Salon.com > 2013 Awards Season http://www.salon.com Sat, 18 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Ben’s right: Marriage is work. That’s not necessarily a bad thing http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:02:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13213903 When Ben Affleck picked up the Oscar Sunday night for "Argo," the actor/producer/director/Jimmy Kimmel love slave turned those boring last minutes of the broadcast into a memorably strange statement about marriage. As he looked out at his beautiful wife, Jennifer Garner, he told her – and the world – "I want to thank my wife, who I don't normally associate with Iran. I want to thank you for working on our marriage for 10 Christmases. It’s good. It is work, but it’s the best kind of work, and there’s no one I'd rather work with." And if nothing else had happened the entire broadcast, it would have been worth it for the pinched, "Honey, whaaaaaa?" smile on Garner's face as he said that.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/bens_right_marriage_is_work/feed/ 20 Tina Fey: “No way” would I host Oscars http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/tina_fey_no_way_would_i_host_oscars/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/tina_fey_no_way_would_i_host_oscars/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:43:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13213217 Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are on most everyone's short list to host the Oscars, after their star turn at the Golden Globes and the unfunny douchebaggery of Seth MacFarlane.

But Fey told the Huffington Post that she has no interest in the job. "I just feel like that gig is so hard," she said. "Especially for, like, a woman -- the amount of months that would be spent trying on dresses alone ... no way."

The reaction to Amy and you hosting the Golden Globes was really great.
Oh, thank you. We had fun.

It's disappointing to hear, "No way." I was hoping for at least "a one in a million chance."
I wish I could tell you there was.

Anyone you would like to see host next year? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/27/tina_fey_no_way_would_i_host_oscars/feed/ 11 Anne Hathaway: Hollywood’s most polarizing star http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/anne_hathaway_hollywoods_most_polarizing_star/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/anne_hathaway_hollywoods_most_polarizing_star/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211734 Anne Hathaway has it all: The movie star jumps between lucrative studio pictures like "The Dark Knight Rises" and and passion projects like "Rachel Getting Married." She recently wed boyfriend Adam Shulman in a Valentino gown. And her occasional missteps haven't hurt her one bit -- potential career-enders like "One Day" and "Get Smart" give way to bigger and better movies. Her former boyfriend's imprisonment for running a Ponzi scheme was brushed aside. She flopped as an Oscar host in 2011, but came back to win the best supporting actress trophy for "Les Misérables" at this year's ceremony.

And her public finds it all so infuriating.

Hathaway is the subject of more vituperative, angry scrutiny than perhaps any actress working today. "Shut up. Shut up, Anne Hathaway. I honestly don’t know what it is. Maybe I’m jealous, but I don’t feel jealousy. I watch her in outtakes, and I feel like she’s not a real person," wrote a blogger for women's-interest site Crushable. "I don’t find her perfection charming. I find it annoying."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/anne_hathaway_hollywoods_most_polarizing_star/feed/ 167 How to mock a child http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/there_is_a_way_to_make_fun_of_a_child/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/there_is_a_way_to_make_fun_of_a_child/#comments Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:29:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13212442 Hey, everybody who thinks we're the PC police: It's not that you can't make a joke about a child. It's that the rules of comedy apply no matter the subject matter -- you have to be funny about it.

As we all well now know, Oscar night 2013 will be remembered as that time Seth MacFarlane made joshing reference to Quvenzhané Wallis as an imminent object of George Clooney's sexual attentions, and then the Onion drastically upped the ante by calling her "kind of a cunt." (They later deleted and apologized for it.) The backlash to both outbursts was swift and loud, followed inevitably by the "Can't you take a joke?" backlash to the backlash.

One of the most agonizing side effects of a controversial comedy routine – generally a crude one that involves violence, tragedy, or is at the expense a minority group  -- is the scramble to explain why some things are funny and some are not. And explaining a joke is only slightly more magic-defusing than watching how sausage is made. Comedy is alchemy. The minute we say, "That's not funny because…" we risk the approbation of those who'd call us humorless scolds, uptight and fussy party poopers.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/26/there_is_a_way_to_make_fun_of_a_child/feed/ 32 Seth MacFarlane to Rush Limbaugh: Now I understand why conservatives hate the media http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/seth_macfarlane_to_rush_limbaugh_now_i_understand_why_conservatives_hate_the_media/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/seth_macfarlane_to_rush_limbaugh_now_i_understand_why_conservatives_hate_the_media/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211802 Seth MacFarlane has another admirer: Rush Limbaugh.

On Monday's radio broadcast, Limbaugh said he sent the widely derided Oscars host an "attaboy note." MacFarlane's response, according to Rush? "You know what? I kind of understand how you conservatives feel about the media now."

Limbaugh was fired up about the Oscars, and saw evidence of a liberal conspiracy to create a totalitarian world, and also a political tug-of-war between Steven Spielberg and Harvey Weinstein.

Speaking of Michelle Obama's appearance via video link to hand out the best picture Oscar with Jack Nicholson, Limbaugh said:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/seth_macfarlane_to_rush_limbaugh_now_i_understand_why_conservatives_hate_the_media/feed/ 59 Jennifer Lawrence’s fall to grace http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/jennifer_lawrences_fall_to_grace/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/jennifer_lawrences_fall_to_grace/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:46:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211616 Last night, a debate broke out among our friends on whether the 22-year-old Jennifer Lawrence, now crowned by the academy as the best actress for her terrific performance in "Silver Linings Playbook," will have staying power. One insisted she was a flash in the pan. The rest of us, who first fell hard for her in "Winter's Bone," argued that she really does have the chops. Who can say, really. Remember, Dr. Haing S. Ngor won an Oscar for his brilliant performance in "The Killing Fields," and that was pretty much the last we saw of him. So, only time will tell how her career pans out, though she's poised — with the Hunger Games franchise, and a new deal to reteam with David O. Russell — to stick around for a while. Really, the question that lingers is: Why are young women held to such scrutiny?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/jennifer_lawrences_fall_to_grace/feed/ 22 Oscar’s very weird night http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_very_weird_night/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_very_weird_night/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 04:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13210880 As Academy Award nominee Abraham Lincoln once said, "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." The Oscars are our annual endurance test of both. It's the Olympics of show-business power — a cage match whose outcome determines future development deals and stratospheric salaries. For the viewer at home, however, somewhere around the third hour/fifth ill-advised musical number, it tends to deteriorate into a trial of audience stamina and fortitude.

The show's organizers have in recent years flailed about before our eyes to make the evening's proceedings a less grim broadcast – bringing James Franco and Anne Hathaway in hopes of making it a dewy, youthful affair, then turning around and trotting out Billy Crystal with the promise of the balm of the reassuringly familiar. This year, the spaghetti it threw at the wall of television viewers was Seth MacFarlane, and the pitch was basically, "Let's try making the show saucy and fun -- like the 2012 Golden Globes, but without a British person." And now we know how well that idea works.

Herewith, then, are our most memorable moments of a show that will go down in history as the time the awards gave over its power to Stewie Griffin, and the adversity that followed.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/oscars_very_weird_night/feed/ 45 The 2013 Oscars: All the winners http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_2013_oscar_awards_who_won/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_2013_oscar_awards_who_won/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13210273 BEST PICTURE
"Amour"
WINNER: "Argo"
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Django Unchained"
"Les Misérables"
"Life of Pi"
"Lincoln"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
"Zero Dark Thirty"

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook"
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Hugh Jackman, "Les Misérables"
Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master"
Denzel Washington, "Flight"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Alan Arkin, "Argo"
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master"
Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln"
WINNER: Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty"
WINNER: Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour"
Quvenzhané Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, "The Master"
Sally Field, "Lincoln"
WINNER: Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Helen Hunt, "The Sessions"
Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/the_2013_oscar_awards_who_won/feed/ 5 Jennifer Lawrence, “Silver Linings Playbook” win big at Independent Spirit Awards http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/jennifer_lawrence_silver_linings_playbook_win_big_at_independent_spirit_awards/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/jennifer_lawrence_silver_linings_playbook_win_big_at_independent_spirit_awards/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2013 11:11:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13210360 Don't ink "Argo" into your Oscars pool yet.

The last, late momentum could be with "Silver Linings Playbook."

Director David O. Russell's film cleaned up at the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, the last ceremony before tonight's Academy Awards.

It won Independent Spirit Awards for best film, director, screenplay and actress for Jennifer Lawrence.

"The last time I held one of these was 19 years ago for best screenplay and best first feature [for 'Spanking the Monkey'] and my son was 1 year old," Russell said, accepting his award for best director. "Matthew's here today and he gave me this movie."

Russell's son has bipolar disorder. In the film -- up for eight Oscars -- Bradley Cooper's character wrestles with the illness.

John Hawkes won best actor for "The Sessions." His co-star Helen Hunt took best supporting actress. Best supporting actor went to Matthew McConaughey for "Magic Mike."

"Amour" was named best foreign film.

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/24/jennifer_lawrence_silver_linings_playbook_win_big_at_independent_spirit_awards/feed/ 2 Sometimes Oscar gets it right! http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/sometimes_oscar_gets_it_right/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/sometimes_oscar_gets_it_right/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13209375 It’s way, way too easy to pick the big, howling mistakes of Academy Awards history. (Speaking of which, it really bugs me that they have dumped the venerable term “Academy Awards” this year. Too old-fashioned! Too many syllables! Vaguely sounds like it has to do with school!) I’m sure you have your favorites, from recent history or the deep past: “Dances With Wolves” beating out “Goodfellas”; Paul Lukas in “Watch on the Rhine” beating out Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca”; the non-nomination of any number of the greatest movies ever made, from “Modern Times” to “Vertigo” to “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But what about turning the question around, and giving the Oscars some credit for the years – fewer in number, perhaps – when they got it right, or pretty damn close?

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/23/sometimes_oscar_gets_it_right/feed/ 90 Who should win the Oscars (but probably won’t) http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:35:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13205656 It’s been an unusually dramatic Oscar race this year, with a remarkably strong roster of films – most of which are actually popular with the general public! – and several unexpected switchbacks. Here we are, five days away from the big night, and nearly everyone expects the big winner to be “Argo,” a movie that was given up for dead after Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for best director. So let’s stipulate that while three of the top six categories appear to have been decided beyond any reasonable doubt, there’s probably one big surprise out there somewhere that no one sees coming.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/19/who_should_win_the_oscars_but_probably_wont/feed/ 25 Want an Oscar? Go to extremes! http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/want_an_oscar_go_to_extremes/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/want_an_oscar_go_to_extremes/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2013 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13203178 When the Academy Awards air on Sunday evening, there will surprises and flubs; there will be tears and ridiculous production numbers. And one thing that's all but assured is that Anne Hathaway will walk away carrying a golden statue for her role as the doomed prostitute Fantine in "Les Miserables." As Fantine, Hathaway was beautiful, heartbreaking -- and really, really skinny. Oscar just loves a performance that includes a serious amount of transformation.

If you look at the Oscars before the 1990s, you won't find too many of them handed out for massive physical change. Current nominee Robert DeNiro's 1980 win for his metamorphosis from fighting-weight Jake LaMotta to fat, late-era, has-been Jake LaMotta in "Raging Bull" was all but unprecedented in its day. And though the actor trained hard for his boxing scenes, it's the weight gain that's remembered -- and it sounds like the easiest part of the performance. To achieve his gone-to-seed look, he spent four months on "an eating binge in Europe" to gain 66 pounds.

Not all Oscar-baiting work comes that pleasurably though. Herewith are our picks for the Oscar's most dramatic physical evolutions of recent years and their relative degree of difficulty.

