Coming Soon?
Here's some cool information from our industry sources on great DVD titles currently being worked on (or planned) by the folks at 20th Century Fox.
The first title we should mention is the one we get the most requests for by far - the long-awaited Office Space: Special Edition. It's currently in production, and is being actively worked on by director Mike Judge. Look for it sometime later in 2005.
There's also work being done on a special edition of David Cronenberg's The Fly. With any luck, it'll be ready in time to be a Halloween release.
You Denzel fans will be thrilled to learn that Tony Scott's Man on Fire has being given 2-disc special edition treatment. It's tentatively planned for release around Father's Day (so watch for an announcement soon). Expect this to be a great SE, complete with an alternate ending and a version of the film that's some 20 minutes longer than the theatrical cut.
A lot of you have asked about a more elaborate edition of Alien Vs. Predator. It's not on the radar at the moment, but that could change depending on how well the current DVD version sells. There is a 2-disc "extreme" edition currently available in the U.K., but it doesn't include any of the unrated material.
A lot of you have also been asking about the Mel Brooks promotion that Fox had planned for March (High Anxiety was among the titles expected). As we mentioned the other day, this has been delayed indefinitely. The reason apparently is that Fox wants to really give these films the attention they deserve on DVD. Special editions are planned, they're just going to take some time to realize.
No movement yet on the classic Batman TV series, which is still tied up legally with Warner and D.C. Comics.
Likewise, there's been no work started yet on the Space Above And Beyond TV series, although the current plan is to try to get this out in early 2006.
Finally today, let's talk about the BIG Fox title you probably want to know about. No, not Episode III (although you can likely expect that to hit DVD in time for the holidays). We're talking about James Cameron's Titanic. Our industry sources have confirmed that a SERIOUS special edition is currently being worked on by Fox. You can expect it to follow a similar pattern to New Line's Lord of the Rings films on DVD - a 2-disc version and a more elaborate 4-disc edition. Both will feature a sparkling new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film. Among the many extras you can expect are lots of deleted scenes and tons of "behind-the-scenes" material. Watch for it to be announced later this year for release in the 4th Quarter. As expected, it'll be released by Paramount here in the States, and Fox internationally.
Oddmakers Make Underwood Early 'Idol' Favorite
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Carrie Underwood is no "American Idol" underdog. In fact, the 21-year-old Oklahoma native with the voice made for country is the competition's favorite, according to odds supplied by online oddsmakers BetWWTS.com.
The set of odds, established in the immediate aftermath of the first set of "American Idol" eliminations on Wednesday (Feb. 23) night, have Underwood as an 11/4 favorite. Mario Vazquez, a 27-year-old New Yorker who wowed the judges with a Michael Jackson cover, was the second pick with 7/2 odds. Anwar Robinson and Vonzell Solomon, both gifted with much early exposure, were a joint third choice at 6/1.
The good people at BetWWTS.com are much less enthusiastic about Joseph Murena and Janay Castine, both longshots at 50/1. Things also don't look particularly good for Celena Rae, installed at 35/1.
Lest you doubt the oddsmakers' credibility, the odds at the start of the Final 12 last "American Idol" season had Fantasia Barrino as the top choice and Diana DeGarmo as a popular second option. BetWWTS.com also tapped Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken as early favorites.
The next round of "American Idol" performances begins on Monday (Feb. 28) with four more eliminations next Wednesday.
Westerberg Anthology, 'Mats Reissues On The Way
Paul Westerberg will be the subject of a solo retrospective this spring via Rhino. According to the artist's official Web site, the 20-track set will feature two new songs, B-sides and rare tracks, Westerberg's soundtrack contributions and highlights from his post-Replacements releases.
The artist is in the midst of a North American tour backed by the three-piece His Only Friends band, which rolls into Tempe, Ariz., tomorrow (Feb. 25). Earlier this week in Los Angeles, confessed Westerberg fanatic Lucinda Williams joined the band for a cover of the Kitty Wells-popularized "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."
While appearing on Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones' Los Angeles radio show earlier this week, Westerberg revealed he recently recorded a song with Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, which is expected to appear in Cameron Crowe's forthcoming film "Elizabethtown."
And while the likelihood of a Replacements reunion remains slim ("It can't be the Replacements without Chris [Mars] the drummer, and he's moved on into art and doesn't really want to come back," Westerberg told Jones), a host of reissues are in the works.
Rykodisc, which owns the rights to the band's Twin Tone releases, will reissue the Replacements first four albums in the fall, bolstered with rare bonus tracks. Rhino will give the same treatment to the group's late-period albums for Warner Bros.
Asked last summer if there were unreleased gems still in the archives, Westerberg told Billboard.com, "There probably are, but that haven't already been bootlegged in some way? The real fans have probably heard most of it. The only stuff that might be [unreleased] is cassettes of things that I have from real early on -- down in the basement kind of stuff when we were rehearsing."
Westerberg admitted he still reflects fondly on the 'Mats' early days, especially "when we were riding in the van and we ripped the seats out and would just listen to tapes and listen to Black Flag. [We would] sort of slam dance and stuff around in the back of the van and be drinking hard liquor at noon and it was just, you know, carefree times. We didn't give a damn."
Presley Asks 'Now What' On Sophomore Set
Preceded by a cover of Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry," Lisa Marie Presley will return with her second solo album this spring. Due April 5 from Capitol, "Now What" boasts 10 original songs in addition to her version of the 1983 Henley hit, and guest appearances by pop singer Pink and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.
Presley wrote six of the album's tracks with in-demand songwriter Linda Perry, who has worked with everyone from Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera to Unwritten Law and Courtney Love. "You went with who I am," Presley writes to Perry in the album's liner notes, "and I don't think I've ever had so much fun in the writing process."
The artist also co-wrote material with Gus Penaloza, Michael Lockwood and Eric Rosse, who reprises his role as her producer on the new album. Jones adds guitar to the virulent "Idiot," while Pink adds vocals to "Shine."
Presley's take on the Henley/Danny Kortchmar-written "Dirty Laundry" (which Henley took to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100) is already getting substantial exposure in a series of television promos for the hit ABC series "Desperate Housewives." Further on-air promotion will come with appearances on the syndicated "Oprah Winfrey Show" (March 28), ABC's "Good Morning America" (March 29), CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" (April 1) and the syndicated "Ellen DeGeneres Show" (April 5).
At deadline the artist had only one concert appearance on her schedule, a March 20 show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif.
"Now What" is the follow-up to 2003's "To Whom It May Concern," which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200. The set has sold 588,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Here is the "Now What" track list:
"I'll Figure It Out"
"Turbulence"
"Thanx"
"Shine"
"Dirty Laundry"
"When You Go"
"Idiot"
"High Enough"
"Turned To Black"
"Raven"
"Now What"
SMELLS LIKE PILOT SEASON
Emmy winner Camryn Manheim is testing out her comedic chops in a pilot for the WB, while Mark-Paul Gosselaar has landed his first post-"NYPD Blue" gig, and Natasha Henstridge has been cast in ABC's "Pros and Cons."
Also Wednesday, Fox has ordered the comedy project "Dirtbags," from Will Gluck, Matt Boren and Doug Segal. Comedy reps the first pilot to come out of the net's Creative Writer Development and "Naked TV" programs. And UPN greenlit the pilot "Wingwoman."
Manheim will star in the WB project, which comes from scribes Anne Flett Giordano and Chuck Ranberg, as the single mother of three kids. Pilot presentation follows Manheim's character as she relocates to soccer mom suburbia.
Eric and Kim Tannenbaum will exec produce alongside Flett Giordano and Ranberg for Warner Bros. TV and the Tannenbaum Co.
Manheim scored the Emmy for her portrayal of Ellenor Frutt on "The Practice." Her other recent credits include guest spots on "Strong Medicine" and "Two and a Half Men."
Gosselaar, meanwhile, has been picked to play the lead, Michael, in Fox's untitled wedding chapel pilot from scribe Jeffrey Lieber.
