Archive | November, 2009

FOLLOWING THE OSCAR RACE… ON TWITTER!

10 Nov

zooey

zooey

By Scott Feinberg (@scottfeinberg)

Twitter first launched in March 2006, but it was only over the past year that the free micro-blogging service became a full-blown cultural phenomenon. The first time most Americans heard of it was in April, when the celebrity Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) challenged the cable news network CNN (@cnnbrk) to a race to one million Followers — and won. By the time news broke of Michael Jackson‘s sudden death in June, so many people were Tweeting their reactions that the site actually crashed. In the months since, millions of others have also turned to Tweets of 140 or fewer characters as a way to share their thoughts and feelings with the world — including a surprisingly high number of key players in this year’s Oscar race.

Here are some interesting factoids that I have turned up:

  • The best picture hopeful with the biggest presence on Twitter is “Precious,” which is represented by no fewer than seven of its principals: executive producers Tyler Perry (@tylerperry) and Oprah Winfrey (@oprah); producer/director Lee Daniels (@leedanielsent); supporting actor Lenny Kravitz (@lennykravitz); supporting actresses Mariah Carey (@mariahcarey) and Sherri Shepherd (@sherrieshepherd); and singer Mary J. Blige (@maryjblige).
  • In second place is “Up in the Air” with six — producer/writer/director Jason Reitman (@jasonreitman); producer Daniel Dubiecki (@danieldubiecki); supporting actresses Vera Farmiga (@verafarmiga), Anna Kendrick (@annakendrick47, who describes herself in her Twitter bio as “Pale, awkward and very very small. Form an orderly queue, gents.”), and Melanie Lynskey (@melanielynskey); and cinematographer Eric Steelberg (@ericsteelberg). Don’t expect actor George Clooney to join them — he recently said that he would “rather have a rectal examination on live TV by a fellow with cold hands” than use a social-networking site like Twitter.
  • “500 Days of Summer” best actress hopeful Zooey Deschanel (@therealzooeyd) has posted only one Tweet — to promote another Oscar contender! On August 17, she wrote: “I hemmed. I hawed. I joined twitter. Alas. Reason? I saw ‘The Cove’ this weekend and it blew my mind. Everyone should see this movie. -zd”
  • The most surprising absence from Twitter: best director hopeful James Cameron (“Avatar”), who is known for his use of cutting-edge technology of a sort much more complex than Twitter.
  • Not surprisingly, most awards-hopefuls on Twitter are young and up-and-coming, not older and firmly-established veterans. While “Invictus” best director hopeful Clint Eastwood and best actor hopeful Morgan Freeman don’t use Twitter (I’d pay to read their Tweets if they were… or, better yet, to hear them read their own!), you might be surprised to learn that best “Star Trek” supporting actor hopeful Leonard Nimoy ((@leonardnimoy) does. Why, you ask? Well, to quote his first Tweet from January 17: “I wonder what wisdom might be discovered here.“
  • The youngest Oscar contender on Twitter is “The Lovely Bones” best actress hopeful Saoirse Ronan (@saoirse_ronan), 15, whose Tweets have covered all sorts of territory. Her first, on March 28: “drinking a glass of coke and watching Lord of the Rings…. in Bulgarian!!!” On June 23: “On the movie I just finished, we tried to recreate this youtube magic…. But it just wasn’t as good xo” On July 31: “How crazy am I staying up until 2am?? I’m gonna be wild when I’m 18 :) xo” On August 19: “It’s so nice to hear everyone is so excited about The Lovely Bones’ release. Me too!” On August 31: “Dear Tweeters: I have, unfortunately. had to block a couple of my followers as they were offensive towards or about me,” followed a minute later by, “It’s a shame that I had to do it, considering I’m not even that famous,” followed a minute later by, “I just want to let you know, from me, that I respect EVERYONE who follows me.”
  • Some clearly signed up for Twitter only because they were told that it is an effective new way to promote their movies. “Inglourious Basterds” best director/best original screenplay hopeful Quentin Tarantino (@qjtarantino), for example, sent out his first Tweet on July 16, the week of his film’s London premiere: “Kind of new to this but I was advised to sign up.” A few seconds later, he added, “Hope everyone likes the new film. i think its the best one to date.” He posted a total of five Tweets that week… and one in all the time since.
  • Others seem to enjoy using Twitter because it offers a safe, easy, fun way to interact with the masses. For instance, the majority of Tweets from “The Damned United” best actor hopeful Michael Sheen (@michaelsheen) are “@ messages” in which he responds to questions or comments from fans. Meanwhile, Sheen’s ex-wife, “Everybody’s Fine” best supporting actress hopeful Kate Beckinsale (@realkatebeck), apparently wants to keep her Tweets private — they’re “protected,” which means that you can only view them if she approves your request to follow her, and she has only okayed 30 people, thus far.
  • Perhaps the most interesting aspect of all is the time-capsule effect of Twitter. The Tweets of “This Is It” best picture/director hopeful Kenny Ortega (@kennyortegablog) show you his thoughts on June 2 (“The rehearsals for MJ are well under way in LA. Awesome team, MJ’s rockin! London 02 July 13th.”), June 11 (“Another amazing day with MJ. He has been an inspiration from day one. His heart and imagination are in every part of THIS IS IT! Peace out!”), June 23 (“Sweet Dreams All! I’m off to slumber. I have to rest up for a very big TII week. Imagination creates reality! Peace in Iran and the world!”), June 25 (“Great day at rehearsal! Enjoying a big bowl of cereal then reading Manly a bedtime story. Sweet dreams and tweets 19 and counting to TII!”), and June 26 (“Good night to the saddest day. Please join the TII Team in prayer for Michael’s Children and Family. MJ Rocked this world like no other! <3“).
  • Adam Shankman (@adammshankman), who was recently named a co-producer of the 82nd Academy Awards show along with Bill Mechanic, is a frequent Tweeter. Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, who were recently named co-hosts of the show, do not use Twitter at all.
  • Though the “Twilight” films are unlikely to be nominated for any Oscars, my completely unscientific conclusion is that its fans — more specifically, the fans of its stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, none of whom Tweet themselves — are the most rabidly active, loyal, and dare I say obsessed fans on Twitter.

Twitter definitely has the power to improve a film’s commercial prospects — just ask the publicists behind the film “Paranormal Activity,” who set up computers outside of theaters following its first midnight screenings so that people could Tweet their reactions, which turned it into a “trending topic,” which piqued the curiosity of others who hadn’t yet heard of it at all and spurred $100 million in ticket sales for a film that cost $15,000 to make.

But can Twitter really do anything to boost a film’s awards prospects? My initial inclination was to say no — after all, how many Oscar voters are on Twitter at all, let alone Following the contenders? But it’s actually not as simple as that. Even if awards-hopefuls’ Tweets aren’t directly reaching voters, that doesn’t mean they’re not impacting the race in other ways.

Twitter has made the Oscar circle a lot smaller and more inter-connected. Film buffs interact with Oscar bloggers, Oscar bloggers interact with Oscar contenders, and Oscar contenders interact with film buffs more today than ever before. This keeps the contenders on the minds of fans and bloggers, who are perhaps more inclined to write or continue to write about them as a result, and for many of the contenders nothing is more essential to their awards prospects than staying in the news.

I spoke with several high-level studio publicists for this post and they uniformly agree that, for better or worse, Twitter stands at the edge of a new frontier for awards campaigning. They tell me that having their film’s talent on Twitters offers them an increased ability to spread a message (news, dates, photos, trailers, etc.), but also a decreased ability to control it (one spontaneous, ill-judged Tweet can generate more publicity than any calculated announcement ever could — just ask Sarah Palin.)

Like it or not, Twitter appears to be here to stay, so we all better start mastering the rules of the game.

Following is a “Twitter directory” of 2009 Oscar contenders and pundits — in other words, the Twitter users every informed Oscar follower/player/publicist should be Following!

Oscar Contenders on Twitter

Oscar Pundits on Twitter

Note: Please report any errors or omissions in the ‘Comments’ section below.

Photo: Screenshot of Zooey Deschanel’s Twitter page. Credit: Twitter.com

THIS WEEK’S PROJECTIONS

6 Nov

CRAZY HEART

CRAZY HEART

BEST PICTURE
Projected Nominees
[1] “Invictus” (Warner Brothers, 12/11, trailer)
[2] “Up in the Air” (Paramount, 12/4, trailer)
[3] “Precious” (Lions Gate, 11/6, trailer)
[4] “The Hurt Locker” (Summit, 6/26, trailer)
[5] “Avatar” (20th Century Fox, 12/18, trailer) ▲
[6] “Nine” (The Weinstein Company, 12/18, trailer)
[7] “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics, 10/9, trailer)
[8] “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company, 8/21, trailer)
[9] “The Lovely Bones” (Paramount, 12/11, trailer)
[10] “A Serious Man” (Focus Features, 10/2, trailer)
 Major Threats
 [11] “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight, 12/16) NEW
[12] “Julie & Julia” (Columbia, 8/7, trailer)
 [13] “Up” (Disney, 5/29, trailer)
 [14] “Bright Star” (Apparation, 9/18, trailer)
 [15] “Where the Wild Things Are” (Warner Brothers, 10/16, trailer)
 [16] “Star Trek” (Paramount, 5/8, trailer)
 On the Outside
[17] “This Is It” (Sony, 10/28, trailer)
 [18] “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company, 12/11, trailer)
[19] “The Road” (The Weinstein Company, 11/25, trailer)
[20] “The Last Station” (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/23)
[21] “The Young Victoria” (SPE Worldwide Acquisitions, 12/18, trailer) ▲
[22] “Capitalism: A Love Story” (Overture, 9/23, trailer)
[23] “500 Days of Summer” (Fox Searchlight, 7/17, trailer) NEW
[24] “Amelia” (Fox Searchlight, 10/23, trailer)
[25] “The Hangover” (Warner Brothers, 6/5, trailer)

BEST DIRECTOR
Projected Nominees
[1] Clint Eastwood (“Invictus”)
[2] Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”)
[3] Lee Daniels (“Precious”)
[4] Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”)
[5] James Cameron (“Avatar”) ▲
Major Threats
[6] Rob Marshall (“Nine”)
[7] Lone Scherfig (“An Education”)
[8] Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”)
[9] Peter Jackson (“The Lovely Bones”)
[10] Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (“A Serious Man”)
[11] Scott Cooper (“Crazy Heart”) NEW
[12] Nora Ephron (“Julie & Julia”)
 On the Outside
[13] Pete Docter, Bob Peterson (“Up”)
[14] Jane Campion (“Bright Star”)
[15] Spike Jonze (“Where the Wild Things Are”)
[16] J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek”)

BEST ACTOR
Projected Nominees
[1] Morgan Freeman (“Invictus”)
[2] George Clooney (“Up in the Air”)
[3] Jeff Bridges (“Crazy Heart”) NEW
[4] Colin Firth (“A Single Man”) ▲
[5] Daniel Day-Lewis (“Nine”)
Major Threats
[6] Viggo Mortensen (“The Road”)
[7] Michael Stuhlbarg (“A Serious Man”)
 [8] Jeremy Renner (“The Hurt Locker”)
[9] Robert De Niro (“Everybody’s Fine”)
[10] Matt Damon (“The Informant!”)
On the Outside
[11] Hal Holbrook (“That Evening Sun”) ▲
[12] Ben Whishaw (“Bright Star”)
[13] Ben Foster (“The Messenger”)
[14] Clive Owen (“The Boys Are Back”)
[15] James McAvoy (“The Last Station”)
[16] Sam Rockwell (“Moon”)
[17] Mark Wahlberg (“The Lovely Bones”)
[18] Michael Sheen (“The Damned United”) ▼
[19] Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“500 Days of Summer”) NEW

BEST ACTRESS
Projected Nominees
[1] Carey Mulligan (“An Education”)
[2] Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”)
[3] Gabby Sidibe (“Precious”)
[4] Helen Mirren (“The Last Station”)
[5] Abbie Cornish (“Bright Star”)
Major Threats
[6] Emily Blunt (“The Young Victoria”) ▲
[7] Marion Cotillard (“Nine”)
 [8] Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”) NEW
[9] Saoirse Ronan (“The Lovely Bones”)
 [10] Michelle Monaghan (“Trucker”)
 [11] Audrey Tautou (“Coco Before Chanel”)
 On the Outside
[12] Hilary Swank (“Amelia”)
[13] Zooey Deschanel (“500 Days of Summer”) ▲
[14] Penelope Cruz (“Broken Embraces”)
[15] Michelle Pfeiffer (“Cheri”)
[16] Charlize Theron (“The Burning Plain”)
[17] Brenda Blethyn (“London River”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Projected Nominees
[1] Matt Damon (“Invictus”)
[2] Stanley Tucci (“Julie & Julia” or “The Lovely Bones”)
[3] Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”)
[4] Alfred Molina (“An Education”)
[5] Peter Sarsgaard (“An Education”)
Major Threats
[6] Christopher Plummer (“The Last Station”)
[7] Woody Harrelson (“The Messenger”)
[8] Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”)
 [9] Paul Schneider (“Bright Star”)
 On the Outside
[10] George Clooney (“The Men Who Stare at Goats”)
[11] Robert Duvall (“The Road”)
[12] Paul Giamatti (“The Last Station”)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Projected Nominees
[1] Mo’Nique (“Precious”)
[2] Anna Kendrick (“Up in the Air”)
[3] Penelope Cruz (“Nine”)
 [4] Judi Dench (“Nine”)
 [5] Mariah Carey (“Precious”)
Major Threats
 [6] Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air”)
 [7] Julianne Moore (“A Single Man”)
 [8] Rachel Weisz (“The Lovely Bones”)
[9] Betty White (“The Proposal”) ▲
 On the Outside
[10] Natalie Portman (“Brothers”)
[11] Nicole Kidman (“Nine”)
[12] Paula Patton (“Precious”)
[13] Susan Sarandon (“The Lovely Bones”)
[14] Sigourney Weaver (“Avatar”)
[15] Patricia Clarkson (“Whatever Works”)

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Projected Nominees
[1] “Capitalism: A Love Story” (Overture, 9/23, trailer)
[2] “The Cove” (Roadside Attractions, 7/31, trailer)
[3] “Anvil! The Story of Anvil” (Abramorama, 4/10, trailer)
[4] “Food, Inc.” (Magnolia, 6/12, trailer)
[5] “Tyson” (Sony Pictures Classics, 4/24, trailer)
Major Threats
[6] “Valentino: The Last Emperor” (Vitagraph, 3/18, trailer)
[7] “Every Little Step” (Sony Pictures Classics, 4/17, trailer)
[8] “It Might Get Loud” (Sony Pictures Classics, 8/14, trailer)
 On the Outside
[9] “Racing Dreams” (TBA, TBA)
[10] “American Swing” (Magnolia, 3/27)

Updates: Since these charts were initially posted, information has been brought to my attention that has led me to shift Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Crazy Heart”) from supporting to lead, and Natalie Portman (“Brothers”) from lead to supporting.

Photo: Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart.” Courtesy: Fox Searchlight.

WILL DOC VALENTINO BE WEARING OSCAR THIS YEAR?

4 Nov

hugh-jackman-and-valentino-3

hugh-jackman-and-valentino-3

I want to take a moment to discuss something that surprisingly few others have in the past…

Things can get a bit awkward for Oscar bloggers around this time of year because we’re invited to all sorts of events and parties for films and people about whom we will later have to write. Some feel that we shouldn’t ever attend these because doing so will bias our future coverage. Perhaps that’s true for film critics, who must share their personal feelings in their writing, but it’s not true for most Oscar bloggers — certainly not me — for one very simple reason: nothing is more important in our line of work than offering accurate projections. They are the measure by which you judge us, and the measure by which we judge ourselves, and for that reason (in addition to my own morals), no form or amount of flattery (or lack thereof) will ever lead me to present a picture of the awards race that is any different than what I honestly believe it to be.

Having made that very clear, I’ll now share some thoughts on a cool event that I attended last night: a party celebrating the DVD release of best documentary hopeful “Valentino” in the penthouse bar of The Standard Hotel in New York…

“Valentino: The Last Emperor” (Acolyte, 3/18, trailer), the debut directorial effort of journalist Matt Tyrnauer, offers a penetrating peak into the world of couture fashion and the relationship between one of its most famous designers, Valentino Garavani, and his boyfriend of nearly 50 years, Giancarlo Giammetti. The film came about after Tyrnauer spent a considerable amount of time following the men around the world for an August 2004 Vanity Fair profile, winning their confidence and permission to continue to observe them and record footage for a film. Using lightweight cameras that allowed him to keep up with their fast-paced lifestyle, he captured sides of both men that have never previously been seen by the general public and perhaps even close friends.

As someone who couldn’t possibly know less or be less interested in fashion, I was surprised to find myself deeply moved by the film when I first saw it on a screener shortly before its release early this year, and consequently I have been talking it up and keeping it on my awards charts ever since. I was concerned, however, that its awards hopes had been abandoned — until I received the invitation to this event, the turnout of which seems to indicate that it has support in high places. Those in attendance — in addition to Tyrnauer, Garavani, and Giammetti — included producer/beer heiress Daphne Guinness, talk show host Charlie Rose (who conducted an interview the director and subjects back on March 19), actor Hugh Jackman (on the day he was formally replaced as the host of the Oscars), actress Mischa Barton (back on the party circuit after a trying year), actor Adrien Brody, producer Brian Grazer, and even singer Madonna (whose 22-year-old boyfriend, Jesus Luz, was serving as the DJ, and who accordingly busted a few moves upon her arrival).

I understand that much of the “Valentino” awards campaign is being independently funded by Tyrnauer and that the PR firm 42 West is hard at work trying to revive interest in it and get it seen by critics groups. The early Fall release of the similarly-themed Anna Wintour doc “The September Issue” hasn’t made their work any easier, but I suspect that people who actually check out “Valentino” will find it to be the superior film.

Photo: Valentino and Hugh Jackman at the “Valentino” DVD release party. Credit: Scott Feinberg.

WHAT’S UP, DOC?

2 Nov

this-is-it

this-is-it

This evening, a friend wanted to know (a) what I thought it would take for a documentary to snag one of the slots in the newly-expanded best picture category, and (b) whether or not I thought any of this year’s documentaries stood a chance at doing so. Here was my response:

I don’t believe that a documentary will be among this year’s best picture nominees, even though there are now 10 slots in the category. For a doc to make the cut in future years, I suspect that it will have to be a rousing anti-establishment piece, like “Fahrenheit 9/11″ (2004) and/or a newsmaking social-conscience work, like “The Thin Blue Line” (1988) and/or a new take on an old doc-subgenre, like sports doc “Hoop Dreams” (1994) and nature doc “March of the Penguins” (2005). In my opinion, any one of those films might well have snagged a best picture nomination had today’s rules been in effect during their respective years of eligibility.

This year, “Capitalism: A Love Story” and “The Cove” seem to fit the first two descriptions and will probably generate some best picture votes, but I suspect that most voters will find the former too controversial and never see the latter at all. The only other doc with best picture aspirations is “This Is It,” the Michael Jackson concert doc, which fits my third description and has several other things going for it, too: (a) it has gotten so much free press that virtually everyone knows about it and most will eventually see it; (b) it is already a critical and commercial success; and (c) it is ineligible in the best doc category because it missed the Academy’s NY/LA screening deadline, which means that people who want to recognize it will have to do so in the best picture category. That all being said, I have my doubts that it will be most Oscar voters’ cup of tea.

UPDATE: Tom O’Neil, my former colleague at the Los Angeles Times, has posted an email from an Academy member who attended a Sunday screening of the film at the Academy’s Goldwyn Theater that was apparently filled to capacity. The Academy member reports “the most enthusiastic response I’ve ever witnessed in 40 years of Academy screenings… similar to but better than the reaction given to ‘Chicago’ a few years ago. Audience broke into applause at least 10 times. They were ‘mesmerized’ and gave the film an enormous reception as the credits rolled. The editing is brilliant. I predict it will be the first doc to ever make the best picture nomination list, especially now that there are 10 best pic noms.”

Photo: Michael Jackson in Kenny Ortega’s “This Is It.” Credit: Sony.

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