Blog Stage - Acting in Film, TV, Theatre - Backstage

That's a Wrap!

Well, another awards season comes to a close. In case you missed the news, you can check out the full list of Spirit Awards winners here and Oscar winners here. As expected, "The Artist" took Best Picture and there's already been a lot of grumbling about America giving it's top movie prize to a film made by foreigners. (Never mind that it was set and shot right here in Los Angeles.) You can read my opinion of the show overall--mainly my criticism of Billy Crystal--here.  But a few final thoughts.

All season long, I've been bemoaning the snub of the brilliant Michael Shannon in "Take Shelter," and finally just started referring to the Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin as NotMichaelShannon. Which is just me being silly--Dujardin was wonderful in "The Artist" and he bested some of the stiffest competition I've ever seen--namely two American film icons (George Clooney and Brad Pitt), a man widely regarded as the best actor working today (Gary Oldman), and an up-and-coming underdog (Demian Bichir.) He obviously did a magnificent job and I couldn't be happier for him.

Also, who couldn't be happy for Christopher Plummer winning Best Supporting Actor? The guy is brilliant, pure class, and as my friends all decided last night, still damn sexy.

A little disappointed Viola Davis didn't win Best Actress, but it's hard to argue with Meryl Streep winning the award. I do wonder if criticism surrounding "The Help" made it easier for people to vote for Streep, but that's probably not fair to Meryl, who truly was wonderful in "The Iron Lady."

And such criticism didn't hurt Best Supporting Actress winner Octavia Spencer, who also received the night's first standing ovation from the crowd. As you may know, I can't pretend to be unbiased about Spencer, who has been a friend since 2005. We called her win over a year ago--when she was still shooting the movie. See further evidence in our pride in a few of the pieces we've done on her:  the first interview she ever did in 2005, last year's cover story, a dialogue with her and Allison Janney for our 50th Anniversary issue, and did we mention she used to be a columnist for us?  It has been a joy watching her steal the spotlight this year--no one is more deserving or has handled it better.

And Spencer is really what Oscar night is all about--a year ago, most people didn't know her name. She earned a sought-after role with her talent and won over audiences with a charm and charisma that is unique only to her. It's all a dream come true, and so is she.

--Jenelle Riley

 

 

Livetweeting the Spirit Awards/Oscars

Well, it's finally here: Oscar weekend! Note that I will be live-tweeting the Spirit Awards ceremony tomorrow from the actual event and the Oscar ceremony from a viewing party at both the Back Stage and my own Twitter accounts.

For the big day, check out the official Oscar schedule here--note that many places say the festivities start at 4 pm PST, but there's a pre-show. The actual ceremony starts at 5:30 pm PST.And if you want to know where the parties are, check here.

As for final predictions....let's say the frontrunners are "The Artist" for Best Picture, Best Director Michel Hazanavicius and Best Actor Jean Dujardin, Viola Davis for Best Actress and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress from "The Help," and Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting actor from "Beginners." Those are pretty safe bets. However, things have not been this close in years in the Best Actor category and this year feels prime for some big surprises, so be sure to watch!

--Jenelle Riley

Oscars To be Sacha Baron Cohen-free

Update! According to THR, Sacha Baron Cohen is allowed to attend, just not as The Dictator. Insert "so now the only dictator present will be _______" joke here.

This just in from Deadline Hollywood: Sacha Baron Cohen will not be presenting at this year's Oscars. In fact, he won't even be attending: His tickets to the event have been rescinded. Earlier this week, word got out that Cohen--who is known for playing characters like Ali G., Borat, and Bruno--wanted to attend in the guise of General Aladeen, his character in the upcoming film "The Dictator." So the "Hugo" star had his tickets pulled.

Honestly, it's the Academy's loss. Something cutting-edge and unpredictable might have livened things up a bit, but I guess this Oscar broadcast has already had enough drama with it's rotating producers and hosts to last the year. Instead, let's relive the moment Cohen--as Bruno--landed on Eminem's lap at the MTV Movie Awards (after the jump.)

--Jenelle Riley

Eye on the BAFTA Awards

The BAFTA Awards are being held this Sunday--for those who don't like acronyms, that's the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. And why should we in America care? Well, aside from the fact it's hosted by the wonderfully clever Stephen Fry, it turns out a lot of BAFTA voters are also Academy voters. So this figures prominently into figuring out who the ever-changing front-runner for Best Actor is. Many think hometown fave Gary Oldman will score a win for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," thus putting him firmly in the race. Or George Clooney could pick it up for "The Descendants," putting him back at the forefront. But if SAG Award winner Jean Dujardin takes it for "The Artist"...well, the race is probably over.

The show is airing on BBC1, but if you live in the States, you can catch highlights of the show here.

--Jenelle Riley

Jean Dujardin's Upcoming Roles...

Jean Dujardin's Villain Auditions from Jean Dujardin

This is fantastic...and shows what a good sense of humor Jean Dujardin has about himself and his future in Hollywood. Since "The Artist" hit the festival circuit, people (myself included) have been asking Dujardin if he was going to go Hollywood. His answer has always been along the lines of "If the right role comes along..." (His specific quote to me from the Toronto Film Festival: ""Doing an American film is not an aim itself. But if there are some good proposals that come my way, I would be open to it. It all depends on the material.")

At a Q&A with Dujardin last week, I mentioned many people thought he would make a great Bond villian. To which I added, "Forget the bad guy--you should be James Bond!" Dujardin laughed, arched an eyebrow, and said: "The French James Bond. Jean Bond."