Hourlong project revolves around a brother and sister who operate a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Warren Littlefield has come on board to exec produce the Spelling TV pilot, along with Lieber, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.
Gosselaar spent the last several seasons as Det. John Clark on "Blue." His other credits include "Hyperion Bay," "D.C." and "Saved by the Bell."
Littlefield is also behind "Wingwoman," which he'll exec produce with Adam Chase ("Friends"), Mark Burg and Oren Koules ("Two And A Half Men") for Paramount Network TV and the Littlefield Co. and Evolution Entertainment.
Project follows the exploits of a woman who helps men talk to other women.
Henstridge ("Species") will star as Charlie on "Pros and Cons," the Touchstone/Bad Robot drama about ex-criminals who work inside the FBI. J.J. Abrams, Raven Metzner, Stu Zicherman and Thom Sherman exec produce.
Henstridge's other credits include "The Whole Ten Yards" and the series "She Spies."
As for "Dirtbags," laffer revolves around twentysomething pals in a blue-collar Boston suburb. Gluck ("Luis," "Method & Red") will exec produce with Boren and Segal.
Concept was originally staged at "Naked TV," a partnership between Fox and the Naked Angels Theater Co. (Daily Variety, Feb. 23).
"When I saw the play, I was floored by how original the world was and how well-defined the characters were," Gluck said. "It became clear that whatever the medium, Matt Boren and Doug Segal are incredible storytellers and have the passion and talent to make something great."
Twentieth Century Fox TV is producing the laffer. Separately, Gluck is also exec producing another sitcom pilot with Pam Brady for Fox.
With the success of last year's crop of "Naked TV" performers, Fox announced last month that it had renewed its deal with Naked Angels. This year, freelance journalist Tony Horkins, novelist Veronica Chambers, director Segal and playwrights Patricia Cotter, Evan Smith and Aida Croal are all creating concepts for a "Naked TV" showcase this April.
Peterson to be honoured on postage stamp
MONTREAL - Canada Post plans to honour jazz icon Oscar Peterson this summer by issuing a postage stamp in his honour on his 80th birthday.
The stamp marks the first time a living individual – other than the Queen or a member of the royal family – will be honoured on a postage stamp for his personal achievement, says Charles Verge, president of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada.
Oscar Peterson would be the first living individual, save members of the British royal family, to be honoured with a stamp for his personal achievements.
"I've always believed that Canadians prefer seeing stamps that they have a relationship with," Verge told CBC Arts Online Thursday. "Most Canadians don't remember dead politicians of 200 years ago and are not interested in them. They would be interested in seeing people who have some relationship to their knowledge base."
Modern personalities also help attract people to the hobby of stamp collecting, Verge said, noting that Canada Post recently picked singer Bryan Adams's portrait of the Queen for a new stamp.
Though Adams must have talent to have been selected to photograph the monarch, his celebrity as an internationally known musician has "brought that particular stamp into the domain of Bryan Adams fans," Verge said. It has also racked up "a large amount of sales."
Early on, Canada Post had a policy that the only living person who could be depicted on a stamp was the sovereign. The policy gradually grew to include members of the royal family. Over the years, the agency has also portrayed other living Canadians.
"There are many living individuals on stamps," Verge said, pointing out that hockey players, theatre actors and Canadian astronauts have all been depicted on postage commemorating landmark anniversaries of institutions like the NHL, the Stratford Festival or the Canadian Space Agency.
"Here we're saying that Mr. Peterson is being honoured for Mr. Peterson, basically," Verge said.
South of the border, the U.S. maintains its policy that no living person – save the president – shall be honored on postage, and that prominent individuals are only eligible for commemorative stamps 10 years after the person's death.
Other countries are much more liberal about whom they honour on postage. Austria, for example, has issued stamps featuring Peterson as well as actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Canada Post has scheduled the Peterson stamp for issue on Aug. 15, the Montreal-born pianist's birthday.
"We are recognizing a legendary Canadian, someone whose life work is established," Cindy Daoust, marketing manager for Canada Post, told the Montreal Gazette. "His legacy as a pianist and as a composer is solid."
