My 2014 Emmy Nomination Wish List

Hey everyone,
I’m baaaaack… Sorry for the delay between posts, but luckily I have been quite busy. I shot an episode of Grey’s Anatomy opposite the lovely Sandra Oh (more on her later), booked a new webseries to shoot in June, and Co-Produced my first feature film Like You Mean It. It’s been a wonderful time, but I have missed ya’ll.

So, I’m back with another blog on entertainment awards because I’m a little obsessed. TV’s big night, The Emmy Awards, will happen in late August with nominations due in early July. With that said, I am hereby recommend the following people on my Emmy Nomination Wish List… Now don’t fret, I still love a ton of people and shows that will probably grab nominations like Downton Abbey, Maggie Smith, Sofia Vergara and Clare Danes. However, I wanted to shine a light on some serious long shots along with my personal favorites and a few surprises. Take a look below and then let me know who you’d love to see grab an Emmy nomination this year.

2014 Emmy Nomination Wish List:

DRAMA SERIES:
Breaking Bad
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife (what a stellar year!)
House of Cards
Masters of Sex
Scandal

Lead Actress Drama:
Lizzie Caplan (Masters of Sex)
Mirielle Enos (The Killing)
Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife)
Tatiana Maslaney (Orphan Black)
Kerry Washington (Scandal)
Robin Wright (House of Cards)

Lead Actor Drama:
Demian Bichir (The Bridge)
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)
Joel Kinnaman (The Killing)
Matthew McConaughey (True Detective)
Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex)
Kevin Spacey (House of Cards)

Supporting Actress Drama:
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) ~ how has she never been nominated??
Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad)
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones)
Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) ~ how has she never won an Emmy for this role?!
Bellamy Young (Scandal)

Supporting Actor Drama:
Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Mads Mikklesen (Hannibal)
Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)
Jeff Perry (Scandal)
Peter Sarsgaard (The Killing)

COMEDY SERIES:
Brooklyn Nine Nine
The Goldbergs
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie
Parks and Recreation
Veep

Lead Actress Comedy:
Julia Louis Dreyfuss (Veep)
Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie)
Lea Michelle (Glee) ~ yes, many might scoff. However she had some fantastic episodes this year that were both moving and hilarious.
Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope)
Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation)

Lead Actor Comedy:
Garrett Dillahaunt (Raising Hope)
Jonathan Groff (Looking) ~ while the show may have driving me nuts and it’s not really a comedy, I really enjoyed Groff’s work throughout.
Jake Johnson (New Girl)
Matt LeBlanc (Episodes)
Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine Nine)
Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation)

Supporting Actress Comedy:
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Anna Chlumsky (Veep)
Allison Janney (Mom) ~ Seriously this was the funniest performance on TV this year and she had the most heartbreaking performance with her guest arc on Masters of Sex… Janney is amazing.
Wendie Malick (Hot in Cleveland)
Kathleen Rose Perkins (Episodes)
Merritt Weaver (Nurse Jackie)

Supporting Actor Comedy:
Andre Braugher (Brooklyn Nine Nine)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) ~ this was his best season yet
Max Greenfield (New Girl)
Tony Hale (Veep)
Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation)

And there you have it…. I wanted to include a few more great performers (Jane Leeves, on Hot in Cleveland, Michaela Watkins on Trophy Wife, Charles Esten and Hayden Panettiere on Nashville, James Spader on The Blacklist and everyone else on Modern Family) but these were the final ones who made the cut…. And I’m sure you have many you think I may have missed. So let me know them in the comments section and watch for the Emmy nominations in July!

My Big Bold 2014 Academy Award Winner Predictions

As usual, I have to apologize for the lack of posts. Gratefully I have been busy working, auditioning and prepping several new projects. I’m in pre-production on the feature Like You Mean It (as a Producer) and the short Jack (as a Producer/Star) and I will be shooting an episode of one of my favorite dramatic TV shows next week. So, that’s all great. However, I know you would rather know what I think is gonna happen at Sunday’s big Oscar ceremony hosted by the hilarious Ellen Degeneres.

Well, this year has been an incredibly competitive one with lots of split winners in the Best Picture race at the precursor awards. In fact Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, and even the lackluster and overrated American Hustle could win the big race. Luckily that means we could have a lot of surprises come Sunday night. As such, there are several big races that are too close too call (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay, Score, Editing, Documentary, Supporting Actress and even Best Actor could surprise). So, just who will and should win the Academy Awards this year after an incredibly great year for film? Check out my Big Bold Oscar Winner Predictions below.

