Dave Karger's OscarWatch

Who’s the best Oscar host of the 2000s?

Dave Karger — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:38:49 +0000

All the talk about the announcement of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as next year’s Academy Award hosts has started me thinking: Who is the best Oscar emcee of the last decade? There have been seven: Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, Whoopi Goldberg, Hugh Jackman, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. Below I list each

Oscar roundup: November 6

Dave Karger — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:06:07 +0000

So there’s this movie that came out today; it’s called Precious. Maybe you’ve heard of it? Ever since its Sundance premiere all the way back in January, people have been using the O-word (no, not Oprah) when talking about the film. Now that it’s finally out, I can run down its chances in all the

Jeff Bridges’ ‘Crazy Heart’ to shake up the Oscar season

Dave Karger — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:42:31 +0000

Earlier this week I posted about a trio of last-minute Best Actress contenders. Now Fox Searchlight is throwing an exciting wrench into the Best Actor race by deciding to release its country-music drama Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges in what’s said to be a career-best performance, in mid-December for awards consideration. Bridges is a four-time

Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin to host Oscars: Brilliant!

Dave Karger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:12:51 +0000

Does everyone else love this idea as much as I do? The Academy has announced that Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will cohost this season’s Oscar telecast on March 7, 2010. And I for one say Hallelujah! They’re both adept comedians who’ll certainly play off each other well. Their upcoming romantic comedy with Meryl Streep,

Best Actress: A rush of last-minute contenders

Dave Karger — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:37:58 +0000

I know that when it comes to scoring an Oscar nomination, it helps to be fresh in voters’ minds, but this is a little ridiculous. In the past few weeks, Oscar-qualifying runs were announced for The Last Station, with Helen Mirren, and The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, starring Bryce Dallas Howard. And now comes

‘This Is It’ for Oscar: Really?

Dave Karger — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:54:31 +0000

Perhaps the most troubling effect of the Academy’s decision to have 10 Best Picture nominees this season is that whenever any movie does at all well, people start talking Oscar. I for one am certainly guilty of that—remember my Hangover-for-Best-Picture item? And now it’s happening again with the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It, which

Hugh Jackman turns down Oscar host: Are we surprised?

Dave Karger — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:58:12 +0000

By now you’ve probably heard the reports that Hugh Jackman has turned down an offer to repeat as next year’s Academy Awards host. But is this really a big shock? Jackman won raves for his emceeing skills at this year’s telecast—why shouldn’t he quit while he’s on top? Plus, it’s not like he’s a host

Vera Farmiga definitely supporting for ‘Up in the Air’

Dave Karger — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:28:05 +0000

Over the past few weeks there have been a few whispers that Paramount was considering campaigning for Up in the Air’s Vera Farmiga in the Best Actress category so that she wouldn’t compete with her breakout costar Anna Kendrick. Now I hear from Farmiga’s camp that her campaign will definitely be in the supporting actress

Oscar roundup: October 23

Dave Karger — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:04:30 +0000

Part of me just wants to skip this week’s roundup altogether, since the only film with any awards hopes whatsoever is Amelia. And even that is seeming more like a stretch with each review that comes out. But let’s run down its chances anyway. Possibles Best Actress, Hilary Swank: She’s certainly an Academy favorite, and biopics are

Gotham Award nominations: ‘Hurt Locker’ in, ‘Precious’ out

Dave Karger — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:34:46 +0000

The Gotham Independent Film Award nomination lists were revealed today, recognizing a few expected indies (The Hurt Locker, A Serious Man) while surprisingly neglecting others (where the heck is Precious?). Because the Gotham nominees are determined by small panels of four people each, today’s results won’t necessarily foreshadow the Spirit Awards or Oscars. But they’re