Moviefone Editorial

Tag: moonlight

  • Awkward! ‘Moonlight’ Actually Won Oscars 2017 Best Picture, Not ‘La La Land’?!

    89th Annual Academy Awards - ShowUm, the 2017 Oscars just pulled a Steve Harvey.

    Specifically, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway just pulled a Steve Harvey, announcing “La La Land” as the Best Picture winner instead of “Moonlight,” only to have the mistake cleared up well after the (incorrect) winners accepted the award.

    So for anyone who turned off the TV just after midnight East Coast time — after a 3.5-plus-hour show — you got the wrong news!

    The whole “La La Land” team already went on stage to accept the Best Picture Oscar — and they had a lot to say — before it was revealed in super-awkward fashion that Beatty and Dunaway had read the wrong name for the winner. It was insisted, over and over, that it was not a joke, and they even held up the card with “Moonlight” on it as proof.

    Beatty tried to explain that, when he opened the envelope, it said “Emma Stone, ‘La La Land’” and “that’s why I took such a long look at Faye and at you. I wasn’t trying to be funny.” So was he saying they were given the wrong card, the one for Best Actress and not Best Picture? If so, did Dunaway just not look at the card that closely, she just read off the “La La Land” part? Why would they have the Best Actress card when Leonardo DiCaprio presented Best Actress?

    Deadline offered a theory on what happened:

    “How could this happen? This is the thinking: Price Waterhouse has two envelopes (two copies) for every winner. So when they handed the envelope to presenters they opened that for Emma Stone for Best Actress rather than the envelope for Best Picture. That’s why Beatty sputtered and was confused wondering what was going on. This has happened before, according to our colleague Pete Hammond, back in 1964 when Sammy Davis, Jr. also got the wrong envelope for the two music categories.”

    If this is indeed the fault of someone backstage in handing out the wrong envelope, they should step forward. But someone along the line should’ve caught the error well before the “La La Land” cast started speaking.

    It reminded everyone of Steve Harvey reading the wrong name for Miss Universe. At least he’s off the hook for gaffes now!

    Watch the painful moment play out:

    Hey, at least Team Moonlight got another happy ending.

    via GIPHY

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  • Oscars 2017: Mahershala Ali Wins Best Supporting Actor

    US-OSCARS-SHOWAnd the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor goes to … Mahershala Ali for “Moonlight“!

    From Netflix’s “House of Cards” to “Marvel’s Luke Cage” to Academy Awards glory, that’s the near-term path for 2017’s Best Supporting Actor winner. Ali has already been nominated and picked up a handful of awards for “Moonlight,” including a SAG Award win and a Critics Choice Award. (It’s also worth noting that Ali took home a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for the critically acclaimed and crowd-pleasing “Hidden Figures.”)

    With all the recognition Ali has received this year, you’ll be seeing a lot more of him in the months and years to come. For now, you can catch him in the aforementioned Netflix series and “Moonlight,” and his latest movie, the Sundance entry “Roxanne Roxanne,” is due in theaters this year.

    If you haven’t seen “Moonlight,” do yourself a favor and watch it. It’s streaming now and will be available on DVD February 28th.

  • Oscars 2017 Winners: The Complete List From the 89th Academy Awards

    HOLLYWOOD - FEBRUARY 20: A display case is seen full of Oscar statues February 20, 2004 in Hollywood, California. These are the Oscar statuettes that will be handed out on February 29 at the 76th Academy Awards ceremony and will be on display at the Hollywood & Highland entertainment complex. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)Awards season comes to a glitzy end tonight with Sunday’s broadcast of the Academy Awards.

    Jimmy Kimmel hosts his first Oscars, which has “La La Land” leading the pack with 14 nominations — and it’s poised to go home with at least nine or ten statues for the mantle.

    The Oscars could also make history tonight; if Denzel Washington wins for “Fences,” he will be the fourth actor to have three Academy Awards — and the first African-American to pull off the feat. And if “La La Land” wins Best Director, Damien Chazelle (32) will be the youngest filmmaker to ever win the award.

    We’ll be updating the winners’ list throughout the show. So make sure to check back to see who won, and who lost.