My Big Bold 2014 Oscar Winner Predictions~

Best Picture:
12 Years A Slave, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity, Her, Philomena, Nebraska, The Wolf of Wall Street
Will & Should win: 12 Years a Slave
Spoiler: Gravity
* Seriously, either of those two could win. Thankfully, I just don’t think American Hustle can upset them.

Best Actor:
Christian Bale (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Chewitel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Will & Should win: Matthew McConaughey
Spoiler: Leonardo DiCaprio

*McConaughey  has had the edge all season but Ejifor just won the BAFTA and DiCaprio is overdue and has had a big spending campaign. This one might actually go down to the wire…

Best Actress:
Amy Adams (American Hustle), Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Meryl Streep (August Osage County)

Will & Should win: Cate Blanchett

Spoiler: Amy Adams (but yeah, that’s not gonna happen)

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Will & Should win: Jared Leto

Spoiler: Michael Fassbender (but yeah, that’s not gonna happen)

Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita N’yongo (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August Osage County), June Squibb (Nebraska)
Will & Should win: Lupita N’yongo
Spoiler: Jennifer Lawernce
* This race is crazy close. Most pundits are now predicting Lawrence, but I think it is way too soon for her to win two Oscars, let alone back to back. So, hopefully people will vote for the actual Best performance in SAG and Critics Choice Award winner N’yongo

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), David O’Russell (American Hustle), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)
Will & Should win: Alfonso Cuaron
Spoiler: Steve McQueen

Best Adapted Screenplay:
12 Years a Slave, Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street
Will & Should win: 12 Years a Slave
Spoiler: Philomena

Best Original Screenplay:
American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska
Will win: Her
Should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Spoiler: American Hustle
* This one is also a toss-up between Her and Hustle, but I think the sheer originality of Her will win the day.

Best Score:
The Book Thief, Gravity, Her, Philomena, Saving Mr. Banks
Will & Should win: Philomena
Spoiler: Gravity
* I’m going out on a limb here and think the actual best score, Philomena, will eek out a win. However, smarter money might be on Gravity.

Best Song:
“Let It Go” (Frozen), “Ordinary Love” (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), “The Moon Song” (Her), “Happy” (Despicable Me 2)
Will & Should win: “Let It Go”
Spoiler: “Happy”
* This race has become incredibly close of late. “Ordinary Love” is by powerhouse U2, won the Golden Globe and has a huge campaign behind it. “Happy” is the # 1 song in the country by Grammy Golden boy Pharrell Williams. However, you just can’t deny the phenomena that is Frozen and it’s amazing anthem sung by Tony winner Idina Menel.

Best Cinematography:
Gravity, The Grandmaster, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, Prisoners
Will & Should win: Gravity
Spoiler: Prisoners

Best Editing:
American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Dallas Buyers Club, 12 Years a Slave
Will & Should win: Gravity
Spoiler: Captain Phillips
* Captain Phillips has come on very strong of late in this race and I wouldnt be surprised if it pulled this one out.

Best Production Design:
12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Gravity, The Great Gatsby, Her
Will & Should win: The Great Gatsby
Spoiler: Gravity

Best Costume Design:
12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Great Gatsby, The Grandmaster, The Invisible Woman
Will & Should win: The Great Gatsby
Spoiler: American Hustle
* with 10 nominations, Hustle has its other great chance of winning in this category. However, I think Gatsby will still have the edge.

Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
Dallas Buyers Club, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, The Lone Ranger
Will & Should win: Dallas Buyers Club
Spoiler: Bad Grandpa

Best Sound Editing:
All is Lost, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Lone Survivor, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Will & Should win: Gravity
Spoiler: Captain Phillips

Best Sound Mixing:
Captain Phillips, Gravity, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Inside Llewyn Davis, Lone Survivor
Will & Should win: Gravity
Spoiler: Captain Phillips

Best Visual Effects:
Gravity, The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug, Iron Man 3, Lone Ranger, Star Trek Into Darkness
Will & Should win: Gravity
No spoiler

Best Animated Film:
The Croods, Despicable Me 2, Ernest and Celestine, Frozen, The Wind Rises
Will & Should win: Frozen
Spoiler: The Wind Rises

Best Documentary:
20 Feet From Stardom, The Act of Killing, Cutie and the Boxer, Dirty Wars, The Square
Will & Should win: 20 Feet From Stardom
Spoiler: The Act of Killing
* Killing is the critical favorite, but audiences and yours truly loooooved Stardom. So, this is another tight race.

