OSCARS 2013

The thing I wanna know is: how did the dude suddenly manage to segue from voice actor-hood and cartoon producer-dom into these big-time hosting gigs as Himself? Is there a precedent for a career like his that I'm not thinking of?

Hiring a big band helps.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2012/8/28/1346152037722/Seth-MacFarlane-in-Prom-5-010.jpg

I've endured every Oscar telecast for at least the past decade, but I'm thinking I'll skip this one, just because of MacFarlane.

After averting my eyes from most of a Les Miz making-of teaser in a theater last weekend, I am proud to welcome it as the first contender of the year I will never see on pain of death.

Won't Back Down might count as that for me. Though reviews probably killed it.

Yeah, if Ms Davis gets nominated for that, we'll know Obamaism has successfully drowned labor in the bathtub.

Yes. That is precisely what we'll know.

IT IS, ACTUALLY.

I would like to read your tract regarding this matter.

NO, YOU WOULDN'T.

and bye Oscars

Getting this worked up over a movie you haven't seen that won't get nominated? Or that Obama will sill be sitting pres during K31th's next Oscar viewing party?

also of no interest

Well, it made about the same amount per screen as The Artist last weekend, so there's that...

won't back down looks vile

xp LOL

The thing I wanna know is: how did the dude suddenly manage to segue from voice actor-hood and cartoon producer-dom into these big-time hosting gigs as Himself? Is there a precedent for a career like his that I'm not thinking of?

― Old Lunch, Monday, October 1, 2012 4:12 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i think 10 years of encroaching ubiquity + being nominated for a Grammy for his album of old timey music + more and more onscreen appearances on talk shows, Comedy Central roasts, etc. had kinda set up McFarlane to be more of a celebrity and Ted's box office was the tipping point. Oscars probably realize what they're getting into but will still suffer some blowback when he says something vaguely "edgy" on the broadcast.

growing industry power + new yorker profile + big splash in movies this year + song and dance man + genuinely decent snl hosting gig + youth appeal (ie fans are under 50). he'll do a big song number, a big number where he puts himself in movie clips, and a ton of reference humor while introducing presenters. it will nowhere near as edgy as jon stewart nevermind chris rock.

well i put edgy in scarequotes after all! but honestly there were a couple moments in the SNL episode that were kind of stark reminders that his comedy can skew toward a "YEAH I SAID IT" politicallly incorrect schtick that feels a little out of place even on SNL and will be even moreso on the Oscars. i'm telling you, a joke that nobody would bat an eye at on Family Guy will make outraged Monday morning headlines, bet on it.

maybe a timely rebecca schaefer zing from mcfarlane

tbh considering the franco hathaway hosting you could probably abridge that to 'genuinely decent snl host + youth appeal' and that would be enough. that neil patrick harris is somehow never in the running seems some weird residue of anti-tv snobbery. kinda amazing that jay leno has never hosted considering how many times carson hosted and how often they've fallen back on 'fuck it just get a talk show host' (i mean ellen degeneres hosted once). this also seems like the sort of thing jerry seinfeld should be doing to occupy his time.

o i can see him cracking an abortion joke or an 'holocaust=oscar' remark but i don't think he'll say anything that might actually piss off anyone in that room, nothing on the level of chris rock telling hollywood to stop pretending jude law was a movie star or even letterman doing 'oprah uma'. what i would love is if they said they were gonna do a 'twitter oscars' and kept throwing the word twitter around but what it actually meant is the hosts were steve martin and albert brooks. on the bright side though maybe we get dan castellenata hosting the espys and tim and eric hosting the vmas next year.

over/under on "giggity"s during the telecast?

I will give the dude hella props if he never once references Family Guy (I will not be giving dude hella props).

this is kind of a make-or-break moment for MacFarlane as "actual celebrity" isn't it?

Here's a preview of what we can expect:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=_BdiS_WmAM4

all your EW charts and Jeff Wells blog summaries go here

Morbs was especially excited for me to share this one:

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2012/11/16/oscar-race-prize-fighter-lincoln-argo-silver-linings-life-of-pi/

Kris Tapley keeps murmuring about Jessica Chastain inevitably assuming the front-runner position once people see 0D30.

There's a major vacuum at the top of that category, so if she's even remotely good, she'll be a frontrunner.

I have to say, I don't completely understand how Beasts of the Southern Wild is an Oscar contender. I haven't seen it yet, but it just seems so far removed from Hollywood. It reminds me of something like George Washington: tiny budget, no-name cast w/kids in big roles, regional color, critical acclaim. Is the difference between the two simply that Beasts is a Fox Searchlight release? (NB: I'm not saying I don't think it deserves its buzz; I just wouldn't have predicted it.)

