Jason in Hollywoodland

The Actors Love “The Help” at tonight’s SAG Awards

jasonboegh — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 06:25:16 +0000

Dominating the SAG Awards with a definitive 3 wins, The Help got some more Oscar juice. The wonderful film took home awards for Best Ensemble, Best Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer) and, in a little bit of an upset, Best Actress (Viola Davis). With her win, Davis is making a serious bid for the Oscar and now has to be considered the front-runner to her dear friend Meryl Streep (who I think should have won, but that’s bygones, because Davis is extraordinary regardless)… The other big surprise was Jean Dujardin taking out George Clooney in the Best Actor race. The Oscars look like they will have some serious battles ahead… Winning Supporting Actor was Christopher Plummer for Beginners... The TV races saw some really boring repeats with Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi and Boardwalk Empire, but at least Jessica Lange was a new winner in the Drama Actress category defeating last year’s victor Juliana Marguiles. For more on the show, head to TNT and check out all the winners below.
(Oh and props to everyone for stepping it up with some great fashion tonight~ much better than the Golden Globes.)

2012 SAG AWARD WINNERS:

Movies~
Best Ensemble: The Help
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Stunt Ensemble: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

TV~

Drama Ensemble: Boardwalk Empire
Drama Actor: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Drama Actress: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Comedy Ensemble: Modern Family
Comedy Actress: Betty White, Hot in Clevleand
Comedy Actor: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
TV Movie/Miniseries Actress: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
TV Movie/Miniseries Actor: Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Stunt Ensemble: Game of Thrones

The Grey surprises at the Box Office

jasonboegh — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:47:48 +0000

In another decent weekend at the box office, two films did better than expected while the Oscar nominations only gave a little boost to the big competitors. However, grosses were up overall versus last year as the new action drama The Grey, starring Liam Neeson, opened with a surprising $ 20 million. It was the first of three new entries in the top ten. Opening in third with $ 11.7 million was Katherine Heigl’s poorly reviewed action comedy One for the Money which many assumed was dead in the water before it even hit theaters. That was more the case for the third opener, the crime thriller Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington, as it only totaled $8.3 million…. Looking at the films with multiple Oscar noms, The Descendants and The Artist improved the most as they added extra theaters. For more on their grosses and all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N The Grey ORF $20,000,000 – 3,185 – $6,279 $20,000,000 – 1
2 1 Underworld Awakening SGem $12,500,000 -50.6% 3,078 – $4,061 $45,126,000 $70 2
3 N One For the Money LGF $11,750,000 – 2,737 – $4,293 $11,750,000 – 1
4 2 Red Tails Fox $10,400,000 -44.6% 2,573 +61 $4,042 $33,780,000 $58 2
5 N Man on a Ledge Sum. $8,300,000 – 2,998 – $2,769 $8,300,000 – 1
6 4 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close WB $7,145,000 -28.9% 2,630 – $2,717 $21,106,000 – 6
7 16 The Descendants FoxS $6,550,000 +176.1% 2,001 +1,441 $3,273 $58,848,000 – 11
8 3 Contraband Uni. $6,500,000 -46.0% 2,650 -220 $2,453 $56,400,000 $25 3
9 5 Beauty and the Beast (3D) BV $5,345,000 -39.1% 2,145 -480 $2,492 $41,147,000 – 3
10 6 Haywire Rela. $4,000,000 -52.5% 2,441 +2 $1,639 $15,279,000 $23 2

The Artist keeps the streak alive winning at the DGA Awards

jasonboegh — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:48:55 +0000

The Artist may just be unbeatable at the Oscars in a little over a month. The film won the Golden Globe, the Critics Choice Award and has topped numerous critic’s best of lists, and tonight Michael Hazanvicius won Best Director at the Directors Guild of America Awards. This one is a great barometer of the Oscars as the winner usually repeats there, along with the film he or she represents. So, can Hazanavicius take the Golden Boy? He’ll still have to fend off Martin Scorsese, but I’d say it’s his to lose for the time being. Other awards went to Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Killing and The Kennedys. Take a look at all the winners below, and check back here tomorrow to see how The Artist fares at the SAG Awards… It may need some help there because of a little picture called… The Help.

