MOVIE REVIEWS: PARENTAL GUIDANCE

Reviews for Parental Guidance, starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, are somewhat more positive than those for The Guilt Trip, starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen, which preceded it by four days. Manohla Dargis in the New York Times observes, “There are smiles and tears, love and affirmations, a few funny jokes and a lot […]

CRITICS: OSCARS AMOUNT TO TEDIUM TV

Film critics wasted no time banging out reviews of Sunday night’s Oscars, with several of them posting their assessments of the affair within minutes after the ceremonies concluded. Indeed, Daily Variety‘s Brian Lowry posted his (negative) review of Billy Crystal’s opening as if he were racing a legion of tweeters. Actually, many of the reviews […]

OSCAR BITES DOG

Uggie, the Jack Russell Terrier who stole scenes like a loveable bandit in The Artist and who upstaged the cast of the movie when they appeared onstage during the Golden Globes Awards, has been snubbed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Reuters reported on Tuesday. The wire service also put the kibbosh […]

OSCAR NOMINAtING BALLOTS: THEY’RE IN THE MAIL

Oscar nomination ballots were sent out on Tuesday to the 5,783 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They have until Jan. 13 to return them. As usual, the votes will be tallied by the accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and the winning nominees will be announced on Jan. 24. Winners are due […]

OSCAR UNAFFECTED BY ECONOMIC DOWNTURN

Despite deteriorating ratings in recent years, next February’s Oscar telecast commands the same price for a 30-second commercial as it did a year ago, about $1.6-1.7 million, according to Advertising Age, which cited “a person familiar with the tone of negotiations.” This year’s Oscarcast attracted 37.9 million viewers, down from 41.7 million tuned last year. […]

IN WAKE OF OSCARS HAVOC, INDUSTRY OFFERED HELP, SAYS SHERAK

Motion picture academy president Tom Sherak maintains that the turbulence of the past week, which saw both the co-producer and host of next year’s Oscar telecast resign, will have no effect on the production of the telecast itself. Referring to the departure of Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy, Sherak told Deadline.com: “If this happened in […]

BILLY CRYSTAL WILL HOST THE OSCARS AGAIN

Acting with fast-forward speed, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has struck a deal with Billy Crystal to bring him back for a ninth time to host the Oscars. “Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward […]

OSCAR THE GROUCH TO HOST THE OSCARS?

In a radio interview more than 35 years ago, the late Jim Henson and Frank Oz discussed the possibility of doing a Muppets sketch in which Oscar the Grouch would host — what else? The Oscars. Now, a number of websites are suggesting that something just like that could come to pass. With the departure […]

REPORT: BRIAN GRAZER TO REPLACE BRET RATNER AS OSCAR CO-PRODUCER

Just one day after Brett Ratner resigned under pressure as co-producer of next year’s Oscar telecast, the motion picture academy has struck a deal with Brian Grazer — himself an Oscar winner for 2001’s A Beautiful Mind — to replace him, TheWrap.com reported today (Wednesday). An official announcement is expected to be made on Thursday, […]

REPORT: EDDIE MURPHY TO HOST OSCARS

Eddie Murphy has been selected to host the 84th Annual Academy Awards in February, according to the website HumorMillMag.com, which cited “several inside sources.” The report was picked up by the Los Angeles Times, which said on its website Sunday that “no decision has officially been made” but that sources close to the Oscar show […]

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