Awards Update

The Top Tens of 2011: December 27

With over 100 top ten lists in, Tree of Life and The Descendants are firmly at the top of the scoreboard, while Drive makes a play for the number three spot.

The Top Tens of 2011: December 23

Still a lot of lists to go, but it’s still Clooney and Pitt at the top of the chart, with The Tree of Life edging out The Descendants. The girls aren’t far behind, though – Bridesmaids and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are quickly catching up.

Gurus o’ Gold: Happy Holidays

The Gurus, like the rest of Hollywood, are ready for a break. The only changes in Top 10 rank are in the bottom slots as we move on to 10 choices instead of 10. However, The Artist is now the #1 choice on all Gurus projections but one.

And there is a chart of movies that voters should be checking out over the holidays before handing in Oscar ballots. The top vote getter is Mike Shannon’s performance in Take Shelter. See it. And check out the rest of the suggestions. Ho Ho Ho!!!

Gurus o’ Gold: Golden Globes Nominations

There’s been surprisingly little movement in the Oscar Top 10 chart this week. Hugo rises, War Horse and Extremely Loud fall a bit. But nothing dramatic.

The Gurus were busy ranking contenders in all the Golden Globes categories. And in their eyes, it looks like a very good night for…

2011 Top Tens: The First of the Lists

As the first of the Top Ten Lists start to roll in, George Clooney and Brad Pitt top the leaderboard with The Decendants and The Tree of Life. With Moneyball in the fifth spot, Pitt has two horses in the race. Only 14 lists so far .. a couple of hundred yet to go.

13 Weeks To Oscar: The Irony Of Fear

Every year about this time, after those of us in the Oscar chattering class have, basically, shaped the conversation for months, taking the whole mess within 80% or so of what the actual outcome will be, I start to notice the desperation of the films and candidates that just aren’t going to make it. It’s like seeing a beautiful woman of a certain age without make-up… they may still be beautiful, but the willing illusion is gone.

Gurus o’ Gold: December 6, 2011

In Best Picture, the big mover is Hugo again, now up to #4 after being at #13 less than a month ago.

Amazingly, there has been no change at the top of the Actor and Actress charts, though the field has continued to narrow and one of the superstars drops out of the #5.

Also, The Gurus take on potential Golden Globe nominations that might shock or surprise.

14 Weeks To Oscar: Down To The Real Nitty Gritty

There are two major battles underway. The first is for the number of Best Picture nominees.

Usually, it’s Best Actor or Supporting Actor where the big fight is. This year, it feels like some big chances can still happen in all the acting categories, but one… Best Actress. That’s the second key battle.

There are, basically, eight deadly serious potential nominees for Actress this year. Three of them are going to be left out. And it will really feel like that… left out.

Gurus o’ Gold: November 29, 2011

The Gurus start this week with three questions about the award season itself, primarily about the early awards and nominations coming out in November.

Then it’s on to Best Picture, where Hugo is the big mover, and Supporting Actress & Actor, which hasn’t changed much at the top in the last month… but for which the field keeps narrowing.

15 Weeks To Oscar: Now There’s A Race

War Horse is for real. It’s a true epic and an instant classic.

The Artist is a real joy. Undeniable. Surprising. An epic pleasure.

It will be interesting to see how this starts to play out… and whether either of the last entries into the race can change the game, perhaps as the movie that wins on a split between two more classically styled films.

Gurus o’ Gold: November 22, 2011

As we head into the holiday weekend, The Gurus offer their weekly Best Picture projections.

And this week, the unlikely nominations for which each guru would be thankful. And which choice is being hoped from by 5 of the 14 Gurus? Take a look.

Gurus o’ Gold: November 15, 2011

There’s not a lot of movement in the slotting of the Best Picture chart this week, though there is incremental movement all over the place.

Directors are back… though Mr. Eastwood is no longer on the chart.

And The Gurus take on Original & Adapted Screenplay for the first time this season, with 2 comedies not on top of the BP charts landing firmly in the writing Top 10.

17 Weeks To Oscar: Safe/Unsafe

This is shaping up to be one of the most interesting award seasons in memory… Or not. We saw it this week, as we went from the relatively unsafe choice of Brett Ratner as a producer of the Oscar telecast and Eddie Murphy as his host to Brian “I’ll be taking over the Gil Cates…

Gurus o’ Gold: November 8, 2011

First, welcome our newest Guru, the esteemed journalist and writer, Mark Harris.

This week, buzz titles from two of our best working directors, J Edgar and Hugo, rolled out for the media. How will this affect Best Picture and Best Actor? Also, with The Academy announcing their short list of 15 for Best Animated Feature, The Gurus take on the category, looking for 5 potential nominees.

18 Weeks To Oscar: Stepping Back

It’s strange being in the tumble cycle of all of this. It’s like standing in front of a giant buffet of some truly exceptional ingredients and flavors, but feeling forced to consume everything we want in a couple of hours. Do you take a single bite of everything or choose a protein or focus on one course over the others?

People complain about Oscar obsession amongst media. But there is this functionality of getting through the season. It’s not that we’re (all) obsessed… it’s that there is so much to consume. It’s an impossible goal as well as being sadly reductive.

Gurus o’ Gold: November 1, 2011

The Gurus are back for their weekly look at the awards races.

As they do every week, they start with Best Picture. And this week, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Best Director to boot.

The top of a lot of these lists will look very familiar this week. But as the next couple of weeks progress, a clearer shape to the season should emerge.

19 Weeks To Oscar (20W2O) Charts: October 23, 2011

With 19 weeks to go, the Oscar race has barely moved. The only real event of the last week was the successful release of Tintin in 19 countries overseas.

That’s all about to change. In the next 3 weeks, most of the award season will take root. All but a couple of the contenders will be exposed to the light. Talent will be filling the corridors of LA’s hotels and screening rooms at a nearly insane level. Some will rise. Some will fall.

But for now… animation.

Brett Ratner Is Amused

Brett Ratner Is Amused