Oscar 2008: Javier Bardem, Tilda Swinton, Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova

Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova – best original song winners

Tilda Swinton – best supporting actress winner

Javier Bardem – best supporting actor winner
Photos: Matt Petit / © A.M.P.A.S.
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Oscar 2008: Katherine Heigl, Kristin Chenoweth, Glen Hansard

Katherine Heigl

Marketa Irglova, Glen Hansard perform "Falling Slowly" from Once

Kristin Chenoweth performs "That’s How You Know" from Enchanted
Photos: Michael Yada / © A.M.P.A.S.
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Oscar 2008: Renee Zellweger, Glen Hansard, Pink Martini

Renee Zellweger

Pink Martini

Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova
Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar 2008: Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova, Amy Ryan

Amy Ryan

Tadanobu Asano of Mongol

Marketa Irglova, Glen Hansard
Photos: Matt Petit (Asano), Michael Yada (Hansard & Irglova, Ryan). All photos: © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar 2008 Predictions: Best Cinematography, Editing, Music

Best Cinematography
There Will Be Blood, Robert Elswit
Robert Elswit won the American Society of Cinematographers award, beating Roger Deakins for two films, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and No Country for Old Men. Though Deakins does have a chance to win the Oscar for either film, this is one instance where the much overused — and almost invariably absurd — "votes are split; a third party wins" logic actually makes sense. That’s why I predict that Elswit will take home the Oscar.
 

Best Film Editing
No Country for Old Men, "Roderick Jaynes" (Joel and Ethan Coen)
An atmospheric suspense thriller that wins the best film Oscar will most likely also win for best film editing. If, however, Academy-ites feel [...]

Oscar 2008: “Falling Slowly” Remains in the Shortlist

Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová’s ballad "Falling Slowly," from John Carney’s Irish-made romantic musical Once, remains in the running in the Best Original Song category of the 2008 Academy Awards.
Several days ago, questions had arisen about the song’s eligibility because before Once came out different versions of "Falling Slowly" had been featured in two music albums and in the trailer of the Czech movie Beauty in Trouble, as reported by Una Mullally in the Dublin Sunday Tribune.
However, last night the Academy’s music branch declared that "Falling Slowly" qualified as an "original song" written specifically for Once.
As reported in the New York Times, Charles Bernstein, Chairman of the Music Branch Executive Committee, stated that "the Academy’s music branch [...]

Oscar 2008: “Falling Slowly” from ONCE Possibly Ineligible

Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová in Once

In The Vast Picture Show, the [Dublin] Sunday Tribune’s film critic Paul Lynch reports that "Falling Slowly," from the Irish romantic musical Once, may be ineligible for the best original song Oscar. The Academy has been apparently investigating the issue.
Lynch quotes a piece by the Sunday Tribune’s music critic Una Mullally:
"The Sunday Tribune understands that the Academy query relates to whether the song, from the John Carney-directed movie Once, was written specifically for the film, as the eligibility rules for the Best Original Song category demand. ‘Falling Slowly’ was originally recorded by the film’s co-stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova when Czech director Jan Hrebejk asked the two musicians to contribute songs to his 2006 [...]

Critics and Awards Season

Glen Hansard, Marketa Irglova in Once

Jack Mathews‘ "Next Up in Oscar Race: Voters Who Matter" in the New York Daily News:
"It’s been fun watching the evolution of the awards, as critics’ groups narrowed the field with their collective awards while breaking the hearts of many of the individual members. Movies that will end up on many top 10 lists didn’t even get a nod of collective approval. When the small Irish musical Once opened in May, it received almost universal praise and with an 88 (out of 100) score on the review collating site metacritic.com, it’s the year’s third best-reviewed film. Only No Country for Old Men and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly rank higher, yet Once is completely [...]