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Go to Live-Blogging of the Oscars here beginning at 5 PM Pacific Time.
SUNDAY 3 PM Pacific Time: Above is a celebrity stand-in during Red Carpet rehearsals for the 80th Academy Awards telecast Sunday (photo by Jonathan Alcorn). Now the real Red Carpet arrivals are starting. I hear that ABC dramatically lowered expectations about tonight's TV ratings to advertisers. It will be interesting to see the Nielsen's, as the rain-postponed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series - Auto Club 550 race in Fontana is just about to restart at Lap 20 with a total of 300. After that there is another NASCAR race, the Nationwide series - Stater Bros 300, that is 200 laps. Will America tune out NASCAR to watch the Oscars? Meanwhile, a London source tells me that the BBC did a call in on the Oscars and no one phoned. Even Hollywood interest in the show is at its lowest point in recent memory. This may be the 80th Academy Awards, but they're really the 11th hour Oscars -- because not only were they almost picketed by the writers strike, and put together with only 13 days of major preparations instead of the usual months and months, but also the endless ceremony always seems like it lasts 11 hours.
PREDICTIONS: Two things I can forecast already about the show: George Clooney (who's on Time magazine's cover as "The Last Movie Star") will be fawned over and fussed over, just like he was to an embarrassing degree on the Red Carpet today. Regis Philbin Regis Philbin slobbered to George Clooney how everybody wants to be the actor and compared him to Cary Grant. Clooney replied that Grant is dead. Sure, George has no prayer of winning an Oscar tonight. But Clooneymania is such a cult now that it's giving Obamania a run for its fainting spells. And there'll be a lot of inside jokes about the writers strike and the possible actors strike that no one outside of Burbank and Broadway can comprehend. Meanwhile, the presenters and performers should come with their own personal chyron explanations of who they are, like Miley Cyrus. Yes, many this year are that obscure because the Big Names couldn't get it together in just two weeks to show up inside the Kodak Theatre instead of outside on a picket line. That's just one reason why the show needs a total facelift, not just Botox. But that's another article...
Handicapping this year's Best Motion Picture Of the Year or many other categories is about as tough as picking the Superbowl winner after the big game is already held. Of course, No Country For Old Men will get the Oscar. Of course, Daniel Day Lewis will be named Best Actor In A Leading Role. Of course, Javier Bardem will win Best Actor In A Supporting Role.
But it's probably a 50-50 toss-up between Julie Christie and Marion Cotillard for Best Actress In A Leading Role. The members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences skew geriatric, so in this case the voters probably went for Julie whom many know from years past. They also like the way she's been hanging in there -- not just because she's still finding roles at her age, which is hard because of Hollywood's rampant ageism and sexism, or because she's doing films that actually say something, but also because she survived Warren Beatty.
As for Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role, always the wild card category, most believe Cate Blanchett will win for playing Bob Dylan since cross-gender stunt casting usually guarantees an Oscar. (Hilary Swank and Linda Hunt can vouch for that.) But Cate won this category fairly recently, and if sentimentality holds, then Ruby Dee can win just like she did at the SAG awards. But a lot of Academy voters like to encourage young actresses, and many liked Gone Baby Gone more than they thought they would so Amy Ryan (hey, 40ish is young to them) could win as well. Personally, I'd like Ruby Dee to grab the gold, but I suspect Cate will.
Finally, I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Paul Thomas Anderson will win Best Director instead of the Coen brothers. My reasoning is: no one in Hollywood actually likes the Coen brothers. (Two past examples: Lauren Bacall and Eddie Murphy.) Besides, Oscar voters like to spread the wealth around. 'Nuff said.
A chilly rain fell off and on so the Red Carpet has been tented. Nerves are still frayed from the writers strike just ended. 
Panic is setting in about an actors strike that may be on the way. Few in America or the world have seen the nominated pics and performances. There's no suspense because Hollywood has long ago guessed who and what will probably win. The vast majority of the presenters aren't big names. And not only has the host done it before to really poor ratings, but Jon Stewart couldn't even find anything funny to say about it while guesting on Larry King Live. So, all in all, I think everyone should expect the Worst Oscars Ever In The History Of Hollywood. Really, Sunday can't come fast enough to put this beleaguered 80th Academy Awards which almost was picketed into oblivion out of its misery. Nevertheless, I have some scoops to share about what to expect on the ABC show produced by the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences which bestows the Oscars inside Hollywood's Kodak Theatre:
-- Despite speculation that somehow The Daily Show's Stewart will work in this year's presidential candidates into his opening, I'm told no politicians of any stripe are scheduled to appear even though John McCain did a cameo in the 2005 Vince Vaughn-Owen Wilson laugher Wedding Crashers. ("But we do have Miley Cyrus and The Rock," one insider wisecracked.)
-- Thankfully there will be no shadow puppets, last year's worst Oscars idea!
-- Led by Gil Cates, the Hollywood team that puts on the Academy Awards show was trying to shoot another montage with Jon Stewart and various movie stars. "But it proved too hard to write, cast, shoot and edit in 16 days, what with the rest of the show to take care of," an insider confided to me, referring to the sudden and unexpected settlement of the writers strike which meant the Oscars could be held as planned. "The booking alone would have taken 15 days."
-- Jon Stewart will be showing some of the clip packages that purportedly were prepared in case the writers strike had remained in force, but fortunately did not make the cut.
-- If this year's Oscars suck, don't blame the writers. I'm told that arrangements were so last-minute because of the writers strike that some of the show's scribes began doing the Oscars by phone, fax and cyberspace. An insider tells me, "Every writer had been festering with ideas they were not allowed to put on paper, so the moment the strike ended it was like a starting gun went off and the Internet lit up. Everyone needed to clear their schedules so it could come off as envisioned. I don't know what they had to clear -- who was workin'? -- but that doesn't seem to change a thing."
