• Nikki Finke chats with Relativity Media honcho Ryan Kavanaugh. [Deadline]
• Gregory Ellwood thinks Melissa Leo flushed her chances at an Oscar down the drain. [Awards Campaign]
• Melena Ryzik catches up with “Waste Land” director Lucy Walker. (Oscar Guide on documentary features coming tomorrow.) [The Carpetbagger]
• Peter Knegt talks to “The Social Network” composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. [indieWIRE]
• Anne Thompson thinks Helena Bonham Carter could win Best Supporting Actress. Nothing ground-breaking there. Of course she could. So could just about every other actress in the category, save maybe for Jacki Weaver. [Thompson on Hollywood]
• John Lopez on what the Grammys can teach the Oscars. [Little Gold Men]
• David Poland sits down with editing legend Michael Kahn, who will be feted at the ACE Eddies this weekend. [The Hot Blog]
• Scott Feinberg talks to “Black Swan” producer Mike Medavoy, finally an Oscar nominee after all these years. [ScottFeinberg.com]
[Photo: Associated Press]
Comments
12 responses to “2/17 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Leo’s faux pas, Bagger chats up ‘Waste Land’ helmer, what to learn from Grammys”
I keep automatically thinking any mentions of “Leo” refer to DiCaprio, so I saw the headline and wondered how he’d fucked up his chances for “J. Edgar” this far in advance.
RE: Zack: Haha. Hadn’t thought that until now.
RE: Leo’s chances. Normally I’m not one to be bought into false hype and whatnot.
But I’m starting to feel Steinfeld big time.
Not to say that Leo exercised good judgment in placing the ads….but it kind of feels like people were looking for a reason not to award her from the start. Even when she was winning everything, there seemed to be resistance and doubt surrounding her chances of taking home the Oscar. And now that this poorly calculated move on her part has bred a mini-scandal, it seems like they’ve found a reason to deny her.
I don’t know why this whole flap has been so upsetting to me. Maybe it’s because I was irritated that her name never really entered into the picture for Frozen River, despite her having given what I considered to be far and away the best performance in the category. Or maybe I’m charmed by what comes across as her complete oblivion to the way the game is played. But even before the ads were placed, it felt to me like she was never going to be one of the cool kids.
I understand people not voting for her if they don’t think she’s given the best performance in the category. By all means, they shouldn’t. But the glee that people seem to be taking in her faux pas (no one on this site, btw) is really troubling to me.
I really wish people would just let the work speak for itself instead of trying to win votes. Go Amy.
omg look at that crazy bitch
Get used to it, trent. People’s blathering about “integrity” and “letting the performance speak for itself” during an award season goes right out the door when competitive hysteria kicks in.
That Michael Kahn interview is absolutely phenomenal. Totally made my week. When he said “it’s somethin’” in relation to “War Horse” I think I began salivating.
Cannot friggin’ wait.
I agree with the comments here that Leo shouldn’t be skipped because of some ads. I think she should be skipped for her performance, though. It’s incredibly one-note. The one thing the Mo’nique did that elevated her performance of the loathsome mother was give her character some sympathy. Leo didn’t.
In fact, I felt the ending of The Fighter was lacking because this woman who had been a selfish cow for the whole movie and almost ruined Micky’s career got to share in his triumph.
Helena Bonham Carter
hysterical picture of Leo at SAG lol. i hear from industry folk that she’s pretty batshit. Still a brilliant performer.
On Anne’s piece and HBC possibly winning, you’ve got:
-a few hundred Brits likely voting for her.
-anyone who’s been charmed by her in the press.
-that BAFTA speech.
-her humility.
-visible in 3 big roles this year, alone.
-TKS momentum.
-overdue factor.
-a floundering Melissa Leo.
The wildcard, of course, is Hailee Steinfeld. But I haven’t felt the heat. She won a handful of critics awards 2 months ago. But when has she popped up as a viable Supporting contender lately? She’s good in the role and adorable. But I think her win would prove slightly more surprising to me, right now, than Leo’s or HBC’s.
I’m not saying it’ll be HBC, but I think she’s got a strong shot.
“The Fighter” would never have enjoyed its success without the outstanding supporting performances of Melissa Leo and Christian Bale. Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg were great, but their roles were not as demanding as the roles of Melissa and Christian. Melissa and Christian deserve the Oscars on the merits.
Samuel: GET REAL! You say: “In fact, I felt the ending of The Fighter was lacking, because this woman who had been a selfish cow for the whole movie and almost ruined Mickey’s career got to share in his triumph”
Samuel, sorry but this movie represents a TRUE story with some limited dramatic license. The truth is that Alice shared in Mickey’s triumphs in real life, and Mickey loves her to this day! Ask Alice and Mickey if Melissa deserves the oscar!