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/want_an_oscar_go_to_extremes/feed/ 8 “SNL” recap: Christoph Waltz plays God — Tarantino style http://www.salon.com/2013/02/17/snl_recap_christoph_waltz_plays_god_%e2%80%94_tarantino_style/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/17/snl_recap_christoph_waltz_plays_god_%e2%80%94_tarantino_style/#comments Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:47:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13204379 The wonderfully talented comic actor Christoph Waltz has Tarantino to thank for writing two versions of the same memorable role — Nazi Colonel Hans Landa in "Inglourious Basterds" and bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz in "Django Unchained" — both of which have earned him many awards, including an Oscar and a nomination for another, and "household name" status on this side of the Atlantic. If only "SNL's" writers could have gotten past their clichéd notions of Prussian humor — even as they made fun of their own limitations during Waltz's shrug-worthy monologue — and stopped forcing upon the poor actor one creepy, pervy, effete role after another then this could have been, well, if not great, than more fun, especially on this a bountiful week of insane news stories, each a gift bigger than the next: the first papal retirement since 1415, the State of the Union Address, the Carnival Cruise disaster, the horsemeat controversy in Europe, and the meteor that crashed into central Russia. I realize much of that newsiness responsibility falls to Seth Meyers on the ever-more-toothless "Weekend Update," but that sweet smile of his just looks sadder and sadder as it hangs in the air there like an abandoned high-five hand. (The man really does need an Amy.) Waltz gets Tarantino-like redemption when he puts on a crown of thorns, and gets resurrected as one seriously pissed off Jesus Christ.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/17/snl_recap_christoph_waltz_plays_god_%e2%80%94_tarantino_style/feed/ 2 Pick of the week: This is how you overthrow a dictator http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/pick_of_the_week_this_is_how_you_overthrow_a_dictator/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/pick_of_the_week_this_is_how_you_overthrow_a_dictator/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13201886 Early in Chilean director Pablo Larraín’s Oscar-nominated “No,” a young adman is having an argument with his boss about whose side the Americans are on. It’s the late 1980s, near the tail end of Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, and Lucho (Alfredo Castro), the owner of the ad agency, is berating the younger René (Mexican star Gael García Bernal) for supporting a “No” vote in the upcoming national referendum on the Pinochet regime. Only Commies support the “No” cause, Lucho sneers; the financial support is coming from Cuba, Nicaragua and the Soviet Union. Besides, the Yankees and the CIA are behind Pinochet, and they’ll never allow him to be defeated. You’re wrong about that, René calmly insists; this time the Yankees are with us.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/15/pick_of_the_week_this_is_how_you_overthrow_a_dictator/feed/ 8 Is there such a thing as an “Oscar curse”? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/is_there_such_a_thing_as_an_oscar_curse/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/is_there_such_a_thing_as_an_oscar_curse/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13197574 At this year's Academy Awards, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger will reunite with the rest of the "Chicago" cast to present an Oscar. Zeta-Jones won an Oscar for 2002's "Chicago," while Zellweger picked one up the following year for "Cold Mountain."

Why, then, have they — and other Oscar winners, especially women — had such a difficult road after their crowning moments?

Zeta-Jones is beginning a comeback of sorts with roles in thrillers like "Broken City" and "Side Effects," after being in the wilderness for years, appearing in direct-to-video efforts (to be fair, she also won a Tony for stage work in "A Little Night Music"); Zellweger's last theatrically released film, "Case 39," came out in 2010. And they're not alone. Any Oscar obsessive can name actresses whose careers did not, in the long term, benefit from the academy's love: Mira Sorvino (who found it hard to live up to early promise), Halle Berry (who's been cashing in with movies like "Catwoman" and "New Year's Eve" for more than a decade now), and Gwyneth Paltrow (who, prior to her weepy speech upon winning an Oscar, was a beloved starlet -- hard to recall now!).

