Oscar Unofficial Blog http://greatoscar.com Oscar Nominees and Winners, Fashion, Predictions, Pictures, Awards, History and lots more news and updates en-us Copyright 2007, Oscar Unofficial Blog team. 240 Oscar-Nominated Starlet Not Famous Enough for Glee? http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96450 Wed, 8 Sep 2010 03:35 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96450 Oscar-Nominated Starlet Not Famous Enough for Glee?You'd think a 25-year-old starlet who already has an Oscar nomination and is dating one of Hollywood's most eligible guys would be a shoo-in for a guest spot on Glee. Well, apparently that's not so when it comes to British beauty Carey Mulligan…

"I want to be in Glee," Mulligan, star of the upcoming Never Let Me Go and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, says in the new issue of Vogue (on sale Sept. 14) "but I'm told I'm not famous enough to be a cameo."

No word on who Mulligan the bad news. Mulligan's rep did not immediately comment.

But it's not like she wants to be that famous. While her romance with Wall Street costar Shia LaBeouf could easily be used to boost her name recognition, Mulligan refuses to go down that path.

]]> Natalie Portman's Oscar Hopes http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96298 Tue, 7 Sep 2010 03:37 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96298 Natalie Portman's Oscar HopesNatalie Portman may be poised for an Oscar for her role in Black Swan. After the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, more than a few critics have been touting it as Oscar worthy. Washington Post critic Jan Chaney says, “Natalie Portman already has this year’s Academy Award for best actress all sewn up.”

Others are a bit more skeptical, such as Time critic Richard Corliss. After saying, “Sticking the magic word Oscar in a headline is a cheap, effective way of getting attention... No self respecting critic would sink that low,” he went on to weigh the pros and cons of the film, where it premiered, and what it would mean if Portman did win.

If she wins, it seems that she may be set on the same trajectory as Sandra Bullock was after she won this year’s Oscar for best leading actress. Bullock, who has finally established herself as a serious actress, just like Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts did, now has her pick of projects, which are reportedly rushing in. Corliss predicted, “Her turn in Black Swan, if it truly impresses American moviegoers, won’t be the sort that caps the steady maturing of a gifted actress. It will have the shock of the new.” This could be Portman’s big breakthrough.

]]> Telluride Review: The King’s Speech Heads for Oscars (Video) http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96159 Mon, 6 Sep 2010 03:38 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96159 Critic Tim Appelo reports from Telluride that The King’s Speech is a serious Oscar contender.
Buck Henry likened the Telluride Film Festival to Valhalla, the place where cinema’s great warriors go for eternal glory – say, tonight’s tribute honoree Claudia Cardinale. But Valhalla is Old Norse for “Hall of the Slain,” and Telluride is more like the Hall of the Newborns, a ward for indie gods getting their first worship. Is there a springier springboard to the Oscars than the Telluride Film Festival?

The big worship winner and potential Oscar magnet I’ve seen so far at Telluride 2010 is the world premiere of Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech, with Colin Firth as Bertie, King George VI of England, and Geoffrey Rush as Lionel Logue, the Australian speech coach/de facto shrink tasked with curing Bertie’s crippling stutter. There’s more at stake than pride, since Hitler is taking over Europe, and as the King tells his little daughter Elizabeth when she asks what Hitler is saying in his radio speech, “I don’t know, but he seems to be saying it rather well.

]]> Black Swan: An Oscar for Natalie Portman? http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96077 Sun, 5 Sep 2010 10:03 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=96077 "Natalie Portman, apparent soon-to-be Oscar winner," the Washington Post headline blared, with only a hint of drollery. "Evidently Natalie Portman already has this year's Academy Award for best actress all sewn up," wrote Jan Chaney in the Post's Celebritology 2.0 column. "At least the media buzz coming out of the Venice Film Festival — where her Black Swan just premiered — is making it sound that way." In fact, most of the early reviews — while enthusiastic about Darren Aronofky's psychological thriller, and Portman's performance as a ballerina who must face down demons when given the lead role in Swan Lake — stopped short of Oscar predictions. The Times of London's Kevin Maher came closest: "Portman is astounding... Awards are sure to follow.

]]> Buzz Says Natalie Portman’s ‘Black Swan’ Is Next Oscar Contender( Video) http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95907 Sat, 4 Sep 2010 03:20 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95907 Buzz Says Natalie Portman’s ‘Black Swan’ Is Next Oscar ContenderNatalie Portman and Mila Kunis will be seen next in “Black Swan,” a psychological thriller that debuted at the Venice Film Festival just the other day and that’s already getting massive awards buzz.

The film is directed by acclaimed director Darren Aronofski, who’s also the man behind the shocking “Requiem for a Dream” and the heart-breaking “The Wrestler.”

It tells the story of an ambitious ballerina (Portman) that feels her place is being usurped by a younger dancer (Kunis) and, judging by initial reaction to it, it will be huge upon release, Entertainment Weekly writes. Because that’s just the type of films Aronofski makes, “Black Swan” will be a “hate it or love it” release, EW writes, based on reviews after the first screening in Venice.

However, what’s amazing is that even those who say the film aims too high and falls short of expectations were impressed by how brilliantly it was put together and how impressive Portman’s performance in it.

“An ultimately devastating study of a young dancer’s all-consuming ambition, Black Swan serves as a fascinating complement to Darren Arononfsky’s The Wrestler, trading the grungy world of a broken-down fighter for the more upscale but no less brutal sphere of professional ballet,” Peter Debruge of Variety.

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter says that the movie is “so out there” that only a filmmaker like Aronofki could have ever dreamed of making it and for that alone – and how wonderfully he put it together – he deserves praise.

]]> Oscar Winner Michael Douglas Has Throat Cancer (Video) http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95848 Fri, 3 Sep 2010 06:19 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95848 An amazingly candid interview with Oscar winning actor Michael Douglas. He told David Letterman that he found out just tree-weeks ago that he has throat cancer and adds doctors tell him he has an eighty-percent chance of survival. Dr. Mark Varvares, Director of the SLU Cancer Center joined us FOX2 News this morning to talk about throat cancer.

 

]]> Tupac Biopic Gains Oscar-Winning Screenwriters http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95659 Wed, 1 Sep 2010 15:11 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=95659 Tupac Biopic Gains Oscar-Winning Screenwriters: Antoine Fuqua's forthcoming Tupac Shakur biopic will soon have a script: Two Oscar-nominated writers, Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson, have been tapped to write the screenplay.

The scribes, whose writing credits include "Nixon" and "Ali," told New York magazine that the film will focus on the late rapper's final day, with flashbacks of the preceding four years of his life interspersed throughout. Rivele added that the script centers on their perception that Shakur was miscast in the hip-hop world in which he found himself.

]]> Oscar resigns from Goa Bachao Abhiyan http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94991 Fri, 13 Aug 2010 09:11 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94991 Former Goa Bachao Abhiyan (GBA) convenor Oscar Rebello has submitted his resignation from the organization. Rebello, who was the face of GBA when it launched an agitation against Regional Plan 2011, confirmed that he had resigned from the organization but declined to comment on the reasons behind his decision.

Last year he had quit as convenor of GBA. However, he had continued to serve as a core committee member. Sabina Martins, convenor of GBA, confirmed that she had received Rebello’s resignation letter, but was quick to add that the resignation had not been accepted.

]]> Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal, 84, dies from cancer http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94769 Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:49 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94769 Oscar-winning actress Patricia Neal, the gran of Sophie Dahl, has died after a battle with lung cancer. The 84-year-old, who was previously married to children's author Roald Dahl, passed away at her home in Martha's Vineyard on Sunday, surrounded by family. She is understood to have told them: "I have had a lovely time."

In a joint statement, her family yesterday said: "She faced her final illness as she had all of the many trials she endured: with indomitable grace, good humour and a great deal of her selfdescribed stubbornness." Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Patricia won a best actress Academy Award for the 1964 movie Hud alongside Paul Newman. She also appeared in Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Day the Earth Stood Still. She wed children's author Dahl in 1953 and they had five children during a troubled 30-year marriage.

]]> Oscar Winning Actress Patricia Neal Dies http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94669 Mon, 9 Aug 2010 10:56 GMT http://greatoscar.com/article.asp?articleid=94669 Oscar winning star Patricia Neal, who survived several strokes to continue acting, has died aged 84.

The actress, who was married to Roald Dahl for 20 years, passed away at her home on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Neal had her family by her side as she lost her battle with lung cancer. "She faced her final illness as she had all of the many trials she endured:

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