Kasi Lemmons on K. Big's Win

"I went to bed last night and woke up this morning in a glow. Words cannot express how incredibly inspired and uplifted I am by the image of Katherine Bigelow with an Oscar in each hand…It’s a great day!"

--Kasi Lemmons (Eve's Bayou, Talk To Me)




See what more 'sistren' behind the lens and above the line had to say.

Via Women & Hollywood>>http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/03/09/women-directors-react-to-the-bigelow-win/

True Story: So This Is Cinematography Now?

(via Joseph Kahn)
Behind the scenes of 'Avatar'
Things just got really interesting at film school...

BYTWENTY8 2010 OSCAR HIGHLIGHTS

Here are my highlights from last night:

OSCARrecap: What do you think? What are your thoughts?

See the accompanying short via BLACK VOICES SPIN.

APERITIF: What 'Avatar' is trying to say about the future of being 'White' in America, PT. 1

Congratulations to K. BIG!!

I'd also like to congratulate all the hypemen who brought 'The Hurt Locker's' post-Box office presence back to center stage by penning the ultimate metanarrative: directordivorcegate-2010.

(Forget that lackluster list of contenders--the real award should go to you!)

But Bigelow v Cameron beefs aside, my personal (and, largely, FAILED!) 'Precious' campaign aside, please allow me to sip my Hater-ade one mo' gain.

KATHRYN BIGELOW FTW!! (and again and again and again)

Bigelow nabs 6 of her 9 nominations, including: 

BEST DIRECTOR

BEST PICTURE

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

FILM EDITING

SOUND EDITING

SOUND MIXING

SEE ALL THE WINNERS HERE: VARIETY.COM

Lee Daniels nabs 2 of his 6 nominations, including: 

MO'NIQUE for BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

and Mo' gives the best speech EVERRRR (Lady Saw voice), wearing a royal blue gown in honor of the first lady to pave the way, Hattie McDaniel, and paying homage to McDaniel and her husband Sidney

 

GEOFFREY FLETCHER for BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

but why does it have to be the scene where Precious steals the chicken...? smdh... 

MORE LATER. GOOD NIGHT.

OSCARS 2010: Hurt Locker Producer & Sadfaces #hypocriticismssss

Nicolas Chartier has had his ticket to the Oscars revoked because of a 'controversial' e-mail (via Shadow & Act) sent to the Academy to drum up votes for Kathryn Bigelow's pic, 'Hurt Locker.'

The film is nominated for 9 Academy Awards, and while Chartier really hasn't done anything unusual, he's humbly apologized for his naïveté. 

S.M.H!

Who Left the Back Door Open? #Palin #Nevergate

Problems.

I usually don't go in that hard. I'm usually--by my own estimation--a respectful person, even if I don't care for you. But this lady gets me...

Palin and her goon squad rushed the Oscar gift suite (Level of Difficulty: 0 >> no palm reading required.)

Sarah Palin and Grabby Entourage "Like Locusts" at Oscar Gift Suite via E! Online.

OSCARS 2010: Mo'Nique, Barbara Walters & Open Marriage?

(via Young, Black & Fabulous)

So Mo went in on Barbara Walters' 29th and final Oscar Special. 

Mo didn't exactly say she and hubby-manager Sidney were kicking it Will-&-Jada style, but you should definitely read the full article.  

See the full interview with Mo'Nique on The Barbara Walters Special March 7 at 7/6c on ABC.

Oscar Week: A Ripe Time for Activism

Oscar Week: A Ripe Time for Activism

Posted using ShareThis via Wilshire & Washington

General Ban Ki-moon will be in the house this week, along with a number of folks from the public servant side of life. The Oscars provide an excellent opportunity for 'stars' and 'special interests' to give shine to an array of issues facing the global and local communities.

preOSCAR: The AMPAS "PR Nightmare of epic proportions"

The narrative around the narratives:

Sooooooooo...the top Oscar contenders--each weighing in with 9 noms apiece for their films Hurt Locker and Avatar--are ex husband and wife!

Yes: Kathryn Bigelow--only the 4th woman to be nominated in the Oscars' Best Director category, and the absolute 1st woman to receive the DGA honor--used to be Booskied up with James 'produceamoviebymebabyandbeaZillionaire' Cameron.

HOWZ'ABOUT THAT!?

Before I get into what John Luchetti said over at FilmStage.com, let me just share this little PSA with the Kathryn Bigelow haters and biters: SIT. DOWN. SHUT. UP.

Folks who binge on -isms never fail to amaze me. People are really trying to discredit her hustle on the premise of a relationship that's been over since 1991. This may come as a shock to some, but I was a full 3 feet shorter in 1991. So if you are that pressed to play Blocker, go 86 yourself.

That being said--you should know by now that I'm an 'Avatar' hater. I can't comment on 'Hurt Locker' beyond saying, I would've never guessed Bigelow directed it, and a mighty 'POW!' to her for wrestling with the big boys on their so-called turf. This is an EXTREMELY major deal when only 6% of the industry is female at the directorial level and even more shameful where cinematographers are concerned, according to Dr. Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. writing for TheBlackBoxOffice.com.

I don't have an issue with James Cameron, so don't think I'm trying to flip the script, but I'll give full vent to my 'Avatar' beef once we get to Oscars week. Trust and know my reasons aren't hardly as patriarchally contrived as the people I just shouted out. I'm very interested, however, in whether or not Luchetti is right. He believes the fact of Cameron's ex-husband status may--and should--get in the way of an 'Avatar' win. Cameron's already enjoyed overwhelming success at this level per 'Titanic', but I'm writing to say two things in particular.

1) I don't think Bigelow would want a sympathy Oscar at the hands of her ex's goodwill and sportsmanship.

