All five of last year's Emmy rivals for best comedy actress are back in the race and seem likely to return on July 16: Christina Applegate ("Samantha Who?"), America Ferrera ("Ugly Betty"), Tina Fey ("30 Rock"), Julia Louis-Dreyfus ("The New Adventures of Old Christine") and Mary-Louise Parker ("Weeds").
Since the TV academy is expanding this category to six contenders this year, that means there's room for one more. Don't count out Amy Poehler just because "Parks and Recreation" hasn't scored big with TV critics and Nielsen viewers. Unlike the previous three Emmy derbies, nominees will be chosen by a popular vote of members of the academy's acting branch – and, of course, Poehler is hugely popular. Personally, I'm rooting for her to get in. Poehler told Gold Derby that there will be no "diva clawfest" between her and former "Saturday Night Live" costar Tina Fey (last year's champ) if they both nab noms, but we bloggers can stir up trouble anyway.
Toni Collette ("United States of Tara") has a good shot at a bid, especially since she's a past Oscar nominee ("The Sixth Sense," 1999). If nommed, she could pull off an upset victory in September, considering how well split-personality roles do at all showbiz awards (think Joanne Woodward in "Three Faces of Eve" at the Oscars, Sally Field in "Sybil" at the Emmys).
2005 champ Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives," 2005) might rebound, but she wasn't nominated last year or in 2006.
** Nominee last year
* Top 10 Semi-Finalist in 2008
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES (Front-runners) Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" ** Toni Collette, "United States of Tara" Marcia Cross, "Desperate Housewives" * America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty" ** Tina Fey, "30 Rock" ** (Winner in 2008) Teri Hatcher, "Desperate Housewives" Felicity Huffman, "Desperate Housewives" * Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" ** Eva Longoria-Parker, "Desperate Housewives" * Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds" ** Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation" Sarah Silverman, "The Sarah Silverman Program" *
Everyone will be wild about Harry once more with the July 15 release of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." But while Harry Potter waves his magic wand over and over, he just can't enchant Oscar voters. Indeed, Harry Potter is fast becoming the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. Since 2001, his five films have netted just six nods and no wins.
The only Oscar bid cooked up by "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (2005) was for art direction (it lost to "Memoirs of a Geisha"). "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004) did slightly better, capturing noms for music score and visual effects. It lost to, respectively, "Finding Neverland" and "Spider-Man 2."
It was the first flick that conjured up the most Oscar nods. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (2001) reaped three nominations: art direction, costumes and music score. It lost to, respectively, "Moulin Rouge!" "Moulin Rouge!" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."
In May and June, Pacinofan continued his longtime reign as the most frequent poster in our message boards, after previously ruling in February and March. (I can't find stats for April – sorry!) Here are the latest rundowns.
TOP 5 POSTERS IN JUNE Pacinofan - 917 Gucci - 666 Caresa - 614 Seanflynn - 572 musicluva123 - 430
TOP 5 TOPIC STARTERS IN JUNE puxzkkx - 48 Gucci - 39 Fritz - 34 caresa - 31 bottomchef - 20
Last year's champ, Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"), will probably face off again opposite perennial nominees Steve Carell ("The Office") and Charlie Sheen ("Two and a Half Men"), who've never won, and three-time champ Tony Shalhoub ("Monk").
That means there will be room for two more nominees. If an Emmy god exists, one of the picks will be Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory"). The other? Maybe David Duchovny ("Californication"), who was robbed of a bid last year. Lee Pace got nominated in 2008 but probably won't be back considering that the canceled "Pushing Daisies" has wilted.
** Nominee last year
* Top 10 semifinalist in 2008
LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES (Front-runners) Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" ** (Winner, 2009) Zach Braff, "Scrubs" Steve Carell, "The Office" ** Kevin Connolly, "Entourage" David Duchovny, "Californication" * Johnny Galecki, "The Big Bang Theory" Brad Garrett, "Til Death" * Adrien Grenier, "Entourage" Jason Lee, "My Name Is Earl" Zachary Levi, "Chuck" Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies" ** Tony Shalhoub, "Monk" ** Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men" **
Two-time Emmy nominee Neil Patrick Harris is thisclose to signing to host the 61st annual Emmy Awards airing Sept. 20 on CBS. Harris is one of the stars of the hit CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" and has proven to be a valuable utility player for the Eye network. The network that airs the awards fest usually picks one of its own tribe
as ringmaster, then gets the TV academy to rubber stamp the choice.