Best Foreign Film:
The Broken Circle Breakdown, The Great Beauty, The Hunt, The Missing Picture, Omar
Will win: The Great Beauty
Should win: the Hunt or Broken Circle Breakdown
Spoiler: Broken Circle Breakdown
* any of those 3 I mentioned could win. Don’t bet on my choice for this one people.

And as for the shorts, that’s all up to you. I cant tell you everything. lol

So, there you go~ My Big Bold Oscar Winner Predictions. Use ’em or lose ’em, but enjoy the show on Sunday night!
J

My Big Bold Golden Globe Award Winner Predictions

Ok, people, Awards Season is in full swing and I’m trying to keep up. I may not be able to do all my predix and coverage for every show, but I will do the biggies… With that said, let’s take a look at my big, bold Golden Globe Award Winner Predictions for 2014. It’s a crazy competitive year where anyone and anything can happen (except for anyone trying to beat Cate Blanchett). So, just who do I think will win? Scroll down and watch the show Sunday night on NBC hosted by the hilarious team of Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.

My Big Bold 2014 Golden Globe Award Winner Predictions~

MOVIES~

Best Picture (Drama)
12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Philomena, Rush
Will win: Gravity
Should win: 12 Years a Slave
Spoiler: Philomena

Best Actor (Drama)
Chewitel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave), Idris Elba (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Robert Redford (All is Lost)
Will win: Matthew McConaughey
Should win: Chewitel Ejiofor
Spoiler: Robert Redford

Best Actress (Drama)
Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Kate Winslet (Labor Day)
Will & Should win: Cate Blancett
* this is the most clear winner of the entire night unless the HFPA goes crazy with Philomena and hands Dench a shocker win

Best Picture (Comedy/Musical)
American Hustle, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, The Wolf of Wall Street
Will win: American Hustle
Should win: Um, something else that’s not nominated~ August Osage County
Spoiler: Her

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical)
Christian Bale (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Joaquin Phoenix (Her)
Will & Should win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Spoiler: Oscar Isaac

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical)
Amy Adams (American Hustle), Julie Delpy (Before Midnight), Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha), Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Enough Said), Meryl Streep (August Osage County)
Will win: Amy Adams
Should win: Meryl Streep
spoiler: Meryl Streep

Best Supporting Actor:
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Will & Should win: Jared Leto
Spoiler: Daniel Bruhl

Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), Lupita Nyongo (12 Years a Slave), Julia Roberts (August Osage County), June Squibb (Nebraska)
Will & Should win: Lupita Nyongo
Spoiler: Jennifer Lawrence

Best Director:
Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity), Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips), Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), David O’Russell (American Hustle)
Will & Should win: Alfonso Cuaron
Spoiler: Steve McQueen

Best Screenplay:
American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, Her, Nebraska, Philomena,
Will win: American Hustle
Should win: 12 Years a Slave
Spoiler: Philomena

Best Score:
12 Years a Slave, All is Lost, The Book Thief, Gravity, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Will & Should win: 12 Years a Slave
Spoiler: Gravity

Best Animated Film:
The Croods, Frozen, Monster University
Will & Should win: Frozen

Best Original Song:
“Atlas”- Coldplay (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), “Let It Go” sung by Idina Menzel (Frozen), “Ordinary Love”- U2 (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), “Please Mr. Kennedy” (Inside Llewyn Davis), “Sweeter Than Fiction”- Taylor Swift (One Chance)
Will & Should win: “Let It Go”
Spoiler: “Ordinary Love”

TV~

Drama Series:
Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, House of Cards, Masters of Sex
Will win: House of Cards
Should win: Breaking Bad/The Good Wife
Spoiler: The Good Wife

Actor Drama Series:
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Liev Schriber (Ray Donovan), Michael Sheen (Masters of Sex), Kevin Spacey (House of Cards), James Spader (The Blacklist)
Will & Should win: Bryan Cranston
Spoiler: Kevin Spacey

Actress Drama Series:
Juliana Marguiles (The Good Wife), Tatiana Maslaney (Orphan Black), Taylor Schilling (Orange is the New Black), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Robin Wright (House of Cards)
Will win: Kerry Washington
Should win: Robin Wright
Spoiler: Juliana Marguiles

Comedy/Musical Series:
The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Girls, Modern Family, Parks & Recreation
Will win: Girls (vomit!)
Should win: Modern Family
Spoiler: Parks & Recreation