2012 DGA Award Winners:
Feature Film: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Documentary: James Marsh, “Project Nim”
Movies for Television and Mini-Series: Jon Kassar, “The Kennedys”
Dramatic Series: Patty Jenkins, “The Killing”: pilot
Comedy Series: Robert B. Weide, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: “Palestinian Chicken”
Musical Variety: Glenn Weiss, “The 65th Annual Tony Awards”
Reality Programs: Neil P. DeGroot, “Biggest Loser”: “Episode #1115″
Daytime Serials: William Ludel, “General Hospital”: “Intervention”
Children’s Programs: Amy Schatz, “A Child’s Garden of Poetry”
Commercials: Noam Murro, “Handlebar Moustache,” “Hot House,” “Pinata,” “Is It Real?”

Frank Capra Achievement Award: Katy Garretson
Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award: Dennis Mazzocco
Honorary Life Membership: Ed Sherin

Another Glee MJ Preview~ “Smooth Criminal”

jasonboegh — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:27:45 +0000

The Glee previews for the big Michael Jackson episode just keep coming. Following yesterday’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” post, we get another classic as the show takes on “Smooth Criminal”. It will be one of 8-10 MJ tacks in the show and this one’s a hot duel between Santana (Naya Rivera) and evil Warbler Sebastian (Grant Gustin). Check it out below and watch the MJ episode of Glee Tuesday at 8pm on Fox.

Glee “Smooth Criminal”

My Big Bold SAG Award Winner Predictions

jasonboegh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:37:04 +0000

It’s time for some new predictions… And I have a real stake in these because I actually got to vote for them! I’m speaking, of course, of the SAG Awards that will air this Sunday on TNT. It’s all about the actors rewarding other actors and as a proud member of SAG for over a decade, I’m always thrilled to get to vote for my favorites. With that said, I’m not gonna spill who I voted for (you can send me a private email for that). However, I will give you my big predictions that should see some clear Oscar faves continue their winning streaks… Maybe there will be a surprise or two? Who knows, but let’s take a look at my crystal ball…

My Big Bold SAG Award Winner Predictions!~

Movies~

Best Ensemble Cast:
The Artist, Bridesmaids, The Descendants, The Help, Midnight In Paris
Will & Should win: The Help
~spoiler: The Artist

Best Actor:
Demian Bichir (A Better Life), George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar), Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Will win: George Clooney
Should win: Jean Dujardin
~spoiler: Brad Pitt

Best Actress:
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Viola Davis (The Help), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Will & Should win: Meryl Streep
~spoiler: Viola Davis
* this is probably the hottest contest for the film categories and could be real close. Plus, SAG voters got dvds of both Viola and Meryl’s films so they both have great shots at winning.

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Armie Hammer (J. Edgar), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Will & Should win: Christopher Plummer
~spoiler: Kenneth Branagh (however, Nick Nolte is super worthy of a surprise win)

Best Supporting Actress:
Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Jessica Chastain (The Help), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs), Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Will & Should win: Octavia Spencer
~spoiler: Melissa McCarthy (hello who doesn’t love her?!!)

TV:

Drama Series Ensemble:
Breaking Bad, Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife
Will & Should win: The Good Wife (I’m going out on a big limb here… but it’s the only network show and the one most voters might watch. Plus it is frikkin’ fantastic)
~spoiler: Breaking Bad (a very worth winner it would be)

Drama Actor:
Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights), Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Patrick J. Adams (Suits)
Will & Should win: Bryan Cranston
~spoiler: Steve Buscemi

Drama Actress:
Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law), Glenn Close (Damages), Jessica Lange (American Horror Story), Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife), Kyra Sedgewick (The Closer)
Will win: Juliana Marguiles
Should win: Glenn Close
~spoiler: Jessica Lange

Comedy Ensemble:
The Big Bang Theory, Glee, Modern Family, The Office, 30 Rock
Will & Should win: Modern Family
~spoiler: The Big Bang Theory

Comedy Actor:
Alec Baldwin (30 Rock), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Steve Carrell (The Office), Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Will & Should win: Ty Burrell
~ spoiler: Steve Carrell

