Academy Awards - Live Thread 79th Oscar Awards

25 February 2007 | DollyCali

[DollyCali]

The Queen

Peter Morgan's "The Queen" is nominated for six Academy Awards, including one for best picture.

The Departed

Under Martin Scorsese's directing, "The Departed" is nominated for five Oscars.

Babel

"Babel" is nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture and director.

Letters From Iwo Jima

"Letters" is nominated for four Academy Awards, including best director and best picture.

Little Miss Sunshine

"Sunshine" is nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture

Leonardo DiCaprio

Nominated for his role in "Blood Diamond," this is Dicaprio's third nomination.

Ryan Gosling

Nominated for "Half Nelson," this is Gosling's first Oscar nod.

Peter O'Toole

This is veteran actor Peter O'Toole's eighth Academy Award nomination.

Forest Whitaker

Whitaker is nominated for playing the brutal dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland."

Will Smith

Smith is nominated for an Oscar for the second time for his roll in the film "The Pursuit of Happyness."

Penelope Cruz

Cruz, nominated for "Volver," plays a woman whose life is thrown into chaos.

Kate Winslet

Winslet plays a discontented wife in "Little Children," earning her fifth nomination.

Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren played royalty in "The Queen," earning her third Orcar nomination.

Judi Dench

No stranger to the Academy, this is Dench's sixth nomination.

Meryl Streep

Streep played a well-dressed, outrageously demanding editor in "The Devil Wears Prada."

Mark Wahlberg

In "The Departed," Wahlberg explores the underbelly of the Boston police force.

Alan Arkin

No one plays a heroin-addicted Grandpa like Alan Arkin, nominated for "Little Miss Sunshine."

Eddie Murphy

"Dreamgirls" was a box office hit, and earned Eddie Murphy his first Oscar nomination.

Jackie Earle Haley

Nominated for "Little Children," this is Haley's first Oscar nod.

Djimon Huonsou

This is Huonou's second nomination -- this time, for "Blood Diamond."

Rinko Kikuchi

Kikuchi, up for "Babel" in which she plays a deaf teenager in Tokyo.

Jennifer Hudson

Nominated for "Dreamgirls," this is Jennifer Hudson's first Oscar nod.

Abigail Breslin

This is young Breslin's first nod, for "Little Miss Sunshine."

Cate Blanchett

This is Blanchett's third Oscar nod -- this time, for "Notes on a Scandal."

Adriana Barraza

This is Barraza's first nomination, for Amelia in "Babel."

Clint Eastwood

Eastwood is also nominated for Best Picture for "Letters From Iwo Jima."

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

Inarritu is nominated for directing "Babel."

Martin Scorsese

Scorsese is a familiar face at the Oscars -- this is his eight nomination.

Stephen Frears

Frears got the nod in 1990. This time, it's for directing "The Queen."

Paul Greengrass

Greengrass is up for "United 93," his first nomination.

[Catholic Iowan]

Shoot! Not sure what I did wrong, but after I wrote, "global warming," I had written "smirk." Just wanted to make it clear that I think global warming is a joke.

[nutmeg]

All I could think about was the big gas hog limos causing gridlock getting to the Oscars. YEAH, the Oscars went green.

I only watched a few minutes' worth of the Red Carpet segment, but I saw a few Toyota Prius hybrids dropping off some people (stars? algore?) at the Kodak Theatre. I'll bet that all or most of the attendees arrived into the LA area via private Gulfstream jet, however... ;-)

Bunch of hypocrites. "Do as I say, not as I do..."

[wtc911]

The Producers Guild of America has a strictly detailed criteria of production responsibilities that must be met by any individual in order for that person to earn a 'producer' title. If there are multiple people who perform some of these functions then there is a 'lead' producer who is the one who either started the ball rolling or performed the greatest number of chores on the list.

Very often an individual wrestles the title because he performed a particularly vital function but usually these folks get Executive Producer billing.

If there are more than one Production Companies then each corporate entity might provide a 'producer'. This happens most often in non-studio, foreign films. The reason in foreign films is that nearly every film-making country (except the USA) has treaties with the others that foster the creation of what is known as 'official co-productions'. Each of these countries has 'soft-dollar' production incentives that are individually worth up to 38% of the budget. The production crosses borders to take full advantage of these deals. Americans are nearly always excluded except as second lead actors. A perfect example of this is THE QUIET AMERICAN, written by an Englishman, directed by a Brit, starring a Brit and a Canadian, filmed in Asia, financed in Germany, pre-production in the UK, post in Germany and some work done in Canada and France. This Michael Caine - Brandon Frasier flick got 90% of its production funding in subsidies. Each of those countries had a production company involved.

