Awards Season 2008

[swo17]

Does anybody know why there are only three song nominees, when there are usually five?

There have been five nominees for as long as I can recall, though in the past couple years, most of the nominees have been from the same film (i.e. Dreamgirls, Enchanted), which then lost to some other song that wasn't susceptible to vote splitting. I know they changed the rules this last year to limit the number of songs from any one film. I guess they figured that, given that caveat, it would be too hard to still come up with five songs each year. Though if you ask me, they might be on to something there. In the past ten years or so, I can only think of a couple nominated songs that haven't made me want to vomit.

[colinr0380]

I'm not all that surprised that one the few truly original sounding films of the last year, Synecdoche, New York, has not made an appearance. Perhaps Phillip Seymour Hoffman's nomination for Doubt could also stand for that film?

Has any other director ever been nominated for his first three films?

I was going to say Laurence Olivier but he was only nominated for Best Actor for Richard III and received an Honorary Award for Direction for Henry V instead of duking it out in nominations (the official Best Director of that year was William Wyler).

Of course Sam Mendes was close to beating Daldry to the hat trick until Jarhead scuppered those plans.

...but Billy Elliot and, especially, The Hours were remarkably turgid affairs, strangely cold for their implied emotional intensity.

I agree on Billy Elliot (I think the coda destroyed the good will I had towards that film) but I did like The Hours. If you found it strangely cold can I direct you towards the Adam Buxton and Joe Cornish music video for the film, which you might prefer?

[Dylan]

Does anybody know why there are only three song nominees, when there are usually five?

There have been five nominees for as long as I can recall, though in the past couple years, most of the nominees have been from the same film (i.e. Dreamgirls, Enchanted), which then lost to some other song that wasn't susceptible to vote splitting. I know they changed the rules this last year to limit the number of songs from any one film. I guess they figured that, given that caveat, it would be too hard to still come up with five songs each year. Though if you ask me, they might be on to something there. In the past ten years or so, I can only think of a couple nominated songs that haven't made me want to vomit.

I just looked through the entire list of Best Song winners, and they all make perfect sense to me from 1935, when the category was introduced, and "The Continental" from "The Gay Divorcee" won, or 1938 when there were 10 songs nominated and "Thanks For the Memories" won, or 1939 with "Over the Rainbow," or 1940 with "When You Wish Upon a Star" or 1942 with "White Christmas," or 1944, "Swinging on a Star," etc. This keeps going right up through the 1980s and into the early 1990s - the Best Song was generally good, and represented the year very well. Like "Moon River" for 1961 or "Windmills of Your Mind" in 1968. But the Best Songs of the last 10-20 years no longer seem like the year's best song, nor do they even seem representative of the year.

[foliagecop]

And while we're on the subject of movie songs and Joe Cornish, what about this? Possibly the best spoof song ever written about The Shining. And a lock for Best Original Song. In any year.

[reno dakota]

Does anybody know why there are only three song nominees, when there are usually five?

Here are the relevant sections of the Academy's eligibility requirements in the Original Song category:

In the Original Song category, Music Branch members shall meet to screen clips of the eligible songs and vote on the achievements. A DVD copy of the song clips will be made available to those Branch members who are unable to attend the screening and who request it for home viewing. Voting shall be conducted as follows:
Nominations will be determined by an averaged point system of voting using 10, 9.5, 9, 8.5, 8, 7.5, 7, 6.5 or 6. Only those songs receiving an average score of 8.25 or more shall be eligible for nomination. There may not be more than five nor fewer than three nominations.

Members who attend the song nomination screening will vote at that time. Those who receive the DVD will vote by mail ballot. Those members who have a song in contention for the nomination are not eligible to participate.

Only two songs may be nominated from any one film. If more than two songs from one film are in contention, the two songs with the most votes will be the nominees.
If there are 25 or fewer qualified works submitted in any category, the Music Branch Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that nominations be limited to three. If there are nine or fewer qualifying works submitted in any category, the Executive Committee may recommend to the Board of Governors that no award be given in that category for the current year.

So, I suppose there were either 25 or fewer qualifying songs submitted, or the voters rated all the other contenders below 8.25.

[RodneyOz]

Elsewhere it's been claimed that only songs that are 'exclusive' to the film are eligible and that because the Bruce Springsteen song is included on his new album it's no longer solely associated with 'The Wrestler' and thus not eligible. I'm too depressed by the rest of the nominations (no Sally Hawkins, The Reader, etc.) to look up the eligibility part of the Academy regulations.

Which leaves three songs, two of which are from Slumdog Millionaire and which will thus split the vote. Jeez.

[CSM126]

WORST SCREEN COUPLE
Uwe Boll & any actor, camera or screenplay

I laughed till I cried when I read that.

[Jeff]

Elsewhere it's been claimed that only songs that are 'exclusive' to the film are eligible and that because the Bruce Springsteen song is included on his new album it's no longer solely associated with 'The Wrestler' and thus not eligible.

