Alt Film Guide
Classic movies. Gay movies. International cinema. Socially conscious & political cinema.
Home Movie Awards Sandra Bullock & Meryl Streep Kiss Seals Best Actress Tie

Sandra Bullock & Meryl Streep Kiss Seals Best Actress Tie

Meryl Streep Sandra Bullock kissing“It’s sort of surreal,” The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow told journalists backstage when asked about her Critics Choice Award victory over former husband James Cameron, in the running for the blockbuster Avatar. Cameron’s 3D sci-fier, however, was the evening’s big winner in terms of sheer number of trophies: six (not seven, as previously reported) in all, including best cinematography (Mauro Fiore), best visual effects, and “best action movie.”

Even more surreal was the Sandra Bullock-Meryl Streep smooch onstage, when they were both announced best actresses of the year: comedy princess Bullock for the drama The Blind Side; tragedienne Streep for the comedy Julie & Julia.

Ramon Novarro biography Beyond Paradise

“This is an honor,” Bullock told the crowd at the Hollywood Palladium. “This one right here inspired me to do everything better. To the critics – I bet you never saw this coming and you might never again. … You [my agent] have a hard time finding me work, ’cause I don’t want to leave home ’cause I love food and sex. We’re so lucky to be here tonight when so many are in pain. I don’t know what to say, but Meryl’s a great kisser.”

Both actresses later paid their respects to one another backstage, but without touching lips again.

Jeff Bridges was the best actor winner for Crazy Heart. His chief competitor, George Clooney, was nowhere in sight because he’s busy helping to stage a telethon to alleviate the suffering of Haitians following the deadly earthquake. Kevin Bacon, was there to accept the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Joel Siegel humanitarian award, and later told reporters that Siegel had been his neighbor and was such a nice guy that Bacon even “forgot he was a critic.”

Other winners include Pedro Almodóvar’s Broken Embraces as best foreign language film, Louie Psihoyos’ The Cove as best documentary, Christoph Waltz as best supporting actor for Inglourious Basterds, Mo’Nique as best supporting actress for Precious, Saoirse Ronan as best young actress for The Lovely Bones, The Hangover as best comedy movie,” Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for their adapted screenplay for Up in the Air, and Quentin Tarantino for his original screenplay for Inglourious Basterds, which also won for best ensemble.

The musical Nine received ten nominations, including best picture, but ended up not winning anything.

Susan Sarandon presented the best picture winner: The Hurt Locker ($12 million domestically), not Avatar ($450 million domestically). Cost of the Iraq War to date, according to costofwar.com: $701 billion (domestically).

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for VH1

“Do you ever ask the guys that?”

That’s Sandra Bullock after being asked “who” she was wearing. The journalist assured Bullock that she did ask the actors, too. And I’m a witness: she did ask the exact same thing to best actor winner Jeff Bridges – who didn’t know “who” he was wearing and had to look inside his clothes to see if there was anyone in his tux with him. (Donna Karan was in there somewhere.)

About critics in general, Bullock remarked that “in the past, most of the critics have said unpleasant things; this year it has been more pleasant than unpleasant [comments].” She also predicted that next year she’ll get more unpleasant stuff because of her offbeat choice of material. When one reporter gushed that she’s just the most “amazing” person in the whole wide universe, Bullock said that she was “an amazing actress” when in public.

“I don’t think you can reach what she’s been able to do,” said Bullock about co-winner Meryl Streep, who was waiting in the wings for her chance to speak with reporters. Streep later paid back the compliment when answering a question about which performers inspire her: “I’m inspired every year. Mostly actresses, but actors, too, I revere. I really admired especially Sandra’s work this year. … Charm is this ineffable thing. This woman has it in spades.”

Streep later said she was thankful that Julie & Julia got made at all, adding that in the current economy it probably wouldn’t have gotten made because “to make a movie about a couple of women, often you can’t get funding.”

Ramon Novarro biography Beyond Paradise

Well, how about pairing up Streep and Bullock in the next buddy-buddy flick?

“What am I wearing?” that’s best actor winner Jeff Bridges (for Scott Cooper’s Crazy Heart), having to look inside his tux to figure out who designed it. As for the his chances of taking home a best actor Academy Award, Bridges remarked he wasn’t counting “the chickens” though he was thankful because “these awards, that’s how we get people into the theaters.”

Bridges, who thus far has been the most unactorish winner backstage, also talked about different topics, from his 33-year marriage (“I’m madly in love with my wife. It was love at first sight”) to the first time he got nominated for an Oscar, back in 1972 for The Last Picture Show, to stepping on John Wayne’s shoes in the True Grit remake.

Inevitably, a journalist asked him if he felt uncomfortable putting his hand inside Maggie Gyllenhaal’s pant(ie)s in Crazy Heart. Bridges looked somewhat taken aback, and remarked that his character enjoyed it. Next question.

Upon accepting his best adapted screenplay Critics Choice Award for Up in the Air (shared with Sheldon Turner), writer-director Jason Reitman remarked, “George [Clooney] is a brilliant writer and director … and I’m a better writer and director because of him.” Too bad Clooney and Reitman didn’t write the dialogue and direct the performances of Todd Phillips and his The Hangover cast at a q&a with journalists backstage.

Questions ranged from what Heather Graham was wearing to what Ed Helms thought of being an “alternative” heartthrob to how many dresses Heather Graham has tried on this awards season to “will Zac Efron be in The Hangover 2”?

The actors (also there were Bradley Cooper and Justin Barth) and the director kept hamming it up; the only answer I can more or less recall was that of an actor (was that Ken Jeong?), which in a couple of sentences went from prayers for the Haiti earthquake victims to some joke about his “little penis.” (Is that from the movie? I haven’t watched The Hangover. After that one, I’m not sure I want to.)

The press room photo shoot looks grueling. Kevin Bacon, winner of the Joel Siegel humanitarian award, just went through it, now.

Rob Marshall’s Nine and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds; each with ten nominations, and James Cameron’s Avatar with nine, are the leading nominees for the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s Critics’ Choice Awards, which will be handed out this evening at the Hollywood Palladium. The show will be hosted by Kristin Chenoweth.

In addition to the aforementioned three films, the other seven best picture nominees are: Lone Scherfig’s An Education; Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker; Clint Eastwood’s Invictus; Lee DanielsPrecious; Joel and Ethan Coen’s A Serious Man; Pete Docter’s Up and Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air. Bigelow, Cameron, Daniels, Eastwood, Reitman, and Tarantino received best director nods.

The best actor nominees are George Clooney, Up in the Air; Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart; Colin Firth for A Single Man; Morgan Freeman for Invictus; Viggo Mortensen for The Road and Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker.

In the running for best actress are Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side; Carey Mulligan, An Education; Gabourey Sidibe, Precious; Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia; and Saoirse Ronan, The Lovely Bones.

Ramon Novarro biography Beyond Paradise

Among the performers nominated in the supporting categories are Matt Damon, Invictus; Woody Harrelson, The Messenger; Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds; Marion Cotillard, Nine; Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; Mo’Nique, Precious; and Julianne Moore, A Single Man.

Kevin Bacon will receive the Joel Siegel humanitarian award.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association comprises 200 TV, radio and online film critics. The ceremony will be televised live at 9 p.m. ET on VH1. Those on the West Coast will have to wait until 9 p.m. local time to watch the show.

Photos: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard in Nine (David James / The Weinstein Co.) (top); Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (François Duhamel / The Weinstein Co.) (bottom)

Zac Efron & Bradley Cooper, Susan Sarandon: Critics’ Choice Awards’ Presenters

Critic’s Choice Awards presenters include Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Rob Corddry, Abbie Cornish, Josh Duhamel, and Zac Efron (above, in 17 Again).

Also, Vera Farmiga, Heather Graham, Ed Helms, Samuel L. Jackson, Ken Jeong, Adam Lambert, Tobey Maguire, Tracy Morgan, Craig Robinson, Avatar‘s Zoe Saldana, Susan Sarandon and Sarah Silverman.

Kristin Chenoweth will host the show, to be held on Friday, Jan. 15. Nick Jonas and the Administration will perform as the house band, while John Krasinski and Amy Poehler will pay tribute to the late John Hughes. Were Molly Ringwald, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryer, and Rob Lowe unavailable?

Photo: Chuck Zlotnick / Warner Bros.

‘Avatar,’ ‘Star Trek’: Film Editors Nominations

More sci-fi films are up for major Hollywood awards. Three of the nominees for the American Cinema Editors’ ACE Eddie Awards are Avatar, District 9 and Star Trek. The two other dramatic feature entries are The Hurt Locker and Up in the Air.

Two Meryl Streep vehicles directed by women are in the running in the best comedy or musical category: Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia and Nancy Meyers’ It’s Complicated. Streep’s flicks are competing against (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover and A Serious Man.

In the animated film category, the contenders are Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Up, while the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It, The Cove and Food, Inc. are up for the documentary award.

The three nominees in the miniseries or TV movie category, are Grey Gardens, Into the Storm and Taking Chance.

Winners will be announced at ACE’s awards ceremony Feb. 14 at the Beverly Hilton.

Feature film (dramatic)
Avatar, Stephen Rivkin, John Refua & James Cameron
District 9, Julian Clarke
The Hurt Locker, Bob Murawski & Chris Innis
Star Trek, Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey
Up in the Air, Dana Glauberman

Feature film (comedy or musical)
500 Days of Summer, Alan Edward Bell
The Hangover, Debra Neil-Fisher
Julie & Julia, Richard Marks
A Serious Man, Roderick Jaynes (a.k.a. Joel and Ethan Coen)
It’s Complicated, Joe Hutshing & David Moritz

Documentary
The Cove, Geoffrey Richman
Food, Inc., Kim Roberts
This Is It, Don Brochu & Kevin Stitt

Best edited animated feature film
Coraline, Christopher Murrie & Ronald Sanders
Fantastic Mr. Fox, Andrew Weisblum
Up, Kevin Nolting

Half-hour series for television
30 Rock: “Apollo Apollo,” Ken Eluto
Curb Your Enthusiasm: “The Bare Midriff,” Steven Rasch
Entourage: “The Sorkin Notes,” Steven Sprung

One-hour series for commercial television
24: “8pm-9pm,” Leon Ortiz Gil
Breaking Bad: “ABQ,” Lynne Willingham
ER: “And in the End,” Randy Jon Morgan & Jacque Toberen
Law & Order SVU: “Hardwired,” Karen Stern
Lost: “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham,” Christopher Nelson

One-hour series for non-commercial television
Dexter: “Living the Dream,” Stewart Schill
Dexter: “Remains to be Seen,” Louis Cioffi
True Blood: “Hard-Hearted Hannah,” Louise Innes

Miniseries or motion picture for television
Grey Gardens, Alan Heim & Lee Percy
Into the Storm, John Bloom & Antonia Van Drimmelen
Taking Chance, Lee Percy & Brian A. Kates

Reality series
The Deadliest Catch: “Stay Focused Ordie,” Kelly Coskran & Josh Earl
Expedition Africa: “Stanley and Livingstone,” Jonathon Braun, Brad Ley, Sven Pape & Molly Schock
Top Chef: “The Last Supper,” Annie Tighe, Alan Hoang, Adrienne Salisbury & Kevin Leffler

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

‘Star Trek,’ ‘Il Divo’ (But Not ‘Avatar’): Oscar Make-Up Semi-Finalists

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the seven semi-finalists in the Make-Up category for the 2010 Academy Awards.

The films are listed below in alphabetical order:

District 9
Il Divo
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
The Road
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

The biggest and best surprise was the inclusion of Il Divo among the seven. Paolo Sorrentino’s biting satire has been mostly ignored by US critics’ groups (the San Diego critics were an exception), so it’s good to see that it’s gotten some added recognition. The make-up job in question transformed actor Toni Servillo into Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti.

One surprising omission is that of James Cameron’s Avatar. That’s probably because much of the Na’vi’s look is a result of computer-generated imagery, not actual make-up jobs.

On Saturday, January 23, all members of the Academy’s Make-Up Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three films for final Oscar consideration.

The 2010 Academy Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 2010 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US, it’ll be televised live by ABC.

‘Avatar,’ ‘The White Ribbon’: ASC Awards

The American Society of Cinematographers has announced its list of nominees. They are Barry Ackroyd for The Hurt Locker, Dion Beebe for Nine, Christian Berger for The White Ribbon, Mauro Fiore for Avatar, and Robert Richardson for Inglorious Basterds.

Dion Beebe previously won the ASC Award for Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and was nominated for Collateral (2004). Robert Richardson’s nod is his ninth; he’s never won. Christian Berger, Mauro Fiore, and Barry Ackroyd are first-timers. Berger has already won best cinematography awards from the Los Angeles and New York critics, and the National Society of Film Critics.

ASC nominations are usually similar to Oscar nominations for best cinematography. But similar doesn’t mean exactly alike. Robert Richardson, for example, has had nine ASC nominations but only five Oscar nods. (At least he’s taken home two Academy Awards, for The Aviator and JFK.)

Up in the Air George ClooneyGeorge Clooney in Up in the Air.

‘Up in the Air,’ George Clooney among Denver Film Critics’ 2010 nominees

The nominations for the 2010 Denver Film Critics Society Awards have been announced. In the running for Best Picture are Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, Joel and Ethan Coen’s A Serious Man, and J.J. AbramsStar Trek. Directors Reitman and Bigelow have also been shortlisted, along with Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds and – surprisingly – Duncan Jones for Moon.

Up for Best Actor are George Clooney, Up in the Air; Viggo Mortensen, The Road; Morgan Freeman, Invictus; and Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart. The Best Actress nominees are Carey Mulligan, An Education; Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia; Abbie Cornish, Bright Star; and Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side.

Those in the running in the supporting categories are the following: Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds; Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones; Woody Harrelson, The Messenger; and Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles for Best Supporting Actor. In addition to Mo’Nique, Precious; Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air; and Julianne Moore, A Single Man, for Best Supporting Actress.

Besides Duncan Jones and Me and Orson Welles’ Christian McKay, among the Denver Film Critics’ most unexpected nominees are Park Chan-wook’s Thirst and Götz Spielmann’s Revanche in the Best Foreign Language Film category, and Michael Stephenson’s Best Worst Movie and Jeff Stilson’s Good Hair in the Best Documentary category. Even more surprising (scratches head) was the inclusion of I Love You Man‘s Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, et al. among the nominees for Best Acting Ensemble.

The Denver Film Critics Award winners will be announced on January 27, 2010. See full list of nominees below.

Nominations for the 2010 Denver Film Critics Awards

Best Film
A Serious Man, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.
Up in the Air, directed by Jason Reitman.
Star Trek, directed by J.J. Abrams.
The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

Best Foreign Language Film
Thirst, directed by Chan-wook Park.
Sin Nombre, directed by Cary Jôji Fukunaga.
Summer Hours, directed by Olivier Assayas.
Revanche, directed by Götz Spielmann.

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker.
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds.
Duncan Jones, Moon.
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air.

Best Actor
George Clooney, Up in the Air.
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart.
Viggo Mortensen, The Road.
Morgan Freeman, Invictus.

Best Actress
Carey Mulligan, An Education.
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia.
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side.
Abbie Cornish, Bright Star.

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds.
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones.
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger.
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles.

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’Nique, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air.
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air.
Julianne Moore, A Single Man.