There's much more to the structure and it is totally different for TV but that's the gist.

[Northern Yankee]

Me too!

The funniest thing was as they were singing the glowbull warming song, a ticker went across the screen reminding us about dangerous conditions that abound in this part of the state because of blowing and drifting snow.

Everyone laughed at that.

[nutmeg]

LOL... that green barfing smiley pretty much sums up how I feel about this Oscarfest so far. I'm still watching, however...

[WV Mountain Mama]

Algore put the mental in environmental.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

My husband and I rented Little Miss Sunshine on pay perview. Neither of us cared for it at all.

We felt exactly the same way. I was trying to figure out if Hollywood thinks 'Little Miss Sunshine' is the typical dysfunctional American family with everyone either shouting 'F' words, trying to commit suicide, sniffing cocaine, a teenager not speaking for 9 months, and a little girl doing a strip.

[nutmeg]

Are you watching the Oscars?

[Dr. Scarpetta]

Presenter and actress Reese Witherspoon arrives at the Academy Awards.

[nutmeg]

Helen Mirren looks absolutely fabulous in that dress!

[wtc911]

From the producers guild site.....

JOB FUNCTIONS FOR "PRODUCED BY" (Theatrical Motion Pictures) Subject to the control of the Owner, the "Produced by" in Theatrical Motion Pictures is expected to exercise decision-making authority over a majority of the following specific job functions:

DEVELOPMENT

* Conceived of the underlying concept upon which the production is based or involved at its inception. * Selected the material upon which the production is based and secured necessary rights for development and production of the material. * Selected the writer(s). * Supervised and oversaw the development process. * Secured the initial financing. * Served as the primary point of contact for the studio and/or financing entity.

PRE-PRODUCTION

* Selected the director, co-producer and unit production manager. * Selected the principal cast in consultation with the director. * In consultation with the director, selected the production designer, cinematographer, editor and visual effects co. * Participated in location scouting in consultation with the director. * Supervised the preparation of the preliminary budget and approved and signed the final budget in consultation with the Co-Producer and UPM. * Creatively involved in the final shooting script in consultation with the director and the writer(s) and approved and signed the final shooting script. * Approved the final shooting schedule in consultation with the director.

PRODUCTION

* Exercised final approval of the deals for the principal components of the production. * Provided continuous in-person consultation with the director and principal cast * In collaboration with the director, provided in-person consultation with the production designer, art department, wardrobe, make-up and hair. * In collaboration with the director, provided in-person consultation with the stunt coordinator and on mechanical effects (if applicable). * Supervised "on-set" and on a continuous basis the day-to-day operation of the producing team and the entire shooting company. * Approved the weekly cost report. * Viewed the "dailies" and provided in-person consultation with the director, the editor, the studio and/or financial entity.

POST-PRODUCTION/MARKETING

* Provided in-person participation on visual effects in consultation with the director, the studio or financial entity. * Selected the composer in consultation with the director, and participated in-person with the composer and the director in the scoring process * Provided in-person consultation with the editor along with the director, the studio or financial entity, and participated on the final cut of the motion picture. * Consulted with the director and the editor during the preparation of the first cut that is shown to the studio/financial entity. * Selected the music supervisor in consultation with the director, and participated in-person during the music recording sessions. * Provided in-person consultation with the director on the re-recording stage. * Provided in-person consultation with the director on the titles and opticals. * Provided in-person consultation with the cinematographer, the director, the studio and/or financing entity on the answer print or edited master. * Consulted on the media plan and materials, and the marketing and distribution plans for the motion picture. * Consulted on the plans for exploitation of the motion picture in ancillary and foreign markets.

[nutmeg]

Algore put the mental in environmental.

LOL!

[MplsSteve]

"The In-Laws"?

God, I forgot about that movie. That was a funny one.

[Gillmeister]

Helen Mirren would look fabulous without that dress.

[Northern Yankee]

I am amazed how Hollywood tonight can really feel enlightened about the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. The portrayal of the Japanese soldier is looked upon as heroic, yet these same people continue to dis our troops in Iraq.

Amazing.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

"Meryl Streep, nominated for an Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her work in 'The Devil Wears Prada,' right, arrives as Irish actor Peter O'Toole looks on."

[CaptainK]

"Serpentine"

[klb1]

I am amazed that you are amazed. these idiots revel in dising America. They revel in dising the same people that put all that cash in their pockets. They disguist me beyond belief. Please, Hollywood, take Al Gore!! (and keep him!)

[spectre]

Wow, you nailed it. Hey, and they weren't even worried about Grandpa smelling up the van! :)

sw

[spectre]

Is that a good movie..I can trust you!