-- Queen Latifah, one of the scheduled presenters, had a family emergency and had to drop out.
-- John Travolta, who played Edna Turnblad in last summer's hit musical Hairspray, will dance. As a man.
-- This year's unofficial Academy Awards Drinking Game will consist of counting the number of times the cameras cut to Sean Combs (aka P. Diddy) in the audience. His star turn in the ABC telemovie Raisin In The Sun airs the day after the Oscars, on Monday night.
The official ABC telecast kicks off Sunday at 5 PM Pacific time. Academy Award nominees, presenters and performers will be greeted on Oscar’s Red Carpet by film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne. Red Carpet guest arrivals are expected to begin at approximately 3 PM PT.
ABC morning show co-host Regis Philbin also will be on the Red Carpet, and, no, he wasn't at the first ceremony 80 years ago. Actually, I'm told that venerable 97-year-old production designer Robert F. Boyle (who is receiving an honorary award for art direction from Nicole Kidman and her baby bump) was 17 when the first Oscars were given out, and remembers it.
Fashion reporters are predicting hot fall colors -- the blues, purples and greens seen in the recent European couture show -- and a burst of spring colors -- lavender, red rose, peach, pink, grass green, even sunny daffodil -- on Sunday's red carpet. But there'd better be heaters on the Red Carpet for all that exposed cleavage and bare shoulders because rain is likely with temps only in the 50s and winds at 10-15 mph.
The Oscar broadcast drew just 38.9 million viewers on Jon Stewart's watch in 2006. That number was smaller than the 39.9 million drawn by 2007's ceremony hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. (Compare both to the 55 million who tuned in for Billy Crystal back in 1998. Those were the good old days.) Most of the overseas audience for Oscars have never even heard of Jon Stewart. So he's been chosen twice to host after bombing first time out. At least he admitted last time he was a poor choice to host the Oscars, given that his film experience amounted to little more than "the fourth male lead from Death to Smoochy".
It's not exactly all Triple-A presenters and performers who will participate in the Oscar telecast this time. Because most of the big names needed more than just two weeks' notice to show up post-strike after Hollywood had been shut down for months. Those scheduled include all four of last year’s winners in the acting categories—Alan Arkin, Jennifer Hudson, Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker—as well as Amy Adams, Jessica Alba, Cate Blanchett, Josh Brolin, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus, Patrick Dempsey, Cameron Diaz, Colin Farrell, Harrison Ford, Jennifer Garner, Tom Hanks, Anne Hathaway, Katherine Heigl, Jonah Hill, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, James McAvoy, Jack Nicholson, Seth Rogen, Keri Russell, Martin Scorsese, Hilary Swank, John Travolta, Denzel Washington (photo, Denzel onstage at the Oscars rehearsal inside the Kodak Theater) and Renee Zellweger.
Here are the performers of the nominated songs: Amy Adams will sing “Happy Working Song” from Enchanted (music by Alan Menken and lyric by Stephen Schwartz). Also from “Enchanted” (and written by Menken and Schwartz) will be “That’s How You Know,” sung by Kristin Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders, and “So Close,” to be performed by Jon McLaughlin. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will perform their nominated song, “Falling Slowly,” from the motion picture Once. Jamia Simone Nash will perform “Raise It Up,” from August Rush, with the IMPACT Repertory Theatre of Harlem, headed by Jamal Joseph, who shares the song’s music and lyric credit with Charles Mack and Tevin Thomas.
The Oscar telecast team of writers include headliners Hal Kanter, Buz Kohan, Jon Macks and Bruce Vilanch. Second-time Oscar show host Jon Stewart also brought on several writers to work on the show and especially his monologue.
This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched a branded Oscars channel on YouTube – www.YouTube.com/Oscars – featuring Academy Awards show highlights and exclusive video interviews with members from each of the Academy’s branches. Participants include Quincy Jones, Alfred Molina, Sidney Poitier and John Travolta.
As usual, following the Academy Awards presentation, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host its annual Governors Ball in the Grand Ballroom of the Hollywood & Highland Center. The Ball’s decor this year is a color palette inspired by two of Hollywood’s most recognizable icons, the Red Carpet and the gold Oscar statuette. Chef Wolfgang Puck will be serving an organic menu but was asked to scale down the lavish menu from previous years because of the strike woes. But Wolf's idea of simple is a baked potato wrapped in gold leaf and topped with $89-an-ounce Tsar Nicoulai caviar, and mac 'n' cheese with black truffles. (photo, Puck holds a plate of mini kobe cheeseburgers with remoulade appetizers, next to a dessert tray of completely edible 24-carat gold solid chocolate Oscars) The Ball’s 1,500 guests will include Oscar winners and nominees, show presenters and performers.
I've put together an Oscar party schedule for Hollywood glitterati here.
The celebrities interviewed on ABC's Barbara Walters Special timed to the Oscars are Miley Cyrus, Ellen Page, Harrison Ford and Vanessa Williams.
(Keep refreshing for latest news. I will be live-blogging the Academy Awards on Sunday. Come for the cynicism. Stay for the subversion.)
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I’m glad to see you’re not overreacting or being an alarmist. Even tempered, cool headed reporting is all what this place is about.
most actors are just that- they are not scholars- they just entertain us–don’t really care about what they think– most are anti-american and cannot even understand why they are able to say and do what they want– Americans have died for them –most Dems are in la la land and want to be taken care of. God help us if one of them get in office!
They should fear considering their products and their attitudes.
For years Hollyweird has been relying on sequels & remakes.
Not much GOOD new stuff being produced,only ditzy teens,drunks,& bimbo flicks.
Where have all those good actors,scripts and plots gone?
Couple that with so called STARS using their celebrity to push their personal political agendas & bash the country,and our President…do you really expect anyone to watch this mutual admiration society go on stage to pat each other on the back?
If the Oscars are televised and nobody watches, do you care?
Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Burt Lancaster, Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, John Huston… and a best song that everyone knew the words to. Bob Hope, we miss you. Are Oscar’s finest moments “Gone With the Wind”? Thanks for the memories.
Viewing neighbors and families, lets Boycott the Oscars.
They get worse every year, and have become boring and dominated by P. Diddy nonsense.
ABC who is televising this has shown their disdain for family values during prime time with nude scenes, and is thinking the fines by the FCC are “cost of business”.
The whole bunch of them are tearing each other apart, ruining the lives of young talent, and trying to get us to buy in to their garbage. ENOUGH. Clean it up.
Nikki, the presenters are pretty much an “A” List of current Hollywood. Be thankful that Paris wasn’t included. The big problem with the year’s Oscars – aside from the WGA strike that derailed the PR process – is that the marvelous films haven’t been seen by many people. I purposely viewed “Blood” this afternoon…it was the only highly-nominated film I hadn’t seen (Hey, I’m a gay guy and take the Oscars seriously. Well, semi-seriously).
Going the way of “Miss America”… thankfully !
I couldn’t care less. Why would I want to see a bunch of people I don’t know or care about winning a bunch of crap for playing pretend in a bunch of movies? Isn’t it enough that I might have paid to watch a couple of their movies this year? Are they going to come to my job and cheer me on for getting an award or citation? Probably not. There’s no reason for this to be televised.
I haven’t watched the Oscars for about the past ten years. I could see the downward trend starting way back then and I’m not really surprised at this recent turn of events.
When Hollywood starts making more movies worth seeing, I’ll start caring about the Oscars again.
the death of the academy awards is extremely healthy.
it is now impossible for the ‘hollywood community’ to continue enforcing its false dedication to quality or craft or even the skill of creating a movie star’s mystique. there is something anachronistic about this parade of embalmed phonies insisting on their artistry when elections are rigged, brutal imperialist wars continue, and disneyfied child prostitutes like britney spears combust in public – which, history will prove, is the ultimate punk kamikaze attack on hollywood.
oddly enough, the movies nominated this year are very strong – not much glossy shit, like dreamgirls.
it’s the heart of the show that is rotten, not the films. nobody young cares, and it is embarrassing and degrading to go to oscar viewing parties.
i will be doing what i normally do during the oscars, driving around on beautiful empty streets, going out to eat in empty restaurants that don’t have tv, then later watching ’shampoo’ one more time with my honey, stoned out of our minds.
george clooney…if you need a date for the oscars, email me
Serves them right. Pump out some decent films and maybe your viewership will rise.
Can anyone remember any good movies that have come out of Hollywood in the past 10-15 years. When the animation movies are box office hits and the movies with actors are complete duds what does that tell you. Hollywood’s days are over. The greed, avarice and arrogance has finally caught up with them and the end of the track is in sight. Americans have finally had enough of the pompous, posturing airheads who believe because they made a few dollars playing someone else on screen, that they have the right to tell the rest of the country how to think. Game, set, match. Save some of those dollars cause you are going to need them. Redford and his merry band of Anti-American peers need look no further than themselves for killing their golden goose. They are no longer entertaining and no one cares.
The Oscars was put on life support with “Crash” and died a year ago with “The Departed” — I mean how could a remake deserve the Best Picture of the year…
& we’re virtually going to repeat the pattern this year, NCFOM is arguably not a Top 5 Coen Brothers picture, and the final act was a complete let down; Atonement despite being mis-marketed as a Titanic clone was far and away the best movie this year.
Who let the PTC out of their cage?
justin wrote:
Where have all those good actors,scripts and plots gone?
Scott answers:
I’m not sure where all the good scripts and plots have gone, but I hope they are in rehab with all the actors.
To be honest I’m so tired of Hollywood patting itself on the back I won’t be watching. It’s just one more annoying award show the world could live without.
Haven’t gone to see movie in years, what and who are the Oscars for?
Hey Hollywood when your up there on stage thanking every Tom Dick and Harry how about thanking our Troops.
I hope people get tired of the Oscars. Then maybe Hollywood would realize that they might be better off releasing quality films throughout the year as opposed to holding them to the December in hopes of being fresh in voters’ minds.
When almost all of the “Oscar-worthy” films are released in a six week period and a lot of them get only a limited release, I don’t think you can be surprised when America hasn’t heard of them and isn’t interested in seeing an awards show about them.
Who cares if the self promoting “Oscar” party is a failure? This crowd of spoiled millionaires are like Dennis Rodman and Michale Vick… sluts and pimps dressed in expensive clothes, driving pricey cars!
So what! They are just ACTORS ! ! ! !
As for me, I’ll watch the re-runs with actors that actually respected America and admired their audience.
Otherwise… it’s Food Network… they really do give a damn!
Howard Ino
If the Oscars are televised and nobody watches… do they really exist?
I am very excited about the award show and am looking forward to seeing fine films such as ‘Juno’ get the applause it deserves. This is an all American tradition! I love Hollywood!
Is George Clooney going to give us some political rant again? I never watch this crap. Funny how he never married considering how we always hear he such a “ladies” man. I find Jon Stewart annoying and fairly talentless.
Hollywood has thumbed it’s nose at middle America. Hopefully film piracy and apathy causes this sewer to implode. Even liberal Darryl Hannah recently said that Hollywood treats women like meat and prostitutes. I shudder to think what women and men have to do to get a movie part in these trash films.
no country for old men, my choice
Along with all the other people above, I detest all that is Hollywood and thus I did not come to a site called Deadline Hollywood Daily and spend the last 15 minutes of my life reading Nikki’s article or reading all the other comments here, then taking 15 more minutes to write, then fine-tune, my own clueless rantings about the depravity of liberal-minding showbiz people, because I have far better things to do with my time.
I join my brothers in this comments zone in finding absolutely nothing better to do with my Sunday night other than post angry comments on Hollywood-related Web sites while my wife watches the Oscars in the next room. I will also post angry comments on politically-themed messages boards, and perhaps I will briefly search for some nude photos of famous actresses, then study them for a few minutes.
