Post by avalon on Dec 8, 2007 10:23:44 GMT 9.5
Notes on a Season
Source:The Envelop
Clooney, Travolta and Depp decorate Tinseltown
Only in December does Harvey Weinstein say, "Thank God for the critics."
By Pete Hammond
December 6, 2007
Oscar and holiday season merriment are converging all over Hollywood this week with parties honoring the filmmakers and casts of prestige pics such as "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "Hairspray," to name just four.
Not to mention Johnny Depp and Tim Burton – the newly minted National Board of Review best director – who blew into L.A. for a one-day "Sweeney Todd" press stop and Paramount event Wednesday.
The town is abuzz with Oscar talk.
The "Clayton" event Tuesday night at Il Cielo brought out so many Oscar bloggers that it must have been awfully lonely in cyberspace during the bash.
About-to-be NBR best-actor winner George Clooney held court with a revolving group of journos talking politics, movies and strike. (He thinks it's going to be a long one, maybe even backing straight into an actors strike next summer and perhaps lasting a year – ouch.)
Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, writer-director Tony Gilroy and hordes of Warner honchos also showed up to demonstrate support for the negative pickup produced independently for $21 million. (Clooney kidded that the figure also included his normal $20 mil.) They clearly hope, awards-wise, that "Clayton" is the little adult movie that could this season.
Not too far away, "Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron invited us to "celebrate the holiday season" at Zadan's festively decorated Hollywood Hills home.
Zadan said he has long wanted to a Christmas party, and with all the profits from his and Meron's musical smash, it was no problem. A starry group (with nary a blogger in sight) turned out to party and wallow in their two favorite seasons – holiday and awards (at least judging by some of the talk).
Guests included much of the "Hairspray" cast and crew – John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Allison Janney, director Adam Shankman – as well as Barbra Streisand, James Brolin, Sharon Stone, Laura Dern, Peter Bogdanovich, John Stamos, Nia Vardalos, David Foster, Mike Medavoy, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Shirley Jones, Rita Wilson and Diane Warren.
Travolta in particular had a hard time moving away from the entrance as guest after guest cornered him to praise his risky work in his first musical in 30 years.
(Earlier in the day, the actor, who played 300-pound Edna Turnblad in the movie, became the first man ever to give a keynote speech at the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment breakfast.)
One wag pointed out what a strange turn of events it would be if Cate Blanchett won a best supporting actress Oscar for playing a man in "I'm Not There" and Travolta picked up a supporting actor statuette for playing a woman.
Both Tracy Turnblads were also at the gathering: Broadway's Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur and the movie version's discovery, Nikki Blonsky.
Blonsky was pressed into a mini "Hairspray" concert around the piano, singing "Good Morning Baltimore" and "Welcome to the Sixties" with the impromptu musical help of the movie's composer, Marc Shaiman.
Despite the debilitating writers strike, Hollywood clearly still needs to party, especially in a season so wide open that even the longest shots seem to have visions of Oscars dancing in their heads.
Of course, with yesterday's NBR awards, which named as best film the Coen brothers' critical fave, "No Country for Old Men," things were racheted up a little more and the race began to narrow.
Starting this weekend, we'll have almost daily award announcements from one group or another, beginning with the L.A. Film Critics on Sunday, the N.Y. Film Critics on Monday, the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. on Tuesday, the Chicago Film Critics Assn. on Wednesday, the Golden Globe noms Thursday and on and on and on.
Studios and distributors trying to grab on to even anounce of glory will blast these critical honors all over their ads in an effort to convince Academy voters their movie is the inevitable choice.
Eager to get the ball rolling for "Into the Wild," Paramount Vantage took out a full-page color ad in The Times last Friday boldly trumpeting in gold lettering its BEST PICTURE victory at the relatively obscure Gotham Awards. You'd have thought they'd just won an Oscar!
Soon we'll be receiving pronouncements from the likes of critics groups in central Ohio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Boston, Florida, South Florida, Kansas City, Phoenix, San Diego, Vancouver and all points in between. Last year, even a cobbled-together organization of bloggers who specialized in Oscar predictions started giving out awards themselves!
Now, in addition to all the formalized voting groups, we have numerous sites (including theenvelope.com) and individual bloggers contributing to the din or trying to influence or call the race in one way or another. There are this site's Buzzmeter voters, nymag.com's Culture Vulture Oscar charts, Gurus of Gold, Sultans of Bling, etc. In the end, does any of it matter in getting the attention of the Academy?
