO movie You Don’t Know Jack won for outstanding lead actor (Al Pachino) and outstanding writing; The Pacific was crowned outstanding miniseries; Top Chef won best reality show over The Amazing Race; and finally, The Daily Show With Jon Stewart won the outstanding variety, comedy, or music series award for the seventh year in a row unfortunately beating out the favorite The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.

That’s a wrap for this year’s Emmys.  Lost lost.  Modern Family, Mad Men, and Glee proved to be worthy contenders.  And Jimmy Fallon sang.  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

[Via EW-HollywoodInsider, here & here] Continue reading 2010 Emmys results: Modern Family, Mad Men win; Lost emerges empty-handed →

MTV VMA nominees announced, Lady Gaga nabs record-breaking 13 nods

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The MTV Video Music Awards is just a month away, so it’s time to peruse the nominees list.  Lady Gaga swept the boards with a record-breaking 13 nominations, two of which include Best Pop Video and Best Female Video.  Not only does she now hold the record for most VMA nods in a single show, but she is also the first female artist to be nominated for two different videos in the Video of the Year category (“Bad Romance” and “Telephone”).  Eminem’s hit single “Not Afraid” helped him received 8 nods.  First-time nominees include Ke$ha, Drake, Justin Bieber, and Florence + The Machine.  B.o.B’s “Airplanes”, Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness”, Janelle Monáe’s “Tightrope”, 30 Seconds To Mars’ “King & Queens”, and Dan Black’s “Symphonies” also made the cut.  Check out the full breakdown of nominees organized by category after the break.  The VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 12 at 9PM on MTV.  According to recent whispers Kanye West will be in the building to perform a song off his upcoming album, so you don’t want to miss a potential “Imma let you finish but…” moment!

[Via EW-MusicMix] Continue reading MTV VMA nominees announced, Lady Gaga nabs record-breaking 13 nods →

Television Critics Association awards: Glee, Lost, Modern Family among winners

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Last weekend the Television Critics Association awards were handed out to much deserved recepients.  The TCA “represents more than 200 journalists writing about television for print and online outlets in the United States and Canada.”  Members annually vote for the favorite TV shows, actors, and actresses.  This year the 26th annual TCA awards took place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and was hosted by Dax Shephard (Parenthood).  Glee stole the show with three major wins in the following categories: Program of the Year, Outstanding New Program, and Individual Achievement In Comedy (this one went specifically to Jane Lynch).  In a rare instance, there was a tie for Outstanding Achievement In Drama; it went to Lost and Breaking Bad.  Other notable winners include Modern Family (Outstanding Achievement In Comedy), Julianna Margulies (Individual Achievement In Drama), and The Pacific (Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries & Specials).  Look after the break for the full list of winners.

[Via EW; TCA] Continue reading Television Critics Association awards: Glee, Lost, Modern Family among winners →

2010 Emmy nods: Glee, Lost, Modern Family lead the pack

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Earlier this month the 2010 Emmy nominations were announced.  Let’s start with the drama categories.  Outstanding drama nominees include Lost, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Mad Men, True Blood, and The Good Wife.  Lost received 12 Emmy nominations.  In addition to the outstanding drama nod, Matthew Fox is up for outstanding actor, Terry O’Quinn and Michael Emerson are up for outstanding supporting actor, and Elizabeth Mitchell is up for outstanding guest actress.  Also executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof were nominated for writing the show’s series finale, “The End.”  Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler, Bryan Cranston, Hugh Laurie, and Michael C. Hall join Fox in the outstanding actor category.  24’s Gregory Itzin got a nod for outstanding guest actor.

Moving on to the comedy categories.  Outstanding comedy nominees include Glee, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Nurse Jackie, 30 Rock , and The Office.  Glee received a total of 19 nominations.  Matthew Morrison is up for outstanding actor, Lea Michele for outstanding actress, Chris Colfer for outstanding supporting actor, Jane Lynch for outstanding supporting actress, Mike O’Malley for outstanding guest actor, and Kristin Chenoweth for outstanding guest actress.  Modern Family also led the way with 14 Emmy nominations.  Ty Burrell, Eric Stonestreet, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are all up for outstanding supporting actor, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara will duke it out for outstanding supporting actress, and Fred Willard got a nod for outstanding guest actor.  Only patriarch Ed O’Neill was left out.  The Glee (Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan) and Modern Family (Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd) pilot episodes received nods for best writing.  Here’s a few more worthy mentions: Amy Poehler (Parks & Rec) is up for outstanding actress, Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory) is up for outstanding actor, NPH (How I Met Your Mother) is up for outstanding supporting actor, and SNL‘s Kristen Wiig nabbed a nod for outstanding supporting actress.  And finally, The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien (that’s right–suck it Leno!) got a nod for outstanding variety, music, or comedy series along with SNL, The Daily Show with John Stewart, and The Colbert Report.