Though the stamp advisory committee has approved the suggestion, it has yet to determine the design or what image is to be used, she added. "This is still very much a work in progress.
Canada Post is "not going to rush and put everybody on stamps," Verge said, suggesting that the agency may be using this stamp as a trial run.
"You won't see Avril Lavigne or Shania Twain or Celine Dion on stamps tomorrow," he said. "It doesn't mean that they will never be on [Canadian] stamps. It just won't happen tomorrow."
Feature film to explore drama of Villeneuve father and son in Formula One
MONTREAL (CP) - For most of his career, Jacques Villeneuve avoided answering questions about his late father, flashy Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve.
But the 1997 world champion from Iberville, Que., has finally agreed to participate in a feature film that will look at the human drama in the lives of the father and son Formula One drivers.
The film, simply called Villeneuve, is to begin production in 2006 and has a budget of more than $30 million, said producer Gabriella Martinelli.
"When I started my career, it was difficult to talk about my father," Villeneuve said Thursday at a packed news conference at his downtown restaurant Newtown. "I was getting a lot of attention from the media and public, but not because I had achieved anything.
"That was a bit embarrassing. People looked at me like they were seeing my father's ghost. I was very proud to be Gilles Villeneuve's son, but I wanted to achieve something myself."
He said the pressure eased after he won the 1997 championship with the Williams team and he opened up more after making an exhibition run in his father's old Ferrari, while wearing his father's helmet, last summer in England.
Villeneuve said the film will dissolve the notion that he resented his father.
"No one knows about my relationship with my dad," said Jacques, who was 11 when Gilles died. "The misconception was that people thought I hated him and didn't want to be part of his life and that's totally wrong. He was always my hero.
"But I was doing the same job as him and I was doing it for myself. I tried to keep them separate and that's not what people wanted to hear. They wanted to hear Gilles again and were annoyed that I wasn't willing to give them that."
While Jacques didn't get the chance to learn much about driving from his father, he said the two shared a passion for speed and risk. But cars, drivers, tracks and rules have evolved so that racing is safer these days.
"If he was driving in the 1990s, he'd still be a driver and if I was driving in the 1970s, I'd be dead," Jacques said.
The film, made by Capri Films, will follow the career of Gilles, the dashing driver from Berthierville, Que., who was killed in a crash during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982, and the rise of his son Jacques to become world champion.
The film is based on the book Villeneuve: The Life of the Legendary Driver, by Gerald Donaldson. It is to be directed by Montrealer Christian Duguay while Malcolm Clarke of Britain will write the script.
"This is a human drama with a backdrop of Formula One racing," said Duguay. "It's the story of Gilles from his son's point of view."
Villeneuve, now driving for the Sauber Petronas team, will act as a consultant to the filmmakers, but actors will be hired to play the drivers.
Craig Pollock, Villeneuve's agent, said he had received at least 10 requests over the years from people who hoped to do a film or TV mini-series on the father and son, but they were all turned down.
"This was different - Jacques will have his say," said Pollock. "This film would happen whether you like it or not.
"Everything about Gilles is in the public domain and neither Jacques nor the family could stop it. So the best thing is to be involved, to act as consultant and try to control what happens inside the script."
Tarantino Bloodying 'CSI' Team
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Call it "Kill Gil."
Quentin Tarantino has signed to direct the season-finale episode of primetime's most-watched series, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Tarantino also has come up with an original story for the episode, which is expected to shoot in early April and air May 19, according to "CSI" executive producer Carol Mendelsohn.
Tarantino has long been a fan of the stylish forensic drama as series creator/executive producer Anthony Zuiker learned when he bumped into Tarantino at an awards show during "CSI's" first season. They have pursued him to direct an episode for some time, and after members of the "CSI" crew ran into Tarantino a few weeks ago while the show was doing some location shooting in Las Vegas, the stars finally aligned for him to helm the show's fifth-season closer, Mendelsohn said.
"He knows everything there is to know about 'CSI,' and he is into the whole mythology of 'CSI,"' Mendelsohn said. "Quentin came in a couple of weeks ago. We had a story meeting with the writers. He had a great idea, and it was so much fun to have him in the room. . . . We are positively giddy."