Best Acting Ensemble
George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, Jason Bateman, Danny R. McBride, Amy Morton, Melanie Lynskey, Up in the Air.
Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Christian Camargo, Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly, The Hurt Locker.
Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, J. K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau, Jaime Pressly, I Love You Man.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Star Trek.

Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds.
Michael H. Weber, Scott Neustadter, (500) Days of Summer.
Mark Boal, The Hurt Locker.
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, A Serious Man.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner, based on the novel by Walter Kirn, Up in the Air.
Geoffrey Fletcher, based on the novel by Sapphire, Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.
Scott Cooper, based on the novel by Thomas Cobb, Crazy Heart.
Scott Z. Burns, based on the novel by Kurt Eichenwald, The Informant.

Best Documentary
The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil, directed by Sacha Gervasi.
Best Worst Movie, directed by Michael Stephenson.
Good Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson.

Best Original Score
Brian Eno, The Lovely Bones.
Michael Giacchino, Star Trek.
Elliot Goldenthal, Public Enemies.
Marvin Hamlisch, The Informant.

Best Original Song
“The Weary Kind,” Crazy Heart: Performed by Ryan Bingham (Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett).
“Winter,” Brothers: Performed by U2 (Bono and The Edge).
“(I Want You to) Come Home,” Everybody’s Fine: Performed by Paul McCartney (Paul McCartney).
“Other Father Song,” Coraline: Performed by They Might Be Giants (John Flansburgh and John Linnell).

Best Colorado Film
Ink, directed by Jamin Winans.
The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardener, directed by Daniel Junge.

Source: Denver Film Critics Society website.

George Clooney Up in the Air photo: Dale Robinette / Paramount Pictures.

‘Avatar’ & ‘Star Trek’: WGA Awards – Nominations

The Writers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2010 WGA Awards. Both Avatar (James Cameron) and The Hangover (Jon Lucas and Scott Moore) have been nominated in the best original screenplay category. Wow. They’ll be competing with the scribes of (500) Days of Summer (Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber), The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal), and A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen).

It gets better: Nora Ephron is up for a best adapted screenplay WGA Award for Julie & Julia, and so are Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman for Star Trek. They’re up against Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air), Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious), and Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart). No one can accuse the WGA of being an elitist group. I’m just not sure that’s such a good thing.

Among the eligible films not nominated for best original screenplay are Bright Star, It’s Complicated, The Messenger, Sin Nombre, Sugar, and Two Lovers.

The Blind Side, Brothers, The Informant!, Invictus, The Last Station, The Stoning of Soraya M., and The Twilight Saga: New Moon are some of the eligible adapted screenplays that were overlooked.

But wait! Where’s Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds or Nick Hornby for An Education or Michael Haneke for The White Ribbon or …? None of these three were eligible. The nominees listed above are the WGA members’ choices among films “written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement.” A little more detail is provided a couple of paragraphs down.

Also, six films are in the running for the best writing for a documentary award, including Capitalism: A Love Story (Michael Moore) and critics’ fave The Cove (Mark Monroe).

The WGA winners will be honored at the 2010 Writers Guild Awards held on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010, at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York.

As per the WGA’s press release, “feature films eligible for a Writers Guild Award were exhibited theatrically for at least one week in Los Angeles in 2009 and were written under the WGA’s Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) or under a bona fide collective bargaining agreement of the Australian Writers Guild, Writers Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Great Britain, Irish Playwrights & Screenwriters Guild or the New Zealand Writers Guild.

“Documentaries eligible for a Writers Guild Award featured an on-screen writing credit and were exhibited theatrically in Los Angeles or New York for one week in 2009. While credited documentary writers were required to join the WGAW’s Nonfiction Writers Caucus or WGAE Nonfiction Writers Caucus to be considered, scripts need not have been written under WGA jurisdiction to be considered.”

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

(500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Fox Searchlight

Avatar, Written by James Cameron; 20th Century Fox

The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore; Warner Bros.