Haven't forced myself to watch it yet, either, but I'm guessing it's closer to Slumdog Millionaire than George Washington?

OK, that's a useful analogy, but still: Danny Boyle.

George Washington had limited release + budget of 42,000
Beasts had a pretty wide release, huge Sundance buzz, budget of over a million, (almost 2 it looks like)--seemed like an Oscar lock from the get-go

excuse me, seemed like a lock for contention

Also seems like a functional amalgamation of elements that, in isolation, were too specific for Oscar voters but in this combination (When the Levees Broke + George Washington + Where the Wild Things Are + I dunno Pedro Costa?) work.

I hadn't realized it played in 300+ theatres. So that makes a bit more sense. The only other films to have as big (or bigger) of a release and a Metascore of 85+ are Lincoln, Argo, and The Master.

Ebert always throws a weird film or two that nobody else is discussing into his Oscar predix. This time he's musing on the prospect of End of Watch for Picture and Richard Gere (in Arbitrage) for Actor.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/11/and_the_nominees_are.html

BOTSW got wide release in South Florida (I saw it at a multiplex, packed screening) in July, which we don't see often for "small" films.

Among the contenders I have seen, the most warmly-loved by moviegoers seems to be Ang Lee's "Life of Pi." In many seasons as a critic, I can't remember a film more universally applauded. I wrote a blog entry about it, and my often dubious readers embraced it all but unanimously.

this looked like a piece of shit

I watched it. SOOOOOOOO much god stuff.

gere was widely liked in 'trage wasnt he?

i was already sick of Life o pi after having to endure the trailer/commercials 9001 times. no way am i seeing that

There are tons of animals in it, and as a cuteoverloadist that helped me make it through

The trailer reminded me of

http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/509246.jpg

gere was widely liked in 'trage wasnt he?

Yeah, he got good notices for sure, but he's not getting a nomination over Day-Lewis, Phoenix, Washington, Hawkes, Jackman, and Cooper unless he starts winning crix awards.

Kind of feel like Life of Pi has the Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close slot sewn up.

haha yeah

I don't remember thinking Extremely...Close would've been improved much by smoking up beforehand.

A supporting nod could go to William H. Macy, as his parish priest.

This ... is almost boring enough to actually happen.

...prob nsfw

http://vfxsoldier.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/an-open-letter-to-ang-lee/
http://thinkinganimationbook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/a-piece-of-pi.html
http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/the-visual-effects-community-sees-red-in-the-wake-of-oscar-protest-and-on-air-snub

I hope that one gets some traction and all, but raising the question of what today's movies would look like without VFX? ... Um, in many cases, much better.

JD & leong, do you also believe that the Haneke Twitter is the real one?

― Pope Rusty I (Dr Morbius), Monday, February 25, 2013 5:23 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Pretty sure the AW one is real...

― christmas candy bar (al leong)

i'm a little 'confused', maybe you have some inside info, bc at the bottom of armond white's city arts pieces it says "Follow Armond White on Twitter at 3xchair", which is the twitter that has those spielberg tweets.

Man, Macfarlane's shitty routine has me playing Marc Loi facebook feminist on "progressive" friends' walls. What have I become?

Andy Griffith was not snubbed in the obit roll, hayseeds; he had one great movie role.

But what about Spy Hard

armond generally otm

http://cityarts.info/2013/03/01/oscars-post-mortification/

Definitely feels like it was written by the guy who loved Norbit.

even in his real-life-crit he manages to fit in a fuckup (joseph gordon-lewis)

that's a cute fuckup tho

at least he put the PC feminist crap in the shitter.

To paraphrase a female “feminist” friend: “If you’re aghast at a song about boobs, you must be aghast at your own.”

riiight

http://sea.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/874483/christopher-doyle-interview-part-2-life-of-pi-oscar-is-an#

“Do you want me to tell the truth? Ai yay yay yay. Okay. I’m trying to work out how to say this most politely, and no offense to – I don’t know him personally – but what a total fucking piece of shit. Let me be blunt. Ah, fuck. I don’t care, I’m sure he’s a wonderful guy and I’m sure he cares so much, but since 97 per cent of the film is not under his control, what the fuck are you talking about cinematography, sorry. I’m sorry. I have to be blunt and I don’t care, you can write it. I think it’s a fucking insult to cinematography.

“I’m sure he’s a wonderful person, I’m sure he cares so much. But what it says to the real world is it’s all about us, we have the money, we put the money in, and we control the image. And I say fuck you, wankers. Are you fucking kidding? That’s not cinematography. That’s control of the image by the powers that be, by the people that want to control the whole system because they’re all accounts. You’ve lost cinema. This is not cinema and it’s not cinematography. It’s not cinematography.

