The 23rd European Film Awards: The Winners
The European Film Academy Awards, the European equivalent of the Oscars, were handed out Saturday in Estonia:
EUROPEAN FILM 2010
THE GHOST WRITER, France/Germany/UK
directed by Roman Polanski
written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2010
Roman Polanski for THE GHOST WRITER
EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2010
Sylvie Testud in LOURDES
EUROPEAN ACTOR 2010
Ewan McGregor in THE GHOST WRITER
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for THE GHOST WRITER
CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2010
Giora Bejach for LEBANON
EUROPEAN EDITOR 2010
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for CARLOS
EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2010
Albrecht Konrad for THE GHOST WRITER
EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2010
Alexandre Desplat for THE GHOST WRITER
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2010- Prix FIPRESCI
LEBANON, Israel/Germany/France
written & directed by Samuel Maoz
produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik & Illan Girard
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY - Prix ARTE 2010
NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ (Nostalgia for the Light), France/Germany/Chile
Directed by Patricio Guzmán
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2010
THE ILLUSIONIST by Sylvain Chomet
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2010
HANOI - WARSZAWA (Hanoi – Warsaw), Poland
by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz
EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES 2010
Zeynep Özbatur Atakan, producer
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Bruno Ganz, actor
EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2010
Gabriel Yared, composer
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD for Best European Film 2010
MR. NOBODYwritten and directed by Jaco van Dormael
produced by Philippe Godeau
Here, is a list of nominees and my review of The Ghost Writer.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Review: "Requiem for a Dream" is Perhaps the Best Picture of 2000
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 59 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux
Requiem for a Dream (2000) – NC-17 version
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for intense depiction of drug addiction, graphic sexuality, strong language, and some violence (edited version)
DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky
WRITERS: Hubert Selby, Jr. and Darren Aronofsky (from the by Hubert Selby, Jr.)
PRODUCERS: Eric Watson and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique
EDITOR: Jay Rabinowitz
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/CRIME with elements of horror
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Ajay Naidu, Te’ron A. O’Neal, Denise Dowse, and Keith David
With films like Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Traffic taking all the attention in 2000, it was easy for a far superior work of cinematic art to get lost, but hopefully serious film watchers will discover Darren Aronofsky’s brilliantly filmed tale, Requiem for a Dream, on home video and DVD. Like Ang Lee’s work in Crouching Tiger, Aronofsky’s effort in his film is a dizzying achievement of directorial achievement, though on a smaller scale.
The film follows four drug addicts living in Brighton Beach, in the shadow of the crumbling Coney Island amusement park. A mother, her son, and his two friends find their drug-induced utopias slowly destroyed, as their addictions grow stronger. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely television-obsessed widow, who gets a call that she has a chance to be a game show contestant. Determined to fit in the red dress she wore to her son’s high school graduation (when her husband was still alive and seemingly the last time the family publicly showed a happy face), she sees a doctor about loosing weight in 30 days. He gives her three prescriptions, a mixture of speed and downers. Initially, Sara can’t adjust to what the speed does to her, but she soon adjusts to the jittery feelings it gives her. However, when her body adjusts and starts to crave the high, she begins to take too many of the pills. Before, all her anxieties (growing older, grieving for her late husband, worrying about her son’s life, loneliness, etc.) and her increasing dependency on drugs cause her to go over the edge mentally.
Meanwhile, Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), and his best pal Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) are taking heroin and cocaine. Harry and Tyrone also start to make a lot of money dealing drugs, but a gang war dries up the dope supply and drives up the prices, making it difficult for the trio to get their fix. That in turn drives each of them to the depths of their souls and into the bowels of a cruel society that exploits their need.
The four leads are simple incredible; this is career defining work. Ms. Burstyn opens her soul to absorb the text and transforms it into a character that emits truth. Then, even more difficult, she has to bare her soul to the viewer, and her performance is so fierce and the character’s situation so scary that the combination could scorch your soul. Any Caucasian actor that would have given the kind of performance that Marlon Wayans gives here would have had the pick of heavyweight dramatic roles offered to him after Requiem; instead, filmgoers can only see him in lowbrow comedies. Jennifer Connelly also comes into her own here. She’s eventually win an Oscar for her supporting role in A Beautiful Mind, but Requiem was where she showed her ability to deliver in intense dramas. Jared Leto, as usual, shows how passionate he is about acting, especially building a character. He eats up the screen, and his presence is like sunburst on film.
Aronofsky and his collaborators used a number of in-camera effects with digital special effects, special cameras, and editing technique to create a world of drug addiction, hard core criminal activity, and institutional callous cruelty that is real as the flesh on your bones. However, Aronofsky isn’t alone in his talents. There are any number of great directors and skilled filmmakers who use tricks and techniques to make visually appealing, surprising, and shocking films. What makes this work stand out is that Aronofsky went to great limits to make you feel. Thus, you’ll love it or hate because Aronofsky pushes you inside Requiem for a Dream, and you can’t sit back. The viewer has to be involved, and he or she has to care. A viewer has no choice but to have a strong feeling by what he or she experiences via this truly engaging and gripping movie.
10 of 10
NOTES:
2001 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Ellen Burstyn)
2001 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Marlon Wayans)
2001 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Ellen Burstyn)
Requiem for a Dream (2000) – NC-17 version
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for intense depiction of drug addiction, graphic sexuality, strong language, and some violence (edited version)
DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky
WRITERS: Hubert Selby, Jr. and Darren Aronofsky (from the by Hubert Selby, Jr.)
PRODUCERS: Eric Watson and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique
EDITOR: Jay Rabinowitz
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/CRIME with elements of horror
Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald, Louise Lasser, Ajay Naidu, Te’ron A. O’Neal, Denise Dowse, and Keith David
With films like Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Traffic taking all the attention in 2000, it was easy for a far superior work of cinematic art to get lost, but hopefully serious film watchers will discover Darren Aronofsky’s brilliantly filmed tale, Requiem for a Dream, on home video and DVD. Like Ang Lee’s work in Crouching Tiger, Aronofsky’s effort in his film is a dizzying achievement of directorial achievement, though on a smaller scale.