    Best Picture

    Best Actress

    • Emma Stone (“La La Land”) — WINNER
    • Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”)
    • Ruth Negga (“Loving”)
    • Natalie Portman (“Jackie”)
    • Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”)

    Best Actor

    • Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) — WINNER
    • Denzel Washington (“Fences”)
    • Andrew Garfield (“Hacksaw Ridge”)
    • Ryan Gosling (“La La Land”)
    • Viggo Mortensen (“Captain Fantastic”)

    Best Director

    • Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) — WINNER
    • Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”)
    • Mel Gibson (“Hacksaw Ridge”)
    • Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester by the Sea)
    • Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”)

    Best Adapted Screenplay

    • “Moonlight” (Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McRaney) — WINNER
    • “Arrival” (Eric Heisserer)
    • “Fences” (August Wilson)
    • “Hidden Figures” (Allison Schroeder, Theodore Melfi)
    • “Lion” (Luke Davies)

    Best Original Screenplay

    • “Manchester by the Sea” (Kenneth Lonergan) — WINNER
    • “Hell or High Water” (Taylor Sheridan)
    • “La La Land” (Damien Chazelle)
    • “The Lobster” (Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou)
    • “20th Century Women” (Mike Mills)

    Best Original Song

    • “City of Stars” (“La La Land”) — WINNER
    • “Audition” (“La La Land”)
    • “Can’t Stop the Feeling” (“Trolls”)
    • “The Empty Chair” (“Jim: The James Foley Story”)
    • “How Far I’ll Go” (“Moana”)

    Best Original Score

    • “La La Land” (Justin Hurwitz) — WINNER
    • “Jackie” (Micachu)
    • “Lion” (Dustin O’Halloran, Hauschka)
    • “Moonlight” (Nicholas Britell)
    • “Passengers” (Thomas Newman)

    Best Cinematography

    • “La La Land” (Linus Sandgren) — WINNER
    • “Arrival” (Bradford Young)
    • “Lion” (Grieg Fraser)
    • “Moonlight” (James Laxton)
    • “Silence” (Rodrigo Prieto)

    Best Live Action Short

    • “Sing” — WINNER
    • “Ennemis Intérieurs”
    • “La Femme et le TGV”
    • “Silent Nights”
    • “Timecode”

    Best Documentary Short

    • “The White Helmets” (Grain Media and Violet Films) — WINNER
    • “4.1 Miles” (University of California, Berkeley)
    • “Extremis” (f/8 Filmworks in association with Motto Pictures)
    • “Joe’s Violin” (Lucky Two Productions)
    • “Watani: My Homeland” (ITN Productions)

    Best Film Editing

    • “Hacksaw Ridge” (John Gilbert) — WINNER
    • “Arrival” (Joe Walker)
    • “Hell or High Water” (Jake Roberts)
    • “La La Land” (Tom Cross)
    • “Moonlight” (Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders)

    Best Visual Effects

    • “The Jungle Book” — WINNER
    • “Deepwater Horizon”
    • “Doctor Strange”
    • “Kubo and the Two Strings”
    • “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”

    Best Production Design

    • “La La Land” (Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, David Wasco) — WINNER
    • “Arrival” (Patrice Vermette)
    • “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (Stuart Craig)
    • “Hail Caesar”
    • “Passengers” (Guy Hendrix Dyas)

    Best Animated Feature

    • “Zootopia” (Disney) — WINNER
    • “Kubo and the Two Strings” (Focus Features)
    • “Moana” (Disney)
    • “My Life As a Zucchini” (GKIDS)
    • “The Red Turtle” (Sony Classics)

    Best Animated Short

    • “Piper” (Pixar) — WINNER
    • “Blind Vaysha” (National Film Board of Canada)
    • “Borrowed Time” (Quorum Films)
    • “Pear Cider and Cigarettes” (Massive Swerve Studios and Passion Pictures Animation)
    • “Pearl” (Google Spotlight Stories/Evil Eye Pictures)

    Best Foreign Language Film

    • “The Salesman,” Iran, Asghar Farhadi, director — WINNER
    • “Land of Mine,” Denmark, Martin Zandvliet, director
    • “A Man Called Ove,” Sweden, Hannes Holm, director
    • “Tanna,” Australia, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors
    • “Toni Erdmann,” Germany, Maren Ade, director

    Best Supporting Actress

    • Viola Davis (“Fences”) — WINNER
    • Naomie Harris (“Moonlight”)
    • Nicole Kidman (“Lion”)
    • Octavia Spencer (“Hidden Figures”)
    • Michelle Williams (“Manchester by the Sea”)

    Best Sound Mixing

    • “Arrival”
    • “Hacksaw Ridge” — WINNER
    • “La La Land”
    • “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”
    • “13 Hours”

    Best Sound Editing

    • “Arrival” — WINNER
    • “Deepwater Horizon”
    • “Hacksaw Ridge”
    • “La La Land”
    • “Sully”

    Best Documentary Feature

    • “O.J.: Made in America” — WINNER
    • “Fire at Sea”
    • “I Am Not Your Negro”
    • “Life, Animated”
    • “The 13th”

    Best Costume Design

    • “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” (Colleen Atwood) — WINNER
    • “Allied” (Joanna Johnston)
    • “Florence Foster Jenkins” (Consolata Boyle)
    • “Jackie” (Madeline Fontaine)
    • “La La Land” (Mary Zophres)

    Best Makeup and Hairstyling

    • “Suicide Squad” — WINNER
    • “A Man Called Ove”
    • “Star Trek Beyond”

    Best Supporting Actor

    • Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight”) — WINNER
    • Jeff Bridges (“Hell or High Water”)
    • Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea”)
    • Dev Patel (“Lion”)
    • Michael Shannon (“Nocturnal Animals”)

     

    Here are the movies of Oscars 2017

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  • Oscars 2017: Which Movie Will Win Best Picture?

