ELLEN DEGENERES TO SPEAK AT "POWER OF WOMEN" CONFERENCE IN TORONTO

OMG.  One of my favourite people, Ellen DeGeneres will be speaking at the Power of Women Conference in Toronto on Thursday, August 11, 2011.  The Event which also features Suzanne Somers and Leigh Anne Tuohy (the Woman whom The Blind Side was based upon), takes place at Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Tickets range from $183 (General) to $476 (VIP with access to Luncheon).  Ouch.  

Click here for more information on the event.

THE OSCARS 2010: A QUICK RECAP

We're all strapped for time, so here's the Oscars recapped for those of you who missed it.

• Mo'Nique was absolutely no surprise in winning Best Supporting Actress for Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire.  She delivered  a poignant speech thanking the Academy for not letting politics decide her fate and basing the award on merit.  Hardly modest, but the audience would seem to have agreed with her as they gave her a standing ovation.  The film also won the Best Adapted Screenplay award.
• Dapper German actor Christoph Waltz won for his terrifying turn in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, being the subject of hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin's Nazi jokes.  Expect his career to take off in North America soon.
• Designer and A Single Man director Tom Ford looked the gold standard in handsome.  I'm anxious to see what's to come next from him after such a strong reception to his first and only film.
• Sarah Jessica Parker arrived on the Red Carpet with husband Matthew Broderick looking like an Avatar character with her fluorescent blue eyes. The Grecian Goddess look constructed by Tom Ford, just didn't work for her and she looked over-tanned.  Broderick later paid tribute with Molly Ringwald (the original Lindsay Lohan) to the late great director John Hughes (Home Alone, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club).
• Helen Mirren looked stunning in a gray Badgley Mischka number.  It didn't even matter that she wasn't a serious contender for Best Lead Actress.

SANDRA BULLOCK ACCEPTS RAZZIE AWARD FOR WORST ACTRESS

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for Sandra Bullock who attended the annual Golden Raspberry Awards (The Razzies) at Barnsdall Theatre in Los Angeles on the eve of The Oscars.  Bullock graciously accepted the Worst Actress award for her performance in All About Steve in which she plays single and tactless Crossword Puzzlemaker Mary Horowitz.  Bullock told the Associated Press, “I think this is an extraordinary award....and I didn’t realize that, in Hollywood, all you had to do was say you’d show up, and then you’d get the award. If I’d known that, I would have said I was appearing at the Oscars a long time ago."

But 2009 was also a fantastic year for Bullock who had two massive blockbuster hits in The Proposal and The Blind Side, the latter in which she is favoured to win her first Oscar tonight.  She was nominated for Golden Globe Awards for both those films also by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  If Bullock were to win tonight she would be following in the footsteps of Halle Barry who was the last actress to win that illusive Oscar/Razzie double for her performance in Monster's Ball, and then the clunker known as Catwoman. Not an easy feat to accomplish by any means.  Good luck Sandra, the Mavenati are all rooting for you!

Click here to view a full list of winners at last night's Razzie Awards.  (Photo credit: Associated Press)

THE OSCARS RACE 2010: A DRAMA BASED ON A DRAMA | FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Check out some of these recently-released For Your Consideration pieces submitted by studios to Academy voters leading up to the Oscars. The ceremony will be televised Sunday, March 7, 2010 8 PM EST on CBS.  More of these pieces can be found on one of my favourite blogs, Awards Daily.

Best Picture favourite The Hurt Locker has raised a few eyebrows with some controversy surrounding one of its four producers, Nicolas Chartier who personally e-mailed a number of Academy voters in January urging they "not to vote for a $500 million film" (Avatar). This of course is a flagrant violation of Academy guidelines which prohibit competitors from "casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film".  Needless to say, his invitation is now "magically" lost in the mail. How's that for drama based on a Drama?  

God, I love Hollywood!

THE NEW YORK TIMES PORTRAITS: THE BEST PERFORMANCES OF 2009

 

The New York Times has released their annual portraits for The Best Performances of 2009 and they are absolutely gorgeous.  The series was photographed by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.  These are just a few of the many portraits featured on their website right now.  Seen above are Tobey Maguire & Jake Gyllenhaal (Brothers), a barely recognizable Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Sam Worthington & Zoe Saldana (Avatar), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), Penélope Cruz & Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine), and Colin Firth & Julianne Moore (A Single Man).  Impeccable.

A FASHIONABLE LOOK AT SUPER BOWL 2010: PICKING A WINNER

VS. 

I know nothing about American Football other than what I've seen in Remember the Titans or The Blind Side, but I do know that today is Super Bowl Sunday.  So after having compiled some extensive research together, I am left to my own devices in picking this year's winner...  based on their uniforms!

Above to the left is the Indianapolis Colts' uniform, comprised of royal blue and white.  It is noble and masculine, popping out against that red carpet of green turf; conservative like the Mid-West they represent.  The New Orleans Saints seen above to the right however, are a vision of glamour in black and shimmery gold.  And they know it.  Just look at Reggie Bush, boyfriend of heiress Kim Kardashian working it. 

So if I were to pick a winner based on uniforms alone, I'd pick the Saints by a landslide in this fashion show of a Super Bowl 2010.  We'll soon see....  A winner must always look the part, don't you agree? And really, who isn't rooting for New Orleans after the rough ride they've had?

OSCARS 2010 NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED: A BATTLE OF THE SEXES AND THE EXES

The 2010 Oscar nominations were announced this morning and not only will this year be a Battle of the Sexes, but also a Battle of the Exes.  Director James Cameron (Avatar) will be going head-to-head with his former wife Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) in major categories like Best Director and Best Picture.  Each director garnered an astounding nine nominations. 

For the time ever, the format of the Best Picture category has been ammended to include ten films this year.  This year's nominees include:  Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air, Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, The Blind Side and District 9.  Although my heart leans towards The Blind Side as a personal favourite, in all probability this will be Avatar's year.

Finalists in the Best Actor category are: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker).  Make no mistake about it, it's all about Bridges in this category.

Nominees for Best Actress are: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) and Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia).  I think most of my readers will agree as per a recent poll here, that this will be Bullock's year.

CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN, SANDRA BULLOCK!

Sandra Bullock is absolutely killing it this year.  Fresh off yet another win at this weekend's Screen Actor's Guild Awards for Best Actress in The Blind Side, she is now the clear favourite to win the Oscar for Best Actress, with that predictive Golden Globes-Screen Actor's Guild double.  This is just what the world needs to see right now.  The message of hope through true hard work and humility.  We love you, Sandra.  You're an inspiration!

I am also excited to hear the cast of Glee in winning the Best Ensemble Cast in a comedy television series.  Well-deserved. Still waiting on those upcoming tour details.

The results in the motion picture acting categories were an exact duplication of the Golden Globes awards, however a Best Ensemble Award was given to the cast of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.  Don't forget to check out these pics I got from the Toronto premiere of that film this past August.  Let me tell you, Tarantino is a class act.  A truly gracious spirit who loves his fans. Despite a very hectic schedule that day, he made sure to give each and every fan who wanted to meet him, his undivided attention.

For a full listing of winners from the Screen Actor's Guild awards, click here.

THE GOLDEN GLOBES: A QUICK RECAP

Congratulations to the cast of Glee, The Hangover, Mad Men and Avatar, in addition to Sandra Bullock, Drew Barrymore, Mo'nique, Meryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, who were among the big winners from the 2010 Golden Globe Awards tonight at The Beverly Hilton. 

There were no real surprises tonight other than I'd say, Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes) and Bridges (Crazy Heart) winning for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy and Drama respectively.  Many were banking on George Clooney (Up In The Air) winning in the latter category.   Mo'nique was pretty much a shoe-in for her performance in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire and you can expect the same result a the upcoming Oscars. And true to form, Bullock was humble and gracious in accepting her award for The Blind Side, acknowledging that she is not the most talented actress in accepting her award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama.  This win definitely solidifies her chances at a possible Oscar win, although we will only know the list of nominees when they are announced February 2, 2010.

And guess what?  You, my Mavenati, guessed correctly in a recent survey posted here on who would win in Bullock's category.  Way to go!  Streep also had some of her fellow nominees like Marion Cotillard in tears during her speech in accepting her award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy for Julie & Julia.  A true class act.

View some fantastic photos from this evening's rainy red carpet.  The ladies below looked absolutely amazing, particulary Kate Hudson and Sandra Bullock in purple.  Despite appearing under-dressed, Julia Roberts looked chic in a simple black number accessorized with a showpiece necklace.  Once again, Lea Michele from Glee is proving that she belongs with the best of them, after dazzling in red recently at the People's Choice Awards.

For a full list of winners, visit The Hollywood Foreign Press Assocation's official website here.  (Photo credit: Getty Images)

THE BLIND SIDE: FACTOR OR NON-FACTOR?

You're probably well aware that I am a huge fan of the film The Blind Side if you've been following my blog.  There is some debate building around the film right now in whether or not it will be a factor at the Oscars.  Commercially it is a smash success already making $186 million to-date and critically, the consensus is favourable.  However, family-oriented sports dramas generally don't gain the respect of the Academy and this is the issue.  I for one, feel the film is one of the year's best, and I've seen most of the contenders other than The Hurt Locker.

To date the film itself has failed to receive any nominations in any of the precursor award ceremonies leading up to the Oscars.  Sandra Bullock in the very least continues to bring in the nominations for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, garnering nods in the important Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards.

ABC will be airing an hour-long special this Friday, January 1, 2010 on 20/20 at 8 PM EST all about The Blind Side, in a perfectly-timed push to sway some attention its way for Best Picture consideration.  The special will feature interviews with Tuohy and Michael Oher, whom the film centers around, and the film's cast members.  Should be interesting.

ALIEN ATTACK

It's pretty clear which film would top the Box Office this weekend. Opening in 3,400 theatres, James Cameron's Avatar slaughtered its competition taking, in $73 million. Worldwide, the 20th Century Fox film made an outstanding $232 million, almost recouping half of its rumoured $500 million budget as the most expensive film to be made ever. Read my review of it here.

Last week's top film Buena Vista's The Princess and The Frog, slips to second with $12.2 million and Warner Bros.' The Blind Side continues to impress in third, earning $10 million in its fifth week near the top.

Did You Hear About The Morgans the only other new film to open in the Top Ten, debuting in fourth with $7 million. The Sony Pictures film starring Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant continues to get disastrous reviews, earning back only an eighth of its lofty $58 million budget.

Oscar Best Picture contender Up in the Air continues to pull is some stellar numbers, coming in eighth this weekend with $3.1 million, only screening in limited release at 175 theatres.

Next week's tally should be interesting with all the amazing Christmas Day blockbuster releases arriving like It's Complicated, Nine, Sherlock Holmes and Alvin and The Chipmunks II.

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Up in the Air and Glee lead this year's pack of Golden Globe Awards nominees. The former garnered a total six nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in the motion picture categories, while the latter earned four in the television categories. Following closely behind Up in the Air with five nods is Rob Marshall's musical Nine, due in theatres on Christmas Day, while James Cameron's Avatar got four. Golden Globe darlings including 30 Rock, Mad Men and Big Love all earned three nominations behind Glee.

The motion picture acting categories are highly competitive this year and notably, personal favourites Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep each received two nominations. Bullock is nominated for her stellar performance in The Blind Side (Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama) and also The Proposal (Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy). Meryl Streep will be competing against herself for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy with Julie & Julia and the soon to be released It's Complicated; her 24th and 25th Golden Globe nominations and surely just two of many more to come.

The match for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama is heated one with some really evenly-matched nominees including George Clooney (Up in the Air), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), Tobey Maguire (Brothers) and Jeff Bridges (A Crazy Heart). The same can be said about the very competitive Best Supporting Actress category which will be pitting Mo'Nique (Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire), Pénelope Cruz (Nine), Julianne Moore (A Single Man) and co-stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air).

THE PRINCESS AND THE RUGBY BALL

Timed perfectly for a holiday release, Buena Vista's The Princess and The Frog hit theatres with a bang this weekend at top spot, earning $27.9 million from 4,800 screens. The film features the voices of Terrence Howard, Oprah Winfrey and Anika Noni Rose, whom many of you might remember from Dreamgirls.

Two Warner Bros. sports-dramas occupy the second and third slot respectively, with excellent The Blind Side which topped the Box Office last week slipping to number two this weekend. Clint Eastwood-directed Invictus opened in third and has been getting excellent reviews. Check out my review of it here.

There isn't much else new to report this weekend with very few movies opening. After many weeks in the Top Ten now, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, A Christmas Carol and 2012 still hang on strong in fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.

BUZZ FOR BULLOCK

Alas, quality prevails! Warner Bros.' The Blind Side continues to roll ahead of its competition with its positive buzz, putting it at the top of the Box Office this weekend, raking in $20 million. As reviewed here previously, the film is an absolute gem and I recommend it highly. There is actually quite a bit of Oscar buzz generating for Sandra Bullock's career-best performance here and I for one would love to see her get rewarded for her work on this film. After having seen many of the other contenders in the Best Female Lead Actress race, I am confident that she is a front-runner.

Of course, that teen vampire flick is still making more many than I could ever imagine in a lifetime, after a two-week reign. Despite a 63% slip from last week, it is still doing well enough to hang on for second with $15.7 million.

Brothers from Lionsgate Films, starring an incredible cast of Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire debuts in third with a $9.7 million take. Read my review of the film here.