Actor Comedy/Musical:
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Don Cheadle (House of Lies), Michael J. Fox (The Michael J. Fox Show), Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Will win: Michael J. Fox
Should win: Jim Parsons
Spoiler: Andy Samberg

Actress Comedy/Musical:
Zooey Deschanel (New Girl), Edie Falco (Nurse Jackie), Lena Dunham (Girls), Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Veep), Amy Poehler (Parks & Recreation)
Will & Should win: Julia Louis-Dreyfuss
Spoiler: Amy Poehler

TV Movie/Miniseries:
American Horror Story: Coven, Behind the Candelabra, Dancing on the Edge, Top of the Lake, The White Queen
Will & Should win: Behind the Candelabra

Actor TV Movie/Miniseries:
Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra), Michael Douglas (Behind the Candelabra), Chewitel Ejiofor (Dancing on the Edge), Idris Elba (Luther), Al Pacino (Phil Spector)
Will & Should win: Michael Douglas
Spoiler: Idris Elba

Actress TV Movie/Miniseries:
Helena Bonham Carter (Burton & Taylor), Rebecca Ferguson (The White Queen), Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Coven), Elizabeth Moss (Top of the Lake), Helen Mirren (Phil Spector)
Will & Should win: Jessica Lange
Spoiler: Elizabeth Moss

Supporting Actor TV Movie/Miniseries, Drama, Comedy Series:
Josh Charles (The Good Wife), Rob Lowe (Behind the Candelabra), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Jon Voight (Ray Donovan)
Will win: Aaron Paul
Should win: Corey Stoll
Spoiler: Josh Charles

Supporting Actress TV Movie/Miniseries, Drama, Comedy Series:
Jacqueline Bisset (Dancing on the Edge), Janet McTeer (The White Queen), Hayden Panittiere (Nashville), Monica Potter (Parenthood), Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Will win: Sofia Vergara
Should win: Hayden Panittiere (I know that might sound crazy, but seriously, she is so good on Nashville)
Spoiler: Janet McTeer
* those two TV Supporting categories are so all over the place that truly anyone can win.

So, there ya have it. My big Globe predictions. Do you agree? Am I crazy? Let me know below and enjoy the show!
J

My Top Films and Kudos for 2013

Hey everyone,

Again, sorry for the lack of posts. However, to make up for it, I promise to be better during this upcoming Awards Season. With that said, here are my top films and some kudos for the year in film 2013.

My Top 10 movies of 2013:
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. August Osage County
3. Philomena
4. Gravity
5. Dallas Buyers Club
6. Fruitvale Station
7. Blue Jasmine
8. Saving Mr. Banks
9. Captain Phillips
10. Frozen (yes, I’m kinda shocked it’s here too)

Honorable mention~ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Enough Said, The Great Gatsby

Best Documentary: Bridegroom
runner up: 20 Feet From Stardom
Best Comedy: The Heat
runner up: Enough Said
Biggest Tear Jerker: Philomena
runner up: Saving Mr Banks
* 12 Years a Slave easily much wins the most emotional film experience of the year by a landslide as well cuz yeah, I bawled watching that one.

Best Lead Male Performance: Chewitel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
runner up: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Lead Female Performance: TIE~ Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) & Meryl Streep (August Osage County)
Best Supporting Male: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
runner up: Chris Cooper (August Osage County)
Best Supporting Female: Lupita Nyongo (12 Years a Slave)
runner up: Julia Roberts (August Osage County)
Best Ensemble: August Osage County
runner up: 12 Years a Slave
Best Performances No One is Talking About: Idris Elba & Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)

Best Debut Film: Fruitvale Station
Best Song from a Movie: “Let It Go” (Frozen) sung by Idina Menzel

runner up: “Bleed for Love” (Winnie) sung by Jennifer Hudson

Best Hidden Gem: The Sapphires
Most Overrated Movie: American Hustle

Worst 5 Films I saw:
1. Stoker
2. Out of the Furnace
3. Nebraska
4. 2 Guns
5. Jack the Giant Slayer

* didn’t see all of Wolf of Wall Street yet (the showing was cancelled half way thru due to a sound issue)
** also haven’t seen Her

