 I was speaking with some of my writers recently about who and what could be winning Best Picture and the subject came up about Argo. With Argo winning Best Picture and Director at the Critics Choice Movie Awards and Golden Globes, Ben Affleck’s film is in a position to make unprecedented history and I’m not just talking about being the first film to win without a Director nomination since Driving Miss Daisy (1989).
When it comes to the Producers Guild of America, this is when you can really start talking up the Daisy example. Critics and Oscar-lovers love to cite the missing Director fact but not many remember that Driving Miss Daisy was the first film to win the Producers Guild of America award in 1990. The group didn’t choose nominees for the first three years of its inception but the light-hearted comedy managed to best Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July, Peter Weir’s Dead Poets Society, and Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot. Granted, the film was announced as the winner after the actual Oscar ceremony, three days to be exact, so this is a unique circumstance to say the least.
Read more on The Unprecedented Nature of ‘Argo’…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: Argo, Ben Affleck, Best Director, DGA, Directors Guild of America, oscar predictions, PGA, Producers Guild of America, SAG, Screen Actors Guild
 The Producers Guild of America will announce their winner tomorrow. Speaking with Staff Writer Mark Johnson yesterday, he affectionately told me that this weekend will probably just confuse us even more. I’m scared to agree.
With ten nominees:
- Argo
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Django Unchained
- Les Miserables
- Life of Pi
- Lincoln
- Moonrise Kingdom
- Silver Linings Playbook
- Skyfall
- Zero Dark Thirty
Read more on Producers Guild of America Predictions…
 Well folks, we finally have a director for the upcoming Star Wars Episode VII film due out in 2015. JJ Abrams, director of Super 8 (2011) and the reboot of Star Trek (2009), has been confirmed by The Wrap to be helming the next film in the epic saga. Read more on From ‘Trek’ to ‘Wars’ – JJ Abrams signs on for new Star Wars film…
Read more on From ‘Trek’ to ‘Wars’ – JJ Abrams signs on for new Star Wars film…
Link(s) of the week:
Sasha Stone of Awards Daily examines the Best Picture race through her PGA predictions, and hopes (like me) that a win here for Lincoln will finally lead to super-producer Kathleen Kennedy winning her first Oscar for Best Picture. She looks ahead to the SAG awards as well.
Read more on Around the Circuit: January 19th – January 25th…
 Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) has sparked a lot of controversy and debate around her latest film, Zero Dark Thirty. This week, she graces the cover of TIME Magazine in which she partakes in a pretty in depth and fascinating interview. When asked about the torture scenes depicted in her film, Bigelow replied: “On a personal level, those scenes were really hard to do. The audience wants to look away but knows they shouldn’t. It’s wrenching and difficult, and that is acknowledged in the cues we see in Jessica Chastain. She looks away; she covers her mouth. That is how many people in the audience react, or how they would react if they were in that room.” You can read the entire interview here. Read more on Kathryn Bigelow Gets the Cover of TIME Magazine…
Read more on Kathryn Bigelow Gets the Cover of TIME Magazine…
Well this is some interesting news. AMPAS has decided to honor three movie musicals from the past decade - Chicago (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), and Les Misérables (2012) – during the 85th Annual Academy Awards. The details aren’t too clear yet, but it might be fun to see the casts of each film reunite on stage for some song and dance numbers. Have a look at the official release after the jump.
Read more on Oscars® to Feature Tribute to Movie Musicals of the Last Decade…
 Michael C. Hall is having a bit of a film breakout. Sure we all recognize him from Six Feet Under and Dexter, but his role as David Kammerer in the Sundance film Kill Your Darlings is something of a marvel, allowing the actor to show of his immense talent on the big screen. I got to chat with Michael about his experience working with John Krokidas, his character David Kamerer, and how much fun he had on set. Also, all you Dexter fans will want to listen till the end of the interview where he sheds some light on the new season. Check out the interview after the jump! Read more on SUNDANCE: Interview with ‘Kill Your Darlings’ star Michael C. Hall…
 Makeup can be a truly wonderful thing. I apply makeup to my face every morning and I am transformed into a better looking version of myself. In film, a makeup team is put together to transform an actor into their character. This team is compiled of artists with different talents ranging from hair design, to makeup design to creating prosthetics for the actor.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: Best Makeup…
Another week, another feud, another outstanding display of talent in what’s shaping up to be an incredible season of American Idol. Somehow, each new episode either has me laughing, in awe, or incredibly jealous I’m not there in person to get my hair finger-groomed by Nicki Minaj! Okay, that’s a bit overkill but I can’t help myself! Nicki Minaj is quickly becoming my new favorite television personality, and Keith Urban is undoubtedly the most perfectly-cast judge since Simon Cowell. Urban is always entertained and invested no matter the quality of the audition, and his critiques aptly zone in on what makes that particular performer truly special. Yeah, I’m #TeamNicki/#TeamKeith for now. Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson are fine, but as accomplished as they are in the music biz, is it too much to ask for a bit of variety in their critiques, hopefully not limited to three redundant phrases? Mariah: “Yes!”, “DAAHHHHHLLLIINNNNG,” “POW!” And Randy: “DAWG,” “FOR ME, FOR YOU,” “[Insert generic hyperbole].” Thank god we have Keith and Nicki on the panel, is all I’m saying. With that, let’s get down to business as I present the Top 5 Contestants to Watch from Week Two… Read more on ‘American Idol’ Week 2 Wrap-Up: Top 5 to Watch From Charlotte and Baton Rouge…
Categories: TV/Music Tags: american idol, American Idol 12, american idol recap, American Idol Season 12, Candice Glover, Charlie Askew, fox, Janelle Arthur, Keith Urban, mariah carey, nicki minaj, Randy Jackson, Ryan Seacrest
The winter freeze of new releases continues with this week’s cool additions of Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, Parker, and Movie 43. Having been proven wrong last week about Mama overtaking Zero Dark Thirty, perhaps the reinvented fairy tale or Jason Statham’s latest one-word-titled thriller stand a good chance at reaping in some viewership.
Read more on Weekend Openings: 1/25/2013…
Categories: Weekend Openings Tags: Elizabeth Banks, emma stone, Gemma Arterton, Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez, Jeremy Renner, John Dies at the End, Kate Winslet, Knife Fight, Movie 43, Paul Giamatti, Rob Lowe, Taylor Hackford, Werner Herzog
 It’s the final countdown! In the penultimate episode of Park City Dispatch, Joey and I recount our final day at the fest including the morning snow and the films we screened: Blue Caprice, ACOD, The Spectacular Now and Fruitvale. Enjoy! Read more on Park City Dispatch – Episode 8: ACOD, Fruitvale and Blue Caprice…
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I was speaking with some of my writers recently about who and what could be winning Best Picture and the subject came up about Argo. With Argo winning Best Picture and Director at the Critics Choice Movie Awards and Golden Globes, Ben Affleck’s film is in a position to make unprecedented history and I’m not just talking about being the first film to win without a Director nomination since Driving Miss Daisy (1989).