    Nine films are nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year. But only one will take it home.

    We’re inching closer to Hollywood’s biggest night — the 89th Academy Awards (Feb 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC) — which means it’s crunch time. Best take some time now to fill out your Oscars ballot and lock in your picks!

    Moviefone’s editors are checking off their choices for who will — and should — win in all the major categories. And the nominees for Best Picture are…

    “Arrival“
    “Fences“
    “Hacksaw Ridge“
    “Hell or High Water“
    “Hidden Figures“
    “La La Land“
    “Lion“
    “Manchester by the Sea“
    “Moonlight“

    Here, we share which movie we think will — and should — take home the Academy’s highest honor.

    Tim Hayne
    What Will Win: “La La Land.” Don’t get me wrong, “La La Land” is a good movie, and a hell of a good time, but the instant consensus that its Best Picture-worthy was a tad premature — especially when you consider the other movies in this category. Stars Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are Academy darlings, as is director Damien Chazelle at this point, and the movie being about Los Angeles — Hollywood, specifically — makes it a front-runner with Oscar voters. The Academy loves a movie about itself, and given that “La La Land” is a love letter to the industry and the city it calls home, it’s a shoo-in. Oh, and it’s already nabbed Golden Globe, BAFTA, and a Critics Choice awards for being the best movie of 2016.

    What Should Win: “Moonlight.” Powerful. Moving. Original. Relevant. Those are just four words I would use to describe “Moonlight,” a film deserving of a Best Picture win, not just for its achievement in filmmaking but for the publicity the honor would deliver. More people need to see “Moonlight.” Especially now.

    Phil Pirrello

    What Will Win: “La La Land.” Since 2013, three of the last five films to win Best Picture were movies about Hollywood or Hollywood elements. Chances are good the Academy will continue to pat their backs with this trend and give the good (but very overrated in a “Crash” sort of way) “La La Land” the Oscar.

    What Should Win: “Manchester by the Sea.” The best compliment I can give this movie is that I wish I made it. When this gut-punch of a drama isn’t taking you emotionally complicated and trying places, it makes you belly laugh. That’s not an easy mix to pull off, and the filmmakers here do so effortlessly. In a few years from now, “Manchester” will join “Goodfellas” and “Pulp Fiction” in the prestigious club of films that should have won the Academy Award over the film that did.

    Rachel Horner

    What Will Win: Ugh, “La La Land.” I don’t mean to be such a member of the backlash, but the Oscar buzz around this movie makes me feel like I am taking crazy pills. It was a fine movie, and Hollywood loves a movie that celebrates them. But, in the world we live in today, excuse me if I can’t get emotionally attached to this white guy’s dream of opening a jazz bar. And what 20-something-year-old girl in Los Angeles isn’t trying to become an actress? Folks like these are a dime a dozen, they just happen to succeed in this movie. Okay, back to being mad about things that actually matter!
    What Should Win: “Hidden Figures.” Controversial opinion alert! I think “Hidden Figures” should win this year, but I know that there isn’t a chance in hell that it actually will. My biggest takeaway when I’m done watching a movie is how long I think about it after I leave the theater. Well, I saw “Hidden Figures” over a month ago and I’ve basically spent every day since thinking about how amazing it made me feel. “Manchester by the Sea” was great, but if I had a dollar for every white-man family struggle movie I’ve seen, let’s just say I wouldn’t have to work anymore. And don’t even get me started on “La La Land.”

    Tony Maccio
    20151023_Moonlight_D08_C1_K1_0878.tifWhat Will Win: “Moonlight.” Despite “La La Land” getting much of the love early on, it may have burned a bit too bright — allowing “Moonlight” to gain some ground. If Hollywood is ready to embrace diversity at the Oscars, this is the place to start.

    What Should Win: “Moonlight.” This film, which follows a young boy into adulthood as he struggles with a drug addict mother and his sexuality, is about as real is it gets in this year’s Best Picture race. This indie darling stands out amongst this year’s nominees with a marriage of great cinematography and heartfelt storytelling.

    Drew Taylor

    What Will Win: “La La Land.” “La La Land” is a good movie. It will likely inspire hipster subculture for the next 30 years, which is fine with me if it means dudes will dress better when going out on dates. All the performances are excellent, the music is terrific, and director Damien Chazelle was able to romanticize Los Angeles without being totally blind to its more disreputable elements.

    But the reason that “La La Land” will win Best Picture has more to do with the voters’ love affair with themselves than the movie’s merits. Hollywood tends to celebrate films that champion Hollywood, and, boy, does “La La Land” — with its sunny optimism, perky starlets, and unwavering belief in the dream-making movie industry actually making those dreams come true. Whether it’s good or not is almost beside the point. Thankfully, it is pretty good.

    What Should Win: “Manchester by the Sea.” Yes, “Manchester by the Sea” is sad. It’s muted and lacks the kind of flashy pyrotechnics that made “La La Land” such a standout. It’s a movie about grief and mourning and the inadequacies of fatherhood and stewardship. But it’s also unbelievable. It’s funny and real and features some of the greatest performances from this or any other year.

    Yes, the movie can be overwhelmingly bleak at points, but there’s a charming lightness to it, too, thanks largely to writer-director Kenneth Lonergan‘s effortless storytelling and the movie’s brilliant, swaggering confidence. “Manchester by the Sea” being robbed of a Best Picture statue will be the real tragedy.

  • How These Oscar-Nominated Directors Broke the Rules

    Damien Chazelle of La La Land, Barry Jenkins of Moonlight and Mel Gibson of Hacksaw Ridge
    Damien Chazelle of La La Land, Barry Jenkins of Moonlight and Mel Gibson of Hacksaw Ridge

    The first rule for these Oscar-caliber filmmakers was to break all the rules.

    Made in Hollywood sits down with Best Director nominees Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight,” “Damien Chazelle” of “La La Land” and Mel Gibson of “Hacksaw Ridge” and director Raoul Peck of Best Documentary nominee “I Am Not Your Negro” to find out what they were thinking long before they were thinking about awards.

    Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

    When Barry Jenkins set out to make a movie based on Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play, “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue,” his only goal was “to do right by Tarell” and his profound story about the struggle to accept one’s sexuality. Only later did he get to appreciate the importance of the critical acclaim and Academy Awards buzz.

    “All these other things are amazing in that they help boost the signal of the film,” Jenkins, nominated as director and screenwriter, tells Made in Hollywood reporter Patrick Stinson, “and that is important because there are people who feel like they’re voiceless and I think this movie might help carry their voices.”

    Damien Chazelle, La La Land

    When Damien Chazelle envisioned “La La Land,” he hoped to tap into a secret part of the audience’s psyche. “I was so adamant about trying to make a musical that would reach out to people who think they don’t like musicals,” he tells reporter Julie Harkness Arnold. “It’s just that musicals have gotten a bad rap.”

    “I think musicals — and what I wanted to get back to with this movie — are actually about a very simple idea,” Chazelle, nominated for director and screenplay. “It’s just that if you’re emotional enough, you break into song. That means if you’re emotional enough, in love enough, the rules don’t apply anymore or logic kind of goes out the window. It’s this incredibly free emotional kind of filmmaking and storytelling that I just think gives you just license to play in a way that’s really wonderful.”

    Mel Gibson, Hacksaw Ridge

    For “Hacksaw Ridge,” Mel Gibson confronted a seeming paradox: telling a war story centered on a man religiously opposed to fighting in wars. The World War II film about Medal of Honor medic Desmond Doss accomplishes this by exploring the true meaning of heroism, Gibson says.

    “He believed in something greater than himself, and he was willing to sacrifice his own life for his brothers, and this is the greatest act of love anyone can do,” he says. “In the midst of hell, where most men are becoming animals, he was honing this aspect of himself and doing glorious things, and saving lives. He was life-affirming in the midst of death. It’s kind of a cool story.”

    Raoul Peck, I Am Not Your Negro

    While Samuel L. Jackson narrates the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” every word comes directly from the writings of movie’s subject, James Baldwin, a key element to director Raoul Peck’s effort to show how a man who gained fame decades ago has never been more relevant.

    “The motivation to start this particular project came at a time when I felt we were not addressing the right issues, in particular in this country and elsewhere as well,” says Peck. “We were not hearing the right voices. The voice of a James Baldwin had somehow disappeared. And I could not understand when I was experiencing how important he was that the new generation basically knew nothing about him. I felt it was an important film to do.”

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  • Oscars 2017: Who Will Win Best Director?

    Who will win Best Director? This is one of Oscar’s most heated races.

    We’re just days away from Hollywood’s biggest night — the 89th Academy Awards (Feb 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT on ABC) — which means it’s crunch time. Time for you to fill out your Oscars ballot and lock in your picks!

    Moviefone’s editors are checking off their choices for who will — and should — win in all the major categories. And the nominees for Best Director are…

    Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival“)
    Mel Gibson (“Hacksaw Ridge“)
    Damien Chazelle (“La La Land“)
    Kenneth Lonergan (“Manchester by the Sea“)
    Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight“)

    Here, we’re sharing who we think will win, as well as who we feel truly deserves to take home the Academy Award.

