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17 articles
Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #6: “Fell In Love With” Taraji P. Henson, “Turned Off” ’20th Century Women’
26 February 2017 2:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by: Christopher Patey)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
An anonymous member of the directors branch shares Oscar picks.
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders. Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions.
It’s not a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
For Brutally Honest Ballot #5, below, here are the views of a member of the 473-member directors branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Read the rest of this entry…
»
- Carson Blackwelder
Brutally Honest Ballot #5: “Loved Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling Together,” “Gimme a Break” About ‘Arrival’
25 February 2017 4:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by: Kyle Metcalf)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
An anonymous member of the actors branch shares Oscar picks.
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders. Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions.
It’s not a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
For Brutally Honest Ballot #5, below, here are the views of a member of the 1,158-member actors branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Read the rest of this entry…
»
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: Is There a Correlation Between Ceremony Runtime and TV Ratings?
25 February 2017 6:00 AM, PST
Jimmy Kimmel (Courtesy: ABC/Jeff Lipsky)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The time has arrived: the 89th Academy Awards will occur tomorrow, February 26, and we’ll finally know which films and which stars will take home those coveted statues. This is one of the most talked-about events on TV each year but, while everyone is excited for the spectacle and excitement of it all, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t garner critics. Before you go complaining about the show, let’s educate you on some statistics.
With Jimmy Kimmel hosting the show on ABC — at 8 p.m. Et and 5 p.m. Pt, of course — we know we’re all in for quite the entertaining three-plus hours of glitz and glamour. It’s almost certain that La La Land will dominate the awards and it’s almost a given that a ton of people will utter Donald Trump’s name in some way. »
- Carson Blackwelder
Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #4: ‘Moonlight’ “Everything I Think An Oscar Picture Should Be,” ‘La La Land’ “A Piece of Shit”
24 February 2017 8:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by: Skip Sterling)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders. Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions.
It’s not a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
For Brutally Honest Ballot #4, below, here are the views of a member of the 468-member executives branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Read the rest of this entry…
»
- Carson Blackwelder
Publicists Awards: ‘Deadpool’ Hailed As Best PR Campaign, Nanci Ryder Gets Massive Ovation
24 February 2017 7:30 PM, PST
Nanci Ryder and Renee Zellweger at the Icg Publicists Awards (Courtesy: Mathew Imaging/WireImage)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
How did Deadpool, a subversive superhero movie made by Fox for just $58 million, gross an astounding $132 million on its opening weekend and, by the end of its theatrical run, $363 million domestically and $783 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2016? One reason was publicity and, accordingly, its PR campaign, orchestrated by 20th Century Fox was hailed with Maxwell Weinberg Publicist Showmanship Motion Picture Award, recognizing it as the year’s best in the film arena at the International Cinematographer’s Guild’s 54th annual Publicists Awards luncheon. NBC’s This Is Us won the equivalent TV honor.
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- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars 2017: Isabelle Huppert Could Become the Third-Oldest Best Actress Winner Ever
24 February 2017 6:00 AM, PST
Isabelle Huppert in ‘Elle’ (Courtesy: Sbs Productions)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
With the 89th Academy Awards right around the corner, it seems that the best actress category contains one of the tightest races with Emma Stone going head to head against Isabelle Huppert. While the La La Land ingénue is considered the favorite to take home the trophy, it’s the esteemed legend from Elle who would be the one making history. At 63 years of age — just shy of her 64th birthday — the French thespian would become the category’s third-oldest winner at the Oscars.
Come the night of the ceremony — this Sunday, February 26 — Huppert will be exactly 63 years, 11 months, and 10 days old. When looking at the history of the best actress category, there are only two other women who were older than this hypothetical outcome when they took home their statuettes: Katharine Hepburn and Jessica Tandy. Hepburn won »
- Carson Blackwelder
Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #3: Denzel Washington “Talks Too Much,” ‘La La Land’ “Transported Me”
23 February 2017 4:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by: James Steinberg)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
An anonymous member of the producers branch reveals Oscar picks.
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders. Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions.
