The Producer’s Guild of America, which last year bestowed it’s highest honor on The Artist, has shifted the date for next year’s award show. Originally planned to be on January 19th, the ceremony will now take place on January 26th, 2013 and will be produced by Michael De Luca (Moneyball, The Social Network). This will mean two major guilds will present awards on the same weekend as the Screen Actors Guild awards will be on January 27th. You can read the full press release after the jump. Read more on Producers Guild shifts 2013 PGA Awards date…
 As anyone who read my review of the film, I’d pretty much discounted the possibility that ‘The Avengers’ could be a player for any major Academy Awards outside of the technical categories (though I did sort of make the case for SAG to notice the ensemble, as much as that might be wishful thinking), but as the box office continues to break records, I’m beginning to amend my position somewhat. I’m not completely changing course here, but I’ve begun to ponder a few things, leading to this piece. It’s still a long shot, but there could be a way for the film to get a Best Picture nomination, and much of it revolves around Marvel partnering with Disney on the flick’s distribution and marketing. Yes, as much as that initial partnership decision had no impact on the creative product that Marvel Studios was producing, it could have a major impact on a potential Oscar campaign. Just think about what the folks at Disney were able to do with ‘The Help’ last year, and ‘Toy Story 3′ as well. Backed by a studio with experience in awards campaigning and major connections to the Oscar race, ‘The Avengers’ could wind up, even more than ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ potentially, being the blockbuster that makes a play for Best Picture. Factor in its previously unheard of box office numbers, and there’s a case that can be made for Joss Whedon’s film. Let’s dive into that right now, why don’t we?
Read more on Could Oscar assemble for The Avengers?…
 Like just about everyone else, I fell pretty hard for John Carney’s Oscar winning musical film ‘Once’, and have been waiting for something that good to come from him since (he’s been pretty much under the radar since then). A few years ago we started to hear rumblings about a musical dramedy called ‘Can a Song Save Your Life?’, which at one point I believe had Jim Carrey co-starring with Scarlett Johansson. Carrey never materialized as an official cast member to the best of my recollection, but Mark Ruffalo did, taking on the co-lead role. Well, Scarlett has now left the project (which Judd Apatow is actually producing) which would have reunited her with her co-star from ‘The Avengers’, and The Playlist is reporting here that Keira Knightley is stepping in for her. After the jump you can see what the film is about, but for now I’m just glad that Carney’s film is still moving forward. He’s one talented filmmaker, and he deserves to be back in the spotlight with a high profile project…
Read more on Knightley to replace Johansson on John Carney’s next musical…
 Since directing the raucous comedy Superbad, Greg Mottola has been flying under the radar for a while but is poised to take a step in the spotlight. He recently directed the pilot for the Aaron Sorkin HBO show The Newsroom and he has two new exciting film projects in the works. Variety is reporting that Mottola has been tapped to direct The Marriage Plot written by Pulitzer Prize winning author Jeffrey Eugenides. While that would be good news enough for a filmmaker, today comes a breaking report from The Hollywood Reporter that Mottola is working with Larry David on an improv based comedy film.
Read more on Greg Mottola to develop a film with Larry David, adapt ‘The Marriage Plot’…
 I grew up in a household that loved the James Bond films. Bond week on television was as close a thing to religion as my father/grandfather/uncle instilled in me, and the flicks will always hold a special place in my heart for that (yes, even ‘Moonraker’), as they were the films that my father and uncle grew up on and wanted to share with me. Now, with the franchise continuing on with its third Daniel Craig starring endeavor and being much more something for my generation, we have a Teaser Poster to share with you today…one that makes me a bit nostalgic. You can see it after the jump, but all I’ll say is this…it looks very familiar!
Read more on First Teaser Poster for Skyfall!…
Monday, May 14th marked the 43rd birthday of the great, Academy Award-winning actress, Cate Blanchett. Catherine Élise Blanchett was born in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied acting, fine arts, and economics before moving to Sydney, where she graduated in 1992 from the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
Read more about Cate Blanchett and list your Circuit 3 after the jump…
Read more on Circuit 3: Cate Blanchett…
Directed By: Daniel Barnz
Written By: Brin Hill (screenwriter), Daniel Barnz (screenplay)
Cast: Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Holly Hunter, Ving Rhames, Oscar Isaac, Rosie Perez, and Lance Reddick
Synopsis (via IMDB): Two determined mothers, one a teacher, look to transform their children’s failing inner city school. Facing a powerful and entrenched bureaucracy, they risk everything to make a difference in the education and future of their children. Read more on Awards Profile: ‘Won’t Back Down’…
I was recently given the assignment of assessing the Oscar chances for the new Daniel Barnz (Beastly) film, Won’t Back Down, in our daily Awards Profile segment. It should post sometime this week or next, but after seeing the initial trailer for the film I might need to reevaluate its chances. The storyline, which deals with failing inner-city schools and the parents and teachers who make a stand against the public education system, seemed baity enough. I even thought this might be the vehicle to earn star Viola Davis a belated Oscar win. However, after the initial trailer, my hopes on the film have slightly diminished.
My first thought after watching the trailer was: Could it be this year’s The Blind Side? It seems to have that family-centric, emotionally-driven, David-over-Goliath theme to it. But I don’t know, man. Something just reeks a bit of stale cheese to me on this. I think Ms. Davis may have to wait.
Have a look at the trailer after the jump…
Read more on ‘Won’t Back Down’ Trailer…
 Wow, I was headed into last night’s American Idol completely set on rooting behind one person and one person only. By the end of the Top 3 show, I felt like that same person I had been behind should leave the competition. Yes, in a single night of American Idol, two performers managed to cement a deserving spot in the finale while the unsuccessful contestant of the evening all but shot themselves in the foot. I am well aware people are going to be upset that I am jumping ship so quickly, but last night held the highest stakes for the remaining three contestants. Only the best performers of the evening deserve to make it through, and I’m sorry to say that the contestant who underwhelmed me last night and deserves to leave the competition is…
Read more on ‘American Idol’ Recap: Reviewing the Top 3…
 The last time Michael Haneke brought a film to Cannes he walked away with the Palme d’Or for his startling film The White Ribbon. He returns to the Croisette this year with his new film Amour and the trailer for that film has just been released is is located after the jump. Synopsis: Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.
Read more on Haneke’s ‘Amour’ gets a trailer…
 This year’s Opening Night Film at the Cannes Film Festival was Wes Anderson’s new movie ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. I’m not a huge fan of his, but I’m intrigued about this flick. So far, the early word from the fest has been somewhat expected…this is Wes Anderson doing exactly what Wes Anderson specializes in. Criticwire has a piece here that collects the immediate reactions to the film, and those who have seen it seem to all thing about the same of it. After the jump I’ll share some of those quick responses that Matt Singer kindly compiled in his article, but for now we now seem to more or less know what we’re getting with ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ when it opens in theaters stateside next week…
Read more on Moonrise Kingdom debuts at Cannes…what’s the Early Word?…
 The story of the West Memphis Three is a truly fascinating one, inspiring no less than 3 documentaries from Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (the ‘Paradise Lost’ trilogy), plus the Peter Jackson produced one ‘West of Memphis’. Now, the biopic route is being taken for the tale, with Atom Egoyan getting an official greenlight for his film ‘Devil’s Knot’, according to The Hollywood Reporter here. The film will star Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon, and should be one to watch. For those unfamiliar with the story, I’ll give a quick crash course after the jump, but this film could be a real Oscar player if done right…
Read more on Atom Egoyan gets the go-ahead for his West Memphis Three biopic!…
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