Now that the trophies are in the trophy cases, and we've finally recovered from (whew) the Oscar Week that almost wasn't, we're putting the blog to bed till the next show. Thanks for all your eyes and input. See you soon!
The Oscars are a ratings dud. Nielsen Media Research says preliminary ratings for the 80th annual Academy Awards telecast are 14 percent lower than the least-watched ceremony ever.
A year after the Oscars finally honored Martin Scorsese as best director, the academy took care of business in speedier fashion by feting the widely admired Coen brothers.
Though Joel and Ethan Coen’s many die-hard fans might say their win was nevertheless belated — it coming 24 years after their first film — their Texas crime film ‘‘No Country for Old Men’’ has generally been viewed as a culmination of craft for the brothers.
More than 'Once': Performers, presenters announced for Oscars
After weeks of announcements about who would be performing and presenting at the Grammys, now they begin for the Oscars!
And it's only fitting the duo that got shafted at the Grammys is the first performer announced this week for the Oscars: Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the duo from the film "Once."
Amy Winehouse, Herbie Hancock and Kanye West didn’t provide quite enough drama to enthrall television viewers. Preliminary estimates indicate the Grammy Awards telecast was watched by 17.5 million people.
Nielsen Media Research said today that would make it the third least-watched Grammy Awards ever if later estimates confirm those numbers.
Early Grammy winners inclue Kanye West, Barack Obama
The 50th anniversary Grammy Awards actually started in the middle of the day today, with 100 awards handed out in the pre-telecast portion of the event.
Kanye West, who leads the field with eight nominations, took home three during the pre-telecast, including best rap solo performance for "Stronger," best rap performance for "Southside," by Common featuring West and best rap/sung collaboration for "Good Life" by West and featuring T-Pain.
Wha? Winehouse gets visa, but won't come to Grammys
LONDON — Amy Winehouse’s visa to the United States has been granted, but the troubled singer won’t be traveling to the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles to perform in person, her representatives said today.
And yet more performers were announced today for this Sunday's Grammys: Tina Turner will join Beyonce for a special performance, plus jazz pianist Eldar (this guy's really something!), rap-rocker Kid Rock, jazz saxophonist Dave Koz and jazz/pop singer Keely Smith.
More performances announced today for Sunday's Grammys telecast: a duet of Fergie and John Legend; Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban to perform together for the first time; John Fogerty with Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard in a special "Cornerstones of Rock" segment; and nominees Herbie Hancock and Lang Lang in a special classical/jazz segment (conducted by famed maestro John Mauceri).
More presenters announced, too: R&B singer Chris Brown, Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus, actress and R&B singer Solange Knowles, comedian George Lopez, Lyle Lovett and Ludacris.
Nominees Feist, Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley and the casts of "The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil" and the film "Across The Universe" in a special Beatles segment are the latest performers for the 50th annual Grammy Awards telecast, announced today by The Recording Academy.
Writers and studios to start talks today! Plus, sweet note for Grammys
By LYNN ELBER
LOS ANGELES — With idled entertainment industry workers and Oscar-nominated actors among the interested observers, striking writers and studios are talking again after weeks of bargaining silence.
The Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said in a joint statement they will start informal discussions today aimed at full negotiations and an end to the nearly 3-month-old strike.
The announcement came the day nominations were announced for the Academy Awards, raising the prospect that the Feb. 24 ceremony might proceed without the threatened union picketing that derailed the Golden Globes.
In a goodwill gesture toward another big ceremony Tuesday, the guild said it had decided against picketing the Feb. 10 Grammy Awards.
Maybe we'll have a show after all: WGA, producers talking again
Informal negotiations between the striking Writers Guild of America and several producers are set to begin today, apparently with the goal of accomplishing what the film directors did in reaching a contract last week, according to Variety.
If a deal isn't hammered out soon and the strike lingers through the Oscars on Feb. 24, you might be able to get a seat at the ceremony — because few stars would cross a picket line to attend.
"The season of trophies is truly a season in hell."
That's Sean Penn, quoted in USA Today, describing this November-March run we chronicle so lovingly here at The Gold Rush. But Penn also went on to admit understanding of what these shows are really all about — promoting the film's he and other filmmakers craft so lovingly. Awards shows, he says, get "butts in seats."
But if there are no — or at least fewer, or scaled-back — awards shows, earnings will suffer, which is why many in Hollywood are glum over the Globes news ... and worried about the Oscars. ...
The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and NBC engaged in eleventh-hour sessions Sunday to try to reach an accommodation over the upcoming Golden Globes, with NBC appearing to be seriously considering pulling the telecast. ...
