And we're into the final stretch. The nominees for the 2012 Academy Awards (now hosted again by Billy Crystal, not Eddie Murphy) are out! And they are, well, you'll see.
Oscar Nominees Are In: Hugo Leads With 11 And Jonah Hill Has 1!
Mean Old Man Says PS 22 Kids Were "The Worst" At Oscars
You know how all of America is love with the PS 22 kids from Staten Island? Enter Bravo's soulless Andy Cohen, who appeared on MSNBC's Morning Joe show today where he took the 10-year-olds down a notch. His biting commentary can be seen and heard below (starting around the 3:30 mark), in which he declared:
The Oscars Snub Corey Haim And Others
Last night the annual In Memorium segment of the Oscars failed to mention a few names (last year they snubbed Brad Renfro, Farrah Fawcett, and Bea Arthur!). This year the "forgotten" few included composer John Barry, Oscar-nominated Don Peterman (cinematographer for Splash, and many others), CAA agent Marty Baum, French filmmaker and screenwriter Eric Rohmer, Maria Schneider of Last Tango in Paris, Monica Johnson (co-writer for many Albert Brooks films), Len Lesser, and Corey Haim (Canada is particularly pissed off about this). Who else did the Academy intentionally (or unintentionally) forget to include this year?
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards Happened!
Tonight's 83rd Annual Academy Awards spread the love around when it came to its awards. While The King's Speech, which had 12 nominations, took home the big awards (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director) it didn't sweep the field (not that its victory wasn't a homecoming for the film's producer Harvey Weinstein). The Fighter took home both of the Supporting acting awards, and The Social Network took home statues for Adapted Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin) and Original Score (how much fun is it that we can now type "Trent Reznor, Academy Award Winner?"). And Natalie Portman's role in Black Swan earned her a Best Actress statue. And at three hours and ten-odd minutes, the show wasn't even that long.
The Oscars Are Here
The 83rd Annual Academy Awards will be starting shortly, and we'll be getting some photos together of the red carpet arrivals (so check back here if you want to see the best and the worst). Host James Franco (who is sharing his duties tonight with Anne Hathaway) says he'll be Tweeting from the event, and just posted this message from his suite:
Old Oscars In NYC
Think all of the Oscars are in Los Angeles? Think again. There are two on public display right here in New York City. According to the NYPL's blog, two Oscars can be found in the Billy Rose Theatre Division at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. "The Oscars belonged to actors Burl Ives and Paul Muni—Muni won his for Best Actor in 1937’s The Story of Louis Pasteur and Ives won in 1959 for Best Supporting Actor in The Big Country. Both were donated by the families of the actors.
Oscar Hosts Now Appealing To Cat People, Nerds
New photos of our Oscar hosts have popped up this week, the most recent of James Franco—which he Twittered earlier today—napping with cats. We never really thought of Francophiles as cat people, so maybe this is all part of a plan by our Oscars hosts to appeal to a new demographic and achieve world domination (or at least bring the awards show high ratings)?
Six Fun NYC Oscar Parties
We know it might be hard to wrench you away from the chip and dip you had planned for Oscar night on Sunday, but heckling celebrities' fashion choices is best as a group activity, and often comes with cheap drinks. So click through for our guide to the city's best Oscar parties, ranging from glamorous dinners to silly contests and trivia. And we're pretty sure swooning over James Franco (or Anne Hathaway, however you roll) will be happening no matter where you go.
2011 Oscar Nominees Are In, King's Speech Leads With 12
BOOM! With the announcement of nominees today, the Oscar race is on. And who is up to take a gold statue home at the 83rd Academy Awards on Sunday, February 27? For Best Picture the 10 nominees (we're still not used to that number) are Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit and Winter's Bone.
Stars Put On Their Oscar Finery For Inevitable Criticism
The Oscars unfolded pretty much as everyone expected (okay, maybe not in the best foreign language film category), which leaves everyone to talk about the fashion. E! will be airings its Fashion Police show tonight at 10 p.m., but if you wanted a preview of the snark, Joan Rivers was tweeting things like "The red carpet arrivals have begun. Watch Mariah Carey!!! OMG!! She spent 75.00 for a Brazilian wax and dying to show it off!" "Tina Fey looks like she's going to a Hadassah fundraiser" and "Miley Cyrus and her mother offend white trash."
Oscars 2010: Remembering John Hughes And More
LAist is liveblogging the Oscars, but a couple notes: Neil Patrick Harris did a Vegas style show number to kick things off—perhaps the producers wanted him to add some magic, given his great work as host of the Tonys and Emmys.... Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have a great rapport, cracking wise and throwing zingers out. It was cute that Martin referenced The Jerk—Gabourey Sidibe and her mom got a kick out of that (they love The Jerk).
Oscars 2009: Perfect for Commie, Homo-Lovin' Sons of Guns
Last night, any attempts to revamp the Oscars into a sleeker production were foiled by the telecast's 3 hours and 30 minute running time. Sure, some of the show's pace seemed faster, but other decisions, like the five previous acting Oscar recipients presenting the acting awards helped draw out the evening (the NY Times' TV critic Alessandra Stanley said it "looked a little grim, less a movie-star moment than a Star Chamber"). However, there were some gratifying moments:
Video of the Day: Early 20th Century Traffic in "Speedy"
"Speedy," starring Harold Lloyd as a less-than-safe NYC driver, was released in 1928 and illustrates how New Yorkers gained their reputation as being somewhat reckless. The above clip features Babe Ruth himself requesting Lloyd the cabbie to get him to Yankee stadium in a hurry, and then soon regretting it as Speedy is more interested in chatting up his sports idol than keeping his eyes on the road.
