Friday, February 15, 2008

BAFTA UPSETS LEFT WINNERS SPEECHLESS!

Last week's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards offered us two major surprises: French-born Marion Cotillard upset hometown favorite Julie Christie (Away from Her) to win Best Actress, while British-born underdog Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) prevailed over presumptive front-runners and fellow Oscar nominees Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There) and Saoirse Ronan (Atonement), as well as Kelly MacDonald (No Country for Old Men) and Samantha Morton (Control).

The gorgeous-as-always Cotillard was, like most pundits, visibly shocked upon hearing her name called. Unfortunately, she was never quite able to collect herself and bumbled her way through her remarks. While this was cute for BAFTA, I hope someone has since helped her to prepare a real acceptance speech in case she pulls off the same shocker at the Oscars. Rival Christie, who is briefly shown in this clip looking on as Cotillard accepts the honor, gave a real winner of a victory speech at SAG, and—0dd as it may seem—this stuff can really count for something to some voters...

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/6ZRDLd2BUqg&rel=1

Swinton certainly could have handled herself better, as well. Anyone who has met her knows she is a really lovely lady, but she didn't make the most favorable impression on those who have not. She was dressed in a bizarre yellow outfit that looked like a cross between a frock and a backpack and made her journey to the podium a bit tedious. She offered some jokes that didn't really make sense. And then, worst of all, she thanked her agent above all others and promised to give him the statue that had just been bestowed upon her—not the most endearing, heart-warming sentiment one can share in such a moment. (Afterward, she also volunteered some information about her personal life that Sasha Stone enjoyed, but that are undoubtedly going to weird out more Academy members than they turn on.)

alt : http://www.youtube.com/v/7_DgP50YWrs&rel=1

So where do these two super-talented actresses go from here? Does a BAFTA win indicate that there are similar groundswells with the Academy? It's possible. I think an Oscar win by Cotillard would be more deserved but less likely than one by Swinton, but we shall see...

Posted by Editor at 03:24:28 | Permanent Link | Comments (3) |
Comments
1 - English is a second language to Marion, not to mention she was clearly overwhelmed, so you can't really expect her to give a speech like Swinton or Christie. From what I've seen, the genuine joy she showed won her a lot of fans. (Comment this)

Written by: Anonymous at 2008/02/15 - 05:48:49
2 - To me, Marion Cotillard seems more likely to win an Oscar than Tilda Swinton, this year. Cotillard has been adopted by the media (as she is red carpet ready), and she has the awards and rabid, obsessed fans to prove that she is a major contender. She is building momentum by the minute! Her English is troubling, though (Comment this)

Written by: Anonymous at 2008/02/16 - 19:09:52
3 - I was thrilled by Marion's acceptance "speech". It just shows how humble and down to earth she is, and she gave last years best performance, so her win was deserved.

Day-Lewis's speech was terrific too, and I loved how he said Cotillard should have one the Best Actor award as well!

I love the Brits* (Comment this)

Written by: Nick Plowman at 2008/02/17 - 10:28:41
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