Kick-starter NBR is a bit of a mystery, made up mostly of older non-pro film lovers who've managed to snag membership to a group that offers free films and Q&As.
Certainly the Golden Globes -- with its long history and perfect timing -- has influence.
Some of the major critics groups could also have a strong influence if a consensus develops, as it did last year when Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker won everything in sight and became slam-dunks for the Oscars.
At the very least, success on the pre-Oscar circuit can force the average Academy member to pop in the DVD of a film or performance that the critics groups are salivating over.
The Broadcast Critics Assn., which was the first group to name "The Departed" best picture last year, has also mirrored the Academy very closely in its acting nominees, matching 37 out of 40 in the last two years. In fact, many groups like to tout their importance by comparing their track record with that of the Oscars.
But where is the real impact in of all of this?
"It all matters if there is unified agreement on something," said one top awards consultant. "If it's bickering, it's just a loud buzz to people who actually vote."
Many believe Harvey Weinstein, founder and former co-chair of Miramax, created the modern template for a successful Oscar campaign, and that certainly includes the pre-awards.
"Everything depends on everything. Sometimes you have a movie like 'My Left Foot,' which won New York and several other critics awards and marched itself into a best picture nomination" it might not otherwise have had, Weinstein told us. "I think for a small film or a new discovery, the critics awards are just incredibly important."
Weinstein is hoping for that same kind of result with his smaller indie movies this year, like "Control," which features a critically lauded performance by Sam Riley; "Grace Is Gone," with the never-nominated John Cusack; and Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan biopic, "I'm Not There."
Weinstein points out another interesting effect the critics awards can have on Oscar campaigns, using the example of Blanchett in "I'm Not There," who is being promoted for a best supporting actress award.
"If critics were to suddenly put Cate Blanchett in best actress instead of support, then obviously we would have to change everything [in our campaign] too," he said.
Weinstein is also high, of course, on Denzel Washington's Christmas Day release, "The Great Debaters," for his 2007 awards slate. Though as far as critics groups go, that might be more of a populist film, one that appeals more directly to the public and the academy.
Weinstein said he believes even critics groups think the bigger pictures don't need their cheerleading.
"It's usually the darker, more independent, cool movies that the critics want to help, and thank God they do," he says.
Wait a second. "Thank God for the critics"? We really must be in the thick of The Season now!
Source:The Envelop
Clooney, Travolta and Depp decorate Tinseltown
Only in December does Harvey Weinstein say, "Thank God for the critics."
By Pete Hammond
December 6, 2007
Oscar and holiday season merriment are converging all over Hollywood this week with parties honoring the filmmakers and casts of prestige pics such as "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "Hairspray," to name just four.
Not to mention Johnny Depp and Tim Burton – the newly minted National Board of Review best director – who blew into L.A. for a one-day "Sweeney Todd" press stop and Paramount event Wednesday.
The town is abuzz with Oscar talk.
The "Clayton" event Tuesday night at Il Cielo brought out so many Oscar bloggers that it must have been awfully lonely in cyberspace during the bash.
About-to-be NBR best-actor winner George Clooney held court with a revolving group of journos talking politics, movies and strike. (He thinks it's going to be a long one, maybe even backing straight into an actors strike next summer and perhaps lasting a year – ouch.)
Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, writer-director Tony Gilroy and hordes of Warner honchos also showed up to demonstrate support for the negative pickup produced independently for $21 million. (Clooney kidded that the figure also included his normal $20 mil.) They clearly hope, awards-wise, that "Clayton" is the little adult movie that could this season.
Not too far away, "Hairspray" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron invited us to "celebrate the holiday season" at Zadan's festively decorated Hollywood Hills home.
Zadan said he has long wanted to a Christmas party, and with all the profits from his and Meron's musical smash, it was no problem. A starry group (with nary a blogger in sight) turned out to party and wallow in their two favorite seasons – holiday and awards (at least judging by some of the talk).
Guests included much of the "Hairspray" cast and crew – John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Allison Janney, director Adam Shankman – as well as Barbra Streisand, James Brolin, Sharon Stone, Laura Dern, Peter Bogdanovich, John Stamos, Nia Vardalos, David Foster, Mike Medavoy, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Shirley Jones, Rita Wilson and Diane Warren.
Travolta in particular had a hard time moving away from the entrance as guest after guest cornered him to praise his risky work in his first musical in 30 years.
(Earlier in the day, the actor, who played 300-pound Edna Turnblad in the movie, became the first man ever to give a keynote speech at the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment breakfast.)