Zuiker, in particular, "worships Quentin," she added.
Mendelsohn said the story will involve a plot that finds one of the key members of the CSI team, led by Gil Grissom (William Petersen), in serious jeopardy.
"There will be more bugs and blood this time," Mendelsohn joked.
Tarantino, who earned an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay to his 1994 smash "Pulp Fiction," directed a 1995 episode of "ER" and appeared as a guest actor on ABC's "Alias" in 2002 and last year. His other features include the "Kill Bill" films, "Jackie Brown" and "Reservoir Dogs."
The Couch Potato Report - February 24th, 2005
In The Couch Potato Report this week, I offer you my Academy Award predictions, and two alternatives to all of the Oscar hype.
On Sunday night the eyes of the world will be focused on one address: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California.
For on that night at The Kodak Theatre The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be awarded in 24 categories.
The six major categories are BEST ACTRESS, BEST ACTOR, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, BEST DIRECTOR and BEST PICTURE, and those are the categories I am going to focus on right now and give you my predictions of who is going to win.
Some have called this the most unpredictable year at the Academy Awards in a long time, but it really isn't.
Especially in the BEST ACTOR category where the nominees are Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA, Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND, Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR, Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Jamie Foxx - RAY
Not only am I telling you that Jamie Foxx will win for RAY, but I will also plainly state that if Foxx doesn't walk away with the trophy, it will be seen as the biggest Oscar blunder since SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE won for BEST PICTURE over SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
Biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.
Plus, an overwhelming number of actors have won the top acting awards for portraying characters with physical or mental disabilities or diseases.
A few examples are Cliff Robertson in 1968 for CHARLY, Jack Nicholson in 1975 for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, Dustin Hoffman in 1988 for RAIN MAN, Daniel Day-Lewis in 1989 for MY LEFT FOOT, Al Pacino - SCENT OF A WOMAN in 1992, Tom Hanks for PHILADELPHIA in 1993, and for FORREST GUMP in 1994, and Jack Nicholson again in 1997 for AS GOOD AS IT GETS.
Plus, even though DiCaprio, Cheadle, Depp and Eastwood are all also playing real-life people, some even with physical or mental disabilities or diseases, Jamie Foxx is also a shoo in to win because he is playing Ray Charles, one of the most beloved American entertainers of the past century.
Jamie Foxx may be the one sure thing this year, but if you look at some of the trends that the Academy voters have followed over the years, there seems to be clear indications as to who will win in the other five major categories as well.
For instance, it helps an actress's chances of winning the BEST ACTRESS Oscar if the character dies during the movie, is a prostitute, an alcoholic or addicted to drugs, or is a murderess.
Some examples of that Oscar truism are Elizabeth Taylor for BUTTERFIELD 8 in 1960, Jane Fonda in 1971's KLUTE, and Charlize Theron in Monster in 2003.
The nominees in the BEST ACTRESS category this year are: Annette Bening - BEING JULIA, Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE, Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE, Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.
The two frontrunners are Annette Bening and Hilary Swank, who also competed against each other in this category in 1999.
That year Swank won the BEST ACTRESS Oscar for her work in BOYS DON'T CRY, even though Bening was pregnant, and her film AMERICAN BEAUTY won BEST PICTURE and four other statuettes.
Sadly, for Bening, after Sunday night the score will now be Swank - 2, Bening - 0.
Sad for Bening, but good for movie lovers as Swank's performance is just that good.
Should you be looking for a dark horse to come along and surprise pundits like myself, this is the category it could happen in.
It is possible that Hilary and Annette will split the vote, meaning the incredible Imelda Staunton will win for her performance in VERA DRAKE.
However, that is quite unlikely as Swank has all of the buzz in the movie industry right now, and she does have the Academy's history of voting patterns behind her.
Let me move now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR category, where another voting pattern of the Academy is going to pay off this year for a beloved actor.
That pattern is how the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work.
The nominees for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR are Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR, Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS, Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL, Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Clive Owen - CLOSER.