Hey douchebags,
Have any of you actually watched the Best Picture nominees? They are all fantastic films.
I love “dadndaaield”… a person who “hasn’t gone to see movie in years” yet somehow reads and posts on this inside Hollywood website.
Oh, and Justin is hilarious also.
If Hollywood would put as much effort into making films as they do into their political activism, there would be more of a demand for theie efforts. Using your celebrity status to push a political agenda is more of a turn-off than actors may think…. that applies to either side of the aisle.
They don’t reflect our culture , values, etc. Get a grip Hollywood , we want Gary Cooper back not Michael Moore.
Does Gil Cates (or anyone in Hollywood) realize how OBSCURE Jon Stewart is? NO ONE outside of LA or NY knows who he is. Billy Crystal was a movie star. Steve Martin is a movie star. Jon Stewart is the host of a small-time cable show. He maybe has ONE MILLION viewers. Does anyone read or understand ratings anymore?
Is “Survivorman’s” Les Stroud up for any awards? That dude is rugged.
What the hell is wrong with you people?
Have you even SEEN these movies. They’re all brilliant, and some of the best we’ve seen in decades.
Are you just against movies that actually require audiences to THINK?
Because if you have audiences THINKING, they’ll STOP WATCHING FOX NEWS.
Expect this comment to be deleted, because Fox News doesn’t believe in free speech.
NEVER HAS.
Good luck, COMMUNISTS!
Hollywood is mostly made up of selfish idiots that have more money then most of us will see in our life time. Does this mean they know how to solve our country’s problems? Hell no.
Self grandizing idiots.
Thanks guys, for the laughs! This is some of the funniest stuff I’ve read in a while. Maybe some of you could get jobs in Hollywood as writers! Nah, you’d hate it. And speaking of, why were all the actors supportive of the writers during the strike? I mean if they just gave up a fraction of a percent of their over-inflated income, the writers would have been back to work the next day. How shameless of them!
Looks like the Oscars are following in the footsteps of the Miss America Contest…and they won’t be missed!
Hollywood is full of dirty old men who want to strip stupid women of their clothes and decency…it’s all about the sex.
Jon Stewart was okay two years ago. The jokes were just a little too high brow for the actors in the audience (no one laughs at a crack about pulling down the giant Oscar statue and spreading democracy in Hollywood???) My guess is he’ll play a little better to the crowd gathered this second go-around.
And, Nikki, the Oscars are NEVER going to get 55 million again like it did in 1998 for Titanic’s coronation (the biggest movie of all time was, shockingly, ratings gold…) It wasn’t about Billy Crystal. In fact, in the last 30 years, the Oscars only broke 50 million domestic viewers ONE other time, and that was in 1983.
Maybe if Juno wasn’t the biggest box office draw nominated for Best Picture, this year’s telecast would rate higher. Which means either the Academy needs to learn to nominate movies that are more popular (and wouldn’t that have George Clooney in a tizzy), or the studios need to make better movies (that still manage to get some critical acclaim)… i.e. if the very deserving Ratatouille had gotten a Best Picture nomination.
Out of the films that are nominated… the general viewing public couldn’t give two shakes of a fist about There Will Be Blood or Atonement. No Country For Old Men, as a western, automatically is a hard sell today. Juno is niche. And Michael Clayton, well, I’d hazard a guess that even with its nominations, 99 of 100 people in America couldn’t tell you it was a movie.
Also going against this year’s telecast… the only major category with any real question mark about who is going to win is the Supporting Actress trophy, and that usually gets handed out first.
Bottom line, this year’s Oscars will be lucky to hit the numbers they did when Jon hosted last… but that won’t be his fault. Not by a mile.
Hollywood gave up on America. I’m glad to see America finally give up on Hollywood. These actors have done so much to denigrate this great country when they should be damn proud at all we’ve done to feed the world and protect it. If it weren’t for this great country, none of these chumps would be allowed to say what they do. Plus if these idiots don’t realize that if the Muslim Extremists have their way, every one of these women that appear naked on their backs in these movies would be stoned to death. How’s that for equality?
I stopped watching the Oscars when “American Beauty” won. I saw the film and figured that Hollywood was truly in the ozone with this “classic” on American life. The hero blackmails his employer and is a pedophile. The wife is a silly, brainless adultress. The daughter is totally negelected, with confused values. The next door neighbor is a nazi-loving military nut who is sexual repressed, with a son who is a druggie and very strange. Oh yes, a couple of wonderful gay professionals live on the other side of the house and are so into flowers. Into this typical American mess steps a cheerleader who needs counseling. I found the entire movie a peek into what Hollywood thinks of all of us. Not much respect for people who go to work, play by the rules and love their families.
Please tell me this is a joke and none of you are taking this that seriously!!
There are REAL things going on in the world and some are supposedly worring about what this star will wear?
More proof how unimportant Hollywood has become.
No wonder no one cares about your various strikes!
- Alex Wolf
As to the Oscars, no body cares. This is a feel good party for Hollywood. Movie views don’t watch because of the garbage Hollywood puts out, because of the insanity of the Brinty Spears crowd. And there is allot of them. I watched ABC coverage Friday morning and wondered if the comentator really believed the Oscars was important? Such waste of brain power I am ashamded I wasted any of my valuable time. Like putting this remark on the website. The only reason for this remark is the impact Hollywood has on the culture. And the real impact is the real hate the Islamic Terrorist have of America, all based on their real dislike for Hollywood.
Most of the real people have left the industry anyway.The whole biz has become way too corporate. Does anyone really care about Brittany or Paris? I prefer the anarchy of the internet. Hollywood is so 20th century.
Who wants to watch a bunch of wacko’s from the film actor’s guild blast off on the country that brought them prosperity? On a benevolent and generous land. And if they don’t politicize the show, enough of them have been out there deriding their country to make the masses puke and tune out.
For those of you that think that the Oscars are going the same way as the dodo bird and Miss America, think again. Miss America pretty much died due to factors related to reality TV and that most of the contestants are eliminated before the first commercial break. One other factor that clearly didn’t help was FOX’s decision to air the show “Who Want’s to Marry a Multi-Millionaire,” and turn it into a two-hour pageant that resulted in a marriage that was doomed from the start.
As for the Oscars, ABC’s decision to move the ceremony to February hurt more because it contracts the window for movies to be displayed. The problem is that the American people are more focused on the NFL Playoffs, Super Bowl, and Daytona 500 to attend movies. If so, they might check out some mindless crap like “Be Kind, Rewind” or rent something from netflix or elsewhere. What needs to be done is that the Oscars need to be held in the springtime. I am not saying that they should be pushed to the last Monday of the season, but the Oscars could be held in early May or late April and still be with-in a sweeps period. The studios can then use the NFL Playoffs and Super Bowl to promote likely Oscar contenders and the entire month of February would be used to release these Oscar contenders and create the word of mouth to generate good box office.
What can also be done is for the Academy to create an Comedy and Drama division for the ceremony. That way the editing awards can be banished to the other ceremony.
Regarding the actors and actresses, they should keep their mouth shut. While they can voice their opinions, the Oscars isn’t the place to do it. Besides, the last time Jon Stewart hosted, the South Park guys were able to take George Clooney’s speech and turn it into an South Park episode where San Francisco is destroyed.
With that in mind, remakes and sequels shouldn’t be allowed to be made and to the point that the SAG should force the studios to cut down on the remakes and sequels, while the A-listers get shafted at an incredible rate with a Salary Cap.
In the end, this year’s show will be low rated, but the SAG will force a move to the first Sunday in May as a result of their negotiations and the ceremony should be back about the 40 million range. Besides, Jon Stewart isn’t all bad. The alternative was to go for the easy waiver and that would have meant dropping Jon Stewart and going with David Letterman. In the end, for all of those naysayers, it is only 364 or 434 days until either Robin Williams or Steve Carell is the host.
Is this on tv? When? Sure hope it doesn’t interfere with the Simpsons. There’s a show! It has far more appeal than watching a bunch of dim-witted Marxist moonbats telling each other how good they are. American has had enough of the insane ranting from these useful idiots.
I have better things to do than to watch a bunch of overpaid, shallow, worthless people congratulate themselves by throwing expensive parties, handing out free goodie bags to each other with $100,000 worth of perfume and useless crap and talk about what the latest talentless starlets are wearing. Like picking my nose.
I wonder what the “stars” will be wearing. Yeah Right! … Tired of: Paparatzi – “What are you wearing?” Movie “star” – Well, I am wearing Fruit-of-the-loom with purple cotton socks designed by Johny Arrogant. Paparatzi- You look lovely!
I am so sick of Hollywood and these stupid awards shows. Are you kidding me? They make movies/tv shows and how many awards shows are dedicated to patting themselves on the back? They’re not saving the world, and in my opinion, some of these actors are actually making the world a worse place. I never watch these shows and I’d be really psyched if the rest of the American public did the same and ignored the Oscars entirely. Maybe that would make the point that although they may be impressed with themselves, nobody else is.
Well it’s good to see Hollywierd heading towards the same fate as the NYT and other left wing liberal institutions,… oblivion!
How sick we are of listening to these high school dropouts and ultra rich anti-American societal misfits tell us how to be more socialist while they give NONE of their big bucks away!
When the day comes that they all are living in boxes on the streets of Beverly Hills, I will stand up and cheer!
Come on, Nikki, i’m not an American and i say that Jon Stewart is the only reason to watch this show. The ratings numbers have nothing to do with the host. People just sick of the Oscars and the ridiculous choices the academy takes. I’ll stay up all night just to see Jon Stewart and with hope for an Israeli win in the foreign film category.
When they snubbed Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ and another great movie, Facing the giants, I swore hollywood off for good! Most of them are in the alex jones willie nelson crowd anyway! (9/11 was an inside job) What a bunch of KOOKS. Seeing hollywood go down is almost as delicous as seeing the Clinton’s go down. HA HA HA HA hollywood!
Maybe this will be the last Oscar on TV. Good Riddance to a self aggrandizing gathering of untalented hangers-on. Oscar used to have meaning when true talent and skill appeared on the screen. Today’s cadre of strippers, must-hires, and pretty boys, “performing” the inevitible bed scene filler plus totally unacceptable profanity make for less than entertainment. On a ten scale, today’s movies are a “two-bag.” When the “leadership” (bums) in Hollywood finally realize that money is made with entertaining and not “graphic, artistic or reality” movies (G vs. R or X), then MAYBE Oscars will have meaning once again. I don’t know when the Oscar broadcast is being televised, but when I find out, I’ll be sure to tune in a re-run of Gilligan or The Big Valley.
I’ve watched the Oscarcast every year since 1972, when I was 13 and was rooting for the first film I’d ever seen more than once in a theater, “Fiddler on the Roof.”
It’s been compelling ever since. Not necessarily “entertaining,” but fascinating, from the clothing mores to the film montages to the inevitable spontaneous moments that belie all planning and preparation. I’ve settled back for the red-carpet coverage, ordered two pizzas and a bucket o’ wings for delivery, and had a good time.
This is the first year, though, that I’ve had no desire to watch it, after 36 times in a row. I’ve seen NONE of the films that were nominated, for anything, and have nothing to root for. No previews have been persuasive, and the Coen brothers have become boring. So what’s the point?
Well, there’s one exception. I saw “Enchanted.” But NO film deserves THREE nominations for Best Original Song. Not when the Music Branch is so parochial about the home-town boys, and excludes brilliant work from abroad — such as Take That’s song “Rule the World,” for “Stardust.”
For that matter, the criminally under-publicized, brilliant, evocative “Stardust” got no nominations at all … one less than even “Norbit” received, for makeup. That’s just too sad for words, as a commentary on the state of our civilization.
The short films on YouTube have more life than Hollywood does, in the aggregates, and perhaps that’s as it should be. Every art form needs a revolution now and then, as Jefferson once prescribed for nations as a whole.
So, for the first time in three dozen years, I really do have better things to do on this particular Sunday night. Hollywood should be worried. They really don’t want to lose middle-of-the-culture viewers like me, but they already have.
The market works; the stars have to hate it. The studios know it; they will survive.
WoW! They hate us-they really really hate us!
Are all the troll posters here from some right wing political rally or nutty church group?
Great that you hate us all and our jobs and stuff-even though you profess to never see any of it. It would really kill you to know how many truly talented, creative, highly intelligent people work here, they enjoy their lives and families and are involved in the community. Many of them live by beautiful philosophies of life and share, give and care more than is ever told.
not sayin’ everything is art and beauty all the time-but it does appear and it can inspiring and special. People feel free to speak about their political beliefs and they do-why not?
I can promise you shaking insecure souls that Hollywood doesn’t hate you or make fun of you, most of us don’t think about you at all-ever.. We cannot destroy America in any way as we are only a small group of people,some make up and costumes, and a giant mirror that we hold up to you and while you look at yourself- we tell you story. so-don’t hate us cause we really don’t care-there are amazing films made every year-you apparently don’t see them. oh, one other thing-I can tell by your tones-none of you would ever get laid here-so there really is no reason to even visit. sorry.
Most Oscar nominated movies consist of the worst aspects of the human condition. They are rarely uplifting, inspirational or hope-filled. Why would I want to see those movies and why would I care to see their creators be praised and rewarded? My favorite movie this year was Bella but it was too hopeful for the Hollywood crowd. If a movie doesn’t have extreme violence, elicit sex, foul language, or ground-breaking homosexuality it is no good in Hollywood’s eyes. You need to show women and children getting raped, beaten and killed in order to be celebrated. I hope people are really getting sick of this and will just turn off their tvs.
Just cancel the damn show.
It is way to long, the actors suck anyways and I am sick and tired about hearing them bitch and moan about the economy, the enviornment, the president and the US.
If everything is so bad (the baldwin family) move the hell out of the United States. The last time I looked, the US is the home of the free and the brave.
The Baldiwn family are a bunch of pussy whiners and you are free to move to any socialist country you like, also, take Hillary and Billy Clinton along with you.
When the said that Johnny Stewart will be hosting the poor attendened show, they lost me. He sucks more than the other losers.
I’ll watch it because I’ve always watched the Oscars and I just realized I haven’t seen ANY of the five nominated films. That’s a first for me. I just hope it’s a movie night and actors don’t start making political speeches about Hillary or Obama.
Juno??? What the hell’s Juno??? All the name means to me is that of my first “free” email service over a decade ago!
As they crawl from rehab to rehab, take money from tobacco companies to promote cigarettes in movies and complain about publicity yet hire pr agencies, who cares about Hollywood Hipocrites???
On balance, the entire Hollywood community, (and it’s not limited to only the shallow, narcissistic actors) are smug, arrogant, insular, and insulated, and they are not afraid to flaunt it. No wonder the ratings are continually plummeting. I’d rather watch paint dry.
Most thinking people don’t give a shit about the Oscars anyway.
Who cares about ANY of these spoiled brats that aren’t worth my time. Oscars are a non event except for these clowns who feel so self important. As long as Hollywood promotes trash I will continue to maintain my 16.5 year boycott of ALL television. I know, it does seem incredible but it’s true.
Joe
I have been watching TCM movies all week – previous Oscar winners and my thought is “Good grief”! These were wonderful movies – good acting, funny, witty and meaningful dialogue, and plots that we could understand. In other words they were entertaining and they did not rely on computerized special effects, nudity, foul language and bodily functions to make us laugh, cry, feel good, etc. Oh, for the gold old days!
The first leftist to start pimping for Obama and slamming Pres. Bush will make my channel turn.
Who cares what a bunch of leftest eletist morons do or say. The only good actors in this country are from “down under” anyway.If it were not for Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe I would not even watch anything.
Everyone going into the KODAK theatre should have to drive their own vehicle into a parking lot , pay for parking and then pay at least $10.00 per ticket and $20.00 for some watered down soft drinks and popcorn…. and if htey are wondering why no one watches , we are also tired of the America hating , pontificating BS… Just watched “Goodbye Girl” Last night .. It would beat any in every catagory today
Just so much self-congratulatory hokum. How about if we put out some interesting, socially responsible, artist work and see who watches. No, on second thought, let’s just pander to the lowest common denominator, juvenile instincts and see how much money we can make. Then, we’ll all get dressed up and tell each other how great we all are. can you imagine this happening in other industries? The greatest performance by a female barista in foaming the coffee goes to….
I just wanted to say “thank you” to everyone that posted a comment here. You really made me laugh and were more entertaining than anything I’ve seen on tv lately. Guess what? I used to be in the “business” in hollywood, but I got so sick and tired of the hypocrisy surrounding me. I grew up in the Midwest where most people still care about others. I’m so relieved to not have to deal with so many of the sleazy directors, producers, neurotic writers and narcissitic actors. It is ironic and I used to pray for this area of the country because I used to have a heart for them, but not sure if I do anymore. Most of the product they output to the world is what the Islamic extremists loathe and think that America represents, when it is so not true. Most of America represents what is good and what dreams are made of. Today’s “Hollywood” is what the Islamic extremists hate. And “Hollywood” has the audacity to bash this country and the President and the troops. Obama will probably get elected and then we’ll have another attack from the Islamic terrorists, but this time they’ll probably be more specific with their target….like “Hollywood”. Maybe then that would stop the wars because the terrorists will finally get what they want…..to get rid of all the “indecent” things American. And I can go back to watching my “Decorating for Cents” show and “Ninja Warrior” for my entertainment! P.S. I haven’t been to a movie in ages because there’s just nothing good out there. I will say though that I’m still fans of those actors that are talented, but don’t get political on me, such as Steve Carrell and Jim Carrey. One of them should be the host, not what’s his name?
I probably won’t watch the Oscars and haven’t for many years. Too many people making fools of themselves when they open their mouths. Just take your award and cut the politican talk – nobody wants to hear it. And no comments about your out of wedlock child with your latest honey, your latest abortion, your drug problem, or your suicidal inclinations.
What do washed up actors do? They become political activists. Where does most of Hollywood live? In LALA Land, and they have no clue about reality. What does most actors/actresses do to show their pride and gratitude for what they have received in the USA? Nothing, except complain, moan and groan how bad it is in the USA.
Will we watch the Oscars? Not a chance.
May GOD BLESS AMERICA! We are NOT Politically Correct, and we are proud of it!!
The Academy Awards need to be moved to cable..where they can air uncensored, acceptence speeches can last more than a minute, and some sense of general anarchy can rule..
Putting them back into a springtime time slot would solve the problem to some degree..but the Telvision audience is fractured into many different sub catagories now..and there is other stuff on cable and the internet for folks to stream..
Face it, the MTV Movie Awards draw pretty much the same faces as the Oscars..MTV focuses on films that the vast majority of the audience actually buys tickets for..instead of films that no one has seen yet, and likely won’t until they hit Netflix or OnDemand..
I won’t be watching the Oscars..better things to do tomorrow night..
Look, it’s an election year. So it’s right that the Oscars host’s only credentials are in whacky political analysis and that he is the leading source of news for the largest swath of actors. The point is that they get news, which allows them to be more informed than the great bulk of their many dozens of fans.
It is essential that a forum exist then which exposes tens and tens of television watchers to well really lovely role models with a professional ability to memorize Jon Stewart’s scripts and perform them even more movingly than he has. And it helps that these people are pretty so that people who are not watching Stewart will have here a better reason to learn what he believes through them.
As for the crap others have posted about marxist/commie/sluts/druggy/airheads – well, most of the people hurling those charges have no idea how hard it it to be Amy Winehouse, Britnny… um Brittanny…. er Brittiny… wuddever… or George Clooney. Until they strut a mile in their mascara they have no right to characterize them as glimmering empty containers for the vintners of anti-American swill. Whatever happened to actions have consequences…er… freedom of speech… anyway?
Since it is a Presidential election year, I for one am frizzed to learn if these glimmering opinion makers support Barak, Hillary,Will Truman, or Hugo Chavez.
Oh… Will the Oscars have a ten second delay button this year? Wonder why anyone thinks that’s necessary? After all TV owners have an editing device and will undoubtedly choose once again to edit out any exposure to ‘Oscar-Think’ by instead pushing their buttons to Animal Planet.
I can’t believe they asked Jon Stewart to host again. He was perhaps the worst host I’ve seen in last year’s show. Why would they ask him back? Would nobody else agree to do it? I am a huge admirer of Stewart’s on The Daily Show, and have seen him live here in Toronto, he’s amazing. But he’s not a Hollywood persona.
I just hope that the serious movies get their rewards tonight, like Away from Her and No Country for Old Men. Superb filmmaking from Sara Polley, and riveting performances by Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent.
We will be watching reruns of “Chuck” and then the Simpsons. Who cares about hollywood anymore besides the clowns who work there. We haven’t been in a movie theater in years, and don’t plan on going anytime soon. We’ve been buying old movies and watching reruns of Perry Mason and Alfred Hitchcock. Just think of all the co2 coming out of these idiots mouths.
It’s no secret that the Oscars ratings are dependent on having movies people watched nominated. 2007 was a good year for movies overall, both mainstream and smaller films. This year’s best picture nominees are probably one of the better slates in recent years, all deserving.
There were some great studio films that were box office successes that weren’t nominated for best picture, namely Ratatouille and Bourne Ultimatum. Superbad and Knocked Up were successes too and they were produced by major studios.
if i didn’t have a life, how would watching the oscars make it any better? remember actors and actresses make their living in the world of make believe, which makes all their political rants ring hollow
Trash begets being trashed….Hollywood stars are
unpatriotic, nasty people, not worth the time of day.
There is nothing more overblown than the belief people really care about the Oscars. A self-serving mega back-slapping event for the intellectually juvenile Hollywood elite. It serves no purpose…not even entertainment.
Once upon a time, I believed the Oscars presentations were a group of industry insiders who got together once each year to pat themselves on the back. I believed that while the show’s general outline was probably scripted to some extent, that the bulk of the on stage air time was truly the free flow of thoughts and ideas from the participants. Since the writers’ strike I’ve learned how naive that belief was. The writers’ strike made it completely obvious that the Oscars are less of a public awards show and more of another way to sell expensive advertisments on television. There really is no difference between the movie on the other station and the Oscars, except the movie has a better plot. If the whole thing is written, and the show can’t go on without weeks of prepatory writing, then why not delay the show, and just post to an online blog and let us read about it. The hollywood reporters will tell us all about it the next day anyway. Why do I need to waste another Sunday evening listening to what the writers want me to know?
I’m going dancing Sunday night. Screw the oscars. When all the morons are looking at the TV wishing they were as cool as the people on it, I’ll be holding a real live woman in my arms and gazing into her eyes as we salsa and cha cha across the dance floor!
I loved the shadow puppets.
I love this. I am not alone. No one cares anymore or should I say most of us don’t, I hope.
These people are not worthy of Oscars as in days gone by.
When I read of all the special beauty treatments they are all running to get, it was quite disturbing.
They think more of themselves then we do.