    Tim Hayne
    Director Damien Chazelle and Emma Stone on the set of LA LA LAND.Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. I don’t have much to say about this other than he is a shoo-in. He’s already nabbed all the major directing awards (Golden Globe, BAFTA, Directors Guild), so if he doesn’t win, it’ll be a huge surprise.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. Um, have you seen “Manchester by the Sea”? The man masterfully balances nuance and emotional heft to get the best possible performances out of his actors — hey, it earned Casey Affleck a nomination for Best Actor. While I’d be surprised by a Lonergan win, I take comfort in knowing that, if he keeps making movies of this caliber, he’ll surely be nominated again.

    Phil Pirrello

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. The winner of the Director’s Guild Award is usually expected to take home Oscar, and Chazelle won that prize and many more throughout awards season. His musical is confection Hollywood (and the Academy) seemingly can’t get enough of — and the Academy loves to award movies about movies/acting (see past Best Picture winners “The Artist,” “Argo,” and “Birdman”). Chazelle’s “Whiplash” earned him Oscar attention; expect his latest film to net him Oscar gold.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. Directing a flashy, original, LA-set musical isn’t easy, and several moments in the film are swoon-worthy for Oscar voters. At the same time, writing and directing a movie as emotionally complicated and honest as “Manchester” — without hitting a false note or veering into melodrama — feels even harder.

    Going into Oscar season back in September, Lonergan felt like the shoo-in for both Original Screenplay and Director — maybe losing some edge on the latter to Chazelle. Buzz has cooled on “Manchester” as the hype has reached near fever-pitch on “White People Struggling in LA: The Movie” “La La Land.” As a result, Chazelle is most likely to go home with the award, but I think in five or ten years, when “Manchester” is better appreciated as the masterpiece it is, voters will realize the Oscar should have been Lonergan’s.

    Rachel Horner

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Oscar night is just a bit too predictable this year. I didn’t love “La La Land.” Not as much as every one else. The Academy can’t stop praising this overrated film, so they might as well give him his first directing Oscar.

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. I have no idea what it took for Lonergan to make such a gut-punch of a movie, but I feel confident that it is worthy of an Oscar. If only his film came out a year after “La La Land” stole all attention.

    Tony Maccio

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Regardless of whether or not you feel there is too much hype surrounding “La La Land,” it’s hard to deny the talents exhibited by its director. His follow-up to “Whiplash” is an ambitious undertaking that, on paper, looks like a logistical nightmare. Onscreen, however, Chazelle seems to pull it off effortlessly, conveying the beauty and sorrow of trying to make it in Los Angeles.

    Who Should Win: Barry Jenkins. Jenkins has a deep personal connection to the story that helps make his film so emotionally profound. The powerful nature of growing up in Liberty City gave Jenkins the ability to direct “Moonlight” from the most realistic place possible, resulting in a film that you can’t help but talk about long after you leave the theater.

    Drew Taylor

    Who Will Win: Damien Chazelle. Quite frankly, the “La La Land” train cannot be stopped. With 14 nominations, tying it for the most Academy Award nominations of any movie ever, it’s engendered the kind of goodwill that makes it virtually indestructible. (Honestly, the “backlash” that has been written about so much recently seems to have barely registered.)

    Chazelle is already an Oscar darling; his last film, “Whiplash,” was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and so for some this might seem “overdue” (even though its only his third feature and he is only 32 years old). Academy voters love a big-hearted, swing-for-the-fences type of feature, especially if its directed back at itself, and God knows there’s enough “magic of Hollywood” cheeriness in “La La Land” to wrap around the entire globe (twice).

    Who Should Win: Kenneth Lonergan. For some reason, the heat around “Manchester by the Sea” has become muted these last few weeks, possibly because of the allegations of sexual harassment leveled against the film’s star, Casey Affleck.

    And it’s a shame because the movie is so, so good. And much of that has to do with the naturalistic direction of Kenneth Lonergan (who also wrote the screenplay). Lonergan is a notorious tinkerer, a character trait that nearly derailed his last film, the fussy, incomparable “Margaret,” and part of what makes “Manchester by the Sea” so miraculous is that it feels like it was sprung, fully formed, from his imagination. Few films were as profound or moving as “Manchester.” And it’s because of Lonergan’s sure-handed direction that it plays so well.

  • 8 Things You’re Guaranteed to See at This Year’s Oscars

    For all the suspense of this year’s Oscars, the one thing you’re guaranteed to see is winners making political speeches. “It’s a political time, so I imagine the Oscars will look exactly like your Twitter or Facebook feed,” Best Song nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda told The Hollywood Reporter this week. “Why should we ignore for three hours what we’re talking about 24 hours a day?”

    So you might as well either enjoy the speeches or ignore them. After all, there’s plenty of other reasons to watch, from the glamour and star power to the jokes to the chance of seeing some of your favorite 2016 movies and actors win prizes — and maybe make history in the process.