It’s not a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
For Brutally Honest Ballot #3, below, here are the views of a member of the 504-member producers branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Read the rest of this entry…
»
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: How Well Do the Motion Picture Sound Editors Predict the Best Sound Editing Winner?
23 February 2017 6:00 AM, PST
‘La La Land’ and ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ (Courtesy: Lionsgate; Summit Entertainment)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The best sound editing category is going to be tough to call at this year’s Oscars, but the race is boiling down to Hacksaw Ridge versus La La Land. While we won’t know who won the Academy’s favor until Sunday, we already know the Motion Picture Sound Editors have honored these two films — among others — at their annual Golden Reel Awards. How often does this society of sound editors predict the corresponding category at the Academy Awards? Let’s take a look and find out.
Nominated alongside Hacksaw Ridge and La La Land in the best sound editing category at this year’s Oscars are Arrival, Sully, and Deepwater Horizon. The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg predicts that Damien Chazelle’s modern musical will take home the trophy by overtaking Mel Gibson’s big Hollywood return. »
- Carson Blackwelder
Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot #2: ‘La La Land’ “Felt a Little Light,” Barry Jenkins “Is Really a Poet”
22 February 2017 3:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by: Lars Leetaru)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
The anonymous views of a member of the public relations branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders. Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions.
It’s not a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
For Brutally Honest Ballot #2, below, here are the views of a member of the 389-member public relations branch who — this season, anyway — is not associated with any of the nominees.
Read the rest of this entry… »
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: How Well Do the Costume Designers Guild Awards Predict the Best Costume Design Winner?
22 February 2017 10:30 AM, PST
‘La La Land’ (Courtesy: Lionsgate)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The Costume Designers Guild honored three films across its three cinema-focused categories last night as Oscar voting came to a close: Mary Zophres for La La Land, Renee Ehrlich Kalfus for Hidden Figures, and Alexandra Byrne for Doctor Strange. With only Damien Chazelle’s modern musical of those three nominated in the best costume design category at the upcoming 89th Academy Awards, what are the chances that this film will ultimately go on to win this Sunday?
Nominees in the best costume design category at this year’s Oscars year include: Allied’s Joanna Johnson, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s Colleen Atwood, Florence Foster Jenkins’ Consolata Boyle, Jackie’s Madeline Fontaine, and La La Land’s Mary Zophres. As we creep ever closer to the big night, The Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg predicts that Fontaine — who »
- Carson Blackwelder
The World’s Busiest Oscar Has Traveled Over 3 Million Miles
22 February 2017 9:00 AM, PST
(Courtesy: Barry Morrow)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
Rain Man, the dramedy about a remarkable autistic man (Dustin Hoffman), was the big winner at the Oscars 28 years ago, claiming best picture, director (Barry Levinson), actor (Hoffman) and adapted screenplay, for which two statuettes were awarded: one to Barry Morrow, who wrote a script inspired by his friend Kim Peek, a “megasavant” he met after winning an Emmy for writing the 1981 TV movie Bill, another classic about a person with special needs; and the other to Ron Bass, who polished Morrow’s version.
Most Oscar winners proudly display their statuette where many will see it; Morrow has taken that to the extreme. He rarely has seen his in the years since Amy Irving and Richard Dreyfuss handed it to him — but it’s probably been more widely seen and held by others than any Oscar in history.
Read the rest of this entry… »
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscar Voter Reveals Her Brutally Honest Ballot: Meryl Streep “Like a Clown,” ‘La La Land’ “Not Memorable,” ‘Arrival’ “Just Sucked”
21 February 2017 10:00 PM, PST
(Illustration by Kyle Metcalf)
By: Anonymous, as told to Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
An Academy voter makes her case for ‘Hell or High Water’ (“It will be remembered as a true American classic”), says Emma Stone wasn’t “as wonderful as people are saying,” and explains why Viola Davis is in the wrong category (“That really irks me”).
Each year around this time, I sit down with several Oscar voters who, under the warm cloak of anonymity, spill their true feelings about the current season’s crop of contenders.