--Jenelle Riley

Oscar Nominees Class of 2012: Max Von Sydow Best in Show

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Everyone was in attendance for yesterday's Oscar nominees luncheon, which Kenneth Branagh described as "a bit like graduation"--everyone's name is called and they walk up to accept their certificate. It's interesting to see who garners the biggest response every year. Last year, the loudest round of applause went to Annette Bening, who ultimately lost the Oscar to Natalie Portman. This year, it was Max Von Sydow who got the most cheers--though it should be noted his competition, Christopher Plummer, was not in attendance.

I actually had the pleasure of hosting a Q&A with Von Sydow last night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, following a screening of "The Seventh Seal" and preceding a screening of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." And I have to say, it was like being near The Beatles. The packed house was beyond enthusiastic, and autograph seekers were packed by the back door, waiting for him to emerge. It was one of the most aggressive groups I'd ever seen. In the Q&A, Von Sydow was witty and charming, revealing the roles he had the most difficulty with (both were men of God--Father Merrin in "The Exorcist" and Jesus Himself in "The Greatest Story Ever Told"). Of course, the audience had it's share of "Flash Gordon" fans; one gentleman stood up and proclaimed: "I've been waiting 30 years to say this to you: 'Hail Ming!' " And Von Sydow even quoted lines from "Hannah and Her Sisters." Which prompted me to then say: "Now do 'The Exorcist!' Come on, just one 'the power of Christ compels you!' " Fortunately, he laughed.

Full class picture after the jump!

--Jenelle Riley

'The SMASH Project'

I don't know who John Walton West is, but I hope to be hearing more from him in the future after checking out his hilarious short "The SMASH Project." In this parody of "The Glee Project," five Broadway stars compete for a role in new NBC series "Smash," which premieres tonight. West clearly knows his stuff, making quick references to things like Brian Stokes Mitchell's upcoming "Glee" appearance and Norbert Leo Butz's failed HBO pilot "The Miraculous Year." Look for other little gems--Matthew Broderick's cell phone ring is my personal favorite. And I don't know many people who have attempted a Mandy Patinkin impersonation, but West does it brilliantly.

--Jenelle Riley

Daniel Radcliffe Cover Story

This week's issue features Daniel Radcliffe on the cover, talking about his first post-"Harry Potter" movie, "The Woman in Black, " which opens today. You can read the full interview here. Radcliffe was a delight to talk to, very self-aware and self-deprecating. I made sure to compliment him on his recent gig hosting "Saturday Night Live," particularly my favorite sketch--"You Can Do Anything!" His favorite bit, for the record, was playing Casey Anthony's dog on "Weekend Update."

Anyway, about "The Woman in Black." It's a spooky little film, and Radcliffe proves he can handle carrying a film without wielding a wand. He's definitely the real deal, and has a bright future. I'd never read the book upon which the film is based, or seen the play, which has been running in London longer than Radcliffe has been alive! As it turns out, neither has Radcliffe.  "I didn’t go on that particular school trip," he joked, noting, " Everybody in this country that I know who  has seen it were with their school when they saw it." He added that he couldn't see the play when he knew he was doing the role because "I know copy is a default setting for me, so I like to stay away from other people’s interpretation of things I know I’m going to be doing." However, now that the film is done, he says, "I will probably go and see it now, because I can."

I'll be curious to see how his film does this weekend, because Radcliffe deserves to have a career beyond The Boy Who Lived. If for no other reason that we don't end up seeing a sequel like this.

--Jenelle Riley

 

George v. Brad: Making the Rounds

For quite some time, we were lead to believe this year's Best Actor contest was a two-man race between Golden Boys George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Then Jean Dujardin crashed the party with his recent SAG win, and now everything's up in the air. So now we find both Clooney and Pitt out and about, campaigning. Pitt's been in New York to, amongst other things, tape an episode of "Inside the Actors Studio," and made time to stop in and visit Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show." And George sat down with EW's Dave Karger in this clip to discuss "The Descendants." Both are, of course, charming and lovely, making this race all the more interesting.

--Jenelle Riley

Jean Dujardin Continues His Charm Offensive

Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Last night, I had the pleasure of moderating a Q&A with Jean Dujardin, the ridiculously charming star of "The Artist," who bested the likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt to win Outstanding Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture--oh, for God's sake, can we just say Best Actor??? It was a bit of a surprise win, as Clooney was the perceived front-runner, but not so shocking to anyone who knows how much actor love the movie and Dujardin, who plays silent film star George Valentin.

I've talked to Dujardin before; you can see video clips of the Back Stage event we did here and a full video of the SAG Foundation Q&A with him and co-stars James Cromwell and Missi Pyle here. Last night he was his usual delightful self, although he confessed to being exhausted. That didn't stop him from sticking around long after the Q&A was done to talk to and take photos with the crowd, many of whom confessed to having seen the film up to five times.

Asked what the most difficult part of making "The Artist" was, Dujardin had two answers. First, was the tap dancing he had to learn for the final scene of the movie. They did the number 17 times for the camera, all as one long take, and he admitted to downing a giant energy drink midway through the day. His second answer was pretty funny; he discussed how, because it was a silent film, the dog trainer was able to shout directions to Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier playing Valentin's companion. This was sometimes distracting, particularly in a scene where Valentin contemplates suicide and puts a gun in his mouth. He revealed,  "It was hard to stay in the moment when I had someone behind me shouting, 'Up, Uggie, up!' 'Shut up!' "

Dujardin also revealed how he learned about his recent Oscar nomination; he, director Michel Hazanavicius and co-star Berenice Bejo were all together in a hotel room watching the announcement. And, he noted, "we cheered after every nomination!"

--Jenelle Riley