Oscar Night 2008: Liveblogging the Academy Awards
At 8:30PM (following a half-hour red carpet special), the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony will begin, finally putting an end to the "There Will Be Oscar" or "Oscar Country for Old Men" type headlines.
The Oscars Are Coming!
The Oscars are in town! Well, at least some 8-foot Oscar statues for the official New York Oscar night celebration at the Carlyle hotel, where east coast industry folk will come together Sunday night as the show goes down in Hollywood.
Oscar Loves Michael Clayton, Blood, Old Men, Juno
- Perhaps the big surprise (besides Juno getting nominated for Best Director and Best Picture) was Ruby Dee for her work in American Gangster (its only other nomination was for art direction)
Late Night Returns, Writer-less
After Letterman announced his show's comeback with new episodes, writers' strike or no writers' strike, the leaders of late night all followed suit.
No Country For Old Critics
The New York Film Critics Circle met yesterday to vote on their “Best of” list for 2007; widely viewed as a barometer for the upcoming Academy Awards, the critics pride themselves as “a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring esthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures.” But if one anonymous member is to be believed, the meeting sounds more like a “principled” excuse for an Aint It Cool News-style...
Joel Siegel, 1943-2007
Joel Siegel, perhaps best known as Good Morning America's film critic (a program he was on weekly since 1981), died yesterday in New York at the age of 63. Siegel had been battling colon cancer, though many didn't even know he was sick as he stayed positive until the end and kept working until just two weeks ago.
Open Wide for Some Theater Awards!
If you detected a frisson of fabulous excitement scorching the air this morning, it’s because the 61st annual Tony award nominations were announced! (For those who may not fathom the awesome significance of the Tonys, the awards are the Broadway theater world equivalent of the Oscars and named for Antoinette Perry, an actress, director, producer and who passed away prior to the first award show in 1947.)
Times Weddings By The Numbers
It's a holiday weekend for the NY Times Weddings Announcements!
The Cinecultist's Weekly Movie Pick: Twinkle Toes Edition
Blades of Glory (directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon): "Will Ferrell the Serious Actor" is a good thing, but oh how we adore "Will Ferrell the Clown." The off-kilter mannerisms, the flamboyant costumes and the tendency to flash his hairy belly for cheap laughs are hallmarks of a great Will Ferrell movie and they're all there in his newest, the figure skating spoof Blades of Glory. Ferrell plays Chazz Michael Michaels, otherwise known as "sex on skates," who ties the single men's skating world championships with the effete, former child prodigy, Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder). The two rival skaters get into a tussle on the podium and get tossed out of skating for good. However, a loophole pointed out by Jimmy's stalker persuades Chazz and Jimmy to get back on the ice, this time as the first men's skating pair. The premise is slight to say the least, but all the better for giving screen time to mercilessly mocking the over-the-top world of skating. Practically every skating great either has a cameo (see Ferrell ogling Nancy Kerrigan's butt) or a reference in the script (we learn Oksana Baiul is as cold in bed as she is on the ice). Plus the film is filled with instantly quotable supporting performances.
Noteworthy Television This Week: Oscar at the Head End
A look at some noteworthy televison shows this week:
2006's Top Movies
Okay, so it's been 2007 for the last four days but since everyone's doing it from the critics circles to the awards nominating pools, it seemed worth it to weigh in on last year's movies. However, constructing end of the year top ten lists can be both painful and thrilling. Looking at a long list of the year's movie releases reminds you how many films passed you by in the theaters and playing favorites amongst the pool is never easy. It's much more fun to look at a top 10 and what various moviemakers from around the world have churned out in the last 12 months as glass half full. In the midst of the dreck of horrible new releases are some very bright spots, and here are 10 of our personal highlights.
Essentially Woody Series at Film Forum
If you count yourself as a New Yorker and a movie lover, it's tough to not have a special affinity for films by Woody Allen. Practically the filmmaker laureate of the city, Allen's prolific 40 plus year career is getting a three week long screening series at Film Forum starting this Friday. Gothamist loves Allen's movies (both the highs and the lows) so much that we thought we'd chat with an Allen expert, Queens College professor Bob Kapsis, about how to plan our screening calendar during "Essentially Woody."
Movie Awards Buzz Has Begun
It's December today and you know what that means...let the rampant awards season speculation commence! As the year comes to a close, it's that magical time when all of the movie studios begin unloading their most precious commodities into our theaters, making sure things come out in New York (and LA) before Dec. 31 so they'll be eligible for this year's Academy Awards. But of course, we're still weeks away from any nomination announcements for the Oscars. Heck, even the Golden Globes noms are still but a fantasy of a date marked with a big red X on the calendar. (Okay, fine they'll be broadcast on December 14th. It's closer than it seems.)
Robert Altman, 1925-2006
Robert Altman, maverick film director, died on Monday night in Los Angeles. He was 81 years old.
Looking Into the Crystal Ball for the Oscars
As Jon Stewart takes to the stage this Sunday at 8 pm to host the 78th Annual Academy Awards, the movie-lovin' Gothamist will be watching with eager anticipation from our couch. The spectacle, the glamour, the bad musical numbers and cheesy memorial montages -- we love it all. In fact, Gothamist (ie. Jen Chung and movie correspondent Karen Wilson) will be live blogging the ceremony but in the meantime, here's a few predictions for the winners:

