For academy members, they must vote for this year’s Oscars on December 17^th. With the earlier date of Jan. 10^th for the announcement of nominations, this puts many members on a tight deadline since not all films have been screened for consideration including Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land and Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables. Despite this setback, there are a considerable number of best picture contenders playing in theaters right now. These five are likely contenders for a slot in the year’s biggest honor in film.

1). Argo

With Argo, Affleck has escaped from movie prison and redefined himself as one of the industry’s best directors. The suspenseful and tense film tells the unbelievably true story of six Americans that were extracted from revolutionary Iran under the guise of a Hollywood production. Expect Affleck to lock up a best director nomination as well. Equal parts Hollywood satire and political drama, Argo should entice the older members of the academy to give it a slot somewhere on the categories 5-10 film rule.

2). Flight

Robert Zemeckis, the illustrious director of great films like Cast Away, returns from his nearly 10-year experiment with stop motion animation with Flight. Telling the harrowing story of a pilot’s struggle with addiction after saving close to 100 people from cataclysmic plane crash, Denzel and Zemeckis really deliver with a risky film so expect three total nominations for this.

3). Skyfall

2012 might be the first year the man with a license to kill could receive a little golden man. Skyfall successfully revived an aging franchise for a new era. A modern twist on an old tale, Sam Mendes’s installment combines human pathos with the standard action and explosions making the audience believe that Bond could exist. Doubtful if this will gain traction in other awards areas but with its high gross and broad audience appeal, I don’t see why it would not get some recognition.

4). End of Watch

This one is quite a long shot but could gain some steam with its return to theaters this week. This one was quite a surprise since its trailer did not do much justice. Following the heroics of two LAPD cops played with such brotherly conviction, the audience watches two very realistic people fall in love, work hard and become living embodiments of the greater good. Due to Indie spirit nominations for Michael Pena and a scrappy campaign, this could be the one to surprise us all.

5). Life of Pi

Ang Lee’s 3D epic that discusses the power of storytelling is a lock for sure. Playing in many theaters in 3D and digital, the movie has been performing quite well. Only thing that could hurt its chances is that the film is only worth viewing in 3D. Still, the story of a boy and his tiger lost at sea could be the fairytale factor to receive a best picture nom.

These are only a few great films to see in theaters right now. Lincoln is still going strong and is worth a watch. In the next few weeks, The Hobbit will making its grand entrance into theaters into four different formats while Zero Dark Thirty will begin its limited engagement on the 19^th. These five are not only ones to pay attention to but contain a series of surprises for viewers that make it remarkable to watch these stories unfold. Head out to theaters soon!

One of them being Red Dawn. A remake of the ’84 classic that starred Patrick Swayze, this film (shot in ’09 and was supposed to be released in late ’10) follows a similar premise with a foreign occupation on American soil except it shifts from a sleepy Colorado town to Spokane, Washington. To keep it more modern, the villains were originally intended to be Chinese but were altered to North Korean compared to the original’s Russian and Cuban invaders.

Fair warning: if you’re expecting this to be an intelligent commentary on the United States role in American politics that just so happens to have lots of explosions then guess again. Just looking at the poster with its ridiculously good looking cast staring blankly at you with guns and held high and the American flag waving brightly in the background means that’s all you’re going to get.

The only recognizable face in the cast is Thor. Chris Hemsworth should be thanking the all mighty thunder god that both this and Cabin in the Woods came out after he sealed the deal with Marvel Studios. Playing a marine recently returned home, Hemsworth’s range goes from a steely gaze with North Koreans, occasional cursing and a steely gaze when talking with his fellow high school aged insurgents.

The rest of the supporting cast doesn’t add much to the overall simple story. Josh Peck of Drake and Josh fame,(years between the end of the show and filming this were very kind to him. The guy is hard to recognize) ,plays Hemsworth’s younger brother while Tom Cruise’s son Connor and The Hunger Games Josh Hutcherson playing one note roles add to this motley crew of America’s last hope.

Sadly, the two women featured prominently in the poster barely play a part. Isabelle Lucas, last seen as the creepy tongued robot from Transformers 2, plays Peck’s girlfriend who is remarkably well put together despite being held in a prison camp and living in a cave for a majority of the minute running time. Adrianne Palicki from Friday Night Lights plays Toni who never smears her makeup while firing rocket launchers and AK47s at the enemy. To add more insult to injury, the two women have a combined total of 20-22 lines in the whole film. Both women just were prey to a macho movie that should have balanced it out better. It’s a shame.

The plot is simple and predictable. The whole cast is one-note. They all just phone it in. Despite this, I still enjoyed it. I enjoyed it because I saw it for free. I recommend this only if you are extremely bored and need something to watch on Netflix in a few months. Much better movies are in theaters such as Spielberg’s Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln is having a great year. Interest in the great emancipator has swelled in pop culture with a few top selling books (Bill O’Reillys Killing Lincoln and Seth Grahame Smith’s ludicrous but fun Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter to name a few), a movie adaptation of Honest Abe’s vampire killing exploits which didn’t really live up to expectations and even a commercial showcasing a unique talent our 16^th president had seen here. Fortunately, Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day Lewis deliver the definitive portrayal of one of the most influential men in our nation’s history.

Based off of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s novel Team of Rivals with a dynamite script written by Angel’s in America playwright Tony Kushner, Lincoln follows Daniel Day Lewis as the titular president in the last four months of his life as he works to end the civil war and pass the 13^th amendment to abolish slavery.

The film is vintage Spielberg with his faithful cinematographer Janusz Kaminski capturing gorgeous shots showing the toll the war had to somber scenes of the man who held the weight of the nation on his shoulders.  Daniel Day Lewis adds another role to his long resume solidifying himself as the best character actor working right now. From his stooped physicality to his eloquence and unique talent of listening, DDL is Lincoln. The last movie I can remember where an actor embodies a character so well was Jeff Bridges as the struggling addict country singer in Crazy Heart.

Supporting DDL’s performance is a strong cast of secondary players. Beginning with Sally Field at Mary Todd, she chews the scenery as the grieving mother/supportive wife and deserves a supporting actress nomination especially for how hard she fought for this role. Tommy Lee Jones stands out as well as abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens and demonstrates once again he has more range than the grumpy, old curmudgeon seen in Men in Black.

Finally, a trio of lobbyists hired by lincoln’s secretary to help pass the amendment steal the show. Nearly unrecognizable, the three (James Spader, John Hawkes and Tim Blake Nelson) work tirelessly to sway a series of senators to help pass it through the floor. Adding a bit of humor to balance out the gravitas, these performances are amusing. For any Justified fans, Walton Goggins has a small part as an increasingly agitated senator from Ohio.

Political movies are usually hit or miss but this is one of the few I feel is really commercial. It has something for everyone. Strong performances, well written and beautifully shot Lincoln is not to be missed. Head out and see it if you want something with substance (avoid Twilight) or something quiet (avoid Skyfall). Side note: Spielberg is one of the few directors who can make a political debate riveting.

Matt Quick’s Silver Lining

A dark room. A locked door to prevent any interruptions. Matthew Quick sits down at his desk and prepares to unleash his emotions on the blank page in front of him.

“It’s pretty intense” he says after discussing his isolative writing process.

Quick, a LaSalle alum and published author, is having his first book The Silver Linings Playbook turned into a movie. Produced by the legendary Weinstein Company and directed by Quick’s hero David O. Russell, the film is adapted from one of Quick’s most personal writings.

Born in the Germantown area and raised in New Jersey, Quick nurtured his writing passion from a very young age and continued through his time at La Salle. Although he felt uncomfortable being vocal about his literary pursuits, the aspiring wordsmith was always testing his skills by engaging in poetry contests and other competitions. Receiving encouragement from famous peers and professors alike, the secondary education major cast aside his doubts and knew this was the field he was destined for.

“I wanted to write a book about what was important to me: where I came from, father/son relationships and football.” Quick said discussing the development of Silver Linings.

His devotion to his craft inspired him to quit his job and focus full time on his story. Writing in his in-laws basement, Quick was able to infuse a lot of personal struggles into the novel’s protagonist. The author had it rough but his impressive amount of perseverance shone through helping get his novel published. That same indomitable determination helped him get a movie.

“When I was writing Silver Linings, It felt like a film. Deep in the back of my head I thought I could see David O. Russell as its perfect director, “Quick said with relish after knowing his predictions had come true.

Utilizing his literary agent Doug Stewart, Quick started sending out his script summary to all the major power players in Hollywood. The novelist’s spec script sat in development hell for years. Being used to the speedier publishing process, Quick was disappointed that his most personal piece was not getting noticed but he refused to give up.  He knew this could be a good movie and one call on a fateful night in Vermont proved that.

“I was at a party with my wife when Doug called and told me to make sure I was sitting down. “ Quick did what Doug said bracing for the news his trusted agent was about to deliver.

Doug put him on speakerphone and the infamous Harvey Weinstein came on and told him they loved the script. Weinstein and his company wanted to develop the script more with Quick’s idol David O. Russell helming the picture with major movie star Mark Wahlberg as the lead. Although Quick would have liked to write the shooting script, he felt comfortable leaving it in the hands of his favorite director.

The path to become a full-fledged author is perilous but can be filled with amazing opportunities. Quick said he had to endure some hard struggles but it was all worth it. The writer’s final piece of advice to any fellow explorers seeking to become the next big thing? “If you want to make it, you’re going to figure out how to get it done. Just stay focused and work hard.” As you can see, this paid off for Quick. Now, the rest of his story is still waiting to be told.

               This is much delayed but I feel I need to make my piece with this past Oscar season. Although I was relegated to watching the big show from the (always awesome) comfort of my friend’s house, this was the first awards season that I have followed in depth. I am usually a big film buff but thanks to Scott Feinberg and his amazing site, I have been able to really analyze and follow the journey of some of these films and ultimately gained a better insight into this pinnacle of Hollywood culture. I thank you Scott since this experience has helped me enhance my further love for writing and this industry.

Now, I have worked in the industry myself. I have been blessed to be an intern for Claire Keheller and Sherri Goldberg at ID PR while working under the lovely Adam Kersh, Tolley Haycock and Gerilyn Shur while I continue under the tutelage of Jesse Cute and Kate Miller and Allied-THA learning as much as I can about film marketing and operating in the treacherous landscape of entertainment. These positions have helped me become more invested in the Oscars and I now have a better understanding of the significance of this season.

I got the inspiration to thank everyone partly from Scott’s post on THR.com and that my undergraduate career is winding down. Here though is my reaction for this awards season.

Awards Show Overload

               First, this season was long. I never realized how many Oscar pundits, critics groups, award shows, guilds etc. existed before this year. I did not get to participate actively this year but I even I felt fatigue. The season should be condensed and should officially kick off in January with the Critics’ Choice. We don’t need the People Choice Awards in which Robert Pattinson has the rare shot of beating out George Clooney in any acting category.

Broadcast some of the more interesting shows too! Why show the People’s Choice (which is practically the winter version of the MTV Movie Awards and Teens Choice) when the writers guild barely gets streamed or shown? The Writers Guild has much more significance to the overall Oscars than the ‘excuse to get the Twilight crew more airtime’ awards in the beginning of the new year.

Also, the Independent Spirit Awards being aired on IFC is fair. Watching this year’s installment though, it might be more important to get this tribute to the little guys of film more coverage. This would be a great fit on quality cable networks like Starz and Showtime. Plus, the INSPA’s honored those who got snubbed by their more prominent golden cousins. There should be more of a push to treat this as “Oscars-lite” and cast a better light on the talent involved with independent film.

Ultimately, these are my minor gripes. If there was a more cohesive schedule for the lead-up to movie’s biggest night, I can guarantee there would be higher viewership for the ceremony and give a more entertaining show. Behold my perfect awards schedule:

December 15^th-20^th: Golden Globe nominations. Keeping these here make a great way to kick this season off.

December 26^th-29^th: Critics Groups announce their winners for the year in preparation for the Critics’ Choice in mid-January. Groups would need to have this done before hand but release these during a lull in a prime holiday/news time.

January 15^th-20^th: Hold the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globes on the same weekend. Cancel out People’s Choice and possibly include more of a people’s vote into the Golden Globes since the nominations there are practically stupid. Leave the first fifteen days of the new year to strict campaigning.

January 22^nd: Announce Oscar nominations. This would gain a lot of interest as well since it is tied around the first batch of awards shows and help keep interest.

January 25^th-30^th: Announce the PGA, WGA and DGA nominations. Keeps interest but won’t “Oscar Overload” people just yet.

February 5^th-10^th: old the guild awards. Broadcast the WGA and DGA awards since they have a lot of significance for the show as well. Leave the next week to campaigning.

February 15^th: Do the Independent Spirit Awards a few days before the Oscars. Give them enough time to hold buzz and show to the American public the impact indie film has.

February 20^th: The Oscars. Talent does not get overloaded. People will tune in. It works out. Essentially, the more you involve the public the more they will watch and enjoy the power of film. I know this is probably a little outrageous but this should work for everyone.

Hit and Miss Movies

               I cannot emphasize how long this season is. IT.IS.LONG. The penultimate ceremony does not even occur until the end of February/early march. Nominations are not even released until the end of January!

Technically, the Oscar season begins in MAY at the illustrious Cannes film festival.  May 2011 was the first time we heard about this year’s best picture winner and began the discussion on select films.

Time went on and Telluride and Toronto film festivals in September allowed audiences to form their first coherent pictures of the 2011-2012 Oscar race. The Descendants made its first splash onto the scene at Telluride while Albert Nobbs began putting Glenn Close into the discussion. September also saw the first wide release of the popular Moneyball. The salacious Shame bowed around this time and NC-17 became a prominent factor in campaigns.

Following the discussions that began around this time and then leading up to the nominations, it was interesting to see how strongly favored a movie was in one month and how it practically disappeared in the next.

Here is what I feel are the most notable:

1). Shame- The NC-17 movie was a rare miss. It was powerful and has pushed Michael Fassbender into the position he belongs. Steve McQueen demonstrates he is a talented filmmaker that has a lot left to show us and Carey Mulligan continues to show how versatile and even daring she wants to be when it comes to acting. When it premiered at Telluride, Fox Searchlight execs could not shake the powerful feeling it left and did what they could to “improve” the NC-17 rating but no such luck. The content was explicit (but necessary), but it did make it hard for the powerhouse indie distributor to launch an effective campaign. This film was excellent but execs should have seen it was going to be a hard sell. Keep an eye out for Fassbender and McQueen though.

2). Pariah- The heart-wrenching story of a young woman coming out was predicted to be another huge hit but alas it made no traction. Back in the waning days of summer, pundits predicted this to make some serious impact from filmmaker Dee Rees and ingénue Adepero Oduye but made no serious news when released at the end of the year. It is a shame cause this movie should have been recognized SOME HOW! A powerful story dealing with relevant issue seems like prime Oscar bait but I guess it had too much of an edge to be nominated.

3). Bridesmaids- Who knew a film with shiting in sinks would have a better chance at getting Oscar noms than certain films? When the movie premiered in May, I gave it a shot and really enjoyed it. I wanted to see it since Kristen Wiig is one of the few good reasons to watch SNL and Maya Rudolph is always comedy gold. I was impressed at how deep a comedy this was and I consider this a hit. One issue I will follow this year is the inclusion of more comedy into the Oscars. Bridesmaids have set the bar for future comedy. Comedies that have more emotional depth than simplistic bathroom jokes can have a great shot at being put in the pantheon of the year’s most brilliant films.

4). J.Edgar- This had Oscar all over it: Leo Dicaprio playing a reviled character directed by a legend and working off a script from a previous Oscar winning screenwriter. Sure thing right? Wrong. I liked J. Edgar and I thought Leo and Armie Hammer gave a great performance. Eastwood did fine directing it. I found it stupid that people considered this to be one of the weaker Eastwood films. This should not have prevented a nomination. Leo’s time needs to come. Yes, I’ll admit parts of the film were a bit overdone but Leo still should have been worthy of a nomination. He might not have won but this was definitely a miss.

5). Win Win- I think this was the biggest hit and miss of the year. The beautifully touching film came out last year too soon. Its march premiere shoved it into oblivion when voting came around. This was a total shame since this was a GREAT MOVIE. It was a hit because it got noticed in some circles but was a miss since it did not get the recognition it actually deserved.

I could keep going but these I feel are the most prominent. None of these are real “crash-and-burns” but just movies that surprised us or SHOULD HAVE surprised us more. Leave in the comments what you think was definitely a hit or miss this year. Some other ones: Like Crazy, The Rum Diary, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Snubs and Shockers

               From what I can remember, this has been one of the more predictable awards season. The supporting categories were a lock for a long time and the best acting categories became clearer as we progressed to the finish line.

There were some unwarranted snubs and shocks this year. They had no impact on the overall outcome but still made a lot of people scratch their heads.

For snubs: Leo deserved at least a nomination. I expressed my criticisms already but he still should have been in the best actor category despite not having a chance to win. For best picture, Harry Potter being left off was a crime. There is barely a single franchise that exists in which each installment is well-acted and loved by audiences.

Dragon Tattoo not receiving a nom for best score and direction made no sense as well. Fincher and Reznor are becoming a prominent filmmaking team and it makes no sense they did not receive their due a year after their first all-star collaboration. I am very happy the gorgeous Rooney Mara got her due but the creative side should have gained more respect.

50/50 and Young Adult should have gained screenplay nominations too. They were brave, witty scripts that turned genres on their head. The leads gave great performances and were unjustly ignored.

For shockers: Meryl Streep being up for Iron Lady was bizarre as well. I did not enjoy the movie. Meryl was good but I have seen her in better. Extremely Loud getting a best picture nomination shows that people are terrified of Scott Rudin. Von Sydow was the only deserved one.

Rooney Mara and Michelle Williams getting nominated were a surprise but a welcome one. Melissa McCarthy, not so much. I did enjoy Bridesmaids but I felt the Oscars it was up for were dumb. It was a stunt vote at its finest.

The Big Night

               Most awards reaction articles contain an in-depth summary of the shows and their results but it isn’t necessary. It is all about the Oscars.

My thoughts for this year’s installment were bland. I did not care that the Murphy/Ratner duo was fired and Billy Crystal replaced them. Ratner was a bigot and Eddie was not going to betray the guy who got him the job so Crystal was a smart move.

I am not a big fan of the red carpet.   Think the reporters need to deliver some better questions than “What are you wearing” but I know they have a job to do. The standouts: The Sacha Baron Cohen stunt, Nick Nolte brushing off a reporter’s dumb question and some of the interviews. Overall, nothing that bad. It was an obvious sign the show was going to be a safe one.

Billy did fine hosting. I could hear some of these jokes coming from the older patrons of my family but he did much better than the dreadful, dull duo of 2011. The Help joke and Sammy Davis skit was a bit much but Billy did what he was expected to do. Do we really think the show would have been better if Ratner produced it? Doubtful.

The winners were no surprise. The supporting categories were won by those who were expected and the best picture and actor categories were swept by a certain Frenchman. My biggest concern of the night was Meryl beating out Viola. Viola gave a much more soulful, heart-braking performance in a movie that discussed a serious part of our countries history. Viola was natural. Streep is a fine actress but her win was not deserved. She performed well under a thick sheen of makeup but the film was sub-par. I will probably get criticism for this but I hope this is Streep’s last Oscar. It’s time to let the new generation shine!

The Future of the Blog and Forecasting

This season has been a crazy one but I’m glad it’s over. I wish I could have written more but things happen. I hope everyone keeps reading and please leave me comments about this piece. The blog is going to shift to a more traditional film news outlet with an occasional awards piece.  More Oscar coverage will commence in September and there are already a few films I am keeping an eye on. I am curious to see how these films turn out: Cogan’s Trade, World War Z, Django unchained, both the Lincoln movies and The Dark Knight Rises. We will see but please keep reading and help me keep this blog going!

               The Oscars are nearly upon us. We are only 10 days away from seeing the yearly extravaganza that pays homage to film starts of past and present. Before then, we are subjected to numerous other displays of respect towards film in the form of other award shows. The writers of these films will honor each other this Sunday Feb/ 19^th at the 64^th Writers Guild Awards.

While the Oscars are comprehensive and highlight all aspects of film, the Writers Guild covers one of the most interesting categories:. The guilds nominations were released on Jan. 5^th and showed a diverse range for the original and adapted screenplay categories as well as the TV segments.

When the Academy announced the categories for best original and adapted screenplay on January 24^th, there was quite some confusion. The slow paced Wall Street drama Margin Call received a best original nod instead of some of the more illustrious and wittily written films to premiere last year like 50/50 or Young Adult. For the adapted category, Clooney’s second directorial escapade into politics, The Ides of March, received a screenplay nomination instead of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. There were many question marks hanging over voters heads as they watched the announcing ceremony continue.

Luckily, the Writers Guild nominations helped alleviate the confusion. The guild has some more restrictive requirements on voting than the Oscars, but they did honor many writers who gave us some of the best movies of the year. The aforementioned 50/50 received a well-deserved original screenplay nod, as well as the wonderfully dark but comedic script for Diablo Cody’s Young Adult. Adapted screenplay yielded no surprises with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo receiving a nomination in the category in which it belongs.

The Writers Guild awards are widely considered to be an accurate predictor of who will take home the coveted Academy Award a week later. Ultimately, the Writers Guild Awards are an important aspect of the awards season because they honor what I consider to be one of the most overlooked, but essential elements in film production, the screenwriter. A producer can’t produce a film without a story, and a director cant evoke any emotions from his/her muse without having a line of which to base it of. The screenwriters really are the unsung heroes of the film.

The Writers Guild Awards will be held in two parts, one in Hollywood, one in New York.  Zooey Deschanel and Joel McHale will be taking on hosting responsibilities on the west coast, while Rachel Dratch of SNL fame will play host that night on the east coast. At the NYC airing, actress Kristen Wiig is expected to award her Bridesmaids producer, Judd Apatow, with the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy.

Be sure to check out the Writers Guild website and make your predictions as these illustrious word-smiths receive the honors they truly deserve for writing stories that touch our hearts and enrich our minds.

The 18^th annual SAG awards aired Sunday January 29^th. This particular presentation of film (and television) honors contained few surprises and painted a somewhat formed image of how this awards season will turn out.

First, the sweep of the supporting categories has begun. Christopher Plummer portrayal of elderly father coming out late in life in Mike Mills wonderful Beginners earned him the “actor” while Octavia Spencer’s “Minnie” helped her acquire yet another accolade for The Help. Plummer is proving to be this year’s Christian Bale while Spencer continues her journey to that much deserved Oscar.

Next, the only real surprise came when the best actor category was announced. At the start of this year’s race, this particular section seemed to be all locked up. It was forecasted as a close race between Clooney and Pitt. For a while, it seemed as if Clooney would dominate. Until tonight.

Jean Dujardin won over his more experienced colleagues. The Artist is a silent tribute to the golden days of Hollywood and Dujardin plays George Valentin, a silent film star not ready to handle the advent of talkies. It seems that the members of SAG were more inclined to vote for nostalgia and talent instead of tradition and expectations. I give them kudos for that.

Ultimately, the winner of this night was The Help. The cast came away with the three awards: best actress for Viola Davis, supporting for Octavia and best ensemble in a motion picture. All of these rewards are perfectly entitled to this film. Kudos to the Screen Actors Guild for recognizing these powerful women. They all gave heartfelt and powerful performances that deserve every ounce of recognition they can get.

So what did we learn from the SAG awards? Spencer and Plummer are guaranteed the Oscar. Viola is a force to be reckoned with and this is still not Meryl’s year. As great and illustrious of an actress she is, Viola did give a far superior performance compared to Meryl. The best actor category is far from certain. Dujardin’s win threw a wrench into some predictions so the outcome of this will be interesting. After tonight, looks like we might have to make a new drinking game out of hearing Davis, Spencer or Dujardin.

Despite the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that runs the globes, obessions with A-listers and nominating movies in random categories or nominating movies that should not be nominated at all, many entertainment journalists and other members of the Hollywood elite consider the globes to be a somewhat accurate predictor for the Oscars.

The globes are known for another thing too: Ricky Gervais. The sarcastic creator of the original The Office has hosted this star-studded event for the past three years but only made serious waves last year. His venomous quips against the upper echelons of celebrity in the audience proved to be a bit much for some to handle. HFPA told numerous outlets they would not be asking the controversial host back this year.

Yet they did. Gervais returned to host a very lack-luster show. NBC was hyping the show up by showing Gervais at his best but yet he was very tame come showtime. Of course he did get rehired on specific conditions, but it still would have livened up the show if he returned to his usual brand of comedy. He was able to get out a few good jabs, but overall he was relatively boring. Despite the disappointment, an interesting theory is that Gervais intended to be dull. HFPA made such a huge fuss about him, so it would make sense not to entirely deliver for them. Regardless, it will be better to have some new blood host the globes next year, as the gervais effect has been worn out.

Now for the movies-the Globes have nominated outrageous movies in an attempt to draw in the most celebrities out there. In 2009, The Hangover was nominated for Best Picture-Musical or Comedy and won. In 2010, the organization nominated The Tourist for the same category, yet the movie was classified as a thriller. This year, My Week with Marilyn was put in the comedy category when it was not intended as a comedy at all.

The globes had very few surprises. Clooney dominating the categories for which he was up for was no surprise, as well as the silentt black and white film The Artist, which became this year’s crticial darling. Meryl Streep winning Best Actress was the only obvious flaw in this voting system. Streep won for The Iron Lady while she was up against the predicted favorite Viola Davis. Davis starred in the critically acclaimed summer hit The Help and is definetly considered a front runner but Meryl winning just did not make sense this time.

So what does this all mean for the Oscars? Absolutely nothing. The Globes love attention and top celebrities. They have no stake in making movies which is why the Oscars truly matter. Each branch of the academy is a member of a production team so they have a better eye for quality. The HFPA is comprised of a bunch of freelance journalists, and as you can see they do not have much credit when making votes.

The globes did indicate certain trends. The supporting categories are locked. Octavia Spencer, another excellent cast member from The Help will win an Oscar. along with Christopher Plummer for the opposing category. Clooney is a force to be reckoned with, whether we like it or not. The most prevalent trend the globes had shown? Don’t screw over quality hosts. Along with this performance and the nominations being out, the Oscars will be interesting.