That could happen if the writers strike happens in Hollywood this week. The majority of those fashion quips, monologues, jokes and some acceptance speeches are penned by Hollywood writers. If they're on strike during Oscar season — gulp! — these actors may be winging it.
Corgis from ‘The Queen’ triumph at first-ever Fido Awards
LONDON — The four-legged stars of the Oscar-winning film ‘‘The Queen’’ are the winners of Britain’s first-ever Fido Awards for canine cinematic excellence.
Poppy, Anna, Alice, Oliver and Megan — five corgis who appeared alongside Helen Mirren in the film about Queen Elizabeth II — were named best historical hounds during a ceremony at London’s South Bank arts center Sunday. They beat dogs from the thespian drama ‘‘Moliere’’ and Joy Division biopic ‘‘Control.’’
The corgis also took the ceremony’s top accolade, ‘‘best in world.’’
Mirren won a best-actress Academy Award for playing the British monarch in the movie, set after the 1997 death of Princess Diana. Mirren, who is filming in the United States, sent a message praising her co-stars.
‘‘I know one should avoid acting with animals and children, but these little chaps were a pleasure to work with and deserve all the plaudits for their fine performances,’’ she said.
The queen’s love of corgis is well known. She has owned more than 30 of the breed during her 55-year reign.
The Fidos call themselves the world’s first-ever international awards ceremony for canine screen stars. They were presented in conjunction with the London Film Festival, which runs until Thursday.
Eligibility rules promise more wackiness for Globe nods
By STEVEN ZEITCHIK
NEW YORK — The Golden Globes race was thrown for a loop last year when awards-season candidates ‘‘Letters From Iwo Jima’’ and ‘‘Apocalypto’’ were pushed out of the best picture race and into the foreign-language category. Get ready for an even loopier ride this year, as studios prepare for as many as three best picture Oscar contenders to be excluded from contention for the Globes’ best picture drama list when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces eligible films next month. ...
Focus Features’ ‘‘Lust, Caution’’ and Miramax’s ‘‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly’’ — along with, possibly, Paramount Vantage’s ‘‘The Kite Runner,’’ which offers a mix of English and Dari — each features heavy U.S. involvement on the production and distribution sides. But because their dialogues are in a language other than English, it’s all but assured ‘‘Lust’’ and ‘‘Diving Bell’’ will get the ‘‘Iwo Jima’’ treatment and end up only in foreign, while ‘‘Kite Runner’’ stands a good chance of going that way too.
The consequences won’t be limited to those movies. Observers say the move will have the dual effect of jamming up the foreign race while blowing the best picture drama competition wide open. But the looming disqualification has led some awards campaigners to call for a change to the rule that keeps the foreign-language and best picture categories separate, especially in an era when directors and productions are going international.
‘‘What will it take for them to change it — 10 really good foreign-language movies?’’ one insider asked.
While leadership at the HFPA has said that it might review things down the road, a spokesperson said Wednesday that the current rules will remain in place this year.
In a sense, the Globes have the opposite problem from the Academy, which leaves the best picture race open to all but has a one country-one movie policy that keeps a tight lid on the foreign-language Oscar. Because of their U.S. involvement, neither ‘‘Lust,’’ ‘‘Bell’’ nor ‘‘Kite’’ will be eligible for the foreign-language Oscar, potentially leaving them in an unfortunate limbo — too foreign for the Globes and too American for the Oscars.
The Academy itself has come under pressure to modify its rules. Already, Sony Pictures Classics’ Israeli import ‘‘The Band’s Visit’’ is the subject of the inverse controversy from the Globes’: ‘‘Band’’ is a foreign movie with too much English to be eligible for a foreign-language Oscar.
‘‘I think what both the AMPAS and Globes situations point to is the larger question of what constitutes a foreign movie in this day and age,’’ one studio exec said. ‘‘If the director is American, the DP is Chinese and the money is from Germany, is it foreign or American? Maybe we need to redefine the term ’foreign film.’ ’’
The animated film ‘‘Persepolis,’’ from France, Denys Arcand’s ‘‘Days of Darkness’’ from Canada, Johnnie To’s ‘‘Exiled’’ from Hong Kong and Cristian Mungiu’s Palm d’Or winner ‘‘4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days’’ are among the 63 films that have qualified for Oscar consideration in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ foreign language film category.
The record number of 63 entries include first-time submissions from Azerbaijan (Farid Gumbatov’s ‘‘Caucasia’’) and Ireland (Tom Collins’ ‘‘Kings’’).
Nominations for the 80th Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 22, and the Oscars will be handed out Feb. 24.
Go directly to jail, collect two BET Hip-Hop Awards
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.
ATLANTA — Despite rapper T.I.’s absence, the show went on at the second-annual BET Hip-Hop Awards — even when he was scheduled to perform.
The self-proclaimed ‘‘King of the South,’’ who was up for nine nominations, won two awards. But he couldn’t accept any trophies or make the planned performance after being arrested by federal authorities early Saturday.
T.I. was taken into custody in a shopping center parking lot where federal officials said he planned to pick up machine guns and silencers he had his bodyguard buy for him.
Even though the Atlanta-based rapper was present at the Civic Center, where the event was held, he became noticeably absent from the red carpet festivities before the show.
The news of T.I. being arrested rippled throughout the event. Rapper KRS-One, who received BET’s ‘‘I am Hip Hop’’ Icon Award, learned about the raid just before he showed up.
KRS-One, whose real name is Lawrence Parker, said the fellow rapper’s legal woes should not reflect on the industry as a whole.
‘‘I’m saddened anytime I hear of a hip-hopper being locked up or somehow stunted in his life or his growth,’’ he said. ‘‘I hope he wasn’t into nothing crazy.’’
Chicago rapper Common, who won the CD of the year award along with T.I., tried to lend his support.
‘‘I salute my guy T.I., who also won, wherever he is,’’ said Common, while raising up his trophy. He also won lyricist of the year.
Other artists who were supposed to perform with T.I. still pulled off the performance. As Wyclef Jean stood on stage to enact T.I.’s song, ‘‘You Know What It Is,’’ host and comedian Katt Williams pranced across the stage dressed like T.I. trying to impersonate him as the crowd burst into laughter.
Alfamega still took the stage with Busta Rhymes for the song ‘‘Hurt.’’ As the two rapped, many of the audience members stood seemingly puzzled at T.I.’s absence.
Kanye West was a winner in two categories — best live performance and hip-hop video. After West got his trophy for best hip-hop video, he said he thought the video for UGK’s ‘‘International Players,’’ featuring OutKast, should have been chosen over his.
‘‘I didn’t deserve this award above them. They do instead of me,’’ said West, who is typically known more for comments that critics call arrogant.
But Big Boi of OutKast returned the favor to West by giving him the award back saying, ‘‘You worked too hard for this. No, you deserve it.’’
MUMBAI, India — India may be forced to withdraw its Oscar entry in the foreign film category because of alleged bias in the selection process.
‘‘Maybe there will be no film from India,’’ Vinod Pandey, chairman of the Film Federation of India, said today. ‘‘Anything is possible. We can reaffirm our choice, send another or maybe India would retire this year.’’
The Bombay High Court has asked the federation to respond to a lawsuit challenging the selection of well-known filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s ‘‘Eklavya: The Royal Guard.’’ ...
First-time director Bhavna Talwar filed a petition claiming one panelist on the 11-member jury had edited a promotional short film for ‘‘Eklavya,’’ and that two other jury members were also close to Chopra.
Talwar’s ‘‘Dharm’’ was passed over for ‘‘Eklavya,’’ a thriller starring Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Pandey acknowledged irregularities in the process.
‘‘I cannot be proud about the methodology and the dynamics of selection,’’ he said.
