3 Ways the Academy Needs To Fix the Foreign-Film Oscar

Shocked that Departures beat out presumed favorites Waltz With Bashir and The Class for the foreign-film category? It's just the latest example of the bizarre rules that govern that Oscar niche. Can it be fixed? More »

02/23/09

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27

By Kyle Buchanan

apologies

Apologetic Nate Silver Throws Statistics Under The Oscars Bus

Penélope Cruz's Oscar victory may have been a great moment for Spain, but it was a terrible tragedy for America because it has forced statistician Nate Silver to break up with his greatest love: numbers. More »

02/23/09

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23

By Kyle Buchanan

short ends

Drunkenness, Nakedness Sadly Not In Hugh Jackman's Oscar Rehearsal

· After his shameless tease earlier today, Hugh Jackman appears in a new rehearsal video pledging class, dignity and pride in his Oscar-hosting duties. Color us crushed. [via The Hot Blog] More »

02/20/09

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By STV

Defamer analysis

How Accurate Is The Leaked Oscar-Winner List?

As expected, the Academy steadfastly denies the legitimacy of that list of "leaked Oscar winners" currently making the rounds. But after rigorous analysis in Defamer's Oscarology Labs, we've authenticated much more than you'd think. More »

02/20/09

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14

By STV

oscars

Major Oscar Surprise Leaked by Show's Host

Of all the possible Oscars surprises, the one most obvious—that Hugh Jackman will perform the show completely naked, his mind fizzily distracted by multiple Champagne cocktails on an empty stomach—never even occurred to us. More »

02/20/09

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5

By Seth

oscars

Former Super Bowl Director To Enliven Oscars With More Tackles, Bone-Crushing Hits

In what must be the last of the worst-guarded Top Secrets in Oscardom, we're learning a little more today about the show's new strategy behind the camera. Hint: The Academy is sending the blitz! More »

02/20/09

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By STV

oscars

A Note About This Sunday's Oscars Liveblog and Tailgate Party

We'll be liveblogging the Oscars Sunday, at 5p.m. PST. Stake your spots early: You're going to want the best sight lines possible as we obsessively chronicle every Ledger-family chokehold, Swarovksi-curtain blinding, and big band speech-interruption.

02/20/09

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By Seth

oscars

Today In Oscar Hell: Sir Laurence Olivier's Acceptance-Speech Master Class

· Sure, you'll only have 45 seconds. But when you do finally get your Oscar, we'd appreciate a speech with even half the sincere class of Sir Laurence Olivier's 1979 lifetime-achievement award acceptance. [via HE] More »

02/20/09

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By STV

oscars

Oscar Tug-Of-War Pits Ledger Versus Ledger

Kim Ledger had plenty to do yesterday on his long flight to the Oscars, starting with an acceptance speech no one quite expected him to deliver on behalf of his son Heath. More »

02/20/09

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6

By STV

oscars

Oscar Threat Level Elevated As Kate Winslet Pressured By Underdog

Polls may be closed, but theories persist — crackpot and otherwise — about certain favorites' stability in their respective categories. Kate Winslet might be among those with reason to worry. More »

02/19/09

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By STV

oscars

'Slumdog' Wins Mumbai Street Equivalent Of Best Picture

Everyone knows what a couple of angry parents and Indian social activists think about Slumdog Millionaire's march on the Oscars. But if a five-person, man-on-the street sampling is to be believed, Mumbai wants a victory. More »

02/19/09

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By STV

oscars

Tyler Perry, 'Synecdoche' Among Big Winners At The Perfect World Oscars

Now that Mickey Rourke's date drama is resolved, our hopes for a spontaneous, surprising Oscars are all but dead. But in some parallel universe, viewers may yet get the awardscast we dream of: More »

02/19/09

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By STV

oscars

Today In Oscar Hell: Crash These Parties!

· There's good news and bad news about this weekend's marathon of Oscar parties. The good news first: Nikki Finke has a sweepingly comprehensive list of those we expect you to crash. Godspeed! More »

02/19/09

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1

By STV

oscars

Kate Winslet Hopes Oscar Can Vault Her Into Upper, Non-Nude Echelon Of Actresses

Sure, all but one of this year's Oscar-nominated actresses have done nude scenes during their career (there's still time, Viola Davis!), but the frequently-bare Kate Winslet is hoping that the topless buck stops here. More »

02/19/09

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8

By Kyle Buchanan

oscars

Daughter getting Heath Ledger's Oscar — when she's 18. [THR]

02/18/09

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oscars

Today In Oscar Hell: Zac Efron To Singlehandedly Save The Academy Awards

· E! reports that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens will be among the performers to help nurture this year's Oscar renaissance, hopefully teaming for a Best Picture reenactment of Slumdog Millionaire's romantic latrine-escape sequence. More »

02/18/09

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By STV

suspense

Mickey Rourke Settles On Least Interesting Oscar Date Possible

The death of Mickey Rourke's chihuahua, Loki, continues to reverberate today, as the actor has finally announced his replacement Oscar date (and hinted that he may be pulling out of Iron Man 2). More »

02/18/09

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10

By Kyle Buchanan

the view

Why Yes, Ben Lyons WAS On 'The View' Today!

Today on The View, Ebert usurper Ben Lyons took his place next to Elisabeth Hasselbeck in what could only have felt more like a Defamer-targeted Last Supper if Joaquin Phoenix had crashed it, rapping. More »

02/18/09

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5

By Kyle Buchanan

oscars

Play Defamer's 'In Memoriam' Oscar Montage Pool!

Among the myriad ways to enliven your Oscar viewing experience, the In Memoriam montage pool may be the only one entitling you to cry and win big money simultaneously. More »

02/18/09

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26

By STV

oscars

Likely Oscar Losers Brangelina Take EBay Consolation Prize

If the numbers truly don't lie, then neither Brad Pitt nor Angelina Jolie will collect Academy Awards on Sunday. But who needs Oscars when America's auction-scavenging elite are on your side? More »

02/17/09

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10

By STV

mickey rourke

Mickey Rourke Now Willing To Audition Same-Sex Oscar Dates

Whenever Mickey Rourke makes a PR gaffe on his road to comeback semi-redemption, at least we can be assured that he'll go overboard trying to rectify it. So how is he course-correcting his homophobic slur? More »

02/17/09

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By Kyle Buchanan

oscars

Mean Oscar Prognosticator Gives Taraji P. Henson False Hope

Superstar statistician Nate Silver has used data upon data to accurately forecast some of baseball's and politics' most complex developments. So how to follow up the election? How else: by being wrong at the Oscars. More »

02/16/09

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By STV

predictions

Nate Silver Spoils Oscars

Hey, America's #1 numbers whiz Nate Silver has already figured out who will win all the Oscars! Thanks for spoiling the "female Super Bowl," Nate, you misogynist. Click through to see the future of cinema: More »

02/16/09

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By Hamilton Nolan

oscars

Hugh Jackman Teases Oscargoers With 'Nightclub Of Your Dreams'

We've heard lots of vague allusions to the "intimacy" and "coziness" promised by this year's Oscar reinventors, but Hugh Jackman prefers to be a little more specific. And by "a little," regrettably, we mean it. More »

02/13/09

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By STV

oscars

Danny Boyle's next: A chick flick? [Variety via HE]

02/13/09

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oscars

Defiant Mickey Rourke Crosses Courtney Love Off Oscar Date List

Mickey Rourke's Oscar-date roundelay shrunk Thursday night with a creative — and we'd say pretty firm — denial that he's considering Courtney Love. More »

02/13/09

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By STV

oscars

Wall-E's umpteenth Oscar snub: Peter Gabriel bails out. [DHD]

02/12/09

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2

oscars

Ornery Army Archerd Shoots Down Oscar's Red-Carpet Revisions

Count Oscar-greeter emeritus Army Archerd among those laughing his ass off at plans to sneak surprise presenters and attendees into the show via parachute in the dead of night. More »