I suppose there were either 25 or fewer qualifying songs submitted, or the voters rated all the other contenders below 8.25.

There were 49 songs declared eligible by the Academy. Springsteen's "The Wrestler" was among them. No telling what happened.

[Matt]

Well, despite Bruce's confounding snub, how awesome would it be to see M.I.A. win an Oscar? Almost as awesome as seeing Three 6 Mafia win one.

[Barmy]

Maybe BS's song for The Wrestler was boring BS-by-numbers tosh? Just a thot.

[lacritfan]

Biggest disappointment Jenny Lumet...

[domino harvey]

Variety explains how Oscar voting works

Scott and Denby trash this year's Oscar noms on Charlie Rose

[Noiretirc]

Oscars.

LOL.

[Antoine Doinel]

A Hollywood PR agent looks to end her career by suing AOL Time Warner, Time Inc., In Style Magazine, Tom Ford Design, American Turf and Carpet and L.A.'s Beverly Hilton Hotel because she tripped on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.

[arsonfilms]

A Hollywood PR agent looks to end her career by suing AOL Time Warner, Time Inc., In Style Magazine, Tom Ford Design, American Turf and Carpet and L.A.'s Beverly Hilton Hotel because she tripped on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.

This seems like a sort of cross between russian roulette and the lottery. If she wins, she could potentially retire on her winnings, but is she loses...

Well, I certainly wouldn't hire a PR disaster like her to do my PR.

[FerdinandGriffon]

Scott and Denby trash this year's Oscar noms on Charlie Rose

Denby comes off as the stuffy little prat he is (what was that nonsense about artificial conceits making it impossible to have "deep insights into human nature"? Now I almost want to see Benjamin Button.), but Scott had some interesting things to say, even if I don't often agree with his taste either. It was a very mediocre year, but I'm a little surprised by how effectively both the Academy and the critics (Denby and Scott included) have managed to avoid highlighting the few gems.

[RagingNoodles]

Anybody think that the Academy voters are going to resent Mickey Rourke for taking a huge payday and working a match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXV? Rourke was already cutting promos about this multiple times on Sunday and Jericho has already started promoting it himself. Would they really hold it against him, even though it takes nothing away from his performance?

[Matt]

Maybe they'll go in the opposite direction and consider it total immersion in and devotion to his role.

[Barmy]

Penn has some work to do. He is losing momentum.

[Antoine Doinel]

So Baz is going to produce the opening number for Hugh Jackman for the Oscars.

[Fiery Angel]

Penn has some work to do. He is losing momentum.

Maybe he'll wrestle Rourke?

[Murdoch]

I just looked over the oscar noms again and apparently I missed Downey Jr's for Tropic Thunder?!?! WTF!

[domino harvey]

That wasn't even remotely a surprise

[Cold Bishop]

Anybody think that the Academy voters are going to resent Mickey Rourke for taking a huge payday and working a match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXV? Rourke was already cutting promos about this multiple times on Sunday and Jericho has already started promoting it himself. Would they really hold it against him, even though it takes nothing away from his performance?

Are we sure about how final this is? The Jericho segment of the interview on Larry King was embarrassingly awkward, since both of them were obviously not on the same wavelength as far as the "work" went, and he later went on to talk about wrestling as the sort of crazy thing he can't afford to do anymore.

He's also mentioned he's working with Walter Hill (!) on something which is fantastic news for both of them.

[RagingNoodles]

Anybody think that the Academy voters are going to resent Mickey Rourke for taking a huge payday and working a match with Chris Jericho at WrestleMania XXV? Rourke was already cutting promos about this multiple times on Sunday and Jericho has already started promoting it himself. Would they really hold it against him, even though it takes nothing away from his performance?

Are we sure about how final this is? The Jericho segment of the interview on Larry King was embarrassingly awkward, since both of them were obviously not on the same wavelength as far as the "work" went, and he later went on to talk about wrestling as the sort of crazy thing he can't afford to do anymore.

What I'm assuming is that this was supposed to be the start of the angle (Jericho calling him out on just playing a wrestler and not actually being one and Rourke taking the "high road") but maybe on Sunday Rourke spilled the beans by saying he was going to be there at WrestleMania. It was awkward, but Jericho was obviously playing his current heel role and Rourke was doing his humble babyface routine talking about how much respect he has for pro wrestling. It was odd in the sense that it doesn't fit in with what Rourke said on Sunday, but I can't imagine Vince McMahon featuring Darren Aronofsky and Mickey Rourke interviews on his TV shows if he is not planning on making some huge money off it by using Rourke's comeback to increase the PPV buyrate for 'Mania. I mean, from what's leaked out Vince HATED the movie but if he could find a way to profit off it, he will. Even if he doesn't do a match, I imagine him being somehow involved at 'Mania.

I actually think it's awesome if Rourke does decide to do this since it's pretty ballsy thing to do and Jericho is an excellent experienced craftsman that can carry Rourke to something memorable.