    Here’s what to watch for during the 89th Academy Awards on Feb 26.

    1. Jimmy Kimmel
    Everyone not named Matt Damon seems pleased that the ABC late-night comic has graduated from snarking about the Oscars from his perch across the street to hosting the big event. If anyone can strike the balance between making the bigwigs in the Dolby Theatre laugh and deflating their egos for the amusement of hundreds of millions watching at home, it’s Kimmel. BTW, there could be a wonderfully awkward moment if Damon wins Best Picture (he’s nominated as one of the producers of “Manchester by the Sea“).

    2. A-List Presenters
    As is traditional, every actor who won last year will be back to present, so say hello to Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson, Alicia Vikander, and Mark Rylance.

    Also, watch for big winners and prominent nominees from years past, including Amy Adams, Javier Bardem, Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, Felicity Jones, Shirley MacLaine, Hailee Steinfeld, Emma Stone, and Charlize Theron. Other presenters will include “Rogue One” star Riz Ahmed, “Fifty Shades” stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, “Hidden Figures” star Janelle Monae, Ghostbuster Kate McKinnon, action heroes Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Dwayne Johnson, and international stars Gael Garcia Bernal and David Oyelowo.

    3. Some Really Great Songs
    Kimmel doesn’t sing and dance (thankfully), but you’ll still get to hear all five nominated songs performed. Justin Timberlake will sing his “Trolls” tune “Can’t Stop the Feeling” — yes, we could soon find ourselves living in a world where JT has as many Oscar trophies as Martin Scorsese. Sting will sing “The Empty Chair,” the song he wrote about slain journalist James Foley for the documentary “Jim: The James Foley Story.”

    Auli’i Cravalho, Moana herself (above), will perform “How Far I’ll Go,” along with Miranda, who composed the song. As for the two nominated songs from “La La Land,” “City of Stars” and “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” they’ll be performed by the movie’s co-star, John Legend. (This might be in an effort to make us forget that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone are better actors than they are singers.)

    4. Speaking of “La La Land…”
    The musical is up for 14 awards, tying with “All About Eve” and “Titanic” as the most nominated movie ever. It’s not expected to sweep every category, but you can still pretty much count on it to win Best Picture, Best Actress (for Stone), and Best Director for Damien Chazelle. It is also a shoo-in for Best Song and some of the technical awards.

    5. #OscarsNotSoWhite
    Despite all the likely love for “La La Land,” this was a good year for movies about people of color, with Best Picture nominations for “Fences,” “Hidden Figures,” “Lion,” and “Moonlight.” And, with at least one black nominee in all four acting categories, an Academy first. This after two years without any such nominees.

    Mahershala Ali is the front-runner for Supporting Actor for “Moonlight,” and “Fences” star Viola Davis is all but a lock for Supporting Actress, while her co-star, Denzel Washington, has arguably pulled slightly ahead for Best Actor against “Manchester” star Casey Affleck. “Moonlight” is also likely to win Best Adapted Screenplay. So this could be a historic night for African-Americans in Hollywood, especially if two-time winner Washington becomes the first black actor ever to win three Oscars.

    6. Governor’s Awards
    The Academy used to give out its lifetime achievement prizes during the show, but now, to keep the telecast from running four hours, they do it at a separate ceremony in November. That’s a shame, but at least they let the winners come to the main ceremony and wave from the balcony. So keep an eye out amid the nosebleed seats for Jackie Chan, editor Anne V. Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster, and documentarian Frederick Wiseman.

    7. In Memoriam
    2016 was such a brutal year for celebrity deaths that here’s no way they’ll fit all your favorite departed stars into this year’s montage. Hollywood royals Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher will make the cut, and probably Mary Tyler Moore. Beyond those, who knows? Expect angry fans of snubbed stars to start firing off angry tweets on Monday.

    8. Historic Wins
    It’s not just Denzel who might enter the record books. “La La Land” could conceivably beat the record for the movie with the most wins (it’s 11, a record held jointly by “Ben-Hur,” “Titanic,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King“). Since Emma Stone is the favorite for Best Actress, Streep will probably instead top her own record as the actor with the most losses (16 so far).

    “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins could become the first black winner of the Best Director prize in the 89-year history of the Oscars. (And his film could become the first Best Picture winner with a gay protagonist.) Instead, however, Chazelle will probably become the youngest winner of the directing prize, or at least he could tie Norman Taurog, who was also 32 when he won in 1932 for “Skippy.”

    Oh, and cross your fingers for Kevin O’Connell, nominated for Best Sound Mixing for “Hacksaw Ridge.” He’s the record-holder for most Oscar nominations (20) without a win. Could the 21st time be the charm?

  • 2017 WGA Awards Winners Led by ‘Moonlight,’ ‘Arrival,’ ‘Atlanta,’ ‘The Americans’

    The Writers Guild of America revealed its annual award winners in film, television, and other media on Sunday evening, crowning some critical darlings and providing a potential shakeup to the Oscars race.

