Well, so that happened! Was it just us or were these just the most tediously boring Oscars in ages? And who should we blame? Maybe we should start with the very strange stage design, which we’re guessing was intended to be a nod to old Hollywood glamour, but felt more like an early-’70s Read More
In this morning’s Observer, Richard Siklos writes about the Academy Awards’ new voting system, and the lengthy politicking process that has everyone hopeful of bringing down the front-runners. “[T]he extra time has also allowed awards campaigners to reach deep into their bag of tricks,” he writes.
A little too deep apparently. The L.A. Times Read More
To call this the year of Jews in film sounds like the setup for a bad joke. What, runs the imagined punch line, is it also the year of Canadians in curling?
Well, yes, actually. Jews are having something of a Hollywood moment. No fewer than three of the nominees for best picture at Sunday’s Read More
This Sunday night, watch the Academy Awards on television, count to 10-and wait for the controversy over vote counting to begin.
The big question mark surrounding this year’s Oscars is not so much who is going to win, but how. This year, the Academy expanded the field of nominations from 5 to 10, and introduced Read More
The Academy Awards may belong to Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean that The Observer and fellow New Yorkers can’t boldly declare what Ought To Be. We give you Oscar picks by coastal sensibilities–and who’s got the edge in the end.
Even for serious Oscar ballot competitors, a few categories resist preparation. Foreign films, documentaries and shorts are not something most people think about until handed their ballot, leaving “Funniest Name” as the only reliable criterion. But for the last five years, IFC Center has been trying to change those odds.
Read More
The Academy Awards may belong to Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean that The Observer and fellow New Yorkers can’t boldly declare what Ought To Be. We give you Oscar picks by coastal sensiblities–and who’s got the edge in the end.
Yes, we know it’s way too early to be thinking about the 2010 Oscars (Or is it? You know Hollywood started a year ago.) And no, we haven’t seen 90 percent of the Big! Fall! Movies! But that doesn’t mean we can’t predict how the rest of the year will shake out. With the announcement Read More
On Friday night, Feb. 20, in Los Angeles, Mark, a friendly expert in the art of mixology, tore up a few more bits of oregano at Cecconi’s, a sprawling Italian bistro that sits atop the hallowed Melrose Avenue dirt that was home to longtime industry staple Morton’s. The restaurant, which is owned by the folks Read More
Sunday evening, the authors Zadie Smith and Andrew Sean Greer—along with their dates, Ms. Smith’s husband, Nick Laird, and Mr. Greer’s boyfriend, David Ross—gathered in a corner of the Library at the Hudson Hotel, where the Accompanied Literary Society was holding its black-tie Oscar-viewing party. Glasses of Champagne in hand, they assembled their chairs in Read More