This year expect Morgan Freeman to claim the prize.
Freeman was nominated in this category in 1988 for STREET SMART and he was nominated as BEST ACTOR in 1990 for DRIVING MISS DAISY and in 1994 for THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.
Freeman has been the heart and soul of too many movies to list, he has been the voice of reason in too many more, and in BRUCE ALMIGHTY he even played God.
Freeman's work in MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a steady and as brilliant as always, but it isn't the best performance that he's ever given.
Yet just like Paul Newman in THE COLOUR OF MONEY, Al Pacino in SCENT OF A WOMAN and the work Sean Connery did in THE UNTOUCHABLES, Freeman will take home Oscar gold because of his body of work.
We move on now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.
I can tell you two things that are facts about this category: 1) First-time nominees often win this Award, and 2) Even though I correctly predicted that Renee Zellweger would win this award last year for COLD MOUNTAIN, I usually get this category wrong.
That said, the Academy Award nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE are Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR, Laura Linney - KINSEY, Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS, Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA and Natalie Portman - CLOSER.
As I said earlier regarding the BEST ACTOR category, biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.
Since Katharine Hepburn won more Academy Awards than any other actor it would seem to make sense that a victory would be in the cards for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Hepburn in THE AVIATOR.
But some in the movie community have called Blanchett's performance "over the top", so the buzz is against her.
In addition to the negative buzz, the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category has a few trends that are all it's own.
This award is usually given to a young actress for their first nomination, such as Marisa Tomei in 1992 for MY COUSIN VINNY, Anna Paquin in 1993 for THE PIANO and Mira Sorvino's 1995 win for MIGHTY APHRODITE.
By that logic I should tell you that Sophie Okonedo will win for HOTEL RWANDA, and some prognosticators are saying that these days.
But this category has another trend.
The BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS award has also been given for a performance that is seen as comeback, a la Kim Basinger in 1997's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.
Granted, Okonedo is very strong in HOTEL RWANDA, but the buzz all seems to be behind this year's comeback kid, Virginia Madsen.
Madsen was a star in such eighties and nineties films as ELECTRIC DREAMS, DUNE, THE HOT SPOT, CANDYMAN and THE RAINMAKER, but her profile over the last few years has been well below the radar of the Academy.
Plus, prior to this year, the only nomination she has ever received was due to her work in 1992's CANDYMAN. That year she was singled out as BEST ACTRESS by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.
Yes, they are a reputable and respected group to be sure, but they are not the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, so Virginia's nomination this year in the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category will correctly be seen as her first.
Since she is a first time nominee AND her work can be seen as a comeback. I say that she will win.
But, just remember, even though I got it right last year, this has traditionally been my weakest category for predicting the Academy Award winners.
Whereas guessing the BEST PICTURE winners has been a strong suit of mine.
This year I see no reason to feel that pattern will end.
The nominees for BEST PICTURE are THE AVIATOR, FINDING NEVERLAND, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, RAY and SIDEWAYS, but there are only two films to remember. This category is a race between Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR and Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
Over the past decade the BEST PICTURE race has been the one that has been the easiest to predict. The one exception was in 1998, when the aforementioned SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE beat the far superior SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
SCHINDLER'S LIST, FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, TITANIC, AMERICAN BEAUTY, GLADIATOR, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, CHICAGO and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING all had the two things that are required to be named the BEST PICTURE of the year at the Academy Awards: momentum and buzz.
This year MILLION DOLLAR BABY has all of the buzz and all of the momentum.
All of it!
Even if this was originally intended to be the year that Martin Scorsese's career was recognized, due to Oscar history, THE AVIATOR has to be seen as the second place finisher.
No movie about Hollywood has ever won the top prize. Even Billy Wilder's classic SUNSET BOULEVARD didn't win best picture!
Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN was named BEST PICTURE in 1992, and this year his MILLION DOLLAR BABY will take the top prize again.
The only question remaining now is: Does Eastwood also win for BEST DIRECTOR?
Does he beat out Scorsese's work in both of the top two categories?
Yes.