2) I don't think Lee Daniels would care for a 'sympathy' Oscar, either. BUT in the name of giving folks their flowers before they're dead, why don't we quell this alleged media-storm before it's time by drumming up the Academy in 'Precious' favor?

Because when has the Academy ever really given an Oscar to Black folks for their actual body of work? It seems to me, that they give melanin-ized nods when they anticipate a drought or happen to remember their 'commitment to diversity' workshops. There's always this backed up stream during some Awards seasons, as if to make up for lost time.

No, really. Look at this list of nominees--not even winners--in the history of the Oscars in Black via Entertainment Weekly. Compare this against the track of Black Oscar winners in the most contentious categories via Indiana University.

So while Bigelow would be the 4th nominated woman, Daniels is only the 2nd Black director nominated, period.

And even after I've intimated my case for a Lee Daniels win...I realize this is ridiculous. It's like fighting for crumbs in the Big House, when we need to just take the whole loaf and burn down the house.

GRRRRRRR....

(2/4) SNOWED IN: 4 Net-Flixing Moods You Might Borrow

Since you STILL AIN'T GOIN' NOWHERE...

Here's Mood 2 to stave off cabin fever.

For my Oscar season mood:
>> 2010 Inglourious Basterds (Netflix)
>> 2010 Hurt Locker (Netflix)
>> 2009 Milk (Netflix)
>> 2009 The Dark Knight (Netflix)
>> 2009 Frost/Nixon (Netflix)
>> 2009 Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Netflix)
>> 2008 Charlie Wilson's War (Netflix)
>> 2008 American Gangster (Netflix)
>> 2008 Juno (Netflix)
>> 2008 Bourne Ultimatum (Netflix; They're talking about a prequel minus Matt!)
>> 2008 Persepolis (Netflix)
>> 2007 Dreamgirls (Netflix)

Oscar Noms Are In--Chyeeeeeaaaaaaah Boyeeeeeee!

Anne Hathaway presented the nominees for the 2010 Oscars, set to take place March 7th, 2010 at the Kodak Center in Hollywood. Get Excited.

Best Picture (complete with the new and improved 10 slot noms for 2010)

* “Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers (should I shop for my surprise! face?)
* “The Blind Side” Nominees to be determined (how does that work exactly?)
* “District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
* “An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
* “The Hurt Locker” Nominees to be determined
* “Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers (YAY!)
* “A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
* “Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
* “Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role (surprising list...)

* Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
* George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
* Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
* Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
* Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon in “Invictus”
* Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
* Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
* Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
* Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds” (He was DANG good.)

Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
* Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
* Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
* Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (YAY!)
* Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
* Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
* Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
* Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (YAY!!)

Animated Feature Film

* “Coraline” Henry Selick
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
* “The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
* “The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
* “Up” Pete Docter

Art Direction

* “Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
* “Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
* “Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
* “The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Cinematography

* “Avatar” Mauro Fiore
* “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
* “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
* “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
* “The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Costume Design

* “Bright Star” Janet Patterson
* “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
* “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
* “Nine” Colleen Atwood
* “The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Directing

* “Avatar” James Cameron
* “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
* “Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
* “Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Documentary (Feature)

* “Burma VJ” Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller
* “The Cove” Nominees to be determined
* “Food, Inc.” Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein
* “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith
* “Which Way Home” Rebecca Cammisa

Documentary (Short Subject)

* “China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province” Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
* “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner” Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher
* “The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant” Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
* “Music by Prudence” Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
* “Rabbit à la Berlin” Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra

Film Editing

* “Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
* “District 9” Julian Clarke
* “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
* “Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Foreign Language Film

* “Ajami” Israel
* “El Secreto de Sus Ojos” Argentina
* “The Milk of Sorrow” Peru
* “Un Prophète” France
* “The White Ribbon” Germany

Makeup

* “Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
* “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
* “The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Music (Original Score)

* “Avatar” James Horner
* “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
* “The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
* “Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
* “Up” Michael Giacchino

Music (Original Song)

* “Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
* “Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
* “Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
* “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Short Film (Animated)

* “French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
* “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
* “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
* “Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
* “A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Door” Juanita Wilson and James Flynn
* “Instead of Abracadabra” Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström
* “Kavi” Gregg Helvey
* “Miracle Fish” Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey
* “The New Tenants” Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson

Sound Editing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
* “Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
* “Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
* “Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Sound Mixing

* “Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
* “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
* “Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
* “Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
* “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Visual Effects

* “Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
* “District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
* “Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
* “An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
* “In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
* “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
* “Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
* “Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
* “The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
* “A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
* “Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

You gotta vote for Eeshe & Pat over at mtvU!!

Yes. Shameless plug.

Will rep all DAY! Go ahead and key it in, Tweet it up, FB and more, and MOST IMPORTANTLY vote for Eeshe White and Patrick House to correspond it up at the Oscars 2010. Vote now at mtvU: http://www.mtvu.com/on-campus/contests-sweepstakes/oscars/eeshe-white-and-patrick-house/.

Popularity doesn't matter for documentaries this Oscar season

...yeah right.

The Doc outlook in the Oscars' 2010 season.

I am a little biased here. But I really feel--bias aside--that 'tis the season (in particular, cuz it's always been the season...) to discuss redistribution of wealth.

Like, go-hard.

I've seen one really solid documentary critique of capitalism proper before (The Corporation, 2004), but perhaps Mike's visibility and the heavy rotation of our current 'financial crisis' will make "Capitalism: A Love Story" (Michael Moore) cut a little deeper.

Cuz if Bernie Sanders (I-VT) can almost discuss redistribution of wealth on 'Colbert', maybe we can talk about Huey P's theory of Intercommunalism. [go read To Die For the People].