Sir Ian McKellen to open 8th Annual SAG Awards, Elijah will introduce LOTR
SAG Awards

Three-time Actor® nominee Sir Ian McKellen, nominated individually and with his cast this year for “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring,” will open the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® and Simon Baker (“The Guardian”), Kate Beckinsale (“Serendipity”), Minnie Driver (“High Heels And Lowlifes”), Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), Keri Russell (“Felicity”), Sissy Spacek (“In The Bedroom”) and David Spade (“Just Shoot Me”) will be presenters, Executive Producer Jeff Margolis announced today.

The 2002 Actors® honoring the outstanding performances of 2001 in five film and eight television categories will be telecast by Turner Network Television (TNT) from the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center on Sunday, March 10, 2002 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, 7 p.m. Central, 6 p.m. MT

“We are honored that Ian McKellen has accepted our invitation to open the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® and share with our audiences at home and in the theater his reflections on what it means to be an actor,” said Margolis. “He will be the first of an extraordinary group of artists paying tribute to their colleagues on the night actors honor their own.”

Tom Selleck will present SAG’s 38th Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment to Edward Asner. Supporting female actor nominee Dakota Fanning (“I Am Sam”), the youngest actor ever nominated for an individual Screen Actors Guild Award®, will introduce a special tribute to child actors. Actor® nominees Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”), Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge”), Elijah Wood (“The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring”), Ryan Phillipe (“Gosford Park”), and Marisa Tomei (“In The Bedroom”) will introduce their films nominated for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Motion Picture, the final award of the evening which will be presented by Oscar® nominee Will Smith (“Ali”).

Presenters who will reveal this year’s Actor® recipients include Benicio del Toro (recipient of two Actors® last year for “Traffic”), current Actor® nominees Stockard Channing (“The West Wing”), Kristin Davis (“Sex and the City”), Lauren Graham (“Gilmore Girls”), Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), Marg Helgenberger (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), Peter Krause (“Six Feet Under”), Sissy Spacek (“In the Bedroom”), Sam Waterston (“Law & Order”); past Actor® nominees Minnie Driver (for “Good Will Hunting”), Victor Garber (for “Titanic”), Uma Thurman (for “Pulp Fiction”); and Simon Baker (“The Guardian”), Kate Beckinsale (“Serendipity”), Esai Morales (“NYPD Blue”), Charlotte Ross (“NYPD Blue”), Keri Russell (“Felicity”), David Spade (“Just Shoot Me”), Kiefer Sutherland (“24”), and Damon Wayans (“My Wife and Kids”).

Ian McKellen’s nominations this year for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and as a member of the cast of “The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring” bring his total Actor® nominations to three. He was nominated in 1999 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for “Gods and Monsters.” Both roles also earned him Academy Award nominations. McKellen celebrated his 40th anniversary as an actor this year with a return to Broadway in Strindberg’s “Dance of Death.” He has also filmed the next installments of “The Lord Of The Rings” trilogy: “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”, and will reprise his role as Magneto in the sequel to the blockbuster “X-Men.” Among other honors are a Tony Award for “Amadeus,” an Emmy for HBO’s “Rasputin” and a European Actor of the Year for “Richard Richard III”(which he co-produced and co-scripted) and a Peabody Award for “On Shakespeare’s Birthday.”

Simon Baker, currently starring in the new CBS drama “The Guardian,” also starred this year in the feature “Affair of the Necklace.” His other film credits include “Red Planet“, “LA Confidential,” “Sunset Strip”, “Ride With the Devil,” “Judas Kiss” and “Restaurant.”

Kate Beckinsale was last seen in “Serendipity,” starring opposite John Cusak and in the blockbuster “Pearl Harbor.” She will next be seen in the ensemble drama “Laurel Canyon.” She played the title role in the A&E production of “Emma.” Her other film roles include “The Golden Bowl,” “Brokedown Palace,” “The Last Days of Disco” and Kenneth Branagh’s “Much Ado About Nothing.”

Minnie Driver was honored with two Actor® nominations in 1998 for her supporting and cast performance in “Good Will Hunting, a role which also earned her an Oscar® nomination. She can currently be seen in “High Heels and Lowlifes” and will next be seen in “Owning Mahowny” and “New Cardiff.” Her numerous film roles include “Grosse Pointe Blank,” “Return to Me,” “An Ideal Husband,” “Circle of Friends” and as the voice of Jane in the animated feature “Tarzan.”

Rachel Griffiths was honored with her first Actor® and Oscar® nominations in 1999 for her supporting role in “Hillary and Jackie.” She received her second Actor® nomination this year as a member of the “Six Feet Under” drama ensemble, a performance which also earned her this year’s supporting actress Golden Globe Award. Her other honored film work includes “Muriel’s Wedding“, Me MyselfI,” ”Amy”, “My Son the Fanatic” and the short film “Tulip.”