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/is_there_such_a_thing_as_an_oscar_curse/feed/ 45 Salon’s 2013 Grammy Awards liveblog http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:55:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13195018 [liveblog id=63]

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/salons_2013_grammy_awards_liveblog/feed/ 0 The Grammy Awards: Who won? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/#comments Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:30:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13194823 RECORD OF THE YEAR

Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson

We Are Young - Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe

WINNER: Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye Featuring Kimbra

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift

 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

El Camino - The Black Keys

Some Nights - Fun.

WINNER: Babel - Mumford & Sons

Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

Blunderbuss - Jack White

 

SONG OF THE YEAR

The A Team - Ed Sheeran, songwriter (Ed Sheeran)

Adorn - Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel)

Call Me Maybe - Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen)

Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Jörgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson)

WINNER: We Are Young - Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monáe)

 

BEST NEW ARTIST

Alabama Shakes

WINNER: Fun.

Hunter Hayes

The Lumineers

Frank Ocean

 

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

WINNER: Set Fire To The Rain [live] - Adele

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/11/the_55th_grammy_awards_the_winners/feed/ 0 “Argo” wins BAFTA for best pic http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/#comments Sun, 10 Feb 2013 23:28:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13196959 "Argo" nabbed the British Academy film award (BAFTA) for best picture and its director-producer Ben Affleck also nabbed an award for best directing, reports the L.A. Times. Affleck was snubbed by the Academy for a best director nom.

"Argo" got three BAFTAs total, including one for editing, for William Goldenberg’. “Lincoln,” which was favored to sweep,  with 10 nominations — came away with only one, for Daniel Day-Lewis, for leading actor.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/10/argo_wins_bafta_for_best_pic/feed/ 5 Watch “Paperman”: The Oscar-nominated animated short film http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/watch_%e2%80%9cpaperman%e2%80%9d_the_oscar_nominated_animated_short_film/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/watch_%e2%80%9cpaperman%e2%80%9d_the_oscar_nominated_animated_short_film/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:06:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13187028 With the 85th Academy Awards around the corner, Disney has just released its heartwarming Oscar-nominated short “Paperman” in full on YouTube. The mostly black-and-white animated six-minute film marks the directorial debut of “Tangled” and “Ratatouille” animator John Kahrs, who blends traditional hand-drawn animation with CG techniques, and the result is a sweet love story between a man and a woman who meet by chance on their morning commute.

The dialogue-free short unfolds in 1940s Manhattan, where a lonely young man is hit by a flying piece of paper while standing on a train platform. He is dazzled by the beautiful woman who accidently drops her paper as a gust of wind blows it away, but quickly realizes she's departed on the train. Convinced that the girl of his dreams is gone forever, the guy spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office and gets a second chance to woo her.

“Paperman” will be competing for the best animated short film on Feb.24, against Mnikyu Lee’s “Adam and Dog,” PES’ “Fresh Guacamole,” Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly’s “Head over Heels” and David Silverman’s “The Longest Daycare.”

 

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/watch_%e2%80%9cpaperman%e2%80%9d_the_oscar_nominated_animated_short_film/feed/ 2 Is a two-state solution still possible — or is Israel toast? http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/is_a_two_state_solution_still_possible_%e2%80%94_or_is_israel_toast/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/31/is_a_two_state_solution_still_possible_%e2%80%94_or_is_israel_toast/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2013 12:45:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13186518 Israeli filmmaker Dror Moreh got his start making TV commercials for Ariel Sharon, the war hero who served as Israel’s prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he suffered a devastating stroke that has left him in a “persistent vegetative state” ever since. (Just last week, however, Sharon underwent a high-tech FMRI exam that revealed “significant” brain activity, suggesting that he may be aware of his surroundings.) That’s important background for Moreh’s Oscar-nominated documentary “The Gatekeepers” in various ways.

For one thing, Moreh gained access to six former heads of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secretive internal security service – who had never before given public interviews – largely because of his political connections. Those men had all worked with Sharon and respected him. For another, understanding the political evolution of Ariel Sharon sheds some light on Moreh, whom I met a few days ago in New York, and also on the surprising pragmatism and moral complexity reflected in his interviews with the Shin Bet leaders.

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