• The shortlist of contenders for the documentary Oscar was announced, surprising many — we dug into it a little.
• The season’s first Oscars were handed out, as Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, Roger Corman and John Calley were celebrated at the Governors’ Awards.
• This week’s Off the Carpet column broke down the wide-open Best Original Screenplay race.
• The Long Shot lived up to its name, spotlighting a few of the season’s most deserving outsiders.
Roger Corman, Lauren Bacall and Gordon Willis show off the Oscars they received at last night’s Governors’ Awards. (The fourth honoree, John Calley, could not attend.) More pictures and video footage of the presentations are at the official AMPAS site here.
(On a side note, one pic on the Academy site is captioned “Honorary award recipient Lauren Bacall and fashion designer Tom Ford.” Given that they’re likely going to be nominating Ford’s debut film in at least one or two categories come January, might they not do him the courtesy of adding ‘director’ to his description?)
For those of us not important/famous/rich enough to have attended last night’s honorary Oscars presentation, the Governors’ Awards — tickets began at $350, apparently — Steve Pond has a comprehensive report of the proceedings, complete with pictures and some gossipy details.
I’ve complained before about the Academy denying us Joe Public movie fans the chance to see industry titans Lauren Bacall, Gordon Willis, Roger Corman and John Calley finally take a trip to the Oscar podium, but what’s done is done. And to go by Pond’s account, the upshot for them (if not for us) is that they got to bask in the spotlight for longer than the main ceremony would have allowed — though Calley was, unfortunately, too ill to attend.
Indeed, despite featuring only four award presentations, the night ran for three-and-a-half hours, the length of most Oscarcasts. Still, despite some organizational hiccups, a good, relaxed time seems to have been had by all.
As I’ve said before, I’m dismayed by the Academy’s decision to relegate the honorary Oscar winners to a separate, untelevised ceremony, which will take place next Saturday. Even more than the inflation of the Best Picture nominees, it’s a move that betrays desperate self-doubt and compromise on the Academy’s part.
Meanwhile, they only rubbed salt in the wounds by making such roundly well-received choices for this year’s honorees: few would disagree that the likes of Lauren Bacall and Gordon Willis are well due for Oscar recognition, so it truly insults the recipients (not to mention film fans in general) to deny them a public moment in the spotlight.
The press release, in part:
The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted tonight to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to producer-executive John Calley, and Honorary Awards to actress Lauren Bacall, producer-director Roger Corman, and cinematographer Gordon Willis. All four awards will be presented at the Academy’s inaugural Governors Awards event on Saturday, November 14, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center.
“These four individuals have each, in their own unique way, made lasting impressions on the motion picture industry and audiences worldwide,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. ”I’m thrilled that the Academy’s Board selected them to be honored at our new Governors Awards event, which will be full of memorable moments celebrating their accomplishments.”
The full release here.
• Jeffrey Wells talks with legendary Oscar-winning lenser Gordon Willis about “The Godfather Restoration.” [Hollywood Elsewhere]
• Talia Shire discusses same with Alex Simon and Terry Keefe. [The Hollywood Interview]
• Nikki Finke shits herself with weird fury over the Condon/Mark Oscar news from yesterday, finally admits she has testicles. [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
• Patrick Goldstein responds to it all, giving that nut-bird credence as a result. [The Big Picture]
• Tom O’Neil thinks Will Smith would be a fantastic Oscar host. Naaahh. [Gold Derby]
• Lynette Rice gets the rumors started with Ricky Gervais as a possibility. [Entertainment Weekly]
• Roger Moore could care less about his Bond legacy. [The Independent]
• Michael Moore’s election year freebie. [New York Times]
• Three films that broke through the “chick flick” barrier. [Test Pattern]
• Spike Lee and “Miracle at St. Anna” own the local paper this week, starting with a big overview/interview from Tom Roston… [Los Angeles Times]
• …then a spotlight on hottie starlet Valentina Cervi… [Los Angeles Times]
• …and finally, John Horn takes the opportunity to wonder whether audiences will care about WWII films this season, with four films yet to come. [Los Angeles Times]
• Scott Bowles gets a first look at Ridley Scott’s “Body of Lies.” [USA Today]
• 10 literary classics to turn into blockbusters. [Spout Blog]