Image Credit: Peter Iovino
As you’re scrambling to fill out your Oscar pool, you’re confronted with that age-old question: Is the person who will win the person who should win? Let’s take it to a vote in eight categories. Click here to see what EW’s Oscar expert Dave Karger has to say on the subject, and here for his final predictions in all 24 categories. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Andrew Cooper/DreamWorks Pictures
There are a whopping nine films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards. And between your work, family, and constant USA marathons of Law & Order: SVU (when will those ever stop being addictive?!), you simply do not have time to catch all nine in the theaters or on DVD. But never fear, dear PopWatchers — that’s why we’re here! Each day leading up to the Academy Awards Feb. 26, we’ll be providing you with a deep dive into one of the nine Best Picture nominees. Fear showing up to your Oscars party unprepared to discuss the year’s most notable films? We’ve got you covered. (Just beware:SPOILERS AHEAD!) And if you’ve already seen all nine films, even better — our inside look at each nominee will serve as a handy guide to remind you of the best and worst moments from every Best Picture candidate this year. In this installment we’ll break down all the statistics of War Horse. (And be sure click here for more deep dives into this year’s Best Picture nominees!)
Name: War Horse
Release date: December 25, 2011
DVD release date: April 3, 2012
Run time: 2 hours, 26 minutes READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Copyright & TM Lucasfilm, Ltd.
Hang on tight, because Star Wars: The Clone Wars is making the jump to lightspeed.
Tonight’s episode, “Massacre,” kicks off a four-part season finale that will feature an interstellar rogues gallery of fan-favorite villains: Asajj Ventress, the Nightsisters, Boba Fett, Savage Opress, Darth Maul, and General Grievous. And tonight, Grievous’s voice actor, Matthew Wood, will be joining us for a live chat starting at 7:40 p.m. ET. Wood will be taking your questions and adding his running commentary to the episode. READ FULL STORY »
Essence magazine’s Black Women in Hollywood luncheon yesterday had much to celebrate, but it was also a more somber occasion than in previous years, with the recent passing of pop icon Whitney Houston. “I got really lucky to be able to see her on something she was so passionate about,” former American Idol finalist Jordin Sparks says about working with one of her idols, on the upcoming film Sparkle. Houston had just finished production on Sparkle before her tragic death earlier this month. “She was amazing,” Sparks says. Octavia Spencer also spoke with Essence about her experience being a black woman in Hollywood, and what the success of The Help has been like for her. Watch the full videos interview with Sparks and Spencer after the jump.
READ FULL STORY »
Oscar night is nearly here, and EW’s own Libby Gelman-Waxner is back just in time to ponder the big questions about Hollywood’s biggest and most over-the-top extravagant event:
Libby,
Do you really think The Descendants is deserving of the Oscar praise or is it just because George Clooney is in it and the Academy is scared/infatuated with him?
PJ
Dear PJ –
Like everyone else in the world, except maybe for a few Republicans, I worship George Clooney, especially because he’s so suave and sexy, but in The Descendants he’s playing a regular person, a lawyer in Hawaii. The movie was directed by Alexander Payne, who also did Sideways and About Schmidt, and who clearly believes that you can’t have too many movies about depressed middle-aged white guys. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Put down those Pop Rocks and Diet Cokes. We’ve got some A-list myths to examine! Ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most famous myths to rise out of the annual awards ceremony. Want to know if being nude will get you a Best Actress statue? Or if the Best Director and Best Picture awards always align? You’re in luck – we’ll be investigating one Oscars-related urban legend each day this week. Today, we investigate whether winning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar has been a curse in the past 25 years. Read on to find out. (And click here for more of EW’s Oscars Myth Busting.)
Oscar Myth: The Curse of the Best Supporting Actress
What is it?: Winning the trophy for Best Supporting Actress is actually career suicide, dooming you to the margins of the film business. (In some variations on the myth, winning Best Supporting Actress actually leads directly to the breakup of the winner’s current relationship.) READ FULL STORY »
UPDATE: Sacha Baron Cohen “will be part of the show,” says Oscars producer Brian Grazer: Report
ORIGINAL POST: Sacha Baron Cohen called in to the Today show this morning, in the guise of the character from his upcoming film, The Dictator, and responded to the Academy Awards’ threat to ban him from Sunday night’s ceremony if he appeared in character. “I have been very busy today,” said Admiral General Aladeen. “I actually delayed 30 executions to do this (interview).” The bombastic dictator of the Republic of Wadiya went on to tell NBC’s Carl Quintanilla and Ann Curry that he was “outraged” over the Academy’s decision. “Normally I would be impressed by an act of cowardice by a faceless regime,” he said. “But this is personal. I have issued them an ultimatum: They have until midday on Sunday to give me my tickets back. If they do not, they will see and face unforeseen and unimaginable consequences. By the way, how is your family? … How is your eunuch Al Roker?”
Watch the Today Show clip and the Admiral General’s official video response below: READ FULL STORY »
I had no idea how much I felt for celebrities until I saw the Google satellite image of the red carpet for the Academy Awards. Type in “Kodak Theater” in Google Maps, and you’ll be able to see just how long our favorite A-listers will have to walk before they’re forced to clap politely in their seats when they lose every award to The Artist. The image on Google maps is an old one, yes, but it proves just how much Band-Aids and Dr. Scholl’s must benefit during Academy Awards season. See the image after the jump! READ FULL STORY »
There are a whopping nine films nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards. And between your work, family, and constant USA marathons of Law & Order: SVU (when will those ever stop being addictive?!), you simply may not have time to catch all nine in the theaters or at home. But never fear, dear PopWatchers — that’s why we’re here! Each day leading up to the Academy Awards Feb. 26, we’ll provide you with a deep dive into one of the nine Best Picture nominees. Fear showing up to your Oscars party unprepared to discuss the year’s most notable films? We’ve got you covered. (Just beware: SPOILERS AHEAD!) And if you’ve already seen all nine films, even better — our inside look at each nominee will serve as a handy guide to remind you of the best and worst moments from every Best Picture candidate this year. Today, we take a look at The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s examination of how the story of one family is also the story of all existence. (Be sure to click here for more deep dives into this year’s Best Picture nominees!)
Name: The Tree of Life
Release date: May 27, 2011
DVD release date: Available now
Run time: 2 hours, 18 minutes READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Put down those Pop Rocks and Diet Cokes. We’ve got some A-list myths to examine! Ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most famous myths to rise out of the annual awards ceremony. Want to know if being nude will get you a Best Actress statue? Or if the Best Supporting Actress trophy is indeed a curse? You’re in luck -- we’ll be investigating one Oscars-related urban legend each day this week. Today, we’ll see if we can bust the presenter-winner nepotism myth: Over the past 25 years, has everyone been as connected as, say, 1994 presenter and winner Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg? Read on to find out. (And click here for more of EW’s Oscars Myth Busting.)
Oscar myth: Presenter-winner nepotism
What Is It?: In some quarters, there is a belief that Oscar presenters are handpicked to deliver the award to their A-list buddies or former costars. READ FULL STORY »