“Fast & Furious” is Ferocious at the Memorial Day Box Office

Many box office pundits expected a pretty close battle for the Memorial Day Box Office between high-profile sequels Fast & Furious 6 and The Hangover Part III. However, when the dust settled, Fast easily mowed over The Hangover and all of the competition with a franchise record opening of $120 million for its first four days. That easily eclipsed the rather underwhelming $51 million for Hangover which has tallied $$63 million since opening on Thursday. That total is about half of what the last sequel made in its opening weekend. Apparently, moviegoers really felt burned by the last installment and had much less inclination for one more round with those boys… Holding up well in third was the awesome Star Trek Into Darkness with another $47 million and $155 million to date. It beat out the new animated family film Epic with a decent debut of $42 million. Also still going strong were Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby and the Matthew McConaughey indie Mud… For more on all the numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here. Then, check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Fast & Furious 6 Uni. $120,019,000 – 3,658 – $32,810 $120,019,000 $160 1
2 N The Hangover Part III WB $51,215,000 – 3,555 – $14,406 $63,004,000 $103 1
3 1 Star Trek Into Darkness Par. $47,000,000 -33.0% 3,907 +39 $12,030 $155,827,000 $190 2
4 N Epic Fox $42,600,000 – 3,882 – $10,974 $42,600,000 $100 1
5 2 Iron Man 3 BV $24,351,000 -31.9% 3,424 -813 $7,112 $372,434,000 $200 4
6 3 The Great Gatsby (2013) WB $17,020,000 -28.9% 3,090 -460 $5,508 $117,747,000 $105 3
7 8 Mud RAtt. $2,427,000 +8.7% 712 -248 $3,409 $15,034,000 – 5
8 5 The Croods Fox $1,615,000 -46.6% 1,008 -1,365 $1,602 $179,638,000 $135 10
9 6 42 WB $1,607,000 -42.9% 915 -1,465 $1,756 $91,411,000 $40 7
10 7 Oblivion Uni. $1,093,000 -53.2% 572 -1,505 $1,911 $87,558,000 $120 6

“Zero Dark Thirty” and “Lincoln” Win Big with the New York Film Critics

This morning, the Oscar race really revved up with the first critics group naming their winners as the New York Film Critics Circle gave a boost to Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln with each film taking home three honors. Zero won Picture, Director (Kathryn Bigelow~ her second honor here following The Hurt Locker) and Cinematography while Lincoln took home Actor (Daniel Day Lewis~ his fifth win here), Supporting Actress (Sally Field~ her second win here after Norma Rae 33 years ago) and Screenplay (Tony Kushner). Two big surprises were found in the other acting categories as Rachel Weisz won Best Actress for the little seen The Deep Blue Sea and Matthew McConaughey was named Supporting Actor for both Bernie and Magic Mike. These kudos will give Weisz and McConaughey some much-needed buzz in their respective races as Weisz hasn’t been in much of the discussion of Oscar nominees this year and McConaughey’s category is very overcrowded…. For more on the NY Film Critics Circle, head here and check out all the winners below… Then, watch here all week as more critics groups and the National Board of Review weigh in with their best of 2012.

2012 New York Film Critics Circle Winners~

Picture: Zero Dark Thirty
Director: Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)
Actor: Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)
Actress: Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)
Supporting Actor: Matthew McConaughey (Bernie/Magic Mike)
Supporting Actress: Sally Field (Lincoln)
Screenplay: Tony Kushner (Lincoln)
Cinematography: Zero Dark Thirty
Foreign Film: Amour
Animated Film: Frankenweenie
Best First Film: How to Survive a Plague

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”, “Moonrise Kingdom” and “Silver Linings Playbook” Lead the Independent Spirit Award Nominations

As expected the wonderful and inventive film Beasts of the Southern Wild led this morning’s Independent Spirit Award nominations with four nods including Picture, Director and Actress for 9-year-old Quevanzhane Wallis. These nods will certainly help the films Oscar hopes, especially in Wallis’s case…. Also, grabbing several nominations were Moonrise Kingdom with five, the fascinating gay indie Keep the Lights On with three, Silver Linings Playbook with four, and Middle of Nowhere with four. Interestingly, Matthew McConaughey grabbed two nominations for Lead Actor (Killer Joe) and Supporting Actor (Magic Mike which, yes was made independently for only $7 million, but was distributed by Warner Brothers)… A special shout out to nominations for three of my favorite films this year: Gayby, How to Survive a Plague and The Perks of Being a Wallflower each with one nomination… A quick gripe though: several films and performers were ignored including the brilliant film Any Day Now and its star Alan Cumming plus where were the actors from Wallflower Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller and no Melanie Lynskey for Hello I Must Be Going…. So, who did make the list? Check out the nominees below and head to the Indie Spirit website here for more info on the show.

