It’s all about Hollywood as The Artist, Hugo and Meryl dominate the Oscars

It was a clear message heard round the Kodak (what will they change the name to?) theatre in Hollywood tonight as Hollywood honored the movies at the Oscars:  if it was about movie-making or starred our very own movie queen, it won. The Artist and Hugo, both films that are essentially love letters to movie-making, each won 5 awards while Meryl Streep, the most lauded and iconic actress of our time finally won her 3rd Oscar for her amazing work in The Iron Lady. Yes, she only has three! Despite 17 nominations, she hadn’t won since Sophie’s Choice 29 years ago, and she was arguably the most deserving winner of the night. (No disrespect to the tremendously lovely Viola Davis by the way. I swear you will get your Oscar one day!)… Speaking of deserving winners, Christopher Plummer and Ocatvia Spencer finished their dominated awards season runs picking up the Supporting Actor honors for Beginners and The Help. WIth his win, Plummer became the oldest acting winner in history at the tender age of 82!… Best Actor went to Jean Dujardin (over heavily favored George Clooney) whose film The Artist also picked up Best Picture, Director, Costume Design and Score. Hugo’s 5 wins were in the technical categories while one big surprise was the Best Editing win for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. For more on all the winners and the delightful if a bit subdued broadcast hosted by Billy Crystal, head here. (Big props to the ladies of Bridesmaids and Tina Fey for bringing us the funniest moments by the way). And check out all the winners below… And let me just say I am so incredibly happy for Streep! She gave the best, classiest speech of the night and I’m just thrilled she finally won. Congrats Meryl!!!!

2012 Academy Award Winners:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Actress: Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris
Best Cinematography: Hugo
Best Editing: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Makeup: The Iron Lady
Best Original Score: The Artist     
Best Original Song: “Man or a Muppet” (The Muppets)
Best Sound Editing: Hugo
Best Sound Mixing: Hugo
Best Visual Effects: Hugo

Best Documentary: Undefeated
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Animated Film: Rango
Best Animated Short Film: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Best Live Action Short Film: The Shore
Best Documentary Short Subject: Saving Face

Most Wins~
The Artist: 5
Hugo: 5
The Iron Lady: 2

The Artist and Michelle Williams have the Independent Spirit

Oscar front-runner The Artist continued to dominate this awards season as it picked up four awards at today’s Independent Spirit Awards honoring the best in independent cinema. The films all had to be made and financed in the U.S. with a budget under $20 million to be eligible (hence, Hugo, War Horse and The Help, etc were not in contention… nor was British funded The Iron Lady). Along with Best Feature, The Artist took home Best Director, Cinematography and Best Actor for Jean Dujardin (who I think will nab tomorrow’s Oscar). In the other acting fields, Michelle Williams followed up her Golden Globe win for My Week with Marilyn in the Lead Actress category while Christopher Plummer won Supporting Actor for Beginners as he has done pretty much everywhere this season. Oscar snubbed Shailene Woodley won Supporting Actress for The Descendants which also took home the screenplay prize. For more on all the winners, head to the Indie Spirit site here and check out all the winners below.

2012 Independent Spirit Award Winners:

Best Feature Film: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Best Actor: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Actress: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Best Supporting Actress: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)
Best Screenplay: The Descendants
Best Cinematography: The Artist
Best International Film: A Separation
Best Documentary: The Interrupters
Best First Feature: Margin Call
Best First Screenplay: 50/50
John Cassavetes Award for Best Feature (under $500,000 budget): Pariah
Robert Altman Award (given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast): Margin Call

My Big Bold 2012 Oscar Winner Predictions

Ok, enough with the Grammys, Globes and SAG Awards, the grand daddy of them all is here: the Academy Awards. This Sunday is the big day with the supreme Oscar host Billy Crystal returning to preside over the big day. With Crystal in command, we know the show will be hilarious, but will there be any surprises? Well, the top two acting races are just that, races between two deserving candidates. So, we could have upsets and some serious excitement. With that said, can anyone stop The Artist from sweeping? Well, take a look at my big bold Oscar winner predictions below and see.

My Big Bold 2012 Oscar Winner Predictions:

Best Picture:
The Artist, The Descendants, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Will & Should win: The Artist
spoiler: Hugo
~ my sentimental fave: The Help

Best Director:
Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michael Hazanvicius (The Artist), Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Martin Scorsese (Hugo)
Will & Should win: Michael Hazanavicius
~spoiler: Martin Scorsese

Best Actor:
Demian Bichir (A Better Life), George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Brad Pitt (Moneyball)
Will & Should win: Jean Dujardin
~spoiler: George Clooney
* This is a super tight race and it will be close between Clooney and Dujardin. How neat would it be if the wonderful and truly deserving Bichir pulled a surprise upset here? It’s not gonna happen, but it would be lovely to see.

Best Actress:
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs), Viola Davis (The Help), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn)
Will & Should win: Meryl Streep
~spoiler: Viola Davis
* ok, I’m going out on a big limb here. Conventional wisdom and smart money is on Davis (who was wonderful and would be a deserving winner). However, if you’ve seen The Iron Lady, you can’t deny Streep should win. She also hasn’t won in 30 years. Hello people!

Best Supporting Actor:
Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Nick Nolte (Warrior), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)
Will & Should win: Christopher Plummer
~spoiler: Max Von Sydow

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

Best Original Screenplay:
The Artist, Bridesmaids, Margin Call, Midnight in Paris, A Separation
Will win: Midnight in Paris
Should win: Bridesmaids
~spoiler: The Artist

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Descendants, Hugo, The Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Will Win: Moneyball
~spoiler: The Descendants
* This one will be close. I feel like they may throw a bone to The Descendants here, but I’m keeping my money on the better screenplay for Moneyball. Plus it has more overall nominations indicating wider support within the academy.

Best Cinematography:
The Artist, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, The Tree of Life, War Horse
Will win: The Tree of Life
Should win: War Horse (yes, I loved the movie, what of it?)
~spoiler: The Artist (they love some black and white)

Best Editing:
The Artist, The Descendants, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball
Will win: The Artist
Should win: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
~Spoiler: Hugo

Best Animated Film:
A Cat in Paris, Chico and Rita, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots, Rango
Will & Should win: Rango

Best Foreign Film:
Bullhead, Footnote, In Darkness, Monsieur Lahzar, A Separation
Will & Should win: A Separation
~spoiler: In Darkness

Best Original Score:
The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Artist, Hugo, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, War Horse
Will & Should win: The Artist

Best Original Song:
“Man or a Muppet” (The Muppets), “Real in Rio” (Rio)
Will & Should win: “Man or a Muppet” (this would be the first ever win for a Muppet movie!)
* PS- this category is a disaster. Due to their strict rules, a ton of great and deserving songs by Mary J. Blige (The Help), Elton John (Gnomeo & Juliet), Madonna (W.E.), Pink (Happy Feet 2) and more didn’t make the cut. Blargh!

Best Art Direction:
The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, Hugo, Midnight in Paris, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2
~spoiler: The Artist

Best Costume Design:
Anonymous, The Artist, Hugo, Jane Eyre, W.E.
Will win: The Artist
Should win: W.E.
~spoiler: W.E.

Best Makeup:
Albert Nobbs, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, The Iron Lady
Will & Should win: The Iron Lady
~spoiler: Harry Potter

Best Sound Editing:
Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Sound Mixing:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, Moneyball, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, War Horse
Will win: Hugo
Should win: War Horse
~spoiler: Transformers

Visual Effects:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, Hugo, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Real Steel, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Will win: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Should win: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 (hello the Harry Potter franchise has never won an Oscar!)
~spoiler: Harry Potter

Best Documentary:
Hell and Back Again, If a Tree Falls, Paradise Lost 3, Pina, Undefeated
Will win: Undefeated
Should win: Pina
~spoiler: Paradise Lost 3
* this one is a super tight race… My first instinct is for Pina to win (and it’s the most interesting, but also the most experimental). Then, I was thinking Undefeated plays into the emotions of the academy and has a bigger profile, so it may win. It’s a real tossup with the well-known Paradise Lost series in the mix as well.

* for the shorts, shoot me an email.

Meryl Streep and The Artist Win Big at the BAFTAS!

The second to last big precursor to the Oscars was held today in the U.K. as the BAFTAS (the British Oscars) announced their winners. Leading the pack was the Academy Award front-runner The Artist with 7 wins including Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay and Actor for Jean Dujardin. (Uh oh, George Clooney is looking less and less like a lock.)… Continuing their awards sweeps were Supporting winners Octavia Spencer and Christopher Plummer. The other big news was Meryl Streep winning Best Actress for The Iron Lady. She and Viola Davis are in a massive tug of war for the Oscar and now Streep could be in the lead. We will see in a few weeks. In the meantime, check out all of the British Academy of Film and Television Award winners below.

2012 BAFTA Award Winners~

Best Film The Artist
Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Actor Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Best Actress Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Original Screenplay Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Adapted Screenplay Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best British Film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Film Not in the English Language The Skin I Live In
Best Animated Film Rango
Best Documentary Senna
Best Editing Senna
Best Costume Design The Artist
Best Cinematography The Artist
Best Original Music The Artist
Best Make-Up & Hair The Iron Lady
Best Visual Effects Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Best Production Design Hugo
Best Sound Hugo
Best British Debut Tyrannosaur
Orange Rising Star Award Adam Deacon
Best Animated Short A Morning Stroll
Best Live-Action Short Pitch Black Heist

Let’s Rank the Oscar Nominees

The Oscar race is really heating up. While The Artist seems to be the best bet for the big award, we have some serious horse races in the Acting categories. Will it be George or Brad or Jean? Will Meryl be able to stop Viola? Can anyone stop Christopher Plummer? Well, with all of that in mind (and Sunday’s BAFTA awards looming), I’ve decided to rank who I think SHOULD win the Academy Awards. Yes, these are my rankings of this year’s contenders. (Remember, it’s not who I think will win, it’s who should). Take a look and give me your two cents. Then, check back in a couple of weeks for my official predictions of the winners.

My Rankings of this year’s Oscar Nominees~

Picture:
1. The Help
2. The Artist
3. War Horse
4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
5. Midnight in Paris
6. Moneyball
7. Hugo
8. The Descendants
9. The Tree of Life

Best Director:
1. Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist
2. Martin Scorcesse, Hugo
3. Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
4. Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
5. Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Best Actor:
1. Jean Dujardin, The Artist
2. Demian Bichir, A Better Life
3. Brad Pitt, Moneyball
4. George Clooney, The Descendants
5. Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actress:
1. Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
2. Viola Davis, The Help
3. Michelle Wiliams, My Week with Marilyn
4. Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
5. Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Best Sup. Actor:
1. Christopher Plummer, Beginners
2. Nick Nolte, Warrior
3. Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
4. Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
5. Jonah Hill, Moneyball

Best Sup Actress:
1. Octavia Spencer, The Help
2. Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
3. Jessica Chastain, The Help
4. Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
5. Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Original Screenplay:
1. The Artist
2. Bridesmaids
3. Midnight in Paris
4. Margin Call
5. A Separation

Adapted Screenplay:
1. Moneyball
2. The Ides of March
3. Hugo
4. The Descendants
5. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

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

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 Artist, The Descendants, Meryl and Madonna win Big at the Golden Globes

Well, Madonna sure did piss off Elton John at tonight’s Golden Globe Awards… No, not because of anything she said, but because she won the award for Best Original song for her gorgeous track from W.E.,”Masterpiece”. It beat Elton’s track from Gnomeo and Juliet and boy, did he have a disgruntled face if I’ve ever seen one. That was just one fun highlight from a night that saw few surprises, but was rather entertaining as a whole. Ricky Gervais returned as host and was quite funny but not as controversial as last year and was only bleeped once I think. Heck, Meryl Streep was bleeped too! Speaking of Streep, she won her 8th Globe for Lead Actress in a Drama for The Iron Lady while Michelle Williams won for Lead Actress in a Musical or Comedy. These wins, along with Viola Davis’s win at the Critics Choice Awards on Thursday, are making it a real horse race for the Best Actress race… Best Actor could be tight between tonight’s two winners as well, George Clooney for Drama and Jean Dujardin for Musical or Comedy. Both of their films won as well with The Descendants taking Drama and The Artist nabbing the trophy for Musical or Comedy. The latter film won the most awards with a third for Best Score…. Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer continued their winning runs in the supporting category while Martin Scorsese pulled out a surprise win for Director for Hugo.

On the TV front, Modern Family and Homeland won the series awards while Downton Abbey won TV Movie/Miniseries. There were several acting surprises though, both good (Matt LeBlanc) and bad (Kelsey Grammar~ no offense to his work, but how on Earth did he beat Bryan Cranston and Damian Lewis, argh!!!) Also, Laura Dern pulled out a little bit of a shocker for Lead actress in a Comedy over front runners Zooey Deschanel, Amy Poehler and last year’s winner Laura Linney. For more on the show, head to the Globes site here and take a look at all the winners below.

 

2012 Golden Globe Winners:
Best Picture (Drama): The Descendants
Best Actor in a Movie (Drama): George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Picture (Comedy or Musical): The Artist
Best Actress in a Movie (Drama): Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Best Actor in a Movie (Comedy or Musical): Jean Dujardin, The Artist
 Best TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Modern Family
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Best Supporting Actress in a Movie: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Actor in a TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Matt LeBlanc, Episodes
Best Actress in a TV Series (Drama): Claire Danes, Homeland
Best Foreign Language Movie: A Separation (Iran)
Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Screenplay: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
Best Animated Movie: The Adventures of Tintin
Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Best Actress in a Movie (Comedy or Musical): Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Idris Elba, Luther
Best Original Song: “Masterpiece,” W.E.
Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Best TV Series (Drama): Homeland
Best Actor in a TV Series (Drama): Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie: Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce
Best Miniseries or TV Movie: Downton Abbey
Best Actress in a TV Series (Comedy or Musical): Laura Dern, Enlightened
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie: Christopher Plummer, Beginners

And here’s the song that made Elton so mad. (Mary J. Blige didn’t look too happy either when she lost the category as well by the way)… Madonna’s “Masterpiece” from W.E.