The film follows four drug addicts living in Brighton Beach, in the shadow of the crumbling Coney Island amusement park. A mother, her son, and his two friends find their drug-induced utopias slowly destroyed, as their addictions grow stronger. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely television-obsessed widow, who gets a call that she has a chance to be a game show contestant. Determined to fit in the red dress she wore to her son’s high school graduation (when her husband was still alive and seemingly the last time the family publicly showed a happy face), she sees a doctor about loosing weight in 30 days. He gives her three prescriptions, a mixture of speed and downers. Initially, Sara can’t adjust to what the speed does to her, but she soon adjusts to the jittery feelings it gives her. However, when her body adjusts and starts to crave the high, she begins to take too many of the pills. Before, all her anxieties (growing older, grieving for her late husband, worrying about her son’s life, loneliness, etc.) and her increasing dependency on drugs cause her to go over the edge mentally.
Meanwhile, Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto), his girlfriend Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), and his best pal Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans) are taking heroin and cocaine. Harry and Tyrone also start to make a lot of money dealing drugs, but a gang war dries up the dope supply and drives up the prices, making it difficult for the trio to get their fix. That in turn drives each of them to the depths of their souls and into the bowels of a cruel society that exploits their need.
The four leads are simple incredible; this is career defining work. Ms. Burstyn opens her soul to absorb the text and transforms it into a character that emits truth. Then, even more difficult, she has to bare her soul to the viewer, and her performance is so fierce and the character’s situation so scary that the combination could scorch your soul. Any Caucasian actor that would have given the kind of performance that Marlon Wayans gives here would have had the pick of heavyweight dramatic roles offered to him after Requiem; instead, filmgoers can only see him in lowbrow comedies. Jennifer Connelly also comes into her own here. She’s eventually win an Oscar for her supporting role in A Beautiful Mind, but Requiem was where she showed her ability to deliver in intense dramas. Jared Leto, as usual, shows how passionate he is about acting, especially building a character. He eats up the screen, and his presence is like sunburst on film.
Aronofsky and his collaborators used a number of in-camera effects with digital special effects, special cameras, and editing technique to create a world of drug addiction, hard core criminal activity, and institutional callous cruelty that is real as the flesh on your bones. However, Aronofsky isn’t alone in his talents. There are any number of great directors and skilled filmmakers who use tricks and techniques to make visually appealing, surprising, and shocking films. What makes this work stand out is that Aronofsky went to great limits to make you feel. Thus, you’ll love it or hate because Aronofsky pushes you inside Requiem for a Dream, and you can’t sit back. The viewer has to be involved, and he or she has to care. A viewer has no choice but to have a strong feeling by what he or she experiences via this truly engaging and gripping movie.
10 of 10
NOTES:
2001 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Ellen Burstyn)
2001 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Marlon Wayans)
2001 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Ellen Burstyn)
---------------------------
The National Board of Review Chooses "The Social Network"
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, which is made up of film enthusiasts, academics, students, and filmmakers, historically launches the movie awards season. The named the winners for the year 2010, this past Thursday, December 2. This year, they gave the "Best Picture of the Year" award to The Social Network.
Below is the full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review for 2010:
Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere
William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin
NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island
Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material
Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt
See this list at http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/2010NBRAwardsAnnounced.cfm
Visit this group at http://www.nbrmp.org/
Below is the full list of the awards given by the National Board of Review for 2010:
Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Best Actress: Lesley Manville, Another Year
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom
Best Foreign Language Film: Of Gods and Men
Best Documentary: Waiting for "Superman"
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Ensemble Cast: The Town
Breakthrough Performance: Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Best Directorial Debut: Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington, Restrepo
Spotlight Award: Sylvain Chomet and Jacques Tati, The Illusionist
Best Original Screenplay: Chris Sparling, Buried
Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network
Special Filmmaking Achievement Award: Sofia Coppola for writing, directing, and producing Somewhere
William K. Everson Film History Award: Leonard Maltin
NBR Freedom of Expression: Fair Game, Conviction, Howl
Production Design Award: Dante Ferretti, Shutter Island
Ten Best Films (in alphabetical order)
Another Year
The Fighter
Hereafter
Inception
The King’s Speech
Shutter Island
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone
Five Best Foreign-Language Films (in alphabetical order)
I Am Love
Incendies
Life, Above All
Soul Kitchen
White Material
Five Best Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
A Film Unfinished
Inside Job
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Restrepo
The Tillman Story
Top Ten Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
Animal Kingdom
Buried
Fish Tank
The Ghost Writer
Greenberg
Let Me In
Monsters
Please Give
Somewhere
Youth in Revolt
See this list at http://www.nbrmp.org/awards/2010NBRAwardsAnnounced.cfm
Visit this group at http://www.nbrmp.org/
Friday, December 3, 2010
Review: "Far From Heaven" is Heavenly (Happy B'day, Julianne Moore)
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 80 (of 2003) by Leroy Douresseaux
Far From Heaven (2002)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, brief violence and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
PRODUCERS: Jody Patton and Christine Vachon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward Lachman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: James Lyons
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein
DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola Davis, James Rebhorn, Ryan Ward, Lindsay Andretta, Jordan Puryear, and Celia Weston
Last year (2002), a number of people thought that mean old Halle Berry had stolen her Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball from Nicole Kidman for Kidman’s performance in the overblown and somewhat empty Moulin Rouge!. This year, Nicole finally received an Oscar for her performance in the tepid and mediocre The Hours, but she may have been the thief this time. Julianne Moore gives a rich and lush performance as a 1950’s era housewife facing a philandering husband and the era’s strict racial and social mores in Todd Haynes’s Far From Heaven, a film that may have touched too close to home for many in Hollywood's hypocritical, closed, and bigoted community.
Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) is the dream housewife living the dream version of the American dream. Her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), has a hot advertising executive job, and together, they have a huge two-story home and two adorable children. They fill their lives with the latest consumer goods, and they throw fancy, catered affairs for their ritzy, upper middle class friends. However, Frank has a skeleton in the closet with him; he’s gay, and he is having an increasingly difficult time suppressing his need to press male flesh. As her marital crisis worsens, Cathy turns to her gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), a strapping hunk of black manhood, for comfort. That relationship doesn’t sit well with cracker and spearchunker alike, and racial tensions, which had been on the down low, simmer and threaten to boil over.
Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) made Far From Heaven a kind of homage to the slick melodramatic films of the 1950’s, in particular the work of director Douglas Sirk. Sirk’s work was ignored for years after his heyday, but he always had a cult following. In the last few decades, many have given his films a more critical and careful review, especially his infamous color remake of the old black and white film, Imitation of Life. Far From Heaven apparently borrows liberally from Sirk’s film, All That Heaven Allows, in which a socialite also falls for her gardener.
Heaven magnificently captures the amazingly rich and colorful look of Technicolor films. It’s like watching a movie from another era, from the impressionistic palette of the photography and the opulent art direction to the lavish costumes and Elmer Bernstein’s fabulous score. It is hard to believe that someone could capture the lost look of the Fifties melodrama, but Haynes ably puts it together.
Haynes’s really impressed me with his script. While he manages to capture the social and personal heat that filmmakers hid under the surface of their films in the 50’s, he also writes a story that revels in and openly mocks the hypocrisy of the supposedly enlightened America of that time. By the 1950’s, the United Stated considered itself the greatest nation on the face of the earth, a land awash in freedom and opportunity, when in reality, freedom and opportunity were simply catch phrases for the powerful sold to the powerless.
Although the film is set in the 1950’s and portrays 50’s era prejudices, the film is perfect for this time, as well as a clear reflection of a past time. Watching Frank Whitaker struggle with his sexuality and watching Cathy and Raymond be persecuted for their friendship, you can’t help but realize that things have not changed. Homosexuality is still taboo today, and many well-known political and public figures still refer to homosexuality as the most heinous sin of all. Interracial friendships of any kind are still call attention to themselves and still cause many people to frown. Today, we give the alleged acceptance of the gay lifestyle and color-blind friendships lip service. However, modern American society is still almost as stuck in the mud as the one portrayed in Heaven.
As good as Haynes and his technical cohorts are in recreating a film that looks like it came from an movie era almost half a century gone, the people who make Far From Heaven more than just a grand technical achievement are the actors. Ms. Moore makes Cathy a charming character, a generous woman with an open heart and a good spirit. She easily rides the good times, but she makes it through the tough; she has to, as we know by the title, that all doesn’t end so very chipper. I was amazed by her performance. She made Cathy’s happiness and satisfaction with her life not just a façade, but the real thing.
So often, middle class housewives are played as secretly unhappy, but Cathy is quiet content; in fact, she adores her life, and she does her best to stay happy even when she encounters difficulty. I’m sure many would consider it politically incorrect to portray a housewife as a strong heroine, fighting to save her marriage, family, and lifestyle Julianne Moore makes you believe; she makes you root for Cathy. She even drew me into the character, so that I felt like I was experiencing every joy, every pain, and every slight that Cathy experienced. What more can one ask of a performer other than that she make you believe and feel?
A lot of people always knew that Dennis Quaid was a very good actor; somehow, a fair assessment of his talent kept getting lost because of his good looks and tomcatting lifestyle. It takes a movie like this and The Rookie to show us what an underrated talent he is. Quaid makes Frank both pathetic and sympathetic – quite complex. He doesn’t allow the viewer to always make an easy assessment of Frank. He’s just a man in a complicated situation fighting his own complications within himself.
Next to Cathy, the best character in this film is Raymond the gardener. He’s a noble Negro full of wisdom, and, at first, that might seem so typical – quiet suffering black man, so strong in the face of silly racism. However, that stereotype is a deliberate creation of Haynes, and Haysbert pulls it off with disarming charm and the knack of a skilled movie thespian. In the kind of film Haynes recreates, Raymond would have been noble, like the God-loving housekeeper in Imitation of Life. Here, the point isn’t his nobility; Raymond simply has to be strong, like Cathy, to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous hypocrites. Somehow, the proper acclaim for Haysbert in this role was nonexistent.
Do you realize that of all the post-season film awards, only the Golden Satellite Awards (as of this writing) recognized Haysbert’s performance with even a nomination (which he also won)? What up? Were (dumb) white critics and voters just too color struck (and dense) to notice the subtlety of both character and performance in Raymond’s case? Or do they feel that awards for Halle and Denzel pretty much take care of awarding darkies for film roles for another decade or so?
Give Far From Heaven a viewing. Not only is it relevant, but it’s quite entertaining with beautiful performances; Julianne Moore’s alone is worth a look. It’s also one of the best films about the culture of class and racial hypocrisy that you’ll ever see.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
2003 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Julianne Moore). “Best Cinematography” (Edward Lachman), “Best Music, Original Score” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Todd Haynes)
2003 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Dennis Haysbert)
2003 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Dennis Quaid), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Julianne Moore), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Todd Haynes)
-------------------------
Far From Heaven (2002)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content, brief violence and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Todd Haynes
PRODUCERS: Jody Patton and Christine Vachon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Edward Lachman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: James Lyons
COMPOSER: Elmer Bernstein
DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert, Patricia Clarkson, Viola Davis, James Rebhorn, Ryan Ward, Lindsay Andretta, Jordan Puryear, and Celia Weston
Last year (2002), a number of people thought that mean old Halle Berry had stolen her Best Actress Oscar for Monster’s Ball from Nicole Kidman for Kidman’s performance in the overblown and somewhat empty Moulin Rouge!. This year, Nicole finally received an Oscar for her performance in the tepid and mediocre The Hours, but she may have been the thief this time. Julianne Moore gives a rich and lush performance as a 1950’s era housewife facing a philandering husband and the era’s strict racial and social mores in Todd Haynes’s Far From Heaven, a film that may have touched too close to home for many in Hollywood's hypocritical, closed, and bigoted community.