Screen Actors Guild honored Patricia Heaton this year with her first individual and third comedy ensemble nomination for “Everybody Loves Raymond,” bringing her overall total to four. The ensemble was nominated previously in 1999 and 2000. Her performance as Debra Barone has also been honored with two Emmy® Awards. Her credits include the telefilms “A Town Without Christmas” and “Miracle in the Woods,” the series “Room for Two,” “Women of the House” and “thirtysomething, and the features “Space Jam,” “Beethoven” and “The New Age.”

The star of the WB series, “Felicity,” Keri Russell can currently be seen in the feature “We Were Soldiers” with Mel Gibson. She previously starred in the series “Malibu Shores,” “Daddy’s Girls” and “Emerald Cove.” Her feature films include “Mad About Mambo”, “Eight Days a Week” and “Honey, I Blew up the Kid” and she starred in the telefilms “When Innocence is Lost”, “The Lottery” and “The Babysitter’s Seduction.”

Sissy Spacek’s three Actor® nominations this year for her lead performance and as a cast member for “In the Bedroom” and for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for “Midwives,” bring her total nominations to four. She was also nominated in 1995 in the same Television Movie and Miniseries category for “A Place for Annie.” Spacek’s performance in “In the Bedroom” has also been honored with Oscar®, BAFTA and Independent Spirit nominations and Golden Globe and AFI Awards. She is an Oscar® winner for “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and a nominee for “Crimes of the Heart,” “The River,” “Missing” and “Carrie.” Her recent films include “The Straight Story,” “Blast from the Past” and “Affliction.” She will next be seen in “Tuck Everlasting” opposite William Hurt and Ben Kingsley.

David Spade’s supporting role in “Just Shoot Me” has been honored with Emmy® and Golden Globe nominations. He was previously honored with two shared Emmy nominations as a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” on which he also starred from 1991-1996. He was recently seen in “Joe Dirt” and “Lost and Found” both of which he wrote, and was the voice of Emperor Kuzco in the animated feature “The Emperor’s New Groove.”

Who's new in "The Two Towers"?
Andy Jacobs
BBC, Film

(CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS)

The Fellowship's broken up, Frodo and Sam are on their own, Aragorn's off hunting orc... what fresh characters will they meet in "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"? Read on to find out.

Name: Theoden
Who he? King of the Mark - old before his time thanks to the evil force of Saruman's henchman Grima Wormtongue. Crucial to defending Middle-earth against the forces of Sauron, he gets on brilliantly with Merry.
Distinguishing features: Grumpy and suspicious. Then cheerful and brave.
Played by: Bernard Hill
Who he? Brit actor best known for his searing Yosser Hughes in The Boys from the Blackstuff. Also played the unfortunate Captain Smith in "Titanic".

Name: Grima Wormtongue
Who he? Chief counsellor to Theoden, King of the Mark, Wormtongue is actually in the pay of Saruman. Sorry if that's spoilt the surprise for you, but let's face it, the name's a bit of a give-away.
Distinguishing features: Untrustworthy. Slimy. Worm-like.
Played by: Brad Dourif
Who he? An Oscar nominee for his Billy Bibbit in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", he's best known nowadays for voicing Chucky in the "Child's Play" movies.

Name: Eomer
Who he? Bearer of the natty title Third Marshall of Riddermark, Eomer is fiercely loyal to his uncle, Theoden, and distrusts Grima.
Distinguishing features: Handy in a scrap. Good judge of character.
Played by: Karl Urban
Who he? A 30-year-old Kiwi in his breakthrough role (unless you happened to catch the small New Zealand pic "Via Satellite" in 1998).

Name: Eowyn
Who she? Sister to Eomer, Eowyn is Theoden's niece (obviously) and develops a crush the size of East Anglia on Aragorn.
Distinguishing features: Brave. Strong. Gets about a bit.
Played by: Miranda Otto
Who she? Thirtysomething Australian actor whose most prominent role was as Michelle Pfeiffer's next-door-neighbour in "What Lies Beneath".

Name: Hama
Who he? Doorman of Theoden and Captain of the guard, Hama is an all-round good egg.
Distinguishing features: Tall. Trustworthy.
Played by: John Leigh
Who he? Another Kiwi actor who had a minor role in Peter Jackson's US pic "The Frighteners". Paid his dues in New Zealand soap Shortland Street.

Name: Faramir
Who he? Brother to the late, lamented Boromir, Faramir is now responsible for helping his father Denethor defend Gondor against the forces of Saruman.
Distinguishing features: Level-headed. Wise. Doesn't like fighting, but good with a sword when pushed.
Played by: David Wenham
Who he? Another Aussie actor, played 'Audrey' in Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge".

Name: Denethor
Who he? Steward of Gondor, Denethor is the father of Boromir and Faramir.
Distinguishing features: Dislikes Gandalf. Prone to get depressed and do stupid things with fire when he finds out his son has pegged it.
Played by: John Noble
Who he? Head of Drama at a Sydney arts school and an infrequent actor, being better known as a stage director. Despite this, is qualified to play Denethor because he's Antipodean.

