OSCARS 2009

Or: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button's 13 nominations

I've just looked at the odds for the first time (at Easy odds. Didn't realise Slumdog and Boyle were quite such a runaway favourites now for film and director.

Taking the Ladbrokes odds for the sake of illustration, here are the six big categories:

BEST FILM:
Slumdog Millionaire 1/8
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button 5/1
Milk 20/1
Frost/Nixon 33/1
The Reader 33/1

BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle 1/7
David Fincher 5/1
Gus Van Sant 25/1
Ron Howard 25/1
Stephen Daldry 33/1

BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet 4/9
Meryl Streep 10/3
Anne Hathaway 4/1
Angelina Jolie 20/1
Melissa Leo 33/1

BEST LEADING ACTOR
Mickey Rourke 1/2
Sean Penn 15/8
Frank Langella 9/1
Brad Pitt 33/1
Richard Jenkins 50/1

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Penelope Cruz 1/2
Viola Davis 7/2
Marisa Tomei 11/2
Amy Adams 14/1
Taraji P Henson 16/1

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Heath Ledger 1/50
Philip Seymour Hoffman 20/1
Robert Downey Jr 20/1
Josh Brolin 25/1
Michael Shannon 40/1

Interestingly (or boringly, perhaps) all the favourites are the Bafta winners.

2009 81st Academy Awards

but I guess this thread can be for people who didn't know on New Years Day that Slumdog was the winner.

"boringly" is most def the operative word this year.

This is the first time in my moviegoing life that I have not seen a single Best Picture nominee. And have little interest in any of them, either, except maybe "Milk."

I'm white, btw.

Thought I had seen a thread before but assumed it would have Oscars in the title.

Milk's terrific, Pancakes. You can easily skip all the others.

Only two films involved in these six that I've not seen - The Visitor and Frozen River. Will try to make amends before Sunday, but I doubt I'll manage both.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Heath Ledger 1/50

So, a pound will get you tuppence...

the odds against Streep & Penn are overstated, imo

My money's on Rourke, though.

yes, all "top 8" categories look like a snooze.

Fuck the Oscars. It really can't be said enough. I will destroy them, right after the 2 major political parties and the Grammys.

I wonder if the crowd will boo if Heath Ledger doesn't win.

morbz, please destroy the oscars before the grammys, nobody thinks the grammys actually mean anything

It's a fun guessing game! And there are dresses! I don't see how a serious appreciation of film is incompatible with enjoying the Oscars.

http://pfunn.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/wall-e_will_cry.jpg

wall-e_will_cry.jpg

Oscars = lots more fun than the Grammys.

might not want to start listing things that are more fun than the grammys

Nielsen’s list of the most-watched Oscar broadcasts since 1974:

RANK   DATE        NETWORK         BEST FILM      # OF VIEWERS P2+(MILLIONS) 
        1 3/23/1998        ABC         Titanic             55.2 
        2 4/11/1983        ABC         Gandhi              53.2 
        3 4/14/1980        ABC         Kramer vs. Kramer   49.0 
        4 4/3/1978         ABC         Annie Hall          48.5 
        5 3/27/1995        ABC         Forrest Gump        48.3 
        6 4/8/1975         NBC         GodfatherPart II    48.1 
        7 3/29/1976        ABC         One… Cuckoo’s Nest  46.8 
        8 3/26/2000        ABC         American Beauty     46.3 
        9 4/9/1979         ABC         Deer Hunter         46.3 
        10 3/29/1982       ABC         Chariots of Fire    46.2 

LOL at the two top-rated broadcasts being 15 years apart. Double LOL at the most recent being 2000. Don't worry, Bill Condon and Larry Mark, I'm sure you'll nail it.

people do not watch TV in those numbers anymore (except to see teenagers hitting an iceberg win prizes)

This year's Super Bowl got 94 million viewers. "American Idol" regularly gets 25 million viewers, which is a little less than half the top-rated-ever Oscars broadcast, for a show in its 8th season.

Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader will probably win everything, and I'll have no opinion whatsoever since I've seen neither of them.