In June, Neil Patrick Harris emceed the Tony Awards for CBS, earning good reviews while boosting the audience tuning in to these theater kudos. And in April, he hosted the TV Land Awards for that cable network, also owned by CBS parent company Viacom.
On that kudocast, he wowed with his performance skills – doing impersonations of "Happy Days' " Ritchie Cunningham, "Love Boat's"
Gopher and "Match Game's" Charles Nelson Reilly – and endurance too.
While rehearsing a skit about "Survivor," his back got burned, but he
went on with the show.
Neil Patrick Harris came to fame on TV's "Doogie Howser, M.D."
in his teens. He then spent most of his 20s carving out a niche
for himself in theater. He starred on Broadway and regionally to
much success in productions of Tony-winning tuners such as "Cabaret" and
"Rent."
Then, four years ago, Harris returned to series TV as the
lovable lothario Barney on the Monday night hit "How I Met Your Mother." For that role, he has contended at the last two Emmy Awards, losing the supporting race both times to Jeremy Piven of
"Entourage."
Though Harris let the presenters and winners take center stage during most of the Tony Awards telecast, he closed the show by belting out a sassy number with lyrics penned for him by Tony winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray") sung to the tune of "Tonight."
There is a spirited debate in our Emmy forum over which will be the biggest surprise when nominations for the 61st annual Emmy Awards are announced on July 16.
jbboy said, "I think people will be surprised and thrilled with Mary McDonnell getting nominated for Lead Actress, Drama Series for 'Battlestar Galactica.' "
Kams said, " 'ER' will receive nominations on the main categories."
UPitt said, "Jill Scott (Best Lead Actress) and Anika Noni Rose (Best Supporting Actress) nominations for 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency' (Best Drama Series)."
MissyGal said, "John Corbett in the lead comedy actor category for 'United States of Tara.' "
GPenn said, "Katherine Heigl making it into the supporting actress race and being the only 'Grey's' girl to do it."
Has Judd Apatow moved one step closer to getting a best picture Oscar nod now that five of his favorite actors – Michael Cera, James Franco, Jane Lynch, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd – have been invited to join the movie academy?
As per the press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, they are among the "134 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." This new class of 2009 will bring academy membership to just under 6,000.
Gone are the days when Oscar nominees automatically became academy members. New invitees Casey Affleck ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone"), Michael Shannon ("Revolutionary Road") and Michelle Williams ("Brokeback Mountain") were all denied the chance to vote for themselves in previous years.
Oscar winners Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") and A.R. Rahman ("Slumdog Millionaire") as well as Oscarcast host Hugh Jackman were also among the invitees.
"Public Enemies" opened today to divided reviews but may have enough fans among film critics to still be in the mix of movies cited at year's end. The pedigree of talent behind "Public Enemies" is certainly first-rate. And biopics have long been a favorite of the various groups that fete filmmakers.
Johnny Depp, who portrays '30s gangster John Dillinger, has picked up three Oscar nods in the last six years – "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Finding Neverland" and "Sweeney Todd." Marion Cotillard, who plays the gangster's moll, was an Oscar winner two years ago for "La Vie en Rose." Christian Bale, who plays the FBI agent in pursuit, is an A-list star who mixes commercial smashes ("The Dark Knight") with critical hits ("I'm Not There"). And writer-director Michael Mann has four Oscar nods under his belt – three for writing, directing and producing "The Insider" and another for producing "The Aviator."