Cathy Whitaker (Julianne Moore) is the dream housewife living the dream version of the American dream. Her husband, Frank (Dennis Quaid), has a hot advertising executive job, and together, they have a huge two-story home and two adorable children. They fill their lives with the latest consumer goods, and they throw fancy, catered affairs for their ritzy, upper middle class friends. However, Frank has a skeleton in the closet with him; he’s gay, and he is having an increasingly difficult time suppressing his need to press male flesh. As her marital crisis worsens, Cathy turns to her gardener, Raymond Deagan (Dennis Haysbert), a strapping hunk of black manhood, for comfort. That relationship doesn’t sit well with cracker and spearchunker alike, and racial tensions, which had been on the down low, simmer and threaten to boil over.
Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) made Far From Heaven a kind of homage to the slick melodramatic films of the 1950’s, in particular the work of director Douglas Sirk. Sirk’s work was ignored for years after his heyday, but he always had a cult following. In the last few decades, many have given his films a more critical and careful review, especially his infamous color remake of the old black and white film, Imitation of Life. Far From Heaven apparently borrows liberally from Sirk’s film, All That Heaven Allows, in which a socialite also falls for her gardener.
Heaven magnificently captures the amazingly rich and colorful look of Technicolor films. It’s like watching a movie from another era, from the impressionistic palette of the photography and the opulent art direction to the lavish costumes and Elmer Bernstein’s fabulous score. It is hard to believe that someone could capture the lost look of the Fifties melodrama, but Haynes ably puts it together.
Haynes’s really impressed me with his script. While he manages to capture the social and personal heat that filmmakers hid under the surface of their films in the 50’s, he also writes a story that revels in and openly mocks the hypocrisy of the supposedly enlightened America of that time. By the 1950’s, the United Stated considered itself the greatest nation on the face of the earth, a land awash in freedom and opportunity, when in reality, freedom and opportunity were simply catch phrases for the powerful sold to the powerless.
Although the film is set in the 1950’s and portrays 50’s era prejudices, the film is perfect for this time, as well as a clear reflection of a past time. Watching Frank Whitaker struggle with his sexuality and watching Cathy and Raymond be persecuted for their friendship, you can’t help but realize that things have not changed. Homosexuality is still taboo today, and many well-known political and public figures still refer to homosexuality as the most heinous sin of all. Interracial friendships of any kind are still call attention to themselves and still cause many people to frown. Today, we give the alleged acceptance of the gay lifestyle and color-blind friendships lip service. However, modern American society is still almost as stuck in the mud as the one portrayed in Heaven.
As good as Haynes and his technical cohorts are in recreating a film that looks like it came from an movie era almost half a century gone, the people who make Far From Heaven more than just a grand technical achievement are the actors. Ms. Moore makes Cathy a charming character, a generous woman with an open heart and a good spirit. She easily rides the good times, but she makes it through the tough; she has to, as we know by the title, that all doesn’t end so very chipper. I was amazed by her performance. She made Cathy’s happiness and satisfaction with her life not just a façade, but the real thing.
So often, middle class housewives are played as secretly unhappy, but Cathy is quiet content; in fact, she adores her life, and she does her best to stay happy even when she encounters difficulty. I’m sure many would consider it politically incorrect to portray a housewife as a strong heroine, fighting to save her marriage, family, and lifestyle Julianne Moore makes you believe; she makes you root for Cathy. She even drew me into the character, so that I felt like I was experiencing every joy, every pain, and every slight that Cathy experienced. What more can one ask of a performer other than that she make you believe and feel?
A lot of people always knew that Dennis Quaid was a very good actor; somehow, a fair assessment of his talent kept getting lost because of his good looks and tomcatting lifestyle. It takes a movie like this and The Rookie to show us what an underrated talent he is. Quaid makes Frank both pathetic and sympathetic – quite complex. He doesn’t allow the viewer to always make an easy assessment of Frank. He’s just a man in a complicated situation fighting his own complications within himself.
Next to Cathy, the best character in this film is Raymond the gardener. He’s a noble Negro full of wisdom, and, at first, that might seem so typical – quiet suffering black man, so strong in the face of silly racism. However, that stereotype is a deliberate creation of Haynes, and Haysbert pulls it off with disarming charm and the knack of a skilled movie thespian. In the kind of film Haynes recreates, Raymond would have been noble, like the God-loving housekeeper in Imitation of Life. Here, the point isn’t his nobility; Raymond simply has to be strong, like Cathy, to survive the slings and arrows of outrageous hypocrites. Somehow, the proper acclaim for Haysbert in this role was nonexistent.
Do you realize that of all the post-season film awards, only the Golden Satellite Awards (as of this writing) recognized Haysbert’s performance with even a nomination (which he also won)? What up? Were (dumb) white critics and voters just too color struck (and dense) to notice the subtlety of both character and performance in Raymond’s case? Or do they feel that awards for Halle and Denzel pretty much take care of awarding darkies for film roles for another decade or so?
Give Far From Heaven a viewing. Not only is it relevant, but it’s quite entertaining with beautiful performances; Julianne Moore’s alone is worth a look. It’s also one of the best films about the culture of class and racial hypocrisy that you’ll ever see.
8 of 10
A
NOTES:
2003 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Julianne Moore). “Best Cinematography” (Edward Lachman), “Best Music, Original Score” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Todd Haynes)
2003 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Theatrical - Best Supporting Actor” (Dennis Haysbert)
2003 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Elmer Bernstein), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Dennis Quaid), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Julianne Moore), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Todd Haynes)
-------------------------
The Scorpion King 3 Due Early Next Year
Press release:
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF “THE MUMMY” COMES AN ALL-NEW Action-Packed ADVENTURE
THE SCORPION KING 3 BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THAILAND
Ron Perlman, Victor Webster and Billy Zane Star in the Newest, Action-Filled Fantasy Epic Exclusive to Universal’s DVD Originals™ Line
Universal City, California, December 2, 2010– A legendary hero returns to fight his most fearsome adversary as an all-new adventure unfolds in The Scorpion King 3, now shooting in Thailand. Steeped in intrigue, sorcery and romance and featuring more of the spectacular action, mindboggling stunts and astonishing plot twists that have made The Scorpion King franchise an outstanding addition to Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s groundbreaking DVD Originals™ line, The Scorpion King 3 is slated for release on DVD in early 2012.