02/12/09

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5

By STV

oscars

Sane, Beautiful Mickey Rourke's First Role Unearthed After 33 Years

Laments for Mickey Rourke's pure, bygone beauty usually reflect as far back as his breakthrough in Diner. Yet one filmmaker's attic-rummaging has officially yielded the definitive Mickey-as-he-was resource. More »

02/12/09

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By STV

oscars

Desperate Oscar Producers Ask A-Listers to Skip Red Carpet, Announce Who They're Wearing Into Revolutionary 'Gowncam'

Surely this year's Oscars telecast is enshrouded in more secrecy than any other. WHO will be appearing? WHAT will they be doing? HOW will the trophies be distributed? (We think we actually cracked that one.) More »

02/11/09

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By Seth

oscars

Which Date Should Mickey Rourke Bring To The Oscars?

There's a lot of drama surrounding the Oscar race for Best Actor, but it's not about whether Sean Penn will triumph over Mickey Rourke—it's which lovable trainwreck Rourke should bring as his date. More »

02/11/09

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By Kyle Buchanan

sharon stone

Sharon Stone Slaps 'Slumdog' Star In Red-Carpet Mating Ritual

It looked innocent enough, but now we hear that the loving, open-handed greeting Sharon Stone bestowed Sunday night on BAFTA-nominated Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel had "cougar attack" written all over it. More »

02/10/09

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14

By STV

Comment by busterbluth: London is a great place to eat Indian. 2 Responses | Other threads

oscars

'Vanity Fair' Party Rises From The Dead, Looking Thinner

Hollywood may never fully recover from the WGA-strike-plagued awards season of 2008, marred by trophy presentations on Veoh, a potluck Governor's Ball, and—most shocking of all—the complete cancellation of the Vanity Fair party. More »

02/10/09

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1

By Seth

oscars

Harvey Weinstein Critically Wounds Four In Oscar Gunplay

It didn't take much imagination to see Harvey Weinstein wielding the whip hand two weeks ago when theSlumdog Millionaire backlash commenced. At least not as much imagination as Harvey summoned to deny it. More »

02/10/09

0

By STV

grammys

A Tale Of Two Grammys: Radiohead Bludgeons The Jonas Brothers

If the incoming Oscar producers are serious about their pledge to detonate the awards show and rebuild from scratch, may they take two imperative lessons from Sunday night's Grammy telecast: More »

02/09/09

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By STV

trade roundup

Hey, Stevie: Show Nick Jonas What You Got!

· A brash appeal to teenyboppers brought 19 million viewers to CBS for the Grammys. More »

02/09/09

0

By Seth

mickey rourke

BAFTA Winner Mickey Rourke One Gulp Closer To Oscar Glory

Mickey Rourke put some Oscar-race distance between himself and Sean Penn last night, winning the British Academy Awards' Best Actor prize before ceremonially washing it down backstage with a bottle of Champagne. More »

02/09/09

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2

By STV

awards

WGA Lifts Dustin Lance Black In Oscars' Only Remaining Good Race

Most-shirtless Oscar-nominated screenwriter Dustin Lance Black made his deepest inroads yet to awards-night glory, claiming two WGA prizes Saturday for his work on Milk. More »

02/09/09

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By STV

oscars

Now It's Just Getting Ridiculous: 'Slumdog' Sweeps BAFTA Awards

As the last awards stopover for two weeks before the Oscars, the Orange British Academy Film Awards could have made things fun by rejecting Slumdog Millionaire just for the hell of it. Oh well. More »

02/09/09

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6

By STV

oscars

The Big Secret: Oscar Cannons?

What the Oscars lack in viewership will be made up for in spectacle—everything from Judd Apatow's sprawling A Salute to Penis to a Busby Berkeley-esque number placing Hugh Jackman inside a circle of scissor-kicking aboriginal-wind-spirits. More »

02/06/09

0

By Seth

defamer

Daughter getting Heath Ledger's Oscar — when she's 18. [THR]

Danny Boyle's next: A chick flick? [Variety via HE]

Wall-E's umpteenth Oscar snub: Peter Gabriel bails out. [DHD]

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