The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment

A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Focus Features

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

 Crazy Heart, Screenplay by Scott Cooper; Based on the novel by Thomas Cobb; Fox Searchlight

Julie & Julia, Screenplay by Nora Ephron; Based on the books Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme; Sony Pictures

Precious: Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher; Based on the novel Push by Sapphire; Lionsgate

Star Trek, Written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman; Based upon Star Trek, Created by Gene Roddenberry; Paramount Pictures

Up in the Air, Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner; Based upon the novel by Walter Kirn; Paramount Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

 Against the Tide, Screenplay by Richard Trank; Moriah Films

Capitalism: A Love Story, Written by Michael Moore; Overture Films

The Cove, Written by Mark Monroe; Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions

Earth Days, Written by Robert Stone; Zeitgeist Films

Good Hair, Written by Chris Rock & Jeff Stilson and Lance Crouther and Chuck Sklar; Roadside Attractions

Soundtrack for a Revolution, Written by Bill Guttentag & Dan Sturman; Freedom Song Productions and Louverture Films

TELEVISION

DRAMA SERIES

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, George Mastras, J. Roberts, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Charles H. Eglee, Lauren Gussis, Clyde Phillips, Melissa Rosenberg, Wendy West; Showtime

Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Ron Fitzgerald, Brent Fletcher, Etan Frankel, Jason Gavin, Elizabeth Heldens, David Hudgins, Rolin Jones, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Derek Santos Olson, John Zinman; NBC

Lost, Written by Carlton Cuse, Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Damon Lindelof, Greggory Nations, Kyle Pennington, Elizabeth Sarnoff, Brian K. Vaughan, Paul Zbyszewski; ABC

Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Andrew Colville, Cathryn Humphris, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Erin Levy, Marti Noxon, Robin Veith, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

COMEDY SERIES

30 Rock, Written by Jack Burditt, Kay Cannon, Robert Carlock, Tom Ceraulo, Vali Chandrasekaran, Tina Fey, Donald Glover, Steve Hely, Matt Hubbard, Dylan Morgan, Paula Pell, Jon Pollack, John Riggi, Tami Sagher, Josh Siegal, Ron Weiner, Tracey Wigfield; NBC

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David; HBO

Glee, Written by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy; Fox

Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Sameer Gardezi, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Caroline Williams, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

The Office, Written by Jennifer Celotta, Danny Chun, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Anthony Q. Farrell, Brent Forrester, Daniel J. Goor, Charlie Grandy, Mindy Kaling, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, Paul Lieberstein, Warren Lieberstein, BJ Novak, Michael Schur, Aaron Shure, Justin Spitzer, Gene Stupnitsky, Halsted Sullivan; NBC

NEW SERIES

Glee, Written by Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy; Fox

The Good Wife, Written by Angela Amato Velez, Corinne Brinkerhoff, Ted Humphrey, Dee Johnson, Todd E. Kessler, Michelle King, Robert King; CBS

Hung, Written by Colette Burson, Ellie Herman, Emily Kapnek, Brett C. Leonard, Dmitry Lipkin, Angela Robinson; HBO

Modern Family, Written by Paul Corrigan, Sameer Gardezi, Joe Lawson, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Caroline Williams, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker; ABC

Nurse Jackie, Written by Taii K. Austin, Liz Brixius, Rick Cleveland, Evan Dunsky, Nancy Fichman, Liz Flahive, Jennifer Hoppe, Mark Hudis, John Hilary Shepherd, Linda Wallem, Christine Zander; Showtime

EPISODIC DRAMA – any length – one airing time

“Broken, Part 1 and Part 2” (House), Written by Russel Friend & Garrett Lerner & David Foster & David Shore; Fox

“Come, Ye Saints” (Big Love), Written by Melanie Marnich; HBO

“The Grown Ups” (Mad Men), Written by Brett Johnson and Matthew Weiner; AMC

“Guy Walks into an Advertising Agency” (Mad Men), Written by Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner; AMC

“I Will Rise Up” (True Blood), Written by Nancy Oliver; HBO

“Phoenix” (Breaking Bad), Written by John Shiban; AMC

EPISODIC COMEDY – any length – one airing time

“Apollo, Apollo” (30 Rock), Written by Robert Carlock; NBC

“Broke” (The Office), Written by Charles Grandy; NBC

“Chapter 1” (Eastbound & Down), Written by Ben T. Best & Jody L. Hill & Danny McBride; HBO

“Gossip” (The Office), Written by Paul Lieberstein; NBC

“Pilot” (Modern Family), Written by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd; ABC

“Reunion” (30 Rock), Written by Matt Hubbard; NBC

LONG FORM – ORIGINAL – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times

Georgia O’Keefe, Written by Michael Cristofer; Lifetime

Grey Gardens, Teleplay by Michael Sucsy and Patricia Rozema, Story by Michael Sucsy; HBO

Pedro, Screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, Story by Paris Barclay & Dustin Lance Black; MTV

LONG FORM – ADAPTATION – over one hour – one or two parts, one or two airing times

America, Teleplay by Joyce Eliason and Rosie O’Donnell, Based upon the novel by E.R. Frank; Lifetime

Taking Chance, Teleplay by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, Based on the short story by Lieutenant Colonel Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.); HBO

ANIMATION – any length – one airing time

“The Burns and the Bees” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox

“Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe” (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox

“Gone Maggie Gone” (The Simpsons), Written by Billy Kimball & Ian Maxtone-Graham; Fox

“Take My Life, Please” (The Simpsons), Written by Don Payne; Fox

“Wedding for Disaster” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox

COMEDY / VARIETY – (INCLUDING TALK) SERIES

Real Time with Bill Maher, Head Writer: Billy Martin, Writers Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Jonathan Schmock, Danny Vermont; HBO

Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Seth Meyers, Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Jessica Conrad, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, John Lutz, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Simon Rich, Marika Sawyer, Akiva Schaffer, John Solomon, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker, Additional Sketch by Adam McKay, Andrew Steele; NBC

The Colbert Report, Head Writers: Barry Julien, Thomas Purcell, Writers Michael Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Robert Dubbin, Glenn Eichler, Peter Grosz, Peter Gwinn, Alon Jay Katsir, Frank Lesser, Opus Moreschi, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Max Werner; Comedy Central

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Head Writer: Steve Bodow, Writers Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Tim Carvell, Wyatt Cenac, JR Havlan, David Javerbaum, Elliott Kalan, Josh Lieb, Sam Means, John Oliver, Jason Ross, Jon Stewart; Comedy Central

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Head Writer: Mike Sweeney, Writers Chris Albers, Jose Arroyo, Josh Comers, Dan Cronin, Kevin Dorff, Andres du Bouchet, Michael Gordon, Berkley Johnson, Brian Kiley, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Brian McCann, Guy Nicolucci, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Andy Richter, Brian Stack; NBC

COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS

“Film Independent’s 2009 Spirit Awards,” Written by Billy Kimball, Neil MacLennan; IFC/AMC

“We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial,” Written by George Stevens, Jr., Michael Stevens and Sara Lukinson; HBO

DAYTIME SERIAL

All My Children, Written by Jeff Beldner, Joanna Cohen, Kate Hall, Chip Hayes, Michelle Patrick, Charles Pratt, Jr., Rebecca Taylor, Tracey Thomson, Addie Walsh; ABC

As the World Turns, Written by Peter Brash, Lisa Connor, Susan Dansby, Cheryl L. Davis, Leah Laiman, David A. Levinson, Leslie Nipkow, Jean Passanante, Gordon Rayfield, Courtney Simon; CBS

One Life to Live, Written by Shelly Altman, Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Aida Croal, Carolyn Culliton, Frederick Johnson, Elizabeth Page, Melissa Salmons, Katherine Schock, Chris Van Etten; ABC