One wag pointed out what a strange turn of events it would be if Cate Blanchett won a best supporting actress Oscar for playing a man in "I'm Not There" and Travolta picked up a supporting actor statuette for playing a woman.
Both Tracy Turnblads were also at the gathering: Broadway's Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur and the movie version's discovery, Nikki Blonsky.
Blonsky was pressed into a mini "Hairspray" concert around the piano, singing "Good Morning Baltimore" and "Welcome to the Sixties" with the impromptu musical help of the movie's composer, Marc Shaiman.
Despite the debilitating writers strike, Hollywood clearly still needs to party, especially in a season so wide open that even the longest shots seem to have visions of Oscars dancing in their heads.
Of course, with yesterday's NBR awards, which named as best film the Coen brothers' critical fave, "No Country for Old Men," things were racheted up a little more and the race began to narrow.
Starting this weekend, we'll have almost daily award announcements from one group or another, beginning with the L.A. Film Critics on Sunday, the N.Y. Film Critics on Monday, the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. on Tuesday, the Chicago Film Critics Assn. on Wednesday, the Golden Globe noms Thursday and on and on and on.
Studios and distributors trying to grab on to even anounce of glory will blast these critical honors all over their ads in an effort to convince Academy voters their movie is the inevitable choice.
Eager to get the ball rolling for "Into the Wild," Paramount Vantage took out a full-page color ad in The Times last Friday boldly trumpeting in gold lettering its BEST PICTURE victory at the relatively obscure Gotham Awards. You'd have thought they'd just won an Oscar!
Soon we'll be receiving pronouncements from the likes of critics groups in central Ohio, Dallas/Fort Worth, Boston, Florida, South Florida, Kansas City, Phoenix, San Diego, Vancouver and all points in between. Last year, even a cobbled-together organization of bloggers who specialized in Oscar predictions started giving out awards themselves!
Now, in addition to all the formalized voting groups, we have numerous sites (including theenvelope.com) and individual bloggers contributing to the din or trying to influence or call the race in one way or another. There are this site's Buzzmeter voters, nymag.com's Culture Vulture Oscar charts, Gurus of Gold, Sultans of Bling, etc. In the end, does any of it matter in getting the attention of the Academy?
Kick-starter NBR is a bit of a mystery, made up mostly of older non-pro film lovers who've managed to snag membership to a group that offers free films and Q&As.
Certainly the Golden Globes -- with its long history and perfect timing -- has influence.
Some of the major critics groups could also have a strong influence if a consensus develops, as it did last year when Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker won everything in sight and became slam-dunks for the Oscars.
At the very least, success on the pre-Oscar circuit can force the average Academy member to pop in the DVD of a film or performance that the critics groups are salivating over.
The Broadcast Critics Assn., which was the first group to name "The Departed" best picture last year, has also mirrored the Academy very closely in its acting nominees, matching 37 out of 40 in the last two years. In fact, many groups like to tout their importance by comparing their track record with that of the Oscars.
But where is the real impact in of all of this?
"It all matters if there is unified agreement on something," said one top awards consultant. "If it's bickering, it's just a loud buzz to people who actually vote."
Many believe Harvey Weinstein, founder and former co-chair of Miramax, created the modern template for a successful Oscar campaign, and that certainly includes the pre-awards.
"Everything depends on everything. Sometimes you have a movie like 'My Left Foot,' which won New York and several other critics awards and marched itself into a best picture nomination" it might not otherwise have had, Weinstein told us. "I think for a small film or a new discovery, the critics awards are just incredibly important."
Weinstein is hoping for that same kind of result with his smaller indie movies this year, like "Control," which features a critically lauded performance by Sam Riley; "Grace Is Gone," with the never-nominated John Cusack; and Todd Haynes' Bob Dylan biopic, "I'm Not There."
Weinstein points out another interesting effect the critics awards can have on Oscar campaigns, using the example of Blanchett in "I'm Not There," who is being promoted for a best supporting actress award.
"If critics were to suddenly put Cate Blanchett in best actress instead of support, then obviously we would have to change everything [in our campaign] too," he said.
Weinstein is also high, of course, on Denzel Washington's Christmas Day release, "The Great Debaters," for his 2007 awards slate. Though as far as critics groups go, that might be more of a populist film, one that appeals more directly to the public and the academy.
Weinstein said he believes even critics groups think the bigger pictures don't need their cheerleading.
"It's usually the darker, more independent, cool movies that the critics want to help, and thank God they do," he says.
Wait a second. "Thank God for the critics"? We really must be in the thick of The Season now!