Comedy Actress:
Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Tina Fey (30 Rock), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family), Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
Will win: Betty White
Should win: Julie Bowen
~spoiler: Sofia Vergara
* where the heck is Amy Poehler in this category??? Grrr

TV Movie/Miniseries Actor:
Laurence Fishburne (Thrugood), Paul Giamatti (Too Big To Fail), Greg Kinnear (The Kennedys), Guy Pearce (Midred Pierce), James Woods (Too Big To Fail)
Will & Should win: Guy Pearce
~spoiler: James Woods

TV Movie/Miniseries Actress:
Diane Lane (Cinema Verite), Maggie Smith (Downton Abbey), Emily Watson (Appropriate Adult), Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce), Betty White (The Lost Valentine)
Will win: Kate Winslet
Should win: Diane Lane
~spoiler: Maggie Smith

There ya have it, my pics for who I think will win the SAG Awards on Sunday. Do you agree? Do you wish other people were nominated? Let me hear it below.

Kelly Clarkson goes Country Again

jasonboegh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:17:59 +0000

Kelly Clarkson is currently riding high with another gold album, Stronger, and a new smash single “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which just went gold as well and hit the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100…. However, her record company is not done with her previous smash “Mr. Know It All”. The song is currently top 5 at AC and previously went top ten at pop radio and # 1 on Hot AC. It’s also sold over 1.2 million downloads. And now, it’s going country… Yes, there’s a new country version of the song that just hit the web and will be sent to country radio programmers. We’ll see if they go for it. I, for one, kinda love it. While they just added some country instruments, the song seems to work in the genre. It could give Kelly a third hit in that field. She previously went to # 2 on the country charts with her duet with Reba McEntire on “Because of You” and her #1 megasmash “Don’t You Wanna Stay” with Jason Aldean recently won her a CMA Award, is up for a Grammy and just nabbed 2 ACM nominations. So, clearly the country folks like this Texas gal…. But what do you think? Do you like the countrified version of “Mr. Know It All”? Take a listen below and let me know.

Kelly Clarkson “Mr. Know It All” (country version)

Glee Preview~ “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”

jasonboegh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:05:31 +0000

As any Glee fan knows, next Tuesday’s episode is the long awaited Michael Jackson tribute show. The kids will be covering a ton of classic MJ tracks and the first sneak peak has hit the web. Check out a fierce Darren Criss (Blaine) and the cast on “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” below and watch Glee Tuesday night on Fox.

Glee cast “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”

The Charts~ Adele breaks more records while Kelly Clarkson and NIcki MInaj breath down her neck…

jasonboegh — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:40:16 +0000

Adele was the undisputed music artist of 2011, and it seems like she has no intention of losing that crown in 2012. Her sophomore album, 21, marks a 17th week on top which is the longest run at # 1 since Whitney Houston’s Bodyguard soundtrack, and she also tops the Hot 100 singles chart with her third straight # 1 “Set Fire to the Rain”. To have simultaneous chart topping albums and singles is incredibly rare, but to do it three times in a row is unheard of. And that’s just the record Adele accomplishes this week. She previously held the # 1 album spot during a few weeks of her “Rolling in the Deep” reign and also during one week of “Someone Like You”‘s chart topping run. Now, “Fire” makes it three in a row. Wow… Can she do it again next week? I’m not sure as Tim McGraw will be hot on her heels on the album charts and she has a lot of competition on the singles chart. More on that below. In the meantime check out the new top ten albums.

Billboard 200 Albums Top Ten:
1. 21- Adele (last week~ 1)
2, Kidz Bob 21 (debut)
3. El Camino- The Black Keys (lw~ 3)
4. Take Care- Drake (lw~ 4)
5. Talk that Talk- Rihanna (lw~ 7)
6. TM:103: Hustlerz Ambition- Young Jeezy (lw~ 6)
7. Identity- James Fortune & Fiya (debut)
8. Clancy’s Tavern- Toby Keith (lw~ 22)
9. Mylo Xyloto- Coldplay (lw~8)
10. Here and Now- Nickelback (lw~ 9)

Over on the Hot 100 Singles chart, as I stated, Adele climbs to the top with “Set Fire to the Rain” displacing Rihanna after a 10 week run. Adele is a good bet for one more week at the summit, but she will have to fight off big charges from David Guetta and Nicki Minaj‘s “Turn Me On” and Kelly Clarkson‘s tenth top ten Hot 100 “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” which flies into the top ten at # 8 up from # 21. Check out the new top ten which also gives Jessie J her first song to hit the upper regions with “Domino”. For more on all the Billboard charts, head here.