Name: Gamling
Who he? Man of Rohan, important to the human cause at the Battle of Hornburg. Also known as Gamling The Old.
Distinguishing features: Old.
Played by: Bruce Hopkins
Who he? Yet another Kiwi, he was a professional dancer for nine years and has made several appearances in, ahem, Xena: Warrior Princess.

Name: Treebeard
Who he? Leader of the ents, an ancient race of tree-like beings. Gets very miffed with Saruman for destroying the local forestry.
Distinguishing features: Looks like a tree. How much more distinguishing can you get?
Voiced by: John Rhys-Davies
Who he? Also plays Gimli in the same film (what, did the budget run out?).

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Learning new Hobbits
Filmscore
November 2001

Composer Howard Shore brings his magic to The Fellowship of the Ring

     

     

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Tolkien documentary to premiere on OU’s campus
Isaac Childres
The Oklahoma Daily

A discussion will follow each showing of The Making of The Lord of the Rings.

World-renowned filmmaker Costa Botes is taking a trip to OU this weekend to treat the campus to the world-premiere of his newest work, The Making of the Lord of the Rings.

A friend of Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, Botes followed the production of the trilogy and finished editing last week.

“It should open people’s eyes on how the hell to make a film like that,” film and video studies professor Andrew Horton said.

The documentary will encompass the creation of all three movies, which were filmed simultaneously. There will be two screenings Monday along with a discussion of the film, at 6 and 8:30 p.m.

“He has a wonderful sense of curiosity,” Horton said of Botes. This helps a lot in the documentary filmmaking business. Botes can do more than documentaries, however, working on movies, short films and one of his most famous, Forgotten Silver, a “mockumentary” of a fake filmmaker Botes did with Jackson.

“If you want to be a filmmaker, you have to do everything,” Horton said.

People from Hollywood and New York are coming to OU not only to see the world premiere, but also just to get the chance to meet the creator of Forgotten Silver, Horton said.

“When Hollywood comes to Norman, you know you’ve got something,” Horton said.

In addition to the discussions and screenings on Monday, Botes will be holding a workshop tomorrow entitled “How to Make Your Own Films Without a $300 Million Budget.” Referring to the budget of Lord of the Rings, Botes' workshop, will show students how to make short films.

“A lot of people are breaking into the movie biz by making shorts,” Horton said.

Horton said he hopes this will help students out, especially since the film and video studies program set up an agreement with one of the most widely known short film festivals in Clairmont, France. Soon, OU students will be able to send their own short films to the prestigious festival. Horton also emphasized that Botes’ coming might also enhance the film culture of Oklahoma.

“Oklahoma is the same size and has the same population as New Zealand,” Horton said. “If a country like New Zealand can do this well, why not Oklahoma next?”

The short films workshop will be at 10 a.m. Saturday in 123 George Lynn Cross Hall. The cost is $10 for the public and $5 for OU students. The screenings and discussions will be held in Meacham Auditorium. Tickets must be picked up in advance at 302 Old Science Hall . The tickets are free and no more than four will be given out for one person. The screening at 6 p.m. on Monday will be for OU students, faculty, and staff only. The 8:30 p.m. screening is open to everyone.

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Oscar watches pay 'Mind' to weekend awards
Lou Lumenick
The New York Post

THE Oscars race will enter the homestretch after this weekend, when two key awards may help predict the top winners on March 24.

The Directors Guild of America awards Saturday night - the most highly accurate predicter of the Best Director and Best Picture races - is being closely watched to see which way the incredibly tight competition between "The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" and "A Beautiful Mind" is swaying.

More eyes will be on the televised Screen Actors Guild awards Sunday night, to see how recent controversies have impacted the hard-fought Best Actor race between Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington.

What's on the line is millions of dollars of extra pay and the clout to green light almost any movie they want.

Only Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford and Julia Roberts have that kind of power now - and an Oscar win may help Washington or Crowe join that elite crowd.

Two years ago, Washington was considered the front-runner in the Oscar race for "The Hurricane" - but a loss to Kevin Spacey for "American Beauty" at the SAG awards was the tip-off that the same thing would happen at the Oscars.

This year Washington is up again, for his brilliant playing-against-type as a corrupt cop in "Training Day."

His supporters - including Roberts - who think he was robbed two years ago, are playing the race card, suggesting a subtle form of racism has kept him from becoming the first black actor to win the top acting award since Sidney Poitier a generation again.

While they have a good point, it's a very risky strategy - but Washington may have been helped by Crowe's loutish behavior.

Crowe, who's up for "A Beautiful Mind," has apologized for roughing up a British producer because part of his acceptance speech at the British Oscars was cut for the television broadcast.

But it's still an open question whether the apology will play as sincere - or as a calculated political move.

Meanwhile, the Directors Guild awards offer a showdown between Oscar front-runners Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind") and Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings").

Coming off 2000's top-grossing movie, "The Grinch," and a string of other hits, Howard is already one of Hollywood