I hope this year will be a very low turn out of viewers, to send them a message.
They are legends in their own minds and live in a strange world, I want know part of.
I hope America has grown up and avoids the show. I feel I have grown up. A part of me wants a peak but it’s almost like I’ll feel like I disgraced myself for watching.
nobody cares about hollywood anymore. they shouldn’t even televise it anymore as well.
Worst Oscars ever. Lowest viewership ever. So what, who cares?
The people in the entertainment industry, in partiularly those who make millions, have no loyalty nor anything in common with the average American. In fact many of them loath us as demonstrated by their anti-American comments overseas as they bask in the loving applause of those who hate us. They are in fact members of an international moneyed elite with no loyalty to anyone but their kind. We in America don’t need these people. Like the young starlets with cash are good examples for anyone but mindless young women who read the tabloid trash.
Somehow Hollywood forgot that the product they are selling is entertainment. People who are purchasing this product want to be entertained; not “enlightend” by some self-indulgent, egotisitical director; not preached to or told how ignorant and backward they are by some actor or actress who has just finished their fourth session of drug rehab. If you do not provide the product the customer wants, the customer will find that product somewhere else. People have found that everything from NASCAR to video games to bloging on the internet are far more entertaining and fun than paying an exorbitant price to sit in a movie theater and be insulted by the latest, self-proclaimed world savior from Hollywood. People are no longer paying attention to the Oscar Awards because they no longer care about the product that is being honored. It’s really that simple, although the egos of the Hollywood crowd will never allow themselves to admit it.
I know who Sgt.York is, Patton, McArthur, the Band of Brothers, and a lot of other War HEROES from the past because of reading and some wonderful movies and shows. Years and years of entertaining ,educational, and fairly accurate portrayals of heroics under fire. Fast forward to 2008…..Are there any HEROES in the current wars we are involved? Not to hollywood! Just evil companies and soldiers who should be on trial. Any movie with a terrorist is anyone but a Muslim. Gee, I wonder why nobody gives a rats ass about hollywood. Take your awards shows and your putrid America hating movies and stick them up there beside your heads.
As an actor myself, I have a suggestion for AMPAS. Instead of having this glorified circle jerk every year, why not change the format and only give awards for lifetime achievement? I’m a theatre guy, so I don’t go to the movies much, but I would much rather see some really good guys and gals get lifetime achievement awards than a bunch of nimrods (generally) get together and have a big party. To paraphrase George C. Scott, I’ll be home watching a hockey game.
Actors strike….who gives a rats ass about those bastards.
It would have taken little effort on your part to look up the correct term for the award to be given to Bob Boyle this year for his body of work.
Bob is a Production Designer, and the award will be for Art Direction, he is not an art designer (which is a title that does not exist). His creativity and point of view has had great influence on our industry since silent films and should be treated with respect.
I’d be more concerned if people did actually watch it. Who can be interested in a suckfest amongst a bunch of people who are ludicrously overpaid for pretending to be someone else for a living. Don’t worry too much, the trailer trash will tune in.
Please stop blaming the host for bad ratings! This is an entirely media created criticism. The ratings have always been dependent on the best picture film nominees and the mainstream public’s investment in them. Whenever a box office hit is nominated for Best Pic, a la “Titanic” and “Return of the King, the ratings go up. Can anyone remember who hosted those shows? I guess if you say Billy Crystal, you have a 50% chance of getting it right. If Hollywood made better mainstream films, it would have bigger Oscar ratings. If this year’s show sucks, it will be for one reason only: “Juno” wins Best Picture and Screenplay.
And to all the conservative wack jobs who post on this blog, I have a news flash for you: Ronald Reagan. Actor. Prez of SAG. Hollywood born and bred.
I’ll go along with everyone about the Hollywood efforts and Oscar presentations being very un-noteworthy these days. There hasn’t been much originality, high quality, or significance in motion pictures [non-animated] for decades. At this point, the powers-that-be should return the Oscars’ ceremonies to a restaurant to be broadcast on radio only. People would then have an easier way to NOT turn on the sound. Hollywood groups as ‘movie makers’ are no longer important. Their so-called, social efforts are usually radical and against common sense, so what’s the loss?
And they can change the Oscar emcee to someone who might actually be funny without a disgusting or radically political mien. Personally, I can’t think of an appropriate nominee.
One solution to everything is to cut salaries for the Hollywood ‘worthies’ by 90 percent, and reduce movie theater ticket costs accordingly. If a movie is only worth 50 cents to see, that’s all the public should have to pay. An actor or actress needs only a couple of hundred thousand dollars at most for their efforts. Put the extra money into better scripts, plots, accuracy and general movie making effort. As of now: The ‘talent’ is overpaid. The movie theater tickets are over-priced. And the social activities of ‘actors’ are usually over-regarded, radically left—and simply representative of the ‘pea-brain’ mentality and lack of significance of such individuals.
Let Hollywood return to the ‘Thrilling days of Yesteryear’ with new and innovative movies.
Here’s another winners speach: I’d like to thank Mike, Sheery, Joe, Sally, Saul, Meranda, Julie, Craig, Yolanda, Matt, Evelen, Rose, Annette, Molly, Brett, Shelby, Mindy, Green, Leandra, Dorothea, Sloan, Bill, John. Music now plays cut to next winner with same speach. How orignal are these people?
Thanks to many who have already expressed my disgust with Hollywood and why I don’t watch the Oscars, go to movies starring George Clooney, Michael Moore, and any other lefty loon who wants to spout off with their socialist politics.
our role models have been corrupted by the leftists and elitists and mental midgets of our society
Hey Mark…
communists? I think not…The Democrat party is dangerously close to becoming communist…one step over from Socialism comrade….Maybe that’s why Obama will call his senators if he gets elected…God forbid!
Why is it I dont get to see my garbage man or mail carrier get an award? He actually impacts my life unlike these clowns.