Live Blogging the 82nd Annual Academy Awards!

We'll be starting in force soon (Joey's note: We've now started), but I just wanted to point out that Vera Farmiga just accidentally admitted on the red carpet to voting for Kathryn Bigelow instead of her director Jason Reitman in Best Picture. Consider this the first post here at 6:30, but at 7 things will get underway big time here, so stay tuned!

And we're off:

6:50- Jeremy Renner brought his mom...1, 2, 3 "awwww". (Joey)

6:55- I appreciate that Tom Ford finally stopped a reporter from asking about what he's wearing tonight, insisting he's "just here for film". (Myles)

7:00- The Barbara Walters pre-show special is on. It's her last one ever, if anyone cares. (Joey)

7:03- Barbara is bringing up how disparrate Mo'Nique's performance in "Precious" is compared to her comedic roots. Also some light biography stuff. (Myles)

7:05- Woah, I guess not so light after all. Apparently she based her performance on her brother, who sexually abused her. I don't know what's more disturbing, her story, or how nonchalantly she's recalling it. (Myles)

7:10- Mo'Nique has remarkably open views about having sex outside of marriage. I have absolutely no idea how this relates to the Oscars, but there you go. Also, her views on not shaving her legs. What am I watching right now? (Myles)

7:14- I don't shave my legs either, so Mo'Nique and I have something in common...(Joey)

7:16- Barbara Walters on why this is her last Oscar Special: "I'm just sick of it." Say it like it is, Barbara. (Myles)

7:25- No offense to Barbara, but this is taking forever. (Joey)

7:27- Demi Moore teaching Walters to do a striptease. Could two more dissimilar women be doing the same motion at the same time? (Joey)

7:29- Over 10 minutes of Barbara looking back at all the Oscar specials she's done. You get the sense that she absolutely hated every minute of it. (Myles)

7:35- A brief shot of Nicolas Cage reminds us that no matter what he does with it, his hair will always look atrocious. (Myles)

7:37- George Clooney is apparently the man of her dreams. Good to know... (Joey)

7:40- "After getting a lapdance from Hugh Jackman, I had nothing left to prove." I wish all shows ended on such a flashy note. (Myles)

7:45- All this attention on Sandra Bullock tells me two things...one is that she's likely to win tonight, and two is that she is a very cool gal. I'd rather it be for a slightly better film, but it's all good. (Joey)

7:49- The show is getting closer, so sit tight everyone! (Joey)

7:52- It's interesting that Sandra Bullock keeps going on about how her work has improved literally the day after winning Worst Actress at the Razzies for "All About Steve". That's called accentuating the positive. (Myles)

7:54- Myles, I think they're mistaking box office with quality (The Blind Side and The Proposal), but hey, I liked The Blind Side just fine and gave it a good review here, so I shouldn't complain. (Joey)

7:58- The Barbara Walters Special is finally over, and we're ready to get started soon. Hold onto your hats. (Myles)

8:00- Nope, another half hour of the red carpet. At this point, I've almost forgotten what I'm supposed to be watching. (Joey)

8:01- Holy cow, Kathy Ireland? I completely forgot she existed. Should she even be allowed near this kind of ceremony? (Myles)

8:05- At this point, really all I can say is "25 minute warning". (Joey)

8:12- They've flashed us the 18 minute countdown. The generic red carpet interview brigade. Not much to really comment on here. (Myles)

8:20- The guys with the envelopes are walking the red carpet now, and oh my, to be them for a moment and know what they know now. (Joey)

8:25- 5 minute warning, finally. (Joey)

8:30- And we're off! And we have the Best Actor and Actress nominees taking the stage. This is already unusual. (Myles)

8:31- It's like a wedding procession. (Joey)

8:32- Neil Patrick Harris is leading a musical number while wearing a frankly irresponsible amount of glitter on his jacket. (Myles)

8:34- Apparently nobody took notice when the general consensus at last year's awards was that all the musical numbers were an absolutely terrible idea. The hosts are out. (Myles)

8:36- Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin are off to a decent enough start. (Joey)

8:37- Well, they started off alright. They appear to be getting worse and worse with each joke. It's starting to get sort of painful. (Myles)

8:38- They also used the 10 Best Picture nominees to begin discussing "Invictus" and "The Last Station", neither of which were nominated. Fail. (Myles)

8:40- Wood sprites, really? (Joey)

8:42- That being said, I'm laughing much more than I should at their opening bit. It's not classy, but then again, neither am I. (Joey)

8:43- The hosts proceed to tell Zac Efron and Taylor Lautner that this will be them in a few years. I deeply appreciate that. (Myles)

8:45- Best Supporting Actor is the first award of the night. We all know Christoph Waltz is winning this, but hey, let's pretend it's a race. (Joey)
And the winner is...Christoph Waltz!

8:50- Great speech by Waltz. It was an obvious win, but very much deserved. (Myles)

8:51- The Blind Side is the first Best Picture nominee to get the full presentation treatment. (Joey)

8:55- An interesting bit where the stars of the Best Animated Features talk about being nominated. Even the other nominees have never heard of "Secret of Kells". (Myles)

8:58- Best Animated Feature is up. It's almost definitely "Up", as well. (Myles)

And the winner is...Up!

9:00- No surprises so far, but it's early. (Joey)

9:02- We come now to Best Original Song. This should be a slam dunk for 'The Weary Kind' from Crazy Heart, but this is a tricky category. (Joey)
And the winner is...'The Weary Kind' from Crazy Heart!

9:04- Congrats on "The Weary Kind" winning. Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett are hilariously disproportionate when it comes to height. (Myles)

9:06- "District 9" is the next film to get the highlight reel. (Myles)

9:09- It's almost as if they're getting the least competitive categories out of the way first on purpose. Then again, it could just be wishful thinking on my part. (Joey)

9:12- Best Original Screenplay time. It's between "Hurt Locker" and "Inglourious Basterds". Who's it gonna be? (Myles)

And the winner is...The Hurt Locker!

9:15- This win for Mark Boal leads me to think that Inglourious Basterds is not winning Best Picture and step 1 for The Hurt Locker winning has been completed. We'll see if the tech categories boost it more. (Joey)

9:18- Now is a special tribute to John Hughes. This should be quite touching. (Joey)

9:21- Excellent tribute to John Hughes. I'd forgotten just how many movies he did. They've also managed to dig up all the actors that used to work with him but who you haven't seen in anything else since. (Myles)

9:24- "Up" gets the presentation now, perplexingly offered by one Samuel L. Jackson. (Myles)

9:28- The short film categories are up now. We start with Best Animated Short, and Wallace and Gromit's latest should be locked, but who knows? (Joey)
And the winner is...Logorama!

9:32- Wow, didn't see that one coming. Hopefully we get a few more surprises, eh? (Myles)

9:33- Best Documentary Short now. It's anyone's guess. (Joey)
And the winner is...Music by Prudence!

9:35- We finish this category with Best Live Action Short. Again, guess away. (Joey)
And the winner is...The New Tenants!

9:38- Ben Stiller is doing some sort of "Avatar" skit. His makeup is absolutely terrifying. So naturally, he's presenting Best Makeup. I'm guessing "Star Trek". (Myles)

And the winner is...Star Trek!

9:42- If anyone cares, it's a close race to see who on the staff does the best prediction-wise. (Joey)

9:44- A Serious Man gets the classy treatment now. (Joey)

9:47- Best Adapted Screenplay is on deck. Up in the Air looks like a lock. (Myles)

And the winner is...Precious!

9:51- So much for Up in the Air winning anything tonight... (Joey)

9:53- The Governor's Awards are now being shown. (Joey)

9:54- A nice hand for Lauren Bacall and Roger Corman, who are actually in attendance. (Joey)

9:57- Best Supporting Actress is up now. We can all pretend Mo'Nique isn't 100% winning this, but she still is a lock. (Joey)
And the winner is...Mo'Nique!

10:00- Congrats to Mo'Nique, and Precious in general. It's doing better than expected tonight. Could we perhaps be seeing an upset? (Myles)

10:01- It's time for "An Education" to get the presentational treatment. (Myles)

10:04- It hasn't been a real predictable show yet. Now I'm really anxious to see what happens with the tech categories, namely Cinematography and Film Editing. (Joey)

10:06- Best Art Direction time. Avatar, or something less predictable? (Myles)

And the winner is...Avatar!

10:09- Now it's time for Best Costume Design. This one's a bit open. Who will take it? (Myles)

And the winner is...The Young Victoria!

10:12- Precious, the surprise juggernaut of the night so far (will it last?) gets the presentation treatment now. (Joey)

10:15- Anyone else now second guessing themselves a lot? (Joey)

10:17- A send-up of Paranormal Activities, now that's something Oscar needs to do. (Joey)

10:18- We come now to a tribute to the horror genre. Very cool, in my eyes. (Joey)

10:22- It's official...Morgan Freeman narrates everything. (Joey)

10:24- The awards for Sound come now, and it's going to be interesting to see if Avatar can sweep this or not. First up is Best Sound Editing. It's between Avatar and The Hurt Locker in my eyes. (Joey)
And the winner is...The Hurt Locker!

10:26- Now is Best Sound Mixing. Will there be a split or will The Hurt Locker surprisingly sweep? (Joey)
And the winner is...The Hurt Locker!

10:28- I'm still reeling from Twilight's inclusion in the best of Horror. But congratulations on The Hurt Locker for taking both Sound categories. It's doing well so far tonight. (Myles)

10:29- Wow, did they give the sci/tech awards the shaft this year. (Joey)

10:30- Inglourious Basterds just got the big montage treatment. (Joey)

10:34- Best Cinematography time. This will be the first real test for Avatar vs. Hurt Locker. Who's it gonna be? (Myles)

And the winner is...Avatar!

10:38- Get out the hankies, it's time for the tribute to those who've passed this year. And what a remarkable many there were. So many wonderful artists, who gave us so much. (Myles)

10:41- That was pretty classy. (Joey)

10:43- Way to miss out on Farrah Fawcett, guys. (Myles)

10:44- Indeed. Tisk, tisk. (Joey)

10:46- Next up is Best Original Score, which is being honored through...dance? Now I've seen everything. Up is in the driver's seat for this one, but hey, with how this night has gone, I'm sure of nothing anymore. (Joey)
And the winner is...Up!

10:53- I'm not entirely sure the dance choreography works for this category (especially half these nominees), but congrats to Up. (Myles)

10:55- Now it's time for Best Visual Effects. Don't pretend anything other than Avatar will win this.

And the winner is...Avatar!

10:57- Up in the Air is now the one getting the big presentation treatment, though Jason Reitman is still likely stinging from his loss earlier, so he's probably not beaming as much as you'd expect. (Joey)

11:01- A lot of writer jokes tonight... (Joey)

11:02- Best Documentary Feature is up now. I'd think this is The Cove's, but you never know. (Joey)
And the winner is...The Cove!

11:05- Best Film Editing is up now. Avatar vs. Hurt Locker. Who's it gonna be? (Myles)

And the winner is...The Hurt Locker!

11:09- Right after getting a nice boost in its Best Picture hopes, The Hurt Locker gets its tribute played. (Joey)

11:11- Anyone want to pretend that they're sure they know how the rest of the night will go? (Joey)

11:14- Best Foreign Language Film up now. There are 3 or 4 ways this award could go, so let's just sit back and see who wins it. (Joey)
And the winner is...The Secret in Their Eyes!

11:18- Bit of an upset there. I suppose we should have paid more attention to the spectacular round of applause it got on nomination morning. (Myles)

11:20- Avatar gets presented. By Kathy Bates. I swear, they're pulling these presenters out of a hat. (Myles)

11:22- Not to brag, but I've only gotten 4 wrong so far, and hit on a couple of upsets. Go me...until I next screw up! (Joey)

11:24- It's time for one of the big ones, Best Actor. They're doing the thing they did last year where previous nominees discuss each nominee in depth. This is obviously Bridges' to lose. (Myles)

And the winner is...Jeff Bridges!

11:33- I love the enthusiasm that The Dude has. (Joey)

11:38- The Actress nominees will now get the same treatment as the boys just did. (Joey)

11:44- We finally now will find out who wins the award for Best Actress. Is it still Bullock versus Streep, or is an upset coming, perhaps from Carey Mulligan or Gabourey Sidibe? (Joey)
And the winner is...Sandra Bullock!

11:50- Congrats to Sandra Bullock for her incredible modesty, despite being the obvious winner since the nominations were announced. (Myles)

11:52- Random bit of trivia...all 4 acting awards went to first timers...same for both writing awards. (Joey)

11:54- Time for perhaps the most important race of the night, Best Director. Will Kathryn Bigelow make history? (Myles)

And the winner is...Kathryn Bigelow!

11:56- Congrats to Kathryn Bigelow for breaking the glass ceiling for female directors! (Joey)

11:58- The Hurt Locker wins Best Picture! (Joey)

12:00- Congratulations to The Hurt Locker for a wonderful night, and to all the winners! And so this season finally comes to an end. I'd like to thank my co-writer Joey Magidson for LiveBlogging with me, our fearless leader Clayton David, our fellow writers Keith Lucas, John Foote, and Jackson Truax, and all our devote readers for making this website as popular as it has become. Thanks to everyone for the spectacular season, and here's looking forward to the next one!

Cheers,

-Myles

12:05- I couldn't have said it better myself, so we'll wrap up now. Thanks for reading! (Joey)

-Thoughts on the big event?

Tonight's the big night...

...and we'll be Live Blogging the event, so check back in later for all the fun!

Live Blogging the 25th annual Spirit Awards!

I will be Live Blogging the show right here, so be sure to check back frequently as it's sure to be an interesting show! As a primer on the show, check out my preview/prediction article on the Main Page of The Awards Circuit (found here).
Now, on with the Live Blogging:

1:20- That's a wrap for this Live Blog of the 25th Annual Independent Spirit Awards. Hope you enjoyed! Sunday will be a Live Blog of the Oscars, so be prepared for another of these things soon enough...

1:18- Anvil! takes us out...

1:17- I did shockingly well with my predictions tonight, only missing on 4 categories, and accurately predicted them in a sense, since I would have voted for them. Consider it a soft 100%, but the reality is that I went 13 for 17. Not bad at all.

1:15- Precious completes the sweep!

1:14- The nominees for Best Feature are (500) Days of Summer, Amreeka, Precious, Sin Nombre, and The Last Station. It's between (500) Days and Precious, but it's 99% likely Precious will finish off the sweep.
And the winner is...Precious!

1:13- Ben Stiller bringing out "independent porn stars" to stand with him as he reads the nominees is my highlight of the night I think.

1:11- One last award, and it's the biggie...Best Feature.

1:08- Expect a Precious sweep now, but hey, anything could happen at the Spirit Awards...

1:06- Speaking of Best Director, it's up now. Lee Daniels seems likely to win for Precious, but I could see it going a few ways. Don't bet against Precious though.
And the winner is...Lee Daniels!

1:03- All that's left is Best Director and Best Feature. Will Precious sweep? Will (500) Days of Summer or The Last Station steal one? Stay tuned to find out!

1:01- Jeff Bridges has had a few...good, I say.

12:58- Best Actor is the category now. Jeff Bridges should win this, considering Crazy Heart hasn't had a bad night, but Colin Firth could get one last award for the season...but don't count on it too much (though anything is possible).
And the winner is...Jeff Bridges!

12:55- Eddie Izzard is up for the last time, introducing the last nominee for Best Feature, which is The Last Station.

12:53- Bill Murray's great speech in 2003 is the #1 speech of all time at the Spirit Awards!

12:51- Precious is 3 for 3 so far, but the two big ones are still approaching soon, not that I think it's going to stop its winning ways...

12:48- We come now to Best Female Lead. Gabourey Sidibe is the likely winner (continuing the dominance of Precious), but watch out for Helen Mirren as well.
And the winner is...Gabourey Sidibe!

12:45- I'm still doing pretty well, in terms of predictions, but all of the ones I've gotten wrong have been the ones I'd have voted for if I had a vote, so I've got 100% in my soul (assuming I have one)...

12:43- Best Foreign Film is up now. This should be A Prophet vs An Education, so place your bets.
And the winner is...An Education!

12:40- Independent cinema in general is now being celebrated, as it's the 25th anniversary of the show.

12:38- The big awards are coming...

12:34- We're up to Best Documentary. Anvil! The Story of Anvil would obviously have some support, but Food, Inc. might get in on its prestige. We'll know shortly...
And the winner is...Anvil! The Story of Anvil!

12:31- Mickey Rourke's speech last year is being shown now, the #2 speech of all time at the Spirit Awards, according to voters.

12:27- Anvil! is performing a set now, and it's a bit strange to think of them as a band (they seem more out of the Spinal Tap mold in my brain), but hey, that's what they actually are.

12:25- Amreeka is now being featured, the 4th nominee for Best Feature.

12:24- I'm amused by people drinking at a live show, but then again, I'm weird like that.

12:22- (500) Days of Summer winning makes me happy...no point to this post here except that little comment.

12:19- We come now to Best Screenplay. (500) Days of Summer, The Last Station, and The Messenger are fighting it out for the award, though I'd get a nice smile if Adventureland slipped in with a win.
And the winner is...Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber for (500) Days of Summer!

12:16- Now is the Truer than Fiction Award. The winner here turned out to be Bill and Turner Ross for 45365.

12:14- Roger Ebert is being honored right now, and I'm glad to see it.

12:11- I've only missed on two of the categories so far (I split on the Fellowship Grants). I'm doing too well, so some surprises must be coming as the show goes on.

12:09- John Waters is poking some gentle fun at Precious before presenting Film Independent's Fellowship Grants. The winners of the grant are Kyle Patrick Alvarez for Easier with Practice and Karin Chien for The Exploding Girl and Santa Mesa.

12:07- A look at Best Feature nominee Precious is now being played.

12:06- No other way to put it, Eddie Izzard is bombing with the crowd.

12:04- It seems that more people than usual aren't in attendance, but I could be wrong.

12:02- A Serious Man is now being honored with the 3rd Annual Robert Altman Award.

12:00- Midnight here on the East Coast, but we're still going strong!

11:57- Random thought...for people involved in independent cinema, these speeches sure are thanking a lot of corporate people. Just a thought...

11:52- The John Cassavetes Award is being given out now. It goes to the best flick made for less than a half a million bucks. Humpday has the inside track for this one, but it's a decently open field.
And the winner is...Humpday!

11:50- We now get a clip from another speech highlight by Derrick Luke and a video for Best Feature nominee Sin Nombre.

11:48- The sponsors get a shout from Eddie Izzard, which is being done with a bit of wit.

11:47- Next is the award for Best Cinematography (Mariah Carey claims to adore Cinematography, which makes her and I have our first thing in common ever). Roger Deakins should win this for A Serious Man, but who knows.
And the winner is...Roger Deakins for A Serious Man!

11:45- The announcement of a directing fellowship is being delivered. Good for the recipient!

11:41- We return to our host, who is introducing the 5 films nominated for Best Feature, starting with (500) Days of Summer.

11:39- Felicity Huffman's classic speech from 2004 is now being played, and it's a personal favorite of mine.

11:34- Best Supporting Actress is up next. Prepare for another win by Mo'Nique.
And the winner is...Mo'Nique!

11:32- I'm always impressed when I hear Jeff Bridges singing...

11:30- My favorite song from Crazy Heart is now being played...Fallin' and Flyin'.

11:24- We come now to the category of Best First Screenplay. The smart money is on Precious, but Crazy Heart or A Single Man could surprise, signaling potentially a good night for either (the former more than the latter).
And the winner is...Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious!

11:22- Now we start the highlights of speeches past, with the #5 pick...Paul Giamatti in 2005.

11:19- In case anyone cares, I was right about Supporting Actor, but missed on First Feature, so there goes my perfect score for the night...alas.

11:15- The next category is Best First Feature. This is a crap-shoot, since all five contenders are strong and have support, but I see it as Crazy Heart or The Messenger here, though don't count out A Single Man.
And the winner is...Crazy Heart!

11:13- I'm not going to bother commenting on the speeches, which is pretty much a comment in and of itself...

11:08- The category is Best Supporting Actor. Look for Woody Harrelson in The Messenger or Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles to take this one home.
And the winner is...Woody Harrelson!

11:07- He got better, but still, meh. We have our first award of the night now.

11:03- Scratch that last statement, Izzard seems off his game tonight, so far.

11:00- And we're off...this should be a fun show, with some interesting match-ups. (500) Days of Summer, The Last Station, The Messenger, and Precious got the most nods, so watch out for them. Eddie Izzard is the host of the show, so the jokes should be pretty good.

10:58- 2 minute warning!

10:45- 15 minutes till the show gets underway...

10:30- Getting things started slowly. The show isn't for a half hour (on IFC), but the channel right now is showing the nomination special from last month, so if you're prepping for the show, it's hosted by the great Matt Singer and is worth checking out!

-Feel free to comment as the show goes on!

Live Blogging the Screen Actor's Guild Awards

Welcome to our live coverage of this year's Screen Actor's Guild awards. The pre-show begins at 4:30 with the awards beginning at 5:00 on TNT. I'm watching and blogging on West Coast time, but wherever you are, please follow along. Like everyone else has done so far, I'll make sure to list the times of each post to make it easier to follow along. Please feel free to use this post to comment on anything I'm posting or anything else relating to the evening's events. I'll try and respond to as many people as I can throughout the course of the evening. Enjoy the show!

4:25 - The actual red carpet arrivals began at least half an hour ago. Why is TNT showing us "Titanic"?

4:27 - If "The Hurt Locker" wins Best Ensemble tonight, it's the Best Picture frontrunner again. If it doesn't, the race is getting more interesting.

4:31 - With 120,000 SAG members nationwide, the films with the highest B.O. always have the highest advantage. Think Ruby Dee for "American Gangster". Will that happen tonight?

4:32 - Someone was smart and put a cover over the red carpet tonight.

4:33 - Am I the only one who doesn't recognize any of the red carpet hosts?

4:35 - Meryl Streep should be illegal. The great actress of all time is such a class act. And after all these years, she still the thinking man's sex symbol.

4:37 - Julia Louis-Dreyfus: You're red carpet interview was just bad. Not good.

4:38 - The red carpet interviews seem to be mercifully short and far less awkward tonight. Billy Bush could learn something from watching this.

4:42 - Morgan Freeman deserves a better interviewer than this. He didn't copy Nelson Mandela, he became him.

4:44 - Steve Carell was hysterical. I don't know a Michael Scott. I know I am one.

4:46 - Holly Hunter. That's all I'm saying. Except that everyone in Hollywood should be ashamed that she doesn't star in three movies a year.

4:48 - Party foul for not remembering the name of Betty White's last film "The Proposal". She did an amazing job of answering the question by talking about that film and the last movie she filmed.

4:51 - Best dressed/Best looking so far - Gabourey Sidibe looking stunning in blue.

4:53 - Kevin Bacon never got the lead roles he deserved. Another tragedy.

4:54 - I wonder if Colin Firth had Tom Ford dress him tonight. Either way, he's another class act.

4:56 - Final Predictions - The Hurt Locker, Bridges, Streep, Mo'nique, Waltz

4:58 - Haven't you heard Sandra Bullock talk about why the took the role enough lately?

4:59 - Mo'Nique was charming, funny, and great looking in white.

5:00 - AND THEY'RE DRINKING TONIGHT! LET THE DRUNKEN SPEECHES COMMENCE!!!!!!!

5:02 - So the men in Hollywood forgot to shave this morning?

5:06 - Male actor in a comedy series - Alec Baldwin, who showed up tonight.

5:12 - Female actress in a comedy series - Tiny Fey

5:26 - Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series - Glee

5:31 - Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz

5:42 - Female actor in a Drama Series - Julianna Margulies

5:44 - Male actor in a Drama Series - Michael C. Hall

5:47 - Best Ensemble in a Drama Series - Mad Men

6:12 - Congrats to SAG who, unlike the Academy, aren't forgetting where they came from this year and broadcast their lifetime achievement award and a heartening tribute to Betty White.

6:17 - Everyone break out the tissues - the tribute to the Actors who passed away this year is next.

6:21 - Female actor in a mini-series or T.V. movie - Drew Barrymore

6:23 - Drew Barrymore hasn't worked much on public speaking since the Golden Globes last week.

6:27 - Male actor in a mini-series or T.V. movie - Kevin Bacon

6:34 - I've always said that the Academy can learn a lot from the SAG awards, and the tribute section is a prime example of that.

6:40 - Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique

6:45 - Mo'Nique gave the best speech of the night so far. The "Nine" women looked magnificent, and yes, Morgan Freeman should announce everything, ever.

6:51 - Best Actor - Jeff Bridges

6:56 - Best Actress - Sandra Bullock, and now we have our Oscar race: Bullock vs. Streep.

7:02 - Best Ensemble - Inglourious Basterds, the spoiler in the Best Picture race. Or is this the contender that "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" are now?

7:04 - That's a wrap folks. See you around the Circuit.

We will be Live Blogging the Screen Actors Guild Awards...

...and this time, it'll be the young buck Jackson Truax taking the helm. Be on the lookout for the blogging to start sometime before the show gets underway. In the meantime, feel free to deliberate about what SAG will do in the comments.
-Enjoy!

Live Blogging the Golden Globes...

Welcome one and all, and thank you for joining us to follow our live coverage of this year's Golden Globes. The pre-show begins at 7:00 (Eastern Time), with the actual awards show beginning at 8:00. Be sure to follow along, and watch the show on NBC. I'll be sure to list the times of each post so you know what I'm talking about. Until then, use this post to comment on the proceedings, voice your opinion, give predictions, etc. Enjoy the show!

7:00 - And we're off! Billy Bush (who you may remember actively ruining the Globes not long ago) chats with people about things we don't care about, occasionally mentioning movies. When he finds time to get over the fact that it's raining and bug celebrities about their love lives, he chats to George Clooney (whose beard makes him looks strangely like George Lucas), David Duchovny (goading him over the fact that his wife got a kiss from George Clooney), Gabourey Sidibe, Jeff Bridges, Fergie, Tracy Morgan, Marion Cotillard, Bradley Cooper, Chloe Sevigny, Taylor Lautner (for some reason) and others. They keep employing a "fashion camera" that takes horrendously blurry pictures of the stars' outfits.

7:21 - Morgan Freeman makes the first of I'm sure many comments about no matter how much fun we're having now, we must not forget about what's going on in Haiti.

7:23 - We get it, it's raining! You don't have to comment on it every five seconds as though we're going to forget if you don't keep reminding us.

7:25 - The interviewer attempts to ask Robert Downey, Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson about "Iron Man", and reveals that she clearly has no idea what "Iron Man" was about. RDJ does his best to avoid talking to her, but can't escape her nagging.

7:27 - Note to interviewer: Ricky Gervais's name is not French. You do pronounce the S.

7:29 - Seeing Mariah Carey with all her makeup on again really does highlight how much she disappeared into her character in "Precious".

7:32 - Billy Bush desperately employs the Golden Globe snuggie. Sandra Bullock and her husband try to play it off awkwardly.

7:34 - I wonder if these actors ever get tired of these talk show hosts awkwardly telling them about the roles they played.

7:38 - Just in case we weren't aware, yes, it is raining, and yes, the organizers have done a horrible job of preparing for it by only having a handful of umbrellas. The hosts are apparently physically incapable of not commenting on it at least once per interview.

7:39 - Julia Roberts has earned major cool points in my book for totally calling NBC out on not properly preparing for the show. Billy Bush tries to strike back by commenting that she passed on "The Blind Side". Tom Hanks retorts by observing that the lighting on the interview is awful.

7:42 - Colin Farrell admits to drinking heavily in order to sing for "Crazy Heart". 18 minutes until showtime.

7:54 - Tina Fey: "It's not raining, it's just God crying for NBC."

8:00 - The pre-show is over, and it's time for the actual show! Here we go!

8:01 - Ricky Gervais is still jokingly bitter about Steve Carrell taking his role on "The Office". Going ahead and touting his own series and taking a jab at NBC.

8:03 - Making a few jokes about the necessity of actors. He's on a roll tonight. And of course the obligatory Jay Leno joke.

8:05 - Nicole Kidman (after reminding everyone to support the troubles in Haiti) presents Best Supporting Actress (Film). And the winner is...Mo'Nique (Precious)! No huge surprise there. Nice impassioned speech, very emotional.

8:10 - Best Actress (Comedy/Musical, TV Series) goes to...Toni Collette (United States of Tara).

8:16 - Best Supporting Actor (TV Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie) goes to...John Lithgow (Dexter).

8:20 - Paul McCartney presents Best Animated Feature (for some reason). "Animated films are not just for children. They're also for adults who take drugs." The winner is...Up! Surprise surprise.

8:28 - Kate Hudson presents a clip from "Nine", nominated for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

8:29 - Ricky Gervais continues to shill for his own work. "The Invention of Lying" is out Tuesday.

8:30 - Felicity Huffman stammers her way through an introduction of the Philip Burke, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Happy 67 years.

8:32 - Best Actor (Drama, TV Series) goes to...Michael C. Hall (Dexter). It was recently reported that he's battling cancer. Congratulations to him.

8:35 - Best Actress (Drama, TV Series) goes to...Julianna Marguelies (The Good Wife).

8:42 - Harrison Ford presents a clip from "Up in the Air", nominated for Best Picture (Drama).

8:44 - Best Original Song goes to..."The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)" (Crazy Heart).

8:47 - Best Original Score goes to...Michael Giacchino (Up).

8: 53 - Best Miniseries or TV Movie goes to...Grey Gardens!

8:58 - Tom Hanks insults both Alec Baldwin and Stanley Tucci on his way to introduce a clip from "Julie & Julia", nominated for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

9:00 - Colin Farrell presents Best Actress (Comedy/Musical, Film). The winner is...Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)! She seems rather unstoppable now.

9:09 - Helen Mirren introduces a clip from "Precious", nominated for Best Picture (Drama).

9:10 - Best Actor (Miniseries or TV Movie) goes to...Kevin Bacon (Taking Chance).

9:13 - Best Actress (Miniseries or TV Movie) goes to...Drew Barrymore (Grey Gardens).

9:21 - Cameron Diaz introduces a clip from "It's Complicated", nominated for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

9:22 - Best Screenplay (Film) goes to...Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air)!

9:26 - Best Actor (Comedy/Musical, TV Series) goes to...Alec Baldwin (30 Rock). Not available to accept the award due to a charity obligation.

9:32 - Samuel L. Jackson presents a clip from "Inglourious Basterds", nominated for Best Picture (Drama).

9:33 - Sam then introduces Sophia Loren, who gets a standing ovation before presenting Best Foreign Language Film. The winner is...The White Ribbon (Germany).

9:37 - Best TV Series (Drama) goes to...Mad Men!

9:40 - It appears that they're going overtime, because every winner has started getting played off by the music.

9:45 - Taylor Lautner (ugh) presents the clip from "(500) Days of Summer", nominated for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

9:45 - Best Supporting Actress (TV Series, Miniseries, or TV Movie) goes to...Chloe Sevigny (Big Love).

9:49 - Halle Berry presents Best Supporting Actor (Film). The award goes to...Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)! Is he a lock for the win?

9:57 - Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio present Martin Scorsese with the Cecil B. DeMille Award. This is long overdue. Truly a master filmmaker.

10:00 - An excellent montage of Scorsese's greatest hits, along with a sneak peek at "Shutter Island".

10:04 - Scorsese gives an eloquent speech about the importance of collaboration and preserving film. The world of cinema as a whole is far richer for all of this man's output. Congratulations.

10:12 - Jodie Foster introduces a clip from "The Hurt Locker", nominated for Best Picture (Drama).

10:14 - Mel Gibson presents Best Director (Film). And the award goes to...James Cameron (Avatar)! Didn't see that one coming.

10:19 - Best TV Series (Comedy/Musical) goes to...Glee!

10:25 - The cast of "The Hangover" introduces a clip from "The Hangover", nominated for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

10:26 - Reese Witherspoon presents Best Picture (Comedy/Musical). And the winner is...The Hangover! Bit of a surprise there.

10:33 - Arnold Schwarzenegger introduces a clip from "Avatar", despite being unable to pronounce it properly.

10:35 - Mickey Rourke presents Best Actress (Drama, Film). And the winner is...Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side). How about that.

10:39 - Sally Hawkins presents Best Actor (Comedy/Musical, Film). And the winner is...Robert Downey, Jr. (Sherlock Holmes)! Best speech of the night. Sarcastically not thanking everyone. Beautiful.

10:46 - Kate Winslet presents Best Actor (Drama, Film). And the winner is...Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)! Congratulations sir!

10:55 - Julia Roberts presents Best Picture (Drama). And the winner is...Avatar! Go figure. This one has a serious shot at winning the Oscar now. Way to shake up the race.

11:00 - And that's a wrap! It's been an interesting show with several surprise winners. One of the more entertaining shows in recent years. Thanks for following, and have a great night.

We will be Live Blogging the Golden Globes...

...this time it'll be our own Myles Hughes handling the duties, so be sure to tune in soon!

Live Blogging the Critics Choice Awards...

I will be live blogging the show starting between the Pre-show at 8:30 and the actual show at 9, so be sure to follow along, and watch it on VH1 (I'll list times for all posts so everyone will be able to know what I'm talking about). Until then, use this post to comment with anything in relation to the show tonight, including predictions, running commentary, post show comments, etc. Without further ado, let the Live Blogging begin!

11:15- That's it for the coverage tonight. The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds were the big winners here in my eyes. Will it mean anything for the Oscars? Who knows, but we'll find out soon enough. Hope everyone enjoyed my coverage and that I didn't bore you too much!

11:11- We finally come to Best Picture. The 10 nominees are Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Invictus, Nine, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up in the Air. It could go to Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, or Up in the Air. I have no clue which will win, but Basterds isn't the long shot it was going into tonight and Avatar is falling behind. The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air did really well with critics this year, so I'd say they're in the lead, but who knows, especially with what Tarantino's film has done tonight. Pick em, as the sports world says...
THE AWARD GOES TO...The Hurt Locker. This is where it needed a win, and it got it, simple as that.

11:05- They're certainly going to make us wait for Best Picture...

11:02- Yes, we've ventured into overtime for the final award (though technically the Best Actress tie and speeches did it)...

10:59- Best Actress is here, and the nominees are Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria, Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side, Carrie Mulligan for An Education, Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones, Gabourey Sidibe for Precious, and Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia. Streep is the likely winner, though Mulligan would be the one to take it away from her.
THE AWARD GOES TO...both Meryl Streep AND Sandra Bullock. Yes, it's a tie! Goes to show what I know. This doesn't help us at all with any new predictions, but it is pretty cool to see, at least in my book, and makes this perhaps a 3 person race now.

10:52- Is it just me, or are the commercials for awards films not really jiving with the ones for VH1 programming?

10:47- We're up to Best Actor, and this is a big one. The nominees are Jeff Brides for Crazy Heart, George Clooney for Up in the Air, Colin Firth for A Single Man, Morgan Freeman as Invictus, Viggo Mortensen for The Road, and Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker. I'd lean towards Bridges winning, but Clooney could easily win. Mortensen and Renner are the spoilers.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Jeff Bridges. He's on a track to the Oscar win, but he still needs to win a few more to make it a sure thing.

10:42- The big three categories are coming up now. The 4 main contenders (Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Up in the Air) have all won something, though I'd say that, perhaps surprisingly, Avatar is now the least likely to win. Still, it's a toss up...

10:39- The next award is Best Director (pay attention to this one). The nominees are Clint Eastwood for Invictus, James Cameron for Avatar, Lee Daniels for Precious, Jason Reitman for Up in the Air, Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker, and Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds. Your guess is as good as mine, though Bigelow might have the critic edge.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Kathryn Bigelow. That's very nice to see, and could be a sign of bigger things to come for her.


10:37- He gave a pretty good speech...

10:31- Time for Kevin Bacon to be presented with the Joel Siegel Award. Meryl Streep is doing the honoring. Should be good, if not quite life changing.

10:24- Best Original Screenplay wraps up the writing awards. The nominees are (500) Days of Summer, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man, and Up. It's between (500) Days and Basterds.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Inglourious Basterds. Could Tarantino be soon accepting his second writing Oscar?

10:21- The screenplay awards are up now. They start with Best Adapted Screenplay. The nominees are Fantastic Mr. Fox, District 9, Precious, A Single Man, An Education, and Up in the Air. This should go to Reitman for Up in the Air.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Up in the Air. This was a slam dunk, more or less. Reitman and co-writer Sheldon Turner need to start writing speeches to thank the Academy.

10:18- They just skipped over a whole bunch of technical awards, which they spread out between a few films, though Avatar won a bunch of them. I'll get the full list to you when I can. Damn time constraints.

10:15- Frankly, these fake screen tests suck out loud. She's certainly trying hard, but perhaps too hard. It could be worse, I suppose...

10:11- Best Documentary now. The nominees are Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Capitalism: A Love Story, The Cove, Food, Inc., and This is It. I think it's between Anvil! and The Cove.
THE AWARD GOES TO...The Cove. Expect to see this win the Oscar, so this is a good precursor to it.

10:08- Time for Best Song to be named. The nominees are All is Love from Where the Wild Things Are, Almost There from Princess and the Frog, Cinema Italiano from Nine, (I Want To) Come Home from Everybody's Fine, and The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart. I think it's between Cinema Italiano and The Weary Kind, though the latter should win.
THE AWARD GOES TO...The Weary Kind. Aside from Help Yourself from Up in the Air, this is the best song of the year, so it's great to see.

9:59- After a rough bit of joking around by the host (saved by the presenters of this award having some raunchy fun), we're up to Best Comedy. The nominees for this one are (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, It's Complicated, The Proposal, and Zombieland. I'd say this goes to The Hangover, though I'm honestly crossing my fingers for (500) Days.
THE AWARD GOES TO...The Hangover. While not my favorite movie of the year, it does happen to be very funny, so this is an appropriate win.

9:55- We come to Best Supporting Actor at this point. The nominees here are Matt Damon for Invictus, Woody Harrelson for The Messenger, Christian McKay for Me and Orson Welles, Alfred Molina for An Education, Stanley Tucci for The Lovely Bones, and Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds. Waltz should, well...waltz away with this one.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Christoph Waltz. This could end up being a good night for Tarantino's film, but it's too early to tell.

9:47- They focused more on the films than the man, but it was a pretty fitting tribute to Mr. Hughes.

9:42- Now it's a tribute to John Hughes, which should be rather touching.

9:40- The next award is for Best Young Actor or Actress. The nominees are Jae Head for The Blind Side, Bailee Madison for Brothers, Max Records for Where the Wild Things Are,, Saoirse Ronan for The Lovely Bones, and Kodi-Smit McPhee for The Road. This is between Ronan and Records, though Madison deserves it.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Saoirse Ronan. She's one of the better parts of the film, so this was the category to honor it.

9:37- Comparing The Lovely Bones to Orphan just shows how far the mighty have fallen...

9:31- We now have Best Animated Feature. The nominees are Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Princess and the Frog, and Up. I can't see Up not winning this, though Fantastic Mr. Fox would be the only one that could ruin it for Pixar.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Up. As expected...

9:27- Best Action Movie is up now. The nominees are Avatar, Disctrict 9, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, and Star Trek. It's between Avatar, The Hurt Locker, and the Basterds in my eyes, though this is a weird award, so it could go a number of ways.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Avatar. That makes sense, and also leaves the bigger awards still up for grabs.

9:17- The next award is Best Supporting Actress. The nominees are Mo'Nique for Precious, Marion Cotillard for Nine, Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air, Julianne Moore for A Single Man, Samantha Morton for The Messenger, and Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air. This is likely Mo'Nique's, though Kendrick's the spoiler.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Mo'Nique. No surprise there, at all.

9:13- They mention the 10 Best Picture nominees quickly, which leads into Chenoweth making some small jokes about some of the nominees in general.

9:10- The first award of the evening is for Best Acting Ensemble. Nominees are Inglourious Basterds, Nine, Precious, Star Trek, and Up in the Air. The award could go to either Basterds, Nine, or Up in the Air, if I had to guess.
THE AWARD GOES TO...Inglourious Basterds! Could this bode well for its Best Picture chances later tonight? We shall see...

9:07- The Inglourious Basterds inspired opening was decently clever, but host Kristin Chenoweth's song following it left something to be desired (especially since she's wearing the Kate Hudson dress from Nine, but pretty much ignored that fact).

9:00- Now, we can get the show on the road. The awards have officially started!

8:56- Kevin Bacon talking now. He's getting the honorary award tonight, which will be cool to see.

8:55- Thankfully, only 5 minutes left...

8:48- The first curse of the night, and the host took it so awkwardly...cut into a weird transition for the talk with Mo'Nique. I really need to not be so critical of a Pre-show, but then again, if I'm not commenting on it, what is there to comment on? 12 minutes to go...

8:45- Quentin Tarantino wants to win for Best Director? I'm shocked. 15 minutes to go...

8:37- So far, it's a very standard Red Carpet type deal. No worse than any other, but no better.

8:34- Zac Efron is a fan of 'The Hurt Locker', so maybe he's not all evil...

8:30- And we're off...Nick Jonas doesn't make me think "Movie Awards", but what do I know?

Liveblogging the SAG Winners

I'll be LIVE Blogging, updating the winners on this post. It will be edited through the night. Enjoy and refresh your page!

Best Ensemble - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor - Sean Penn, Milk

Best Actress - Meryl Streep, Doubt

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Best Actor (TV Movie or Mini-Series) - Paul Giamatti, John Adams

Best Actress (TV Movie or Mini-Series) - Laura Linney, John Adams

Best Ensemble (Drama Series) - Mad Men

Best Actress (Drama Series) - Sally Field, Brothers and Sisters

Best Actor (Drama Series) - Hugh Laurie, House

Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet, The Reader

Best Ensemble (Comedy Series) - 30 Rock (man, a little one-sided this season, isn't it?)

Best Actor (Comedy Series) - Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock

Best Actress (Comedy Series) - Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Lifetime Achievement Award - James Earl Jones

3/5 for me.

4/5 for the site.

Here are my personal predictions:

Best Ensemble - Milk

Best Actor - Frank Langella

Best Actress - Meryl Streep

Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet

We will reveal BFCA Winners...

We will LIVE Blog but not each post, on this post. It will be edited through the night. Enjoy and refresh your page!

Best Comedy Film: Tropic Thunder (YAY!)
Best Acting Ensemble: Milk
Best Young Actor: Dev Patel-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Writer: Simon Beaufoy-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Action Film: The Dark Knight
Best Composer: A.R. Rahman-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Song: "The Wrestler" - The Wrestler
Best Documentary: Man on Wire
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight!!!!!!
Best Foreign Language Film: Waltz with Bashir
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet-The Reader
Best Animated Feature: WALL-E
Joel Siegel Award: Richard Gere
Best Picture Made for Television: John Adams
Best Actress: Meryl Streep-Doubt & Anne Hathaway-Rachel Getting Married
Best Director: Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn-Milk
Best Picture of the Year: Slumdog Millionaire

Not including Alternates: 13/18
With alternates: 17/18

Not too shabby but I have to say, this might be getting a little boring and predictable with the exception of the tie for actress and Winslet's win.