Picking up where The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior left off, The Scorpion King 3 continues the story of Mathayus, now the deposed leader of an ancient desert empire, as he faces the most terrifying challenge of his life. The film, which began shooting on October 29 in and around Bangkok, introduces an all new cast featuring Victor Webster (“Melrose Place,” Surrogates) as Mathayus; Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Hellboy 1 and 2) as Horus, the powerful King of Egypt; Billy Zane (“Samantha Who?,” Titanic) as the conniving King Talus; UFC star Kimbo Slice as Zulu Kondo; Bostin Christopher as Mathayus’ comrade-in-arms Olaf (Unbreakable); WWE champion Dave Bautista as Agromael; Selina Lo (28 Weeks Later) as Tsukai; Krystal Vee (Streetfighter: The Legend of Chin-Li) as the beautiful princess Silda and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith) as the ill-fated King Ramusan.
“The Scorpion King 3 raises the bar for DVD Originals, encompassing the most stunning action, visual effects and production values to date, including a cast of over 400 warriors and elephants,” said Glenn Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Home Entertainment Productions. “The Scorpion King saga, with its compelling characters, engaging storyline and non-stop action, is a perfect complement to Universal’s hugely popular and successful DVD Originals offerings.”
The Scorpion King 3 is directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2). Leslie Belzberg (Crazy Heart) is the producer along with executive producers Stephen Sommers, Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks and Kevin Misher. The film’s production team includes director of photography Roel Reine, production designers Kuladee ‘Gai’ Suchatanun and Patrix ‘Pae’ Meesaiyaat and editors Radu Ion and Matthew Friedman.
As The Scorpion King 3 begins, Mathayus has lost his beloved queen and been driven from his former kingdom by a virulent plague. Now, an assassin for hire, Mathayus is dispatched by Horus, the King of Egypt, to protect his ally King Ramusan from imminent attack. In return for his services, he is promised Ramusan’s daughter Silda in marriage, as well as the legendary Eye of the Gods medallion, which imparts supernatural powers to its wearer. But to collect the reward, he will have to first rescue the princess, who is being held captive by Talus, the scheming brother of Horus. Mathayus agrees to the perilous mission, but the evil that lies in wait for him will challenge even his cunning and strength in a staggering test of courage unlike any he has faced before.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and Entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.
FROM THE PRODUCERS OF “THE MUMMY” COMES AN ALL-NEW Action-Packed ADVENTURE
THE SCORPION KING 3 BEGINS PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY IN THAILAND
Ron Perlman, Victor Webster and Billy Zane Star in the Newest, Action-Filled Fantasy Epic Exclusive to Universal’s DVD Originals™ Line
Universal City, California, December 2, 2010– A legendary hero returns to fight his most fearsome adversary as an all-new adventure unfolds in The Scorpion King 3, now shooting in Thailand. Steeped in intrigue, sorcery and romance and featuring more of the spectacular action, mindboggling stunts and astonishing plot twists that have made The Scorpion King franchise an outstanding addition to Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s groundbreaking DVD Originals™ line, The Scorpion King 3 is slated for release on DVD in early 2012.
Picking up where The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior left off, The Scorpion King 3 continues the story of Mathayus, now the deposed leader of an ancient desert empire, as he faces the most terrifying challenge of his life. The film, which began shooting on October 29 in and around Bangkok, introduces an all new cast featuring Victor Webster (“Melrose Place,” Surrogates) as Mathayus; Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Hellboy 1 and 2) as Horus, the powerful King of Egypt; Billy Zane (“Samantha Who?,” Titanic) as the conniving King Talus; UFC star Kimbo Slice as Zulu Kondo; Bostin Christopher as Mathayus’ comrade-in-arms Olaf (Unbreakable); WWE champion Dave Bautista as Agromael; Selina Lo (28 Weeks Later) as Tsukai; Krystal Vee (Streetfighter: The Legend of Chin-Li) as the beautiful princess Silda and Temuera Morrison (Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith) as the ill-fated King Ramusan.
“The Scorpion King 3 raises the bar for DVD Originals, encompassing the most stunning action, visual effects and production values to date, including a cast of over 400 warriors and elephants,” said Glenn Ross, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Universal Home Entertainment Productions. “The Scorpion King saga, with its compelling characters, engaging storyline and non-stop action, is a perfect complement to Universal’s hugely popular and successful DVD Originals offerings.”
The Scorpion King 3 is directed by Roel Reine (Death Race 2). Leslie Belzberg (Crazy Heart) is the producer along with executive producers Stephen Sommers, Sean Daniel, Jim Jacks and Kevin Misher. The film’s production team includes director of photography Roel Reine, production designers Kuladee ‘Gai’ Suchatanun and Patrix ‘Pae’ Meesaiyaat and editors Radu Ion and Matthew Friedman.
As The Scorpion King 3 begins, Mathayus has lost his beloved queen and been driven from his former kingdom by a virulent plague. Now, an assassin for hire, Mathayus is dispatched by Horus, the King of Egypt, to protect his ally King Ramusan from imminent attack. In return for his services, he is promised Ramusan’s daughter Silda in marriage, as well as the legendary Eye of the Gods medallion, which imparts supernatural powers to its wearer. But to collect the reward, he will have to first rescue the princess, who is being held captive by Talus, the scheming brother of Horus. Mathayus agrees to the perilous mission, but the evil that lies in wait for him will challenge even his cunning and strength in a staggering test of courage unlike any he has faced before.
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is a unit of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com). Universal Studios is a part of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and Entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi.
The Scorpion King Does the Conan Thing
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2002) by Leroy Douresseaux
The Scorpion King (2002)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality
DIRECTOR: Chuck Russell
WRITERS: Stephen Sommers, David Hayter, and William Osborne, based upon a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Kevin Misher, and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John R. Leonetti
EDITORS: Greg Parsons and Michael Tronick
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY
Starring: The Rock, Steven Brand, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, and Sherri Howard
A group of beleaguered chieftains hire an assassin named Mathayus (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to kill Cassandra the Sorceress (Kelly Hu), the soothsayer of the chieftains’ mortal enemy Memnon (Steven Brand). Along the way, Mathayus and Cassandra come to a mutual understanding, and a rival of Mathayus, Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan) joins their cause. All Mathayus has to do is defeat Memnon to bring peace to the region.
Directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser), The Scorpion King is a spin-off from The Mummy 2, in which The Rock played The Scorpion King as a resurrected villain. Russell keeps the energy high, and turns his film into a wall-to-wall chase and rescue, hard-core fight movie. Russell wisely plays up to The Rock’s skills as a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation. Nary a dull moment, King is a pumped up, more visceral version of Conan the Barbarian.
The acting is, of course, not great, but it perfectly serves the purpose of the movie. Despite a few lapses, The Rock is very entertaining and convincing as Mathayus, and since he does all his own stunts, he lends credibility to his portrayal. When he puts up his dukes or lifts a weapon, you can feel the energy level of the film soar.
The supporting cast is also good. Brand drips menace as the evil Memnon, an intensity he maintains throughout the film. Kelly Hu as the Sorceress is sexy, mysterious, and is more than a female tag along. As Balthazar, Duncan adds an air of credibility to the acting in the film.
As exciting as it is, The Scorpion King is also quite funny. It makes no pretensions; it is a good time, popcorn flick that is quite well made. It delivers by maintaining the action, humor, and excitement. It is one of those movies that is true to the good time it promises to be. It is a good time at the movies, and it will bear repeated viewings on home video.
6 of 10
B
The Scorpion King (2002)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence and some sensuality
DIRECTOR: Chuck Russell
WRITERS: Stephen Sommers, David Hayter, and William Osborne, based upon a story by Jonathan Hales and Stephen Sommers
PRODUCERS: Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Kevin Misher, and Stephen Sommers
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John R. Leonetti
EDITORS: Greg Parsons and Michael Tronick
ACTION/ADVENTURE/FANTASY
Starring: The Rock, Steven Brand, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Hu, Bernard Hill, Grant Heslov, Peter Facinelli, and Sherri Howard
A group of beleaguered chieftains hire an assassin named Mathayus (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) to kill Cassandra the Sorceress (Kelly Hu), the soothsayer of the chieftains’ mortal enemy Memnon (Steven Brand). Along the way, Mathayus and Cassandra come to a mutual understanding, and a rival of Mathayus, Balthazar (Michael Clarke Duncan) joins their cause. All Mathayus has to do is defeat Memnon to bring peace to the region.
Directed by Chuck Russell (The Mask, Eraser), The Scorpion King is a spin-off from The Mummy 2, in which The Rock played The Scorpion King as a resurrected villain. Russell keeps the energy high, and turns his film into a wall-to-wall chase and rescue, hard-core fight movie. Russell wisely plays up to The Rock’s skills as a professional wrestler with the World Wrestling Federation. Nary a dull moment, King is a pumped up, more visceral version of Conan the Barbarian.
The acting is, of course, not great, but it perfectly serves the purpose of the movie. Despite a few lapses, The Rock is very entertaining and convincing as Mathayus, and since he does all his own stunts, he lends credibility to his portrayal. When he puts up his dukes or lifts a weapon, you can feel the energy level of the film soar.
The supporting cast is also good. Brand drips menace as the evil Memnon, an intensity he maintains throughout the film. Kelly Hu as the Sorceress is sexy, mysterious, and is more than a female tag along. As Balthazar, Duncan adds an air of credibility to the acting in the film.
As exciting as it is, The Scorpion King is also quite funny. It makes no pretensions; it is a good time, popcorn flick that is quite well made. It delivers by maintaining the action, humor, and excitement. It is one of those movies that is true to the good time it promises to be. It is a good time at the movies, and it will bear repeated viewings on home video.
6 of 10
B
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Eminem Leads Grammy Nominations, Justin Bieber Scores "Best New Artist" Nod
Press release:
Eminem Leads GRAMMY® Nominations with 10; Bruno Mars Earns Seven; Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga Each Garner Six; and Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend Each Earn Five
Arcade Fire, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry Vie for Album of the Year at 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Feb. 13, 2011, Live on CBS
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® (http://www.grammy.com/) were announced tonight by The Recording Academy® and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the third year, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY® Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night®," a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 13, 2011, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys. For a complete nominations list, please visit http://www.grammy.com/.
Eminem tops the nominations with 10; Bruno Mars garners seven; and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga each earn six nods. Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend receive five each; and Alex Da Kid, the Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Roots, Dirk Sobotka, and Zac Brown each have four nominations.
"This year's nominations are a true reflection of an exceptional and talented community of music makers that embody some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry in their respective fields," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "It is most gratifying to see the GRAMMY Awards process once again produce a broad cross-section of diverse and impressive nominees across multiple genres. Coupled with the third year of our primetime nominations special, the road to Music's Biggest Night, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in February, is off to an exciting start."
