We're just hours away from the OSCAR NOMINATIONS!!!

Can you feel the excitement? Just to do a sort of pre-show, the poll here on the blog revealed that 71% of voters feel that Avatar will lead the field in terms of nominations (Inglourious Basterds came in 2nd with 11%, then The Hurt Locker with 8%, and Up in the Air with 5%). It's also worth nothing that the supposedly "leaked nominations" are a hoax, so DON'T BELIEVE IT. Right now we're just counting down the hours, so use this as an open space for anything related to the Oscar nominations, which are imminent...

P.S.- ACCA Voting is open, so kill time till the nominations by casting your vote here. Make your voice heard!

New Rules for Academy Awards

Rules Approved for
82nd Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA — The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved the rules for the 82nd Academy Awards at their meeting earlier this week (6/23). In addition to the previously announced change in the Best Picture category, a significant change was made in the Music – Original Song category.

The governors approved the Music Branch Executive Committee recommendation that if no song achieves a minimum average score of 8.25 in the nominations voting, there be no original song nominees and thus no Oscar presented for the category. If only one song achieves the required minimum, it and the song with the next highest score will be deemed the nominees. If two or more songs achieve the minimum score, they will be the nominees though no more than five nominees can be selected. Previously, the rules dictated that there be no more than five but no fewer than three nominees in the category.

In addition and as previously announced, the Best Picture category will have ten nominees instead of five.

Other modifications of the rules include normal date changes and minor “housekeeping” changes.

Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors for approval.

Academy Award® nominations in all categories will be announced on February 2, 2010. The 82nd Academy Awards presentation will be telecast live by the ABC Television Network on Sunday, March 7, 2010.

American & Academy Idol

Reactions to the first LIVE show is up on the MainSite.

Academy Idol Top 2 Voting as commenced. Vote as much as you can for your favorite. The winner will be announced on Sunday afternoon before the Oscars. Happy Voting!

Watch out for new stuff coming to the Awards Circuit from your Editor, Clayton Davis next week.

Love you readers!

A Whole Bunch of Underrated DVD's out this week!

Indeed, many of the releases this week were regarded somewhat harsher than you'd think upon their theatrical debuts. Granted, none of these films are perfect, but two in particular were strangely given the shaft, at least in my eyes. One is my PICK OF THE WEEK, and it's a rather divisive film. It's:

W.

Oliver Stone's look at a life "misunderestimated" is definitely not what you'd expect from a George W. Bush biopic. At its heart it's more about a man with daddy issues and modest aspirations that seemed to fail upwards almost by accident in an ever ongoing attempt to please his father, who seemed to only have eyes for his brother. Even if you disagree with Stone's approach (either too soft for you liberals or too harsh for you right wingers), it's worth a view for Elizabeth Bank's very nice role as Laura Bush and Josh Brolin's fantastic work as the President himself. It's more than a mimic job, it's a true acting job.

-The other film that was not given its due among this week's releases is Blindness. Greeted harshly at Cannes, this film about an epidemic of, well...blindness, never recovered from the beating it took in France. It's a pity because it's actually a very interesting film about the breakdown in society. Its execution may not be perfect, but strong performances from Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo more than make up for it.

-Also out we have Spike Lee's World War II film Miracle at St. Anna, which is, like many WW2 films, too long and like many Lee films, somewhat unfocused. That being said, it's not a bad film by any stretch and worth a look if you think it's something you'd enjoy. There's Bruce Campbell's self referential My Name is Bruce, which is mildly amusing but ultimately less than you'd hope for, Soul Men, which isn't very good at all, but in respect for the late Bernie Mac, I'll pass up a chance at a scathing write-up of it, the romantic flick Nights in Rodanthe, which unfortunately feels like it lasts much more than a handful of nights, and last but not least, the small film Frozen River, which garnered two Oscar nominations. I didn't care much for the film or writer/director Courtney Hunt's script (which somehow got nominated), but Melissa Leo's nominated lead role is among the best work by any actor or actress this year. It's worth seeing if you're interested in seeing all the nominated works of 2008.

-My Vintage pick is a film with a typical Adam Sandler character in it. Thing is, it's not a typical Sandler movie. It's Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch-Drunk Love. Essentially a stock Sandler character doing stock Sandler things, just with the laugh track muted. What you end up with is a fascinating look at self destructive behavior, a new degree of appreciation for Sandler's acting skills (see Reign Over Me as well for further proof that one day you very well might hear "Academy Award Nominee" Adam Sandler in an ad), and a larger revelry for the talent that is P.T. Anderson. Definitely something to watch if you've never seen it or to revisit if you have.

-What will everyone be watching this week?

Second Curious Case Trailer

If you weren't excited already, here is a brand spanking new Curious Case trailer. I think this film is going to be great! Some people might not like it (something you can say for most films), but it has that aura of a great film. Cate Blanchett looks great as usual, and I hope that Pitt gets some recognition for his role. If Paul Newman taught us anything, it's that being good looking does not have to be a liability or fatal flaw to great acting. Sure, the massive publicity thing hurts Pitt too, but it's time to give the guy a break, and recognize that he is one of the best talents in Hollywood. Anyway, disregard the rant, and enjoy a great trailer.

source: Rope of Silicon