Two of Chopra’s earlier films were selected to represent India at the Academy Awards.
The court will decide whether ‘‘Eklavya’’ has to be withdrawn, which would throw the nomination process into disarray. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which usually narrows down submissions to five foreign film nominees, said India had to submit a final entry by Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES — Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Linkin Park and Daughtry lead the pack with three nominations each for the 2007 American Music Awards, announced today during a press conference at The Beverly Hills Hotel.
For the first time, AMA winners will be determined by online voting at the AMA site, which also has a complete list of nominees. Votes will be collected from today through Nov. 1. Winners will be announced at the ceremony, broadcast live at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 on ABC, from the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.
Daughtry, Celine Dion, Fergie and Rihanna have confirmed to perform at the AMA show.
NEW YORK — Snoop Dogg is usually quick to brag and boast, but even he felt humbled as he was honored for his rap achievements at VH1’s fourth annual Hip Hop Honors. The gangsta rapper was lauded along with Missy Elliott, the ’80s rap trio Whoudini, A Tribe Called Quest, music executive Andre Harrell and producer Teddy Riley for creating the ‘‘New Jack Swing’’ sound, and Fab Five Freddy and Charlie Ahern for the groundbreaking movie ‘‘Wildstyle.’’ The event airs on VH1 beginning today. ...
Among those on hand to congratulate Snoop backstage during the honors on Thursday were Q-Tip from Tribe and rap legend KRS-One, of whom Snoop asked, ‘‘Have I been a good student?’’ KRS-One gave him an approving nod.
‘‘These are guys that I grew up wanting to be like and learning their words and dreaming and hoping and wishing, and now they know who I am and they respect me and they say that my work has put me in the position that I can be commended — it’s unbelievable, I can’t believe it,’’ he said backstage.
The celebration was more like an old-school party than an awards ceremony. During the tribute to Whoudini, Nelly and Jermaine Dupri did ’80s dance moves while Whoudini delivered their classic raps; Timbaland joined Eve, Ciara, Nelly Furtado and Keyshia Cole onstage to perform Elliott’s hits as the singer-rapper-producer looked on.
Bow Wow, who performed onstage with Snoop when he was just a child, rapped with him again at the ceremony, while Busta Rhymes, Common and Lupe Fiasco performed Tribe’s ‘‘Scenario.’’
Other stars on hand included LL Cool J, Ne-Yo, Chris Rock and host Tracy Morgan.
KRS-One, a previous honoree, said the Hip-Hop Honors event was crucial because it pays tribute to crucial figures in rap that are sometimes overlooked.
‘‘Every time you validate a guy like KRS-One, you are validating a certain voice in hip-hop that doesn’t get much validation or time on the airwaves,’’ he said.
Snoop also noted that it brings much needed positive attention to a genre that’s been criticized anew for promoting the negative.
‘‘This is the best thing for us to happen for hip-hop, it’s positive,’’ he said. ‘‘These awards shows — never no violence it’s never negative, never anything in the media the wrong way, it’s always a great celebration of music and the artists and what they did.’’
KRS-One is hoping to harness the positivity from the Hip-Hop Honors for a new project: At the event, he was enlisting artists like Snoop Dogg to record a new version of his ’80s message song ‘‘Self-Destruction,’’ an all-star recording that then included acts like Queen Latifah and Big Daddy Kane. Snoop expressed interested as the two huddled together backstage.
‘‘Hip-hop as a culture is getting a lot of backlash right now for its lyrics, for its public image, and the people are crying out for more responsibility,’’ said KRS-One as he explained the need for the new recording.
‘‘Nelly, Snoop, 50, Jay-Z, you are the Big Daddy Kanes, the Queen Latifahs, the Stestasonics of today,’’ he continued. ‘‘Let’s get this movement together, that tells families in the United States, we never intended for your child to go to jail ... the social ills of society, we never intended to highlight them.’’
