For everyone involved with the Cinderella story that is “Little Miss Sunshine,” yesterday’s Oscar nominations announcement was the highest of highs in a season full of them. But what began as the solitary vision of a screenwriter hammering out 54 page days in a modest Brooklyn apartment grew to become a collaboration indicative of the very essence of the filmmaking process.

Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa share producing credits with David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub. Directing couple Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris took the reins behind the camera in their feature filmmaking debut. And on the screen, one of the most critically and popularly lauded ensembles of the year performs as a dysfunctional yet endearing organism of the modern cinema.

An Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress, 10 year old Abigail Breslin summed things up nicely yesterday when she said, “I can’t believe how very lucky I am. I love everybody involved with ‘Little Miss Sunshine.’ This truly feels like one big family celebration.”

We don't cover a lot of breaking news around these parts that doesn't pertain to the awards season, but hey, exceptions are out there to be had.

As you know, actor Jim Carrey left his 15 year commitment with UTA on Thursday, following the disintegration of two of his higher-profile projects: Jay Roach's "Used Guys" and Tim Burton's "Believe It or Not." It isn't a shock that his departure would launch a frenzy to land the actor at one of the other fiercly competitive firms, and CAA might seem the obvious bet. Well, I don't know when we can expect an announcement, but I can confirm that Carrey has been meeting with agents at the monolith agency as recently as this evening at their soon to be vacated Wilshire premises (that new building in Century City looks like something out of the land of Oz). Anyway, more than likely, we're looking at another major get for a company that has a gruesome stranglehold on much of this town's talent.

As for Carrey's career prospects from here, it's probably a good idea to have jumped ship. It's true, he has had major box office success ("Bruce Almighty") and critical acclaim ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") in recent years, but it's time for the actor to experience some sort of consistency, one would think. Carrey has and has had the chops to be a serious actor for some time. He'll always be a box office draw when the project is right, but the lack of prestigious material coming his way (or otherwise falling apart) is enough to make anyone reconsider their loyalties. UTA will always be the firm that launched his successful career. Perhaps his next representation can help take him to that next level.

Pass it on...

Slow day, nothing really worth talking about, and "Snakes on a Plane" has been done and over with since July it seems. Just go out and enjoy the silliness, I guess.

But then I read Anne Thompson's latest "Risky Business" column at The Hollywood Reporter and was immediately taken aback by a quote from Warner Bros. production head Jeff Robinov, maybe half-way through the piece:

"'Superman Returns' will be profitable for us," says Warner Bros. production president Jeff Robinov. "We would have liked it to have made more money, but it reintroduced the character in a great way and was a good launching pad for the next picture. We believe in Bryan and the franchise. Clearly, this was the most emotional and realistic superhero movie ever made."

I respect the need for damage control, and I also respect a studio's belief in its output, win, lose or draw (I happen to buy the notion that WB is in this for the long haul). But that last sentiment is pretty absurd, coming from the studio that gave us "Batman Begins" just one year ago. Emotional? Sure, I'm with you. Realistic? Wow, I'd watch my choice of words next time, Mr. Robinov, because I doubt (and certainly hope) you don't believe that.

Enjoy the weekend.

The folks at Dreamworks/Paramount continued their amazingly cunning sell of “Dreamgirls” to the press last night at the Pacific Design Center, as the Los Angeles crowd was afforded the opportunity to see the four musical numbers shown at Cannes a few months back. Not only that, but they revealed the trailer for the film, which may or may not have been released beforehand, I’m not sure. Rest assured that trailer is a winner, perfectly constructed and screaming Best Picture from the first few frames.

The numbers shown really displayed the essence and feel of the story, ultimately representing the cinematography, costume design and production design as eye-popping aspects indeed. The first number stuck out to me, which should be the segment that seals the deal on an Eddie Murphy nomination (he seems like a solid gold winner at this point, to be honest). In all honesty, from what was shown, Murphy seems to be the standout of the entire film, even in his minute exposure in the trailer.

Having Jennifer Hudson belt out a couple of tunes in the lobby afterwards was salesmanship at its highest form. And she worked the room all night, full of an honest sense of disbelief that “it’s all happening.” She’s a bright and humble person to say the least and that attitude will take her far this year.

I also had the chance to bump into Bill Condon before the presentation. I was happily surprised to find that he is a fellow Oscar obsessive and an avid reader of the online awards frenzy, including In Contention. His reaction to meeting me, I have to say, was a trippy one to say the least: “Kris Tapley! So that’s what you look like! You’re so young!” It’s always great to meet readers...but OSCAR WINNING readers? What a delight. And he’s one of the nicest, most down-to-earth filmmakers I’ve met – a rarity.

Also it looks like four - count 'em - four new songs were written specifically for the film, so I'm sure we'll see some representation in the Best Original Song category.

We’ll see how the awards derby unfolds for “Dreamgirls,” but the studio has been on the ball from day one on this one, ever since that set visit back in February. Some might think it’s dangerous to put yourself out there so soon, what with the film being considered the undeniable frontrunner as early as August. But they really seem to have the goods, and they're fearless about representing the film. But I only have one thing to say: those tuna things Wolfgang Puck provided in the catering were scrumptious!

This Los Angeles Times story about Walden Media's packing up and moving in with Fox is interesting in that we're now seeing a true test of Disney's stranglehold on the children's market. I just finished up a New York Times story on "How to Eat Fried Worms" that largely dealt with Walden's practices and spent some time talking to Walden representatives, and it is indeed a part of their business model to branch out into a brand name that parents trust, much like "Disney." Together they were a potential powerhouse, but with Walden at Fox, this might be an interesting development to watch.

Children's programming is still a great way of keeping budgets down and profits high, as kids don't flock to multiplexes for A-list talent more so than easy-to-grasp plot and story. I think in many ways, this is the future of a profit-heavy film industry, and maybe larger productions will begin to take note of what's being aimed at the children's market.

In the meantime, Philip Anschutz's company is making a smart decision, because they are spreading the idea by moving to Fox rather than consolidating it by being at Disney. Disney afterall just cut its production detail down to a miniscule amount of films per year, films that will largely concentrate on the Disney marquee stories that, one can only assume, will be geared toward the children's market. It looks like lines are being drawn in the sand.

Lorenza Muñoz on Walden's move to Fox (LA Times)
Yours truly on Walden and "How To Eat Fried Worms" (NY Times)

The blood might be in the water already, but at the very least, the smell is lingering. "Superman Returns," as we all know, will have to do astronomical numbers to surge into the black.

Kim Masters's recent Slate story on the financial aspirations and realities of the Warner Bros. tent pole makes valid assertions about the somewhat misguided marketing of the film (as well as taking a moment to cut into M. Night Shyamalan's recent egotism regarding his "The Village" follow-up, "Lady in the Water"), but it also touches on the harsh but verifiable fact that "Superman Returns" will be nearly dead-ended when "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" drops the weekend of July 7.

The point is this. The balance of art and commerce is always a delicate act. I had considered calling around and layering some journalistic perspective on this, but what I have to say comes from a much more opinionated area.