Not just what or whom they voted for, but exactly why and how they came to those decisions. It’s not meant to be a scientific survey; it’s just the candid, unsugarcoated opinions of a handful of members (out of 6,687) of the most important and powerful movie club in the world.
Below is an edited transcript of one such »
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: How Well Do the Cinema Audio Society Awards Predict the Best Sound Mixing Winner?
21 February 2017 3:30 PM, PST
‘La La Land’ (Courtesy: Lionsgate)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
La La Land recently took home the top honors at the Cinema Audio Society Awards — but does that mean the best sound mixing Oscar is in the bag? After all, shouldn’t the folks who know make their career in sound mixing be the best ones to determine which film should ultimately go on to win at the subsequent Academy Awards? You might think so, but here’s a dive into why that’s not necessarily so.
The films nominated alongside Damien Chazelle’s modern musical in the best sound mixing category include Arrival, Hacksaw Ridge, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. Upon first look, you might recognize that La La Land doesn’t exactly fit in with these other films, as most of them are in the war genre. Hacksaw Ridge is set during World War II, »
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: Listen to ‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast Episodes With 22 Nominees
21 February 2017 12:30 PM, PST
(Courtesy: Photofest)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
One of the great joys of my job at The Hollywood Reporter is getting to host our “Awards Chatter” podcast, for which I conduct in-depth interviews with awards hopefuls about their lives, careers and awards-contending work. Many of my recent guests are up for Oscars on Sunday night, while several others were integrally involved with films that received noms. Below is a listing of their names and links to those conversations, in case you would like to check them out. And you also can click here to subscribe — for free — to the podcast, providing you with access to all of our past episodes and alerts about future ones.
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- Carson Blackwelder
‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast — Kevin O’Connell (‘Hacksaw Ridge’)
21 February 2017 11:00 AM, PST
Kevin O’Connell (Courtesy: Getty Images)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
“I’ve never been more appreciative, humbled and just overall excited about the fact that I’ve been nominated,” says Hacksaw Ridge sound mixer Kevin O’Connell of his 21st Oscar nomination — which he shares with Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie and Andy Wright — as we sit down at The Hollywood Reporter to record an episode of THR‘s ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast. “I don’t want to say I took it for granted in the past, but I certainly don’t take it for granted anymore.”
O’Connell, 59, has worked in Hollywood for nearly 40 years, and is one of the most respected practitioners of his craft. But he is best known for a dubious distinction: in Oscar history, no person has accumulated more nominations without ever winning. His noms span 33 years, from 1983’s Terms of Endearment through Mel Gibson‘s 2016 war film, »
- Carson Blackwelder
‘Awards Chatter’ Podcast — Damien Chazelle (‘La La Land’)
20 February 2017 4:00 PM, PST
Damien Chazelle (Courtesy: Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images for AFI)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
“People want something that’s different than everything else that’s out there,” says Damien Chazelle, the writer and director of the massively acclaimed original musical La La Land, as we sit down at The Hollywood Reporter to record an episode of the ‘Awards Chatter’ podcast and try to get to the root of the phenomenal success of the film. Indeed, Chazelle’s bold third feature is beloved by critics (it has a 93% favorable rating on RottenTomatoes.com), audiences (it has grossed more than $340 million worldwide) and Academy members (it has been nominated for a record-tying 14 Oscars). The 32-year-old himself is Oscar-nominated for best director and best original screenplay, and if he wins the former, as is widely expected, he will break an 85-year-old record and become the category’s youngest winner ever.
“It was »
- Carson Blackwelder
Oscars: Contenders Make Closing Arguments Throughout Stressed-Out City of Stars
20 February 2017 12:00 PM, PST
(Courtesy: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty)
By: Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter
I keep above my desk an article with the headline: “Stars become cooperative as Oscar fever strikes.” It was published in 1961, but it is truer than ever today, as I was reminded this weekend. The 89th Oscars ceremony still is a week away, but ballots are due by 5 p.m. Pt on Tuesday, and several categories still are too close to call, all of which explains why some very big names are showing up in some unexpected places during this homestretch.
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- Carson Blackwelder
17 articles