Following is a sampling of nominations in 108 categories from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields:
GENERAL FIELD
Album Of The Year:
The Suburbs — Arcade Fire
Recovery — Eminem
Need You Now — Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster — Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream — Katy Perry
Record Of The Year:
"Nothin' On You" — B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars
"Love The Way You Lie" — Eminem Featuring Rihanna
"F*** You" — Cee Lo Green
"Empire State Of Mind" — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
"Need You Now" — Lady Antebellum
Best New Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding
Song Of The Year:
"Beg Steal Or Borrow" — Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
"F*** You" — Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green)
"The House That Built Me" —Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Love The Way You Lie" — Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem Featuring Rihanna)
"Need You Now" — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)
POP FIELD
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)" — "Glee" Cast
"Misery" — Maroon 5
"The Only Exception" — Paramore
"Babyfather" — Sade
"Hey, Soul Sister (Live)" — Train
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals:
"Airplanes II" — B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams
"Imagine" — Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
"If It Wasn't For Bad" — Elton John & Leon Russell
"Telephone" — Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
"California Gurls" — Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
DANCE FIELD
Best Dance Recording:
"Rocket" — Goldfrapp
"In For The Kill" — La Roux
"Dance In The Dark" — Lady Gaga
"Only Girl (In The World)" — Rihanna
"Dancing On My Own" — Robyn
ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Ready To Start" — Arcade Fire
"I Put A Spell On You" — Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
"Tighten Up" — The Black Keys
"Radioactive" — Kings Of Leon
"Resistance" — Muse
Best Hard Rock Performance:
"A Looking In View" — Alice In Chains
"Let Me Hear You Scream" — Ozzy Osbourne
"Black Rain" — Soundgarden
"Between The Lines" — Stone Temple Pilots
"New Fang" — Them Crooked Vultures
Best Rock Song:
"Angry World" — Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young)
"Little Lion Man" — Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
"Radioactive" — Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
"Resistance" — Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
"Tighten Up" — Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, songwriter (The Black Keys)
ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album
The Suburbs — Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms — Band Of Horses
Brothers — The Black Keys
Broken Bells — Broken Bells
Contra — Vampire Weekend
R&B FIELD
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Take My Time" — Chris Brown & Tank
"Love" — Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller
"You've Got A Friend" — Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
"Shine" — John Legend & The Roots
"Soldier Of Love" — Sade
Best Contemporary R&B Album:
Graffiti — Chris Brown
Untitled — R. Kelly
Transition — Ryan Leslie
The ArchAndroid — Janelle Monáe
Raymond V Raymond — Usher
RAP FIELD
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:
"Nothin' On You" — B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars
"Deuces" — Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
"Love The Way You Lie" — Eminem & Rihanna
"Empire State Of Mind" — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
"Wake Up! Everybody" — John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common
Best Rap Song:
"Empire State Of Mind" — Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Alexander Shuckburgh, songwriters (Sylvia Robinson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Alicia Keys)
"Love The Way You Lie" — Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem & Rihanna)
"Not Afraid" — M. Burnett, J. Evans, Marshall Mathers, L. Resto & M. Samuels, songwriters (Eminem)
"Nothin' On You" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Bobby Simmons Jr., songwriters (B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars)
"On To The Next One" — Shawn Carter, J. Chaton & K. Dean, songwriters (G. Auge & X. De Rosnay, songwriters) (Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)
Best Rap Album:
The Adventures Of Bobby Ray — B.o.B
Thank Me Later — Drake
Recovery — Eminem
The Blueprint 3 — Jay-Z
How I Got Over — The Roots
COUNTRY FIELD
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals:
"Bad Angel" — Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
"Pride (In The Name Of Love)" — Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
"As She's Walking Away" — Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson
"Hillbilly Bone" — Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
"I Run To You" — Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
Best Country Song:
"The Breath You Take" — Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon, songwriters (George Strait)
"Free" — Zac Brown, songwriter (Zac Brown Band)
"The House That Built Me" — Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"I'd Love To Be Your Last" — Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate, songwriters (Gretchen Wilson)
"If I Die Young" — Kimberly Perry, songwriter (The Band Perry)
"Need You Now" — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)
Best Country Album:
Up On The Ridge — Dierks Bentley
You Get What You Give — Zac Brown Band
The Guitar Song — Jamey Johnson
Need You Now — Lady Antebellum
Revolution — Miranda Lambert
AMERICAN ROOTS FIELD
Best Americana Album:
The List — Rosanne Cash
Tin Can Trust — Los Lobos
Country Music — Willie Nelson
Band Of Joy — Robert Plant
You Are Not Alone — Mavis Staples
Best Traditional Blues Album:
Giant — James Cotton
Memphis Blues — Cyndi Lauper
The Well — Charlie Musselwhite
Joined At The Hip — Pinetop Perkins & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites — Jimmie Vaughan
This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to: Rob Cavallo, Danger Mouse, Dr. Luke, RedOne, and The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine).
This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered the highest number of submissions ever with nearly 20,000 entries. However, due to low entries in Category 60 — Best Regional Mexican Album — submissions in this category were sorted into other categories for consideration. As a result, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature 108 out of 109 categories.
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 15 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 12, 2011, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the GRAMMY telecast.
The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, and Louis J. Horvitz is director.
"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," hosted by two-time GRAMMY-winner LL Cool J, featured the announcement of nominations in several categories as well as performances by pop star Justin Bieber, rapper B.o.B, country artist Miranda Lambert, singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars, singer/songwriter Katy Perry, and GRAMMY-winning band Train. Presenters included actor and late-night TV host Craig Ferguson, singer/actor Selena Gomez, seven-time GRAMMYwinner Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), singer/songwriter Hayley Williams (Paramore), and 25-time GRAMMY winner Stevie Wonder.
Established in 1957, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys, and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.
Eminem Leads GRAMMY® Nominations with 10; Bruno Mars Earns Seven; Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga Each Garner Six; and Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend Each Earn Five
Arcade Fire, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry Vie for Album of the Year at 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Feb. 13, 2011, Live on CBS
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nominations for the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards® (http://www.grammy.com/) were announced tonight by The Recording Academy® and reflected an eclectic mix of the best and brightest in music over the past year, as determined by the voting members of The Academy. For the third year, nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards were announced on primetime television as part of "The GRAMMY® Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night®," a one-hour special broadcast live on CBS from Club Nokia at L.A. Live. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on "GRAMMY Sunday," Feb. 13, 2011, at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and once again will be broadcast live in high definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). For updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys, www.facebook.com/thegrammys. For a complete nominations list, please visit http://www.grammy.com/.
Eminem tops the nominations with 10; Bruno Mars garners seven; and Jay-Z, Lady Antebellum, and Lady Gaga each earn six nods. Jeff Beck, B.o.B, David Frost, Philip Lawrence, and John Legend receive five each; and Alex Da Kid, the Black Keys, Drake, Cee Lo Green, Ari Levine, Katy Perry, Rihanna, the Roots, Dirk Sobotka, and Zac Brown each have four nominations.
"This year's nominations are a true reflection of an exceptional and talented community of music makers that embody some of the highest levels of excellence and artistry in their respective fields," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "It is most gratifying to see the GRAMMY Awards process once again produce a broad cross-section of diverse and impressive nominees across multiple genres. Coupled with the third year of our primetime nominations special, the road to Music's Biggest Night, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards in February, is off to an exciting start."