Now it’s time to talk snubs.  There’s no better place to start than Fringe‘s John Noble.  Academy, what in the hell is wrong with you?  Are you out of your bloody minds?  John Noble, the man who plays the brilliant mad scientist and deadly serious Secretary Walter Bishop, is by far one of the greatest actors on television right now.  With the introduction of an alternate universe, Noble masterfully portrays two distinctly different characters with grace, pose, and ease.  His acting chops have been on a steady increase since season one, but it was his emotional portrayal as a broken father in season two’s episode “Peter” when I realized just how good Noble is.  I thought to myself, if John Noble does not get an outstanding actor Emmy nod for performance in this episode then the awards show is a real crockpot!  So I am very angry with the academy’s decision to overlook such a wonderful talent.  Yes, I am aware that the academy does not respect the sci-fi genre like it does straight dramas and comedies, but this is that one time they should’ve made an exception.  Moving on… where’s the love for Parks & Rec and Community in the outstanding comedy series category?  After a lackluster first season, Parks picked itself up to quickly become one of the funniest sitcoms, like ever.  I’m glad Poehler got a nod for her great work, but it would have been nice for the entire hilarious ensemble cast to be recognized.  Last, this was the final year for Lost and 24.  I am elated that Lost picked up so many nods, but I’m somewhat disappointed that 24 wasn’t nominated in the big categories.  I agree that the final season was not nearly as spectacular as season’s past, but Kiefer Sutherland continued to dominate as the indestructable Jack Bauer with yet another exciting performance.  You know I’ll be cheering for Itzin (who played President Charles Logan to perfect, yet again) when the nominees for outstanding guest actor in a drama roll around.

The 62nd Annual Emmy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, airs live on August 29 on NBC at 8PM.  Look after the break for the full nomination list and my predictions.

[Via IGN] Continue reading 2010 Emmy nods: Glee, Lost, Modern Family lead the pack →

Lost: Cast interviews, Emmy eligibility, & DVD extras

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Here’s some good news for Lost fans.  First let’s talk Emmy eligibility.  This week The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors made an exception to a long-standing rule involving the length of an episode and Emmy consideration.  So we all know that the Lost finale episode will run for two-and-a-half hours.  Normally for an extended episode to be considered for Emmy eligibility it cannot run for longer than two hours.  Thanks to the Board’s decision “The End” can be a potential contender for a number of Emmy awards such as Best Actor/Actress and Best Drama.  John Leverence, senior VP of awards: “We have a soft spot in our hearts for the final episodes of long-running series.”  The same exception made for Lost was also granted to The Wire and The Sopranos.

Next up there’s news about what will be included with the Lost Season 6 DVD package.  Exec producers Darlton plan on including about twenty minutes of “new content that addresses some of the unanswered questions in an entertaining way.”  According to an inside source “Damon and Carlton wanted to offer fans answers to additional questions they couldn’t get to in the body of the final show.”  These bonus features will be included in the stand-alone DVD package and in the DVD/Blu-Ray Seasons 1-6 mega box sets.

Now go watch some cast interviews in the video above, provided by IGN.  The Lost series finale airs this Sunday at 9PM on ABC.

[Via EW; TVGuide; IGN]

Jimmy Fallon to host the next Emmys

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It was just announced that Late Night host Jimmy Fallon will host the 62nd Primetime Emmys.  Paul Telegdy, NBC executive VP of alternative programming, shares his excitement about the decision: “Jimmy was the natural choice as one of the most promising and likable young entertainers who will now have the chance to display his many talents on television’s biggest night.  His proven skills as a comedian and host — as well as his openness to new ideas — will fully engage audiences and ultimately deliver a lively Emmy telecast.”  And here’s what Jimmy had to say about it: “Hosting the Emmys has been a dream of mine ever since they told me I was doing it.”  Ha!

The Emmys will air August 29 at 8PM ET on NBC.

[Via EW-Hollywood Insider]

Oscars: ‘The Hurt Locker’ trumps ‘Avatar’

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This year’s Academy Awards was actually quite entertaining.  Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin proved to be great hosts; the Neil Patrick Harris surprse opening number was a hit (the Paranormal Activity spoof was spot on); the horror film montage was long overdue; Ben Stiller dressed as a Nav’i blue humanoid with fishline-controlled tail was great; the Best Picture featurettes worked well; the dance routines performed for each song in the Best Original Score category was fun; the Best Actor/Actress introductions were touching; and there was even a “imma let you finish but…” moment by some strange woman.  AND the Best Director award went to a woman for the first time!  So those were the highlights; now let’s discuss the notable winners.

Let’s start with the king (or should I say queen) of the night Kathryn Bigelow and her brilliant film The Hurt Locker.  The critically acclaimed film nabbed six Oscar wins in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing.  Avatar, directed by Biglow’s ex-husband James Cameron, walked away with many technical awards including: Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, and Best Art Direction.  (Side note: District 9 totally would have won all these awards if Avatar had not been competition!)  Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), no surprise there; and Best Actress went to Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side).  Best Supporting Actor deservedly went to Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds); and Best Supporting Actress went to Mo’Nique (Precious), again no surprise there.  Precious also picked up Best Adapted Screenplay.

Other notable winners include: Pixar’s UP nabbed Best Animated Film and Best Score (well done, Michael Giacchino); and Star Trek won Best Makeup.  Look after the break for the full breakdown of the night’s winner and losers.  Overall, the 82nd Academy Awards show was entertaining, fun, and full of deserved wins.  Congratuations to Kathryn Bigelow & crew for The Hurt Locker.  James Cameron, go wallow in your boatloads of cash.

Continue reading Oscars: ‘The Hurt Locker’ trumps ‘Avatar’ →

Oscar nods are announced; ‘Avatar’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ 9 nods each

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This year’s Oscar nominations are in!  Let’s have a look see…

Best Picture: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

A bunch of these films deserve the win.  However, there can be only one, and my prediction lies with The Hurt Locker.

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

As much as I want Quentin Tarantino to take this category for Basterds, I have a feeling James Cameron will reign once again.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
George Clooney, Up in the Air
Colin Firth, A Single Man
Morgan Freeman, Invictus
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

You know who deserves a big win here?  Jeremy Renner.  And he will get it.

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Christoph Waltz.  Period.

Look after the break for all nominations and more predictions.  The 82nd Academy Awards, hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, airs March 7 at 8PM on ABC. Continue reading Oscar nods are announced; ‘Avatar’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ 9 nods each →