    On the television side, Atlanta” took home two trophies, for best comedy and best new series, continuing its recent successful awards season run. And fellow FX series “The Americans” nabbed the prize for best drama series, finally gaining some awards attention after its excellent fourth season. (Its only previous WGA nomination came in 2014, for best new series.)

    But the real story was on the film side of the equation, with “La La Land” losing out on one of the night’s top two prizes. A nominee for best original screenplay, the musical was instead upstaged by “Moonlight,” which took top honors. “Arrival” was named the other big winner, taking the best adapted screenplay award.

    In an odd bit of category confusion, “Moonlight” and “La La Land” will not go head-to-head in the screenwriting category at the Oscars, with “Moonlight” landing among the Academy’s adapted screenplay nominees (alongside “Arrival”), and “La La Land” nabbing an original screenplay nod. But they’re both vying for Best Picture, and “La La Land” seems to be losing its once seemingly unstoppable momentum; could this latest setback spell trouble for its chances to take home Oscar’s biggest prize?

    A partial list of WGA film and television winners is below. For the complete list of honorees in all categories, visit the WGA website.

    FILM WINNERS:

    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Moonlight
    Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; A24

    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Arrival
    Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures

    DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY: Command and Control
    Telescript by Robert Kenner & Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book Command and Control by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films

    TELEVISION WINNERS:

    DRAMA SERIES: The Americans
    Written by Peter Ackerman, Tanya Barfield, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX

    COMEDY SERIES: Atlanta
    Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Jamal Olori, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX

    NEW SERIES: Atlanta
    Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Jamal Olori, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX

    ORIGINAL LONG FORM: Confirmation
    Written by Susannah Grant; HBO

    ADAPTED LONG FORM: The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
    Written by Scott Alexander, Joe Robert Cole, D.V. DeVincentis, Maya Forbes, Larry Karaszewski, Wally Wolodarsky, Based on the book The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin; FX

    ANIMATION: “Stop the Presses” (BoJack Horseman)
    Written by Joe Lawson; Netflix

    EPISODIC DRAMA: “The Trip” (This Is Us)
    Written by Vera Herbert; NBC

    EPISODIC COMEDY: “Kimmy Goes on a Playdate!” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
    Written by Robert Carlock; Netflix

    COMEDY / VARIETY TALK SERIES: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
    Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; HBO – WINNER

    COMEDY / VARIETY SKETCH SERIES: Saturday Night Live
    Head Writers: Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Jim Downey, Tina Fey, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Paul Masella, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Dave Sirus, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette; NBC

    COMEDY / VARIETY SPECIALS: Triumph The Primary Election Special 2016
    Written by Andy Breckman, Josh Comers, Raj Desai, David Feldman, R J Fried, Jarrett Grode, Ben Joseph, Matthew Kirsch, Michael Koman, Mike Lawrence, Brian Reich, Craig Rowin, Robert Smigel, Zach Smilovitz, David Taylor, Andrew Weinberg; Additional Materials by Ray James, Jesse Joyce, Jason Reich, Alex Scordelis; Hulu

    QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Hollywood Game Night
    Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC

    DAYTIME DRAMA: General Hospital
    Writers: Shelly Altman, Anna Theresa Cascio, Andrea Archer Compton, Suzanne Flynn, Janet Iacobuzio, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Jean Passanante, Dave Rupel, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten, Christopher Whitesell; ABC

    CHILDREN’S EPISODIC: “Mel vs. The Night Mare of Normal Street” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street)
    Written by Laurie Parres; Amazon Studios

    CHILDREN’S LONG FORM: Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas
    Written by Geri Cole & Ken Scarborough; HBO

  • Why ‘Moonlight’ vs. ‘La La Land’ Could Be the Best Oscar Race Ever

    At least no one can say the Academy didn’t do something about #OscarsSoWhite.

    The 2017 Academy Award nominations yielded Best Picture nods for four movies about people of color (“Fences,” “Hidden Figures,” “Lion,” and “Moonlight“), seven acting nods for performers of color, plus behind-the-scenes nominations for non-white filmmakers in such categories as directing, screenplay, and cinematography.

    What this year’s Oscars may come down to is Hollywood’s own self-regard. That’ll be measured by the support for “La La Land,” the front-runner with 14 nominations — a record tied only by “All About Eve” and “Titanic.” Its next closest rivals, “Moonlight” and “Arrival,” both got eight nominations.

    “Arrival” is a technically accomplished film whose plot about earthlings wary of alien interlopers seems like a parable for the “Build that wall!” era. But science fiction is generally a hard sell for the Academy (as are genre films in general), and the voters’ failure to nominate Academy favorite Amy Adams for her lead performance implies that support for “Arrival” is softer than its eight nominations would suggest.