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times described the film as, "a grave and beautiful work of art. Shot in high-definition digital by a filmmaker who’s helping change the way movies look, it revisits with meticulous detail and convulsions of violence a short, frantic period in the life and bank-robbing times of John Dillinger, an Indiana farm boy turned Depression outlaw, played by a low-voltage Johnny Depp." For Dargis, "Much of what makes the movie pleasurable is the vigor with which it restages our familiar romance with period criminals, a perennial affair. But what also makes it more than the sum of its spectacular shootouts is the ambivalence about this romance that seeps into the filmmaking, steadily darkening the skies and draining the story of easy thrills."
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times said, "Mann often wants to do traditional films but do them differently, do them better, enabling the audience to feel both the newness and the tradition. With 'Public Enemies,' he has made an impressive film of great formal skill, one that inescapably has a brooding dark-night-of-the-soul quality about it." And Turan lauds the leading man noting that, "A restrained performance like that only succeeds when it's given by an actor as intrinsically charismatic as Depp. His Dillinger can be as ruthless as the next guy and handy with a submachine gun when his bank robbery spree demands it, but what we end up admiring are his nerve, his style, his long gabardine overcoats (reminiscent of the long dusters worn by those other Midwestern movie outlaws, the James gang) and his hip, round sunglasses. This is star power acting with magnetism to spare."
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" failed to thaw the cold-hearted movie critics, most of whom dismissed this third film in the franchise. The movie merited only 51 at Meta Critic and just 33 among the top tier of reviewers at Rotten Tomatoes. While the movie is sure to make millions in the coming days and weeks, it is unlikely to figure in many film awards at year's end.
In 2002, the original "Ice Age" was quite well-received. It scored 77 at Rotten Tomatoes and contended for the second ever Oscar for best animated feature. "Ice Age" lost that race to "Spirited Away." That was the only year when there were five nominees for this award, as more than 15 animated features had been released. All other years have seen only three animated movies in contention.
The first sequel – "Ice Age: The Meltdown" – came out in 2006. It dropped a notch in critics' eyes, earning only 62 at Rotten Tomatoes and 58 at Meta Critic. That year "Happy Feet" won the animated film Oscar over "Cars" and "Monster House." "Ice Age: The Meltdown" lost all five of its Annie Award bids just as the original "Ice Age" had been blanked with this group that salutes the best of animated movies despite seven nods.
Lots of Emmy contenders have chatted with us via webcam over the past month or so, including Simon Baker, Connie Britton, Jimmy Fallon, Kathy Griffin, Jay Harrington, John Henson, Denis Leary, Bill Paxton and Amy Poehler. Here's a handy-dandy links roundup.
I think it's hilarious reading all the blog rants against the Oscars' decision to expand the best-picture list to 10, written by the same film critics who issue their own Top 10 lists every year.
I cheer Oscar's decision. As the telecast confronts declining Nielsen numbers, this is a great antidote since it will draw in more viewers rooting for their flicks to win. Oscar's Top 10 list will probably include lots of popcorn pix snubbed in the past like "The Dark Knight" and comedies like "Borat." Also, animated gems like "Toy Story" that were so neglected previously that the academy had to create a separate race for them eight years ago. Will that category be eliminated ahead? Maybe, in a few years, if "Up" and other worthy entries get in. As things stood up till recently, if socko comedies like "Tropic Thunder" and musicals like "Dreamgirls" and "Sweeney Todd" continued to get skunked, the Oscars might have been forced to launch a separate new best-pic race for comedies/musicals like the Golden Globes.
Actually, the Oscars are not only just now catching up with list-making film critics and the Golden Globes but other film groups like the National Board of Review, the Critics' Choice Awards and even the American Film Institute, which hail 10 film finalists every year. And with Oscar himself, since the motion-picture academy frequently had far more than five nominees in the 1930s and 1940s.
Since then, once the Oscars' restricted the best-picture race to five, all of the following classics failed to be nominated for the top prize: "The African Queen," "East of Eden," "North By Northwest," "Now, Voyager," "Psycho," "Singing in the Rain" (No. 10 on the AFI list of greatest movies ever made), "A Star Is Born" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." AFI lists "Some Like It Hot" as the 14th-greatest film and the best comedy ever made, but it failed to make Oscars' high five.
Decades ago, the Oscars frequently nominated popcorn pix like "Airport," "Jaws" and "The Towering Inferno," but pretentious Hollywooders have gotten awfully highfalutin lately, so this expansion of the race should fix that.
Bottom line: Oscar snobs like you and me won't be fooled by the expanded category. While it will include 10 films, there will still only be five up for best director and, as every Oscarologist knows, the best-picture winner usually needs to have a corresponding bid for helming. Thus, predicting the winner will pretty much be the same game as before. Yes, there have been three exceptions – "Wings," "Grand Hotel" and "Driving Miss Daisy" – but those first two were before 1933.
There's a lot of ridiculous buzzing in the blogosphere about the Oscar using this change as a chance to bump the awards for best shorts or sound editing off the prime-time telecast. Blasphemy! Aren't the Oscars the High Holy Event of the film realm? Isn't attending church supposed to be long and boring? It's good for the soul.
Jude Law is bringing his current West End triumph in the title role of "Hamlet" to Broadway in September. Previews begin Sept. 12, with opening night set for Oct. 6. Following the show's run at the Donmar Warehouse, which ends in mid-August, the company will perform for a week at Elsinore Castle in Denmark. That is the setting for this most famous of William Shakespeare's dramas.
Laurence Olivier starred in a production of "Hamlet" staged at this medieval castle in 1937. Olivier went on to direct himself to an Oscar-winning performance in the 1948 film version, which won the best picture award.
The invaluable Internet Broadway Database lists 65 productions of "Hamlet" to play on Broadway, with the first being in 1761 and the most recent being another transfer from London in 1995. For that Almeida Theatre staging, Ralph Fiennes won the lead actor in a play Tony Award.
Of the other nine productions of "Hamlet" to play on Broadway since the founding of the Tony Awards, only the 1964 version with Richard Burton in the title role earned any nods. Burton lost the lead acting race to Alec Guiness ("Dylan"), while Hume Cronyn won the featured Tony for his work as Polonius.
Since the nominees for TV's top award are a lot like TV reruns, there's a good chance we'll see most of last year's nominees for outstanding lead actor in a drama series return when bids are unveiled on July 16.
Judging panels will not be used this year to whittle down final nominees after evaluating sample episodes submitted by the top 10 voter-getters determined by a popular vote of members of the TV academy's acting branch. This year, six nominees (instead of the traditional five) will be decided by an outright popular vote, so that makes predicting the outcome much easier.
Sure bets probably include last year's nominees Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"), Hugh Laurie ("House M.D.) and 2008 winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"). That leaves room for just one more. Serial past winner James Spader ("Boston Legal"), who made last year's rundown? Previous champ Kiefer Sutherland ("24"), who had to sit out the last Emmy derby due to the writers strike? Hot new rookie Simon Baker ("The Mentalist")? Past champ Michael Chiklis ("The Shield")? Overdue past nominee Denis Leary ("Rescue Me")?
* = Top 10 semifinalist in 2008
** = Nominee in 2008
LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES (Front-runners) Simon Baker, "The Mentalist" Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment" ** Kyle Chandler, "Friday Night Lights" * Michael Chiklis, "The Shield" Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad" ** (winner, 2008) Laurence Fishburne, "CSI" Michael C. Hall, "Dexter" ** Jon Hamm, "Mad Men" ** Hugh Laurie, "House M.D." ** Denis Leary, "Rescue Me" * Bill Paxton, "Big Love" James Spader, "Boston Legal" ** Kiefer Sutherland, "24"
Emmy-savvy HBO was smart to release the DVD set of the first season of "True Blood" just before voting commenced in June. In week five, it sold 107,115 units (1,099,995 total, nearly $38 million), according to The-Numbers.com.
"True Blood" came in second place among TV titles for the week, behind the debut of Season 7 of "Family Guy," which sold 273,627 units ($7.6 million). Why did Fox miss its big chance to grandstand with a DVD media blitz when Emmy nom voting commenced? To be consistent with how s-l-o-w its characters notoriously are? (Well, except for Stewie and that upright walking doggie.) This year, "Family Guy" ditched the Emmy race for best animated program in order to make the bold drive to be the second cartoon show ever nominated for outstanding comedy series after "The Flintstones" (1961 – it lost to "The Jack Benny Program"), so it could've used the extra push.
Drea De Matteowon an Emmy Award for her final season on "The Sopranos" and picked up Golden Globe and SAG nods as well for her work as the turncoat Adriana. After her character was whacked in 2004, De Matteo spent two seasons on the ill-fated spinoff "Joey" and did a five-episode arc on "Sons of Anarchy." Now she is set to return to prime-time in style, joining the cast of "Desperate Housewives."
As the ninth of the titular characters, Drea De Matteo is to play a woman with a landscape designer husband and a troubled son. There is no word as to whether De Matteo will be aboard for just one season or for the run of the series. Following the death of the vampy, trampy Edie Britt (Nicollette Sheridan) this season, the show needs a strong-willed character to stir up life in the leafy suburb.
The most recent addition to the women of Wisteria Lane was two-time Emmy winner Dana Delaney ("China Beach"), who joined the show in Season 4. Her character, Katherine Mayfair, was central to the mystery of that season, and she has remained on "Desperate Housewives" since in a pivotal role. Five years ago, Delaney was on creator Marc Cherry's wish list of actresses to play Bree, a part that eventually went to Marcia Cross.
The second season casting of four-time Emmy winner Alfre Woodardas new housewife Betty Applewhite did not go nearly as well. The mystery surrounding her family fell flat, and Woodard's character never seemed to mesh with the other women. Ironically, one-season wonder Woodard was the only one of the series regulars to earn an Emmy nod that year. She lost the supporting actress in a comedy series race to Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace").
After being written off by many TV critics, "Desperate Housewives" took a big risk this season and shifted the story ahead five years. This fast forward offered a chance for a much-needed reboot. "Desperate Housewives" ended its fifth year on a high note as the season-long mystery was solved and all seemed as well as it ever can be for the women of Wisteria Lane. In the two-hour finale, there was a wedding, an affair, a pregnancy and an adoption.
Desperate Housewives" lost its only bid for the comedy series Emmy Award to the farewell season of "Everybody Loves Raymond" back in 2005. After that first-season nod, the hourlong show has been snubbed by Emmy in that top race ever since. While it made the top 10 runoff as determined by a popular vote in both Seasons 2 and 3, it failed to win over the judging panels and earn a spot in the final round last year.
This year, the Emmy Awards nominating process has been revised to eliminate the juried runoff. Now the contenders will be determined solely by popular ballot. "Desperate Housewives" ranks No. 9 for the season with an average audience of 14.5 million. The only other comedy in the top 20 is "Two and a Half Men," which sits in 11th place with 9.8 million viewers. This switch could also help the actresses who play the housewives get back in the Emmy race.
The posters in our message boards aren't content just to dish awards bestowed by others -- they insist upon doling out their own. Monday, they unveiled their nominees for the newest batch of Gold Derby TV Awards, and you are invited to join them to determine winners. Voting continues until July 31.
"30 Rock" received a record 17 nominations, including bids for lead stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin. The top vote recipient among drama series was "Mad Men" with 10 nominations.
Winners in the comedy lineup in 2008 included "30 Rock" and lead stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin, Kristin Chenoweth (best supporting actress, "Pushing Daisies") and Neil Patrick Harris (supporting actor, "How I Met Your Mother"). Drama honorees: "Lost," Glenn Close ("Damages"), Michael C. Hall ("Dexter"), Chandra Wilson (supporting actress, "Grey's Anatomy") and Michael Emerson (supporting actor, "Lost"). All of last year's winners were nominated again in 2009, with the exception of Chandra Wilson.
BEST COMEDY SERIES "Chuck" "How I Met Your Mother" "The Office" "Pushing Daisies" "30 Rock"
BEST COMEDY ACTOR Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, "30 Rock" Steve Carell as Michael Scott, "The Office" Zachary Levi as Chuck Bartowski, "Chuck" Lee Pace as Ned, "Pushing Daisies" Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper, "The Big Bang Theory"
BEST COMEDY ACTRESS Toni Collette as Tara Gregson, "United States of Tara" Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, "30 Rock" Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, "The New Adventures of Old Christine" Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis, "Desperate Housewives" Mary-Louise Parker as Nancy Botwin, "Weeds" Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope, "Parks & Recreation"
Since the Emmys have ditched the judging panels to determine nominees, letting the lineups be chosen strictly by an outright popular balloting of the TV academy's acting branch, that means the outcome should be more predictable than usual.
Expect last year's champ Glenn Close ("Damages") and 2007 winner, 2008 nominee and double Oscar victor Sally Field ("Brothers & Sisters") to return. Ditto perennial nominees Mariska Hargitay ("Law & Order: SVU") and Kyra Sedgwick ("The Closer").
Voters usually drive a stake through the Emmy hopes of the stars of vampire shows (poor "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star Sarah Michelle Gellar was never nommed despite shrieks of outrage from every TV critic), but Anna Paquin ("True Blood") has two pluses: being on HBO and owning an Oscar ("The Piano"). Past Oscar champ for the same film, Holly Hunter, was nominated last year for "Saving Grace," so she'll probably be back.
That leaves one more slot open, considering the Emmys have expanded the list of nominees to six contenders from the usual five. If an African American actress gets in and wins, it'll be the first time that a black star's ever claimed this category. Three are seriously in the running: Angela Bassett ("ER"), Regina King ("Southland") and Jill Scott ("The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency").
However, given the Emmy popularity of last year's winner of best drama series, "Mad Men," that bid may go to either January Jones or Elisabeth Moss.
* = Top 10 Semi-Finalist in 2008
** = Nominee in 2008
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES (Front-runners) Patricia Arquette, "Medium" * Angela Bassett, "ER" Glenn Close, "Damages" ** (Winner in 2008) Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters" ** Calista Flockhart, "Brothers & Sisters" Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: SVU" ** Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace" ** January Jones, "Mad Men" Evangeline Lilly, "Lost" Mary McDonnell, "Battlestar Galactica" * Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men" * Anna Paquin, "True Blood" Jill Scott, "No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer" ** Jeanne Tripplehorn, "Big Love" *
"Two weeks before he died, Michael Jackson wrapped up work on an elaborate production dubbed the 'Dome Project' that could be the final finished video piece overseen by the King of Pop," reports the Associated Press. "Shooting for the project lasted from June 1-9, with Jackson on the set most days. Now in post-production, the project is expected to be completed July 15."
If this report is true, Michael Jackson might win yet another Grammy for best video after three previous victories: "Scream" (best short form video, 1995, shared with sister Janet Jackson), "Leave Me Alone" (best short form, 1989) and "Making Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'" (best video album, 1984).
The same year he won in the short-form race for "Leave Me Alone," he was nominated in the race for long forms for "Moonwalker," losing to sister Janet's "Rhythm Nation 1814." He was also nominated in the short-form category in 1996 for "Earth Song," losing to the Beatles' "Free As a Bird."
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is on track to make even more than the original "Transformers." And it could well contend for at least as many Oscars as the first film. However, unlike "Transformers" which earned good enough reviews to score 61 at Meta Critic and a very respectable 68 at Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel has been savaged by the critics.
Two years ago, the first film escaped their attention, save for a shared nod for Jon Voight. The one-time Oscar winner ("Coming Home") was also cited for his supporting acting violations in "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," "September Dawn" and "Bratz." He lost to Eddie Murphy who won an unprecedented three acting Razzies for his multiple roles in "Norbit."
However, this time around "Transformers" stars Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf may well be razzed. And "Transformers" franchise director Michael Bay
has contended twice before at the Razzies, losing his 1998 bid for "Armageddon" to Gus Van Sant ("Psycho") and his 2001 nod for "Pearl Harbor" to Tom Green ("Freddy Got Fingered").
Both "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor" earned the same four Oscar nods – song, sound, sound editing and visual effects. "Pearl Harbor" won for sound editing. Two years ago,
"Transformers" earned Oscar bids in those three technical categories. "Transformers" lost
both sound races to "The Bourne Ultimatum," while "The Golden Compass"
won for visual effects.
Subscribe