If I tune it, you can believe it's because of the fact that Hugh Jackman is exceptionally easy on the eyes and might just do/say/perform something entertaining. That top-of-the-piano leopard-skin number from "The Boy from Oz" would make many things bearable.

the Super Bowl is not comparable to anything else (mostly bcuz ppl just have it on while they are humping or eating nachos). xp

The Gandhi year was second?!

bcuz everyone expected E.T. to win.

I figured, but still....

the Super Bowl is not comparable to anything else (mostly bcuz ppl just have it on while they are humping or eating nachos). xp

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 3:10 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

wait what

now officially the stupid Oscars thread.

i didnt really read any posts to the thread i just left on my screen while i was humping and eating nachos

OK, since it's the stupid Oscars thread, how about a fun/snobby game ... Worst nominee of the '00s in each of the major categories. My picks (skipped a lot, obv):

Picture: Crash
Director: Stephen Daldry (more of a cumulative outrage, though The Reader clinched it)
Actor: Sean Penn, I Am Sam
Actress: Halle Berry, Monster's Ball
Supporting Actor: William Hurt, A History of Violence
Supporting Actress: Catherine Keener, Capote
Original Screenplay: Crash really, but for the sake of not repeating, Amélie
Adapted Screenplay: Little Children

Wm Hurt was funny, whereas the rest of the film wasn't much of anything.

hard to argue against Crash or Amelie. I will see my first Daldry film when he makes one and isn't nominated.

Picture: Crash
Director: Paul Haggis
Actor: Sean Penn (Sam)
Actress: Naomi Watts (21 Grams)
Supporting Actor: Matt Dillon - Crash
Supporting Actress: Queen Latifah - Chicago
Original Screenplay: Crash. Second: Gladiator
Adapted Screenplay: Seabiscuit

William Hurt will destroy you, brohim.

Fuck the Oscars. It really can't be said enough. I will destroy them, right after the 2 major political parties and the Grammys.

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:54 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

Morbs, could you please keep this kind of stuff on the ILF Oscar thread? Seems like a vulgar, searchable thread with "Oscar" in the title and a serious one on ILF is actually a pretty good idea, even if it happened by mistake.

I didn't realise the one linked to was an I Love Film thread. ILE definitely warrants its own Oscars thread.

the Oscars are plenty political, of the lip-service Clintonite millionaire stripe.

the one on ILF isn't serious either. it's an Oscars thread.

But it's on ILF!

the Super Bowl is not comparable to anything else (mostly bcuz ppl just have it on while they are humping or eating nachos). xp

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, February 18, 2009 3:10 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

is this a thing? super bowl sex?

It will be now.

I will never not think of nachos and humping now when the Super Bowl is mentioned.

max, so innocent.

re croakers montage (obv the final will be the star who fucked Gore Vidal AND Tom Cruise:

http://defamer.com/5155756/play-defamers-in-memoriam-oscar-montage-pool

You've got me stumped.

well, just show me the color of your money, then

show me the nachos

You WISH Newman fucked Vidal.

fed him nachos maybe

my understanding is Paul Joanne & Gore made for quite a cohabitating threesome in the '50s.

What should I put for best Doc Short in my Oscar pool? Anyone seen any of them?

my understanding is Paul Joanne & Gore made for quite a cohabitating threesome in the '50s.

Vee-dal's memoir contains an amusing chapter, and a photo of a drunken pseudo-marriage, but I don't think Newman got the Kerouac treatment.

xp: Ican't say, one of my pool competitors will see this.

real answer: Nobody knows.

(also seeing them in most cases isn't helpful)

there are tons of predix/forecasts, some links here:

http://www.ifc.com/blogs/thedaily/2009/02/oscars-220.php

Au contraire. I know "born into brothels" would win the moment I saw it.

at least that got him a fuckyou from the cinematography winner

btw "Oscar bloggers" are already handicapping '09

GABBNEBIZATION

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN "OSCAR BLOGGER" STOP MAKING UP STRAWMEN TO FITE WITH!

it's seasonal work

seriously tho we are all on the internet, right now, links or it didn't happen, morbius.

schef u r insulated

http://www.incontention.com/?p=4464

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2009/02/first_2009_rund.php

no, kenan, IT'S ALL YEAR ROUND CUZ FILMS DON'T EXIST UNLESS THERE ARE AWARDS.

ugh

I actually like the Oscars and both of those sites make me want to kill

I once was granted an email "interview" with Ebert, and I pissed him off in about one sentence by making my first question re: whether the Oscars were bloated, bought, paid for, and irrelevant. He was all like, "No." That went in the bin that month.

haha why did you so blatantly tip your hand like that

Email is tough to work with.