Hunky Matt Dillon has two films in the Top Five with Buena Vista's comedy Old Dogs in fifth at $6.9 million, bringing its total to $33 million, almost recouping its $35 million production budget. Dillon's other film, Sony Screen Gems' Armored placed sixth in its opening weekend with $6.6 million. The action-drama film also stars Laurence Fishburne.

Miramax Films' Everybody's Fine opened in tenth spot with $4 million in ticket sales. As reviewed earlier, the Robert De Niro headlined film is worth a watch. Also worthy of a mention is Paramount Pictures' Up In The Air directed/written by Jason Reitman (Juno) and starring George Clooney, which opened in only 15 theatres this weekend in 13th spot. The Oscar contender, which I reviewed back in September during TIFF, is getting lots of buzz in the Best Picture and Best Lead Actor categories.

Surprisingly running out of steam already is Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. The film drops to twlefth spot, with a take of $2.3 million in its fifth week in theatres.

REVIEW: THE BLIND SIDE

Let me start off by saying that I know nothing about football - English and American. When I heard that Sandra Bullock had a new football-themed film coming out, I was neither here nor there about seeing it. However, after the great reviews kept pouring in for screenwriter/director John Lee Hancock's The Blind Side, I could deny it no more.

This film is based on the true story of gargantuan Baltimore Ravens Offensive Left Tackle (whatever that means!) Michael Oher, who came from an impoverished upbringing in Memphis. He was given an opportunity to attend a private school based on his physical potential to be a football player. He is played by unknown actor Quinton Aaron with great sensibility. Watching him progress from a state of silent vulnerability to a young man who finds his own voice, is an unforgetable experience. Right away, I found myself rooting for this unlikely hero from start to finish.

Oher is taken-in by wealthy couple, Leigh Ann and Sean Tuohy, played by Bullock and country mega-star Tim McGraw, who are responsible for turning his life around. Although, McGraw is still earning his mark in Hollywood as a bona fide actor, I have always found Bullock a fine actress. It is her choice of roles which have both boosted her commercial popularity, yet hindered her critical success at the same time. Let's be real - films like Miss Congeniality and The Proposal just aren't going to get Oscars push. This film however, is Bullock's Erin Brokovitch and it would be a shame if her name was not at least thrown around come awards season because she is incredible as Tuohy. She commands each scene with a no-nonsense attitude and her unconditional love for her family, including Oher, leaves you walking away from the movie wanting to be a better person. In fact, I saw a kid who didn't have enough money to pay for his candy at Metro afterwards and I dug into my pocket and spotted him $3.00 for his Gummy Bears. Yes, Bullock is that deeply affecting here.

BUFF VAMPIRES 1, AWFUL DISASTER FLICK 0

So apparently there's some obscure, low-budget film called The Twilight Saga: New Moon out and it did just okay this weekend. Just kidding. tee-hee. The Summit Entertainment film actually did more than okay. In fact, it shattered the all-time record for biggest opening day ever for a film, earning $72.7 alone on Friday night. The previous record holder for biggest opening day film was The Dark Knight at $67.2 million. The Twilight Saga: New Moon's overall tally was a jaw-dropping $140.7 million this past weekend, proving that people really do want to see a bunch of shirtless, buff guys speaking really monotone for two hours.

Warner Bros.' sports drama The Blind Side starring Box Office sweetheart Sandra Bullock, was a distant second, earning an outstanding $34.5 million, which would place it well ahead of its competition on any other weekend. Although I'm sure many of these ticket sales were a result of movie-goers not being able to get in to see New Moon, thus resorting to an alternative. The film's reviews are actually quite positive overall, so my interest has been peaked.

The terrible 2012 which dominated last weekend, experienced a dramatic slip in dropping to third spot at a still impressive $26.5 million. The film was so awful I refuse to devote any mor....

Sony/Columbia Pictures' animated feature Planet 51 also made a noteworthy debut this weekend in fourth place, taking in $12.6 million, which would likely mean a significant loss for the studio. The film features the voices of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, The Mac Guy - Justin Long and Jessica Biel and the reviews are scathing generally.

Word-of-mouth continues to spread about Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire pulling in $11 million from just 627 theatres alone, landing it in sixth spot. In limited release alone, it has made $21.4 million in three weeks, which is more than many movies will make in a theatrical run. The reviews continue to get better and better and critical consensus site Rotten Tomatoes now has the film at an overwhelmingly positive 91% rating, making it one of the best rated films of 2009. It is the one to beat in the match for Best Picture at the 2010 Oscars.