Following is a sampling of nominations in 108 categories from the GRAMMY Awards' 30 Fields:
GENERAL FIELD
Album Of The Year:
The Suburbs — Arcade Fire
Recovery — Eminem
Need You Now — Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster — Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream — Katy Perry
Record Of The Year:
"Nothin' On You" — B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars
"Love The Way You Lie" — Eminem Featuring Rihanna
"F*** You" — Cee Lo Green
"Empire State Of Mind" — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
"Need You Now" — Lady Antebellum
Best New Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding
Song Of The Year:
"Beg Steal Or Borrow" — Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
"F*** You" — Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green)
"The House That Built Me" —Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Love The Way You Lie" — Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem Featuring Rihanna)
"Need You Now" — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)
POP FIELD
Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)" — "Glee" Cast
"Misery" — Maroon 5
"The Only Exception" — Paramore
"Babyfather" — Sade
"Hey, Soul Sister (Live)" — Train
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals:
"Airplanes II" — B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams
"Imagine" — Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
"If It Wasn't For Bad" — Elton John & Leon Russell
"Telephone" — Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
"California Gurls" — Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg
DANCE FIELD
Best Dance Recording:
"Rocket" — Goldfrapp
"In For The Kill" — La Roux
"Dance In The Dark" — Lady Gaga
"Only Girl (In The World)" — Rihanna
"Dancing On My Own" — Robyn
ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Ready To Start" — Arcade Fire
"I Put A Spell On You" — Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
"Tighten Up" — The Black Keys
"Radioactive" — Kings Of Leon
"Resistance" — Muse
Best Hard Rock Performance:
"A Looking In View" — Alice In Chains
"Let Me Hear You Scream" — Ozzy Osbourne
"Black Rain" — Soundgarden
"Between The Lines" — Stone Temple Pilots
"New Fang" — Them Crooked Vultures
Best Rock Song:
"Angry World" — Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young)
"Little Lion Man" — Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
"Radioactive" — Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
"Resistance" — Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
"Tighten Up" — Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, songwriter (The Black Keys)
ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album
The Suburbs — Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms — Band Of Horses
Brothers — The Black Keys
Broken Bells — Broken Bells
Contra — Vampire Weekend
R&B FIELD
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals:
"Take My Time" — Chris Brown & Tank
"Love" — Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller
"You've Got A Friend" — Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
"Shine" — John Legend & The Roots
"Soldier Of Love" — Sade
Best Contemporary R&B Album:
Graffiti — Chris Brown
Untitled — R. Kelly
Transition — Ryan Leslie
The ArchAndroid — Janelle Monáe
Raymond V Raymond — Usher
RAP FIELD
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:
"Nothin' On You" — B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars
"Deuces" — Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
"Love The Way You Lie" — Eminem & Rihanna
"Empire State Of Mind" — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
"Wake Up! Everybody" — John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common
Best Rap Song:
"Empire State Of Mind" — Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Alexander Shuckburgh, songwriters (Sylvia Robinson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Alicia Keys)
"Love The Way You Lie" — Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem & Rihanna)
"Not Afraid" — M. Burnett, J. Evans, Marshall Mathers, L. Resto & M. Samuels, songwriters (Eminem)
"Nothin' On You" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Bobby Simmons Jr., songwriters (B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars)
"On To The Next One" — Shawn Carter, J. Chaton & K. Dean, songwriters (G. Auge & X. De Rosnay, songwriters) (Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)
Best Rap Album:
The Adventures Of Bobby Ray — B.o.B
Thank Me Later — Drake
Recovery — Eminem
The Blueprint 3 — Jay-Z
How I Got Over — The Roots
COUNTRY FIELD
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals:
"Bad Angel" — Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson
"Pride (In The Name Of Love)" — Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers
"As She's Walking Away" — Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson
"Hillbilly Bone" — Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins
"I Run To You" — Marty Stuart & Connie Smith
Best Country Song:
"The Breath You Take" — Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon, songwriters (George Strait)
"Free" — Zac Brown, songwriter (Zac Brown Band)
"The House That Built Me" — Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"I'd Love To Be Your Last" — Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate, songwriters (Gretchen Wilson)
"If I Die Young" — Kimberly Perry, songwriter (The Band Perry)
"Need You Now" — Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)
Best Country Album:
Up On The Ridge — Dierks Bentley
You Get What You Give — Zac Brown Band
The Guitar Song — Jamey Johnson
Need You Now — Lady Antebellum
Revolution — Miranda Lambert
AMERICAN ROOTS FIELD
Best Americana Album:
The List — Rosanne Cash
Tin Can Trust — Los Lobos
Country Music — Willie Nelson
Band Of Joy — Robert Plant
You Are Not Alone — Mavis Staples
Best Traditional Blues Album:
Giant — James Cotton
Memphis Blues — Cyndi Lauper
The Well — Charlie Musselwhite
Joined At The Hip — Pinetop Perkins & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites — Jimmie Vaughan
This year's Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nominations go to: Rob Cavallo, Danger Mouse, Dr. Luke, RedOne, and The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine).
This year's GRAMMY Awards process registered the highest number of submissions ever with nearly 20,000 entries. However, due to low entries in Category 60 — Best Regional Mexican Album — submissions in this category were sorted into other categories for consideration. As a result, the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature 108 out of 109 categories.
GRAMMY ballots for the final round of voting will be mailed on Dec. 15 to the voting members of The Recording Academy. They are due back to the accounting firm of Deloitte by Jan. 12, 2011, when they will be tabulated and the results kept secret until the GRAMMY telecast.
The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, and Louis J. Horvitz is director.
"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music's Biggest Night," hosted by two-time GRAMMY-winner LL Cool J, featured the announcement of nominations in several categories as well as performances by pop star Justin Bieber, rapper B.o.B, country artist Miranda Lambert, singer/songwriter/producer Bruno Mars, singer/songwriter Katy Perry, and GRAMMY-winning band Train. Presenters included actor and late-night TV host Craig Ferguson, singer/actor Selena Gomez, seven-time GRAMMYwinner Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), singer/songwriter Hayley Williams (Paramore), and 25-time GRAMMY winner Stevie Wonder.
Established in 1957, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization's social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys, a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys, and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys.
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