Top Ten Singles on the Hot 100:
1. “Set Fire to the Rain”- Adele (lw~ 2)
2. “We Found Love”- Rihanna w/Calvin Harris (lw~ 1)
3. “Good Feeling”- Flo Rida (lw~ 3)
4. “Turn Me On”- David Guetta w/ Nicki Minaj (lw~ 10)
5. “The One that Got Away”- Katy Perry (lw~ 6)
6. “It Will Rain”- Bruno Mars (lw~ 4)
7. “Sexy and I Know It”- LMFAO (lw~ 5)
8. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”- Kelly Clarkson (lw~ 21)
9. “Ni##s in Paris”- Jay Z & Kanye West (lw~ 7)
10. “Domino” – Jessie J (lw~ 15)

And here’s England’s Katy Perry (as I call her anyway), Jessie J with her first top ten hit, “Domino”

Hot New Music~ Elliott Yamin “3 Words”

jasonboegh — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:21:20 +0000

Season 5 of American Idol has to be considered its zenith. The show had its highest ratings, Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood were on their way to superstar status, and the top ten finalists were arguably the best top ten they’ve had to date. While the season is also dubious for having arguably the worst winner in the history of the show in Taylor Hicks (however, season 9′s Lee Dewyze is fighting him for that title), eight of the top ten finalists grabbed record deals. And one of them, the one I thought should’ve won the whole season, Elliott Yamin, is about to release his third album. His beautiful new single, “3 Words” has hit written all over it and it just surfaced on the web. Take a listen below and for more on Elliott and his new album, head here.

Elliott Yamin “3 Words”

(And yes, that was season 5 So You Think You Can Dance finalist Kayla in the video in case you were wondering).

As for those singers who grabbed deals from season 5… here’s a quick rundown on their careers to date…

Mandisa: the Christian diva landed in 9th place and has released 3 hit gospel/Christian albums to date. She’s also received 2 Grammy nominations.
Bucky Covington: the country singer finished in 8th has had several top 40 country hits and is readying his third album for release later this year.
Ace Young: that season’s stud landed in 7th and grabbed a Grammy nominations for co-writing Daughtry‘s “It’s Not Over”. He has since released a solo album and he’s also become fixture on the Broadway stage appearing in hits like Hair.
Kellie Pickler: the country cutie wound up in 6th but has had massive success in her field with a platinum debut album and a gold follow-up. Her third record featuring the hot new country hit, “100 Proof” hit stores just two days ago.
Chris Daughtry: in what was arguably the biggest shocker elimination in the show’s history (except for maybe Pia last year), Chris was sent packing in fourth. He did get the last laugh though with his debut album, Daughtry, amassing 5 big hit singles, over 4 million in sales and 4 Grammy nominations. The followup, Leave this Town, went platinum and landed 3 more hits. His latest album, released in November, is almost gold and their current single “Crawling Back to You” is top ten on the Hot AC charts.
Elliott Yamin: you heard his new single above, but this third place finisher has also had a mega smash from his first album “Wait for You”. His debut album went gold and the follow-up featured the hit “Fight for Love”. His new record is due in the spring.
Katharine McPhee: while she’s released 3 albums, including her debut which sold 375,000 copies featuring the hit “Over It”, this second place finisher is more known for her acting these days. She appeared in the films The House Bunny and Shark Night 3D and is now the star of the midseason NBC musical drama Smash. (I’ve seen it and it’s brilliant and Katharine’s career is about to explode.)
Taylor Hicks: I couldn’t stand him but middle America loved him and he won that season. His debut also sold over 800,000 copies despite no hit songs. Since then he has been dropped form his label and records independently now release several more albums.