    So it looks like “La La Land”-vs.-“Moonlight” is the narrative that will shape the rest of the awards race. It’ll be the frothy musical vs. the gritty drama, the Hollywood dream factory vs. the Miami projects.
    Both movies are the product of visionary writer/directors, and both films have been praised for their lyricism, visual poetry, and spirit-lifting qualities. Both are highly personal stories that generally avoid references to politics, topicality, or the world at large outside the characters’ cloistered worlds — the epic-mindedness that Oscar voters often reward.

    How will the voters decide? In the end, it will come down, as it always does, to the face Hollywood wants to present to the world, its idea of what best represents the movie industry today.

    In the past, movies about show business or Hollywood seldom made it all the way to a Best Picture win. They weren’t considered serious enough, and they were thought to be too narcissistic, especially if some seemingly more important historical drama that engaged the wider world was in the running. But then came the upset 1999 victory of showbiz valentine “Shakespeare in Love” over World War II epic “Saving Private Ryan.” In the last six years, the industry has had few qualms about rewarding its own navel-gazing, leading to such top-prize winners as “The Artist,” “Argo,” and “Birdman.”

    So a musical about Hollywood strivers, even one that points out the contrast between the dream of stardom and the hard work and constant rejection involved in its pursuit — that is, between the image Hollywood presents to the world and the soul-crushing reality behind it — stands an excellent chance at bringing home armloads of gold.
    “Moonlight” presents a reality so far from that depicted in “La La Land” that it might as well be set on another planet. Its protagonist, a gay black youth from a broken family — who lives in a drug-riddled housing project — is someone that some industry insiders would seem to have a hard time identifying with. And yet his coming of age, his years-long search for love and acceptance, offers universal themes that should resonate with the voters who loved, say, “Boyhood.”

    There’s also the remarkable track record of producing duo Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, who’ve landed Best Picture nominations for each of the past four years. All of their contenders have been socially conscious, from 2013 winner “12 Years a Slave” to 2014 nominee “Selma” and 2015 nominee “The Big Short.”

    “Moonlight” may be the least overtly political of the pair’s films, but its clear that the Academy responds (as do audiences) to their ability to shepherd movies that present social issues with showmanship and artistry.

    And then there’s the groundswell of support behind this year’s other African-American-focused films and performances. Don’t forget, in response to the #OscarsSoWhite controversies of the past couple years, the Academy made a point of diversifying its membership. Would an older, whiter voting pool still have given eight nods to “Moonlight?” Maybe, since its virtuosity was undeniable.
    20151023_Moonlight_D08_C1_K1_0878.tifStill, the fact that 2016 was a year full of awards-worthy work by people of color had to help push “Moonlight” — a film that has made only a modest splash at the box office — up toward the top of voters’ stacks of screener DVDs.

    Then again, that same, more diverse membership also gave 14 nods to “La La Land,” a film with predominantly white actors and filmmakers, a movie whose virtuosity is equally undeniable. And maybe that’s the best thing about a “La La Land”-vs.-“Moonlight” race: it won’t necessarily be about which movie is more politically correct or has more lavish production values or looks more like America. (Which America?)

    Rather, it could just be the kind of Oscar race we’ve always dreamed about but never actually seen: One that’s all about talent, merit, and art.

  • Mahershala Ali Blames a Chair for His Awful ‘Game of Thrones’ Audition

    28th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala - ArrivalsUnexpected lesson: Always bring your own chair to an audition. Actor “Game of Thrones” if it weren’t for that dang stool. (He should’ve brought his own Iron Throne.)

    Ali was on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night, and described his audition for the “Game of Thrones” Season 2 role o of Daenerys Targeryen’s Qarth frenemy Xaro Xhoan Daxos. (The role ultimately went to British actor Nonso Anozie.)

    What went wrong for Ali? He explained to Kimmel:

    “I think my audition guaranteed that I wasn’t almost on ‘Game of Thrones.’ That was one of the worst auditions of my life. […] I’d gone in for this casting director before, and I felt like I had two other wonky auditions with her, but I was really prepared this time around. Totally off book, had all my lines memorized, had this whole thing worked out with this chair. I was working with doing all these power moves and stances and whatnot. I had all my stuff worked out.”

    And then he walked into the HBO offices and … they didn’t have a chair with a back, they just had two stools.

    “So, I’m kind of sitting there with my feet halfway off the ground, a little bit stiff during the audition, and then she goes, ‘Wow, you gotta loosen that up, that was really stiff. That was a problem.’ So it was because I didn’t have a back to my chair.”

    Kimmel said now he knows, he has to bring a chair the next time — even though that might be weird, to walk into an audition with your own chair. At least you’d be memorable!

    Watch that clip, and more from Mahershala Ali (pronounced Mah-HERSH-alah), whose birth name is even longer:

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