But Scorsese is in incredible company. Some of the greatest directors of all time have never won an Academy Award for BEST DIRECTOR. The list includes Charlie Chaplin, Howard Hawks, D. W. Griffith, Brian De Palma, Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Terrence Malick, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Tim Burton, Blake Edwards, Arthur Penn, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Peter Weir, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, and Martin Scorsese.
The last name on the list was nominated in 1980 for RAGING BULL and again in 1991 for GOODFELLAS. He should have won both times.
He was also nominated in 1989 for THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST and in 2002 for GANGS OF NEW YORK.
Still, the great Martin Scorsese has never won an Oscar.
With the epic THE AVIATOR on the release schedule, 2004 looked to be the year that Hollywood would reward him for an unprecedented career.
Sadly, this won't be Martin Scorsese's year, yet again.
Even though Clint Eastwood has won before, and the beloved Scorsese hasn't, Eastwood's work on MILLION DOLLAR BABY is the favourite to win.
That is partially due to the fact that Eastwood won the Directors Guild of America's Best Film Director award for MILLION DOLLAR BABY.
The winner of the DGA award has gone on to win the Academy Award in 50 of the past 56 years.
Because of his incredible career, and due to the fact that the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work, Martin Scorsese would seem to (finally) be guaranteed an Oscar come Sunday night.
But the only guarantee in this year's Oscar races is Jamie Foxx. All everyone else can do is hope.
Of course, I am not hoping anything, I sit here quite confident that my choices will all win, due to the reasons I've given you. So, to recap, my predictions in the six major categories for the 77th Annual Academy Awards are:
BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
Sorry Marty!
Now if you find yourself sick and tired of all of this Oscar talk, and you would rather just sit and watch something that will never win an Academy Award, I offer you two alternatives.
The new special edition DVD release of HALF BAKED and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON.
Let's start with the very stupid, very juvenile, very funny comedy HALF BAKED.
The movie is about four pothead buddies, one of whom is thrown in jail.
His buddies - including Dave Chappelle from CHAPPELLE'S SHOW and Jim Breuer of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - have to come up with the money to free their buddy.
As I said, HALF BAKED is very, very stupid, but if you like films about stoners, like DAZED AND CONFUSED and the repertoire of CHEECH AND CHONG, then you will find HALF BAKED much to your amusement.
You will also be amused with the additional features that are now available in the HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION DVD. There is an Alternate Ending, ten Deleted Scenes and a Director's Commentary with Tamra Davis.
Whatever you do, just make sure you have some snacks handy in case you get the munchies!
The other Academy Award alternative I have for you this week is from a franchise that was actually nominated for an Oscar once.
Yes, the movie version of SOUTH PARK - BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT was nominated for BEST ORIGINAL SONG.
In SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON you can join Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as they discover a government secret, accidentally get sent to Afghanistan and get into an extreme slugfest when 'Big Gay Al' returns. Some of the episodes are: It Hits the Fan, Cripple Fight, Super Best Friends, Scott Tenorman Must Die and Cartmanland.
Call it dumb fun, call it a guilty pleasure, or whatever you'd like. I just call it funny.
If you need an alternative to this weekend's Oscar festivities The HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON are both available now on DVD.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT
Walt Disney's classic 1942 film BAMBI debuts on DVD in a special Platinum Edition 2-disc set.
In THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE SpongeBob and Patrick set out to save Bikini Bottom. If you think this is a movie just for kids, I offer this phrase: You are only as young as you feel. Feel young, enjoy SpongeBob!
The word "enjoy" will never be used in conjunction with EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. In this prequel to the classic horror film Father Merrin has his first encounter with demonic forces. Stellan Skarsgard, James D'Arcy and Izabella Scorupco star.
Eric Idle stars in THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUY ME LUNCH. Yes, Pre-Fab Four are back!
SCTV is back as well. In the box set SCTV - VOLUME 3 the series reacts to the success of "The Great White North" segments featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie and Martin Short joins the cast.
I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on SCTV - VOLUME 3, and those other releases, in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and The Oscars and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!