The Young and the Restless, Written by Amanda L. Beall, Tom Casiello, Lisa Connor, Janice Ferri Esser, Eric Freiwald, Jay Gibson, Scott Hamner, Marla Kanelos, Beth Milstein, Natalie Minardi Slater, Melissa Salmons, Linda Schreiber, James Stanley, Sandra Weintraub, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC & SPECIALS

“A Monster Problem” (Imagination Movers), Written by Randi Barnes, Rick Gitelson, Scott Gray; Disney Channel

“Frankly, It’s Becoming a Habitat” (Sesame Street), Written by Joseph Mazzarino; PBS

“Mouse and Home” (Imagination Movers), Written by Michael G. Stern, Randi Barnes, Rick Gitelson, Scott Gray; Disney Channel

“The Rival” (True Jackson, VP), Written by Dan Kopelman; Nickelodeon

“Welcome to the Jungle” (The Troop), Written by Max Burnett; Nickelodeon

“Wild Nature Survivor Guy” (Sesame Street), Written by Christine Ferraro; PBS

CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL

“Another Cinderella Story,” Written by Erik Patterson, Jessica Scott; ABC Family

DOCUMENTARY – CURRENT EVENTS

“Black Money” (Frontline), Written by Lowell Bergman, Oriana Zill de Granados; PBS

“Heat” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS

“The Hugo Chávez Show” (Frontline), Written by Ofra Bikel; PBS

“Inside the Meltdown” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk; PBS

“The Madoff Affair” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria, Martin Smith; PBS

“Poisoned Waters” (Frontline), Written by Hedrick Smith, Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln” (American Experience), Written by Barak Goodman; PBS

The National Parks: Americas Best Idea, “Episode Two: 1890-1915: The Last Refuge,” Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

“The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer” (American Experience), Written by David Grubin; PBS

Soul of a People: Writing America’s Story, Written by David A. Taylor, Olive Emma Bucklin, Andrea Kalin; Smithsonian Channel

“We Shall Remain: Episode Three: Trail of Tears” (American Experience), Written by Mark Zwonitzer; PBS

“We Shall Remain: Episode Two: Tecumseh’s Vision” (American Experience), Written by Ric Burns; PBS

NEWS – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT

CBS Evening News, Written by Jerry Cipriano; CBS

“Recession Candy,” Written by R. Polly Leider; CBS

World News with Charles Gibson, Written by Lee Kamlet, Julia Kathan, Joel Siegel; ABC

NEWS – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“All Night Long” (Good Morning America), Written by Mary Pflum; ABC

“A Private War: Expose: America’s Investigative Reports” (Bill Moyers Journal), Written by Thomas M. Jennings; PBS

“Election Day” (Bill Moyers Journal), Written by Bill Moyers, Michael Winship; PBS

“Financial Fingers” (CBS News), Written by R. Polly Leider; CBS

“The Words That Won the White House” (Good Morning America), Written by Lisa Ferri; ABC

Recommended for You

Leave a Comment

*IMPORTANT*: By using this form you agree with Alt Film Guide's storage and handling of your data (e.g., your IP address). Make sure your comment adds something relevant to the discussion: Feel free to disagree with us and write your own movie commentaries, but *thoughtfulness* and *at least a modicum of sanity* are imperative. Abusive, inflammatory, spammy/self-promotional, baseless (spreading mis- or disinformation), and just plain deranged comments will be zapped. Lastly, links found in submitted comments will generally be deleted.

1 comment

efron -

Viggo Mortensen has my vote all the way.
He is always a fine actor. The Road is a magnificent role for him as the Man and he becomes the total character.
No one else on your list is as good.
And don’t we all get a bit tired of Clooney playing himself. At least he changes suits.

Reply

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue browsing, that means you've accepted our Terms of Use/use of cookies. You may also click on the Accept button on the right to make this notice disappear. Accept Read More