Gold Rush

Gold Rush to readers: See you real soon

hollywoodreporter — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:40:04 -0800

In the South we call it a "country good-bye," that long, drawn out, lingering at the door, endlessly recapping conversation that happens when people need to hit the road, but would really rather stay and keep visiting. We'll spare you...

Oscar from the pulpit

hollywoodreporter — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 09:41:57 -0800

Someone dressed up like The Joker -- Heath Ledger's version -- and another did a Richard Nixon impression of sorts, but with the "Frost/Nixon" character played as a winged monkey. You see, it was a "Wizard of Oz"/Oscar tribute/mashup at...

Hero's welcome for 'Slumdog' kids

hollywoodreporter — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:50:53 -0800

The adorable young actors from "Slumdog Millionaire" might've gotten a less than gracious introduction to Hollywood from the likes of Ryan Seacrest -- describe how you're feeling, in English! -- but they had a hero's welcome back home in Mumbai....

'A-list Awards' go gayer than Oscar

hollywoodreporter — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 13:26:15 -0800

So you think you've already seen one of the gayest awards shows ever? That would be true if you were among the 36.3 million people who watched the "81st Annual Academy Awards" on Sunday. Thanks, Baz Luhrmann, "homo-loving" Academy voters...

Oscar likes the youngsters

hollywoodreporter — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:24:31 -0800

The addition of young heartthrobs to the Oscar lineup looked, to most of us paying attention, like a desperate grab for viewers in the advertiser-coveted demographics. In other words, those 18 to 49 years old. So did the "Twilight" hunk...

Jon Stewart misses Oscar

hollywoodreporter — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 11:53:16 -0800

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c Annual Academy Awards Daily Show Full Episodes Important Things With Demetri Martin Funny Political News Joke of the Day Jon Stewart was licking his wounds for two reasons last...

Oscar's opening number

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:08:25 -0800

So what, it ate up 10 minutes of valuable real estate, caught Shirley MacLaine off guard (she didn't know Anne Hathaway could sing!) and launched an Oscar telecast that was kind of like the Tonys? The opening bit of the...

Oscar picks: More right than wrong!

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:53:40 -0800

We were tripped up by the best foreign film -- we thought for sure it would be awards hoarder "Waltz With Bashir" and not the Japanese undertaker tale "Departures" -- a couple of shorts and a tech category. That's what...

Thumbs up and down to Oscarcast

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:34:30 -0800

Ratings for the "81st Annual Academy Awards" are coming in, and they look to be 13% better than last year, with some 36.3 million people tuning in to the live telecast. So, that's not bad news for ABC and the...

Fey, Martin bring the Oscar funny

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:26:39 -0800

It was the bit that made people miss comedians at the Oscars -- Tina Fey and Steve Martin bantering about the craft of writing films, jabbing at Scientology as "our religion ... that we made up," and obviously having a...

Rourke, Henson ruin Silver's Oscar picks

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:57:39 -0800

Skilled political numbers cruncher Nate Silver had a point by predicting Mickey Rourke would win the Oscar for best actor -- Hollywood does love a comeback kid and the rehabbed Rourke fits the bill in spades. That story just couldn't...

Oscar ratings bump

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:59:14 -0800

There was no droning, monotone Sid Ganis speech, and the suits from PriceWaterhouseCoopers didn't get their usual time in the spotlight. If those had been the only two changes to this year's Oscar telecast, that would've been a decent start...

Clothes make the men at Oscars

hollywoodreporter — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:58:54 -0800

Did you know that the cummerbund is basically the male equivalent of a bra? Or that there's a right and wrong way to wear a pocket square, if, that is, you're rocking a tie tack at the same time? Neither...

'Slumdog' feels the love

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:10:25 -0800

It's been an extraordinary journey indeed. No stars, no money, producer Christian Colson said, and eventually no distributor. But Warner Bros. did the right thing, as Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle said a few minutes ago, and handed the Mumbai-set rags-to-riches...

Penn wins for 'Milk'

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:56:20 -0800

Robert De Niro probably doesn't suffer fools or give hollow complements. Again, that's why this new format is working for us, and apparently for the Oscar nominated stars, who are welling up at their introductions from prior Academy Award winners....

Winslet wins on sixth try

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:45:08 -0800

By far one of the best changes to this rejiggered Oscar show is the way the acting awards are being presented. And if we'd known about this ahead of time? Would it have been any less meaningful? Definitely not. It's...

A tuneful In Memoriam

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:24:30 -0800

If the attending stars at the Kodak Theatre are clapping after some of the images appear during the "In Memoriam" segment that's happening now, it's not possible to hear them on the live telecast. That was the whole point of...

Big dance number

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:14:16 -0800

There was a big song-and-dance number in the 81st Annual Academy Awards that didn't put people to sleep. Or if it did, there was the addition of the USC marching band there to wake them back up. Oh, you're a...

Manly men like Oscar

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:12:13 -0800

A few of the guys here at Busby's East admitted to having fallen asleep during previous Oscar telecasts. They prefer sports, after all, and really just watched the kudofest when somebody else in the house turned it on and they...

'Man on Wire's' magic act

hollywoodreporter — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:32:38 -0800

Illusionist and daredevil Philippe Petit balanced the Oscar statue on his chin and did a magic trick after "Man on Wire," the incredible film about his insane tightrope walk between the Twin Towers, won the Oscar for best documentary. Bet...