2012 Independent Spirit Award Nominees~

BEST FEATURE
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs, Keep the Lights On
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST SCREENPLAY
Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom
Zoe Kazan, Ruby Sparks
Martin McDonagh, Seven Psychopaths
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs, Keep the Lights On

BEST FIRST FEATURE
Fill the Void
Gimme the Loot
Safety Not Guaranteed
Sound of My Voice
The Perks of Being a Wallflower

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Rama Burshtein, Fill the Void
Derek Connolly, Safety Not Guaranteed
Christopher Ford, Robot & Frank
Rashida Jones & Will McCormack, Celeste and Jesse Forever
Jonathan Lisecki, Gayby

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.
Breakfast with Curtis
Middle of Nowhere
Mosquita y Mari
Starlet
The Color Wheel

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Linda Cardellini, Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smashed

BEST MALE LEAD
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Thure Lindhardt, Keep the Lights On
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce, Four

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister’s Sister
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Brit Marling, Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
David Oyelowo, Middle of Nowhere
Michael Péna, End of Watch
Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths
Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Yoni Brook, Valley of Saints
Lol Crawley, Here
Ben Richardson, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Roman Vasyanov, End of Watch
Robert Yeoman, Moonrise Kingdom

BEST DOCUMENTARY
How to Survive a Plague
Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present
The Central Park Five
The Invisible War
The Waiting Room

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Amour, Michael Haneke
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Rust And Bone, Jacques Audiard
Sister, Ursula Meier
War Witch, Kim Nguyen

16th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD
(includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget)
Nobody Walks, Alicia Van Couvering
Prince Avalanche, Derrick Tseng
Stones in the Sun, Mynette Louie

19th ANNUAL SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD
(includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant)
Pincus, David Fenster
Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon
Electrick Children, Rebecca Thomas

STELLA ARTOIS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD
(includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant)
Leviathan, Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel
The Waiting Room, Peter Nicks
Only the Young, Jason Tippet & Elizabeth Mims

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
(Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Starlet
Director: Sean Baker
Casting Director: Julia Kim
Ensemble Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Karren Karagulian, Stella Maeve, James Ransone

Dirty Teddy Bears and Strippers Rule the Box Office

Hollywood can finally breathe a little sight of relief as the summer box office got a much-needed jolt from some dirty strippers, a naughty teddy bear and a grumpy granny this weekend. Way over performing and landing a big $54 million opening was Universal’s raunchy Mark Wahlberg/Teddy bear comedy Ted. The movie held off the hottest cast  ever seen in film from a top spot debut as Magic Mike opened to a strong $39 million. That’s already a big profit for the $7 million picture starring It boy Channing Tatum and his hottie friends Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer, Adam Rodriguez and a delightfully devilish Matthew McConaughy. We’ll see how the latter film holds up in the weeks ahead as it was a very front-loaded box office weekend. (I, for one, was rather disappointed by the film which was like 4 different movies in one that never gelled. Mike wasn’t really funny or all that sexy and the dramatic indie feel to the second half of the movie didn’t work at all. Grade: C+) … But curiosity could keep it going strong thru the 5th of July holiday… Also opening well was Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection which took in his usual $26 million and Brave weathered the newcomers well with another $34 million… The big loser this weekend was the new Chris Pine/Elizabeth Banks dramedy  People Like Us (which I gave a “B” grade to) which tanked with only $4.3 million… For more on these numbers, head to Box Office Mojo here and check out the new top ten below.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #
1 N Ted Uni. $54,100,000 – 3,239 – $16,703 $54,100,000 $50 1
2 N Magic Mike WB $39,155,000 – 2,930 – $13,363 $39,155,000 $7 1
3 1 Brave BV $34,011,000 -48.7% 4,164 – $8,168 $131,685,000 $185 2
4 N Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection LGF $26,350,000 – 2,161 – $12,193 $26,350,000 $20 1
5 2 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted P/DW $11,815,000 -40.1% 3,715 -205 $3,180 $180,012,000 $145 4
6 3 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Fox $6,000,000 -63.2% 3,109 +1 $1,930 $29,034,000 $69 2
7 4 Prometheus Fox $4,925,000 -50.3% 1,951 -911 $2,524 $118,262,000 $130 4
8 11 Moonrise Kingdom Focus $4,873,000 +43.6% 854 +459 $5,706 $18,406,000 $16 6
9 5 Snow White and the Huntsman Uni. $4,405,000 -45.5% 2,337 -582 $1,885 $145,591,000 $170 5
10 N People Like Us BV $4,306,000 – 2,055 – $2,095 $4,306,000 $16 1