Also, so am I.

Also, I didn't really say it like that, but he got the gist.

btw Ebert thought this year's show was the best ever, the poor man.

MUST.NOT.MAKE.OBVIOUS.JOKE.

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN "OSCAR BLOGGER" STOP MAKING UP STRAWMEN TO FITE WITH!

Nat Rogers, Kris Tapley, Sasha Stone, the late great Alex Fung, David Poland to a certain extent -- who are these people if not Oscar bloggers?

human being, jaymc, theyre human beings, like you, and me, and the king of england

who are these people, if not bloggers? who indeed? who will blog the oscars, and who will blog the oscar bloggers?

quis blogget ipsos bloggers?

If you cut me, do I not bleed? If you fail to blog me, do I not feel unblogged?

btw Ebert thought this year's show was the best ever, the poor man

David Thompson liked it too http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/23/danny-boyle-hugh-jackman

Ugh, Hollywood Elsewhere. Fuck a Jeff Wells, big-time.

i did once email him that very sentiment

No doubt this list on In Contention is better than whatever will materialize in 11 months.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Penélope Cruz, “Nine”
Sophia Loren, “Nine”
Mo'Nique, "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire"
Imelda Staunton, “Taking Woodstock”
Michelle Williams, “Shutter Island”

Or, rather, this nominee from that list on In Contention is better than whatever will materialize in 11 months.

Mo'Nique, "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire"

Eric is my favorite Oscar blogger, among other reasons because he only does it for 3 weeks.

Penélope Cruz, “Nine”
Sophia Loren, “Nine”
Mo'Nique, "Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire"

gay fantasy

a gay can dream

Nat R.'s obviously my favorite real Oscar blogger because he really does take most of the year (comparatively) off.

shutter island is one of the worst books i have ever read and has a really really retarded shyamalanesque twist ending, going to be interesting to see how scorcese deals with this

MOTION PICTURE

“Amelia”
“Nine”
“Shutter Island”
“Taking Woodstock”
“Untitled Nelson Mandela Project”

That something In Contention is right now called an "Untitled" "Project" means next year's competition will be WIDE OPEN!! zomg?!

gay fantasy

― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Tuesday, February 24, 2009 2:09 PM (4 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

that was the subtitle for this years oscars actually

I will be really happy if a movie called "Untitled Nelson Mandela Project" is actually released this year.

Untitled Nelson Madea Project

imo this was the best Oscars i've ever watched, but then it was also the first one i ever watched w/ a funny film buff friend and it helped that neither of us had any investment in most of the nominated films and could just yuk it up

i guess you could say that watching it with that dude made a special oscar night for you, eh?

Untitled Nelson/Madea Project

casting Sophia Loren in a musical remake of 8-1/2 seems like a surefire way to render the rest of the cast inauthentic, but whadda I know.

actually Eric, Clint & Warners are probably just arguing over whether they want the audience to know it's partly about Mandela or that it stars MATT DAMON.

shutter island is one of the worst books i have ever read and has a really really retarded shyamalanesque twist ending

what you mean is it can't be any worse than Cape Fear

except cape fear was actually based off of good source material?

actually aside from Mitchum, the original's shit too.

we disagree about the quality of the original cape fear but trust me, if you read "shutter island," you would agree that it's worse

I may very well skip yet another Marty-Leo movie; I'm much more intrigued by the following MS project:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490215/

The Mission meets Gilbert Grape?

no, Leo's not in this one (let's pray).

the untitled mandela project is the clint eastwood thing set during the 95 rugby world cup with morgan freeman (and matt damon as francois pienar), amirite?

more like francois penis

do not gis

actually aside from Mitchum, the original's shit too.

but Mitchum's what's it about! he's so gross in that movie. :)

The only sense in which original Cape Fear pales is in comparison to The Night of the Hunter. Which is true of any film in comparison to the latter film.

NotH is way better, sure

yes, caek. soccer + St. Morgan zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz