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The Oscars are coming fast!!

OscarWatch: ‘Superman’ in, ‘Joan Rivers’ out of documentary shortlist
Another year, another outrageous oversight from the documentary branch of the Academy. Today AMPAS announced the 15 films that will contend for next yearís five Best Documentary Feature slots, and although there are several worthy films included (Waiting for ìSupermanî, Inside Job, Exit Through the Gift Shop, and The Tillman Story among them), missing from the list was the acclaimed exposÈ Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, one of the sweetest and most fascinating films, unscripted or otherwise, of the year. Also MIA: The Facebook-fueled Catfish, the transgender family tale Prodigal Sons, and the political eye-opener 8: The Mormon Proposition. Given its strong reviews, I was surprised Lucy Walkerís Countdown to Zero wasnít included, though her Sundance prize-winner, Waste Land, did make the cut. (For the record, an Academy spokeswoman tells me that the Joaquin Phoenix doc Iím Still Here was not submitted for consideration in this category.)
As steamed as I am about the exclusion of Joan Rivers, I shouldnít be too surprised. The same branch failed to put Bill Maherís Religulous on its shortlist two years ago. I guess the moral of the story here is: If youíre gunning for a Best Documentary Oscar nod these days, you better not be funny.
Hereís the full list of semi-finalists:
Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Enemies of the People
Exit through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
Inside Job
The Lottery
Precious Life
Quest for Honor
Restrepo
This Way of Life
The Tillman Story
Waiting for ìSupermanî
Waste Land
William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe