Tag Archives: Academy Awards

Former “ER” Star Gives Birth to Son and Oscar Producers Give Birth to Plan B

Actress Juliana Marguiles certainly made the most of the last day of the first month of the year. According to news reports, the former “ER” star just gave birth to a baby boy. Marguiles’ lawyer husband Keith Lieberthal was reportedly by her side when their son was born. PEOPLE Magazine is reporting that the newborn’s name is Kieran Lindsay Lieberthal and that he has already been visited by his maternal grandparents who claim their new grandson is “cuter than any other baby we’ve seen.” The 41-year-old actress married her 35-year-old husband two months ago in Massachusetts. Kieran is the couple’s … Continue reading →

What’s Going On with the Hollywood Writers Strike?

While Marcia Cross was lobbying Congress and Eva Longoria was fending off pregnancy rumors leaders from the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers finally began talking to each other again this week. Their informal meetings have not yielded much in the way of good news, but at least they’re talking. An announcement made a couple of days ago said the warring parties would begin with informal bargaining and work their way to “full negotiations” in hopes of ending the nearly 3-month-old strike. So where do fans of TV and TV award shows stand … Continue reading →

Striking Writers Looking to Head Back to the Bargaining Table

Thanks to Hollywood directors and their ability to reach a tentative agreement with producers striking Writers Guild of America members could soon be headed back to the bargaining table to negotiate their own deal. Last Friday the Directors Guild reached a tentative contract agreement with producers. The directors’ deal is similar to what the writers are seeking, involving pay for movie and TV content that is purchased over the Internet. So what’s the deal with the writers? According to news reports, top executives from eight major companies, including Fox, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Company, CBS Corporation, Sony Pictures Entertainment, … Continue reading →

Major Changes in Store for This Year’s People’s Choice Awards

If you haven’t noticed how the ongoing Hollywood writers strike has affected various TV shows then you will definitely be in for a shock when you tune into this year’s People’s Choice Awards. The ceremony, which typically airs live, will be far from it during the January 8th telecast. According to show producers, the only thing that hasn’t changed to accommodate the work stoppage is that Queen Latifah, who previously was announced as host, will still be part of the new format. The show will go on, but not in a way that any of us has ever seen before. … Continue reading →

The Golden Globe Nominations Are Announced

The award races are off and running! The Hollywood Foreign Press has announced the nomination for the upcoming 65th annual Golden Globes award show. Atonement, which stars Kiera Knightley and James McAvoy, was the big winner – well as far as nominations goes – with seven including Best Picture-Drama, Best Actress-Drama, Best Actor-Drama, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Original Score. The other films nominated for Best Picture were American Gangster, Eastern Promises, The Great Debaters, Michael Clayton, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. Sadly, I have only heard of a couple of … Continue reading →

Is Oscar Unfair to Foreign Filmmakers?

Believe it or not, it’s that time of the year again – Oscar buzz has already started. But some filmmakers are hissing rather than buzzing about the Academy’s rules for foreign films. The Academy has a set of official rules that a film must adhere to in order to be eligible for Oscar consideration in the foreign language film category. One film of this year that has been getting buzz will not be getting consideration. Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” has been disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences despite the fact that Taiwan listed it as its … Continue reading →

Stewart And Oscar—Will The Second Time Be The Charm?

Jon Stewart sealed the deal. America’s favorite faux newscaster is going to give hosting the Academy Awards another try. His first stab at the prestigious gig came in 2006 when he got mixed reviews for his performance. In 2007 the show was hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and drew 40.1 million viewers—-about 2 million more than when Stewart hosted. But, producers insist that the show’s lackluster ratings in 2006 weren’t due to Stewart’s performance. “He did a great job two years ago,” Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates told reporters. “You need a host who is not afraid of the unexpected, who … Continue reading →

Dan Futterman Trades Acting for Writing

In case you have not heard, there is a new movie coming out later this month titled A Mighty Heart. It is about slain journalist Daniel Pearl. He is the one who was investigating the shoe bomber (Richard Reid) when he was captured and decapitated in Pakistan. The upcoming movie caught my attention for two reasons. Number one, it is a very interesting and tragic story. The second reason the movie caught my attention is Dan Futterman is playing Daniel Pearl in the film. I have liked Dan Futterman since I first saw him as Robin William’s son in The … Continue reading →

Eddie Murphy—“Sore Loser?”

If you caught Barbara Walters’ Oscar night television special on Sunday then you likely saw actor Eddie Murphy address rumors that he was a “recluse.” The Academy Award nominee vehemently denied (both seriously and in a highly animated fashion) that he was simply a misunderstood “introvert” and “certainly not a recluse.” Walters broached the subject and referenced a litany of entertainment publications, which accused the actor of being “anti-social.” Murphy responded by saying that people expect him to be as outlandish in person as he is on screen. By the end of the interview I felt sorry for the man. … Continue reading →

79th Annual Academy Awards: The Fashion that Rocked and Stunk – Part 1

Okay, I have finally recovered from my 15-hour Oscar telethon Sunday and now that it is all over (Yeah, Martin Scorsese!), we must talk about one of the most important aspects of the Oscars – Fashion! There was no Bjork to wear a swan suit this year, but that does not mean some of the outfits did not stink up the red carpet. To be fair, I will let you know what the viewer poll at People magazine said as well: The Ugly Kirsten Dunst Personally, I thought she looked like she borrowed her grandmother’s gown. The color did absolutely … Continue reading →