“Lincoln”! Oh! Let’s talk about patriotism. Do you not fucking realise the rest of the world just sits back laughing. Do you not realise that you poor old fuckers with your Academy bullshit, you’re just sitting back, holding onto straws. You’re holding onto straws. Let’s get on with it. I don’t give a fuck what you think about me. Some of us have to engage with the real world. And it happens not to be about the history of Mr Lincoln freeing the slaves – which was the most disgusting first three minutes of a film I’ve ever seen. Oh, Mr Lincoln, oh, but you undestand… stop fucking fluffing yourselves.

he sort of articulates like a bad SNL character

oh behaaaave

i cert had the same thought about that award (to a film i hv no plans to ever see)

I had that thought as well, but I also thought Pi was deserving of the visual effects Oscar it received shortly thereafter.

xp oh i agree with him he just comes off like a parody, should've been cleaned up in editing

Best Cinematography hasn't been on a stellar run as of late, to be fair.

i cert had the same thought about that award (to a film i hv no plans to ever see)

I didn’t watch the Academy Awards but I’ve had a lot of feedback from people, including people from the ASC [the American Society of Cinematographers], by the way, and then you see, you give an award to a totally digitized image. I may be wrong, because I haven’t seen the film, because I don’t give a shit.

so yes we both know what that shit is like from the candyass clips

funny how most of the ppl complaining about that scene in 'lincoln' appear to have not heard any of the actual dialogue

agree, but he's a goddamn Aussie.

(and has made a ton of movies that might as well be silent)

As someone on a different MB commented: "Can't wait for next year's tribute to the one-year anniversary of the Les Mis movie!"

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron Return to Produce the Oscars®

BEVERLY HILLS, CA –The acclaimed motion picture, television and theater producing team of Craig Zadan and Neil Meron will return to produce the Oscars for a second time next year, Academy President Hawk Koch announced. The Academy Awards® will air live on ABC on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014.

“Craig and Neil have the overwhelming support of the Academy's Governors to produce the Oscars again in 2014," said Academy President Hawk Koch. "In order to establish continuity with this year's enormously successful show, we felt it was important to give these consummate professionals the green light now to begin creating another great evening."

"We are very honored to have been asked to return as Oscar producers for a second year," said Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. "We look forward to creating a distinctive and entertaining show."

“Craig and Neil have great relationships, a sense of showmanship, and a passion for our Academy,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “And they’re a pleasure to work with. All perfect qualities for our show."

The February 2013 Oscars hosted by Seth MacFarlane, drew an average audience of 40.3 million total viewers and delivered a 13.0 rating among adults 18-49. The show was TV’s most-watched entertainment telecast in the last 3 years, and grew its overall audience for the 2nd straight year (+3%), surging 11% in adults 18-49 (13.0 rating vs. 11.7 rating) to its best numbers since 2010. In addition, the show scored gains year-to-year with adults 18-34 (+20% - 11.3 rating vs. 9.4 rating), hitting its highest number in 6 years – since 2007. Overall, it was the Oscars second-most-watched telecast since 2005.

Among the innovations that Zadan and Meron plan to bring back to the 2014 show is the Oscar Experience College Search, which allows young filmmakers to assist with bringing the Oscar statuettes on-and-off stage during the show.

The Zadan/Meron Oscars displayed a signature style that incorporated a single concept for the entire evening which linked together the disparate elements of the Oscar show through music, especially classic movie themes and the frequent appearances by MacFarlane to announce the evening’s presenters. The 2013 show was also distinguished by the use of motion picture talent as performers in the show such as the dance numbers performed by Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Zadan and Meron served as executive producers for the 2002 “Best Picture” winner “Chicago,” which won Oscars® in 6 of the 13 categories in which it was nominated. Their credits also include the features “Footloose” (2011), “Hairspray,” and “The Bucket List.” Zadan also produced the original “Footloose” (1984).

Zadan and Meron’s work in television includes the series “SMASH” and such movies as “A Raisin in the Sun” and “Steel Magnolias.”

For Broadway, they recently produced the Tony Award® winning revivals of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Promises, Promises.”

Their work has amassed 73 Emmy® nominations; 12 Tony nominations; and seven Grammy® nominations.

The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

tarantino tantrum just now on Channel 4 news: Perhaps he was pissed he didn't get a nom.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/quentin-tarantino-tells-interviewer-you-cant-make-me-dance-im-not-a-monkey-8446660.html
tbf krishnan was being really arsey.

― danzig, Thursday, January 10, 2013 7:54 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/robert-downey-jr-walks-out-of-nailbitingly-awkward-channel-4-news-interview--eJ9qJTJkgb

at first I was like "gimme a break Downey" but God, Krishnan is such a terrible fucking interviewer.