A Few Thoughts on today’s Oscar Nominations…

jasonboegh — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:38:49 +0000

This morning Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) announced this year’s contenders and as always we saw the front runners like The Artist and Hugo grab headlines. However, we also saw some shocking snubs and some interesting inclusions. I already posted the full nominee list, so let’s take a look at a few thoughts I have on those who will be contending for this year’s Oscar.

Favorite Nomination: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)… I was so happy to see her included in this hilarious film. She gave a wonderfully hysterical performance that had way more layers than you might expect. Comedy needs more representation at the Oscars, so this is a nice start. (Also kudos to Kristin Wiig and her Oscar nominated script for the film).

Best Surprise: Rooney Mara and all the love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This fantastic film nabbed 5 nods in total. I just wish it was up for Best Pic and Director (David Fincher).
Biggest Snub: Michael Fassbender (Shame)… apparently his great performance may have been overlooked by his hot nekkid body? Or he cancelled himself out with other great turns in A Dangerous Method and Jane Eyre.

Other Big Snubs:
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)… looks like academy members really didn’t like this film, which is a shame because Leo was great
Armie Hammer (J. Edgar)
Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin)… another film that may have been too dark and unlikable to get it’s great star a nod.
Albert Brooks (Drive)
Drive in all other categories (except sound)
Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and Young Adult… apparently this acerbic dark comedy just didn’t resonate with Oscar voters. I’m sad, cuz it was a good flick.
Steven Spielberg (War Horse) for Director
Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and Alan Rickman (Harry Potter) both proved its hard to get nominated for big popcorn action films… oh and motion capture performances may never get nominated.
Elizabeth Olsen and Martha Marcy May Marlene… this great indie introduced us to a major acting star in Olsen and still got bupkiss
50/50 and Joseph Gordon Levitt… another great indie that should’ve gotten some love
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 in all big categories…. why oh why couldn’t this amazing franchise ever pull out a Best Pic nom? Especially when the final installment was clearly one of the best films of the year.

More Snubs: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), The Adventures of Tin Tin (in Animated film), Carey Mulligan (Shame), the casts of The Ides of March and Midnight in Paris, Beginners for Screenplay and Director (Mike Mills)

~ And a Big Boo to the voters for dissing The Help for Screenplay, Score, Song, Costume Design and Director… That wonderful film should’ve had 9 noms, not just 4.

~While I’m complaining, I just have to say yuck to all the nods for The Tree of Life. Oy vey!

Other nice inclusions:
~Demian Bichir (A Better Life)… this wonderful performance in this small indie broke through with a SAG nod and he made the list today. I’m thrilled.
~Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)… can you believe this is his first nomination? I just wish it was for a better film.
~Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Max Von Sydow... I’m so happy one of my fave films of the year finally got some love. And I was kinda shocked to see it among the 9 nominees for Best Picture.
~Moneyball grabbed more noms that The Descendants, hehe….
~W.E. got into costume design. Yes, a film by Madonna got an Oscar nod. (I just wish her Golden Globe winning song “Masterpiece” had been eligible)

Speaking of Best Song….
What the heck is wrong with that category? By having a ridiculously difficult rule of the songs needing to rate 8.5 or higher by the music branch (out of 10), only 2 songs made the cut… And the one from The Muppets wasn’t even the best song from that film…
Look at all the snubbed songs that should’ve gotten mentioned:
“Life’s a Happy Song” (The Muppets)
“Pictures in My Head” (The Muppets)
“Bridge of Light” (Happy Feet 2) by P!nk
“Hello Hello” (Gnomeo & Juliet) by Elton John
“The Living Proof” (The Help) by Mary J. Blige
“Lay Down Your Head” (Albert Nobbs) by Glenn Close, etc

So, there are just a few thoughts for you… Now, let’s see who is gonna win… I’d say The Artist is still out in front despite Hugo landing the most noms…. I still have hope for The Help too.. and Meryl better win… With that said, what are your favorite noms? And who is the worst snub? Sound off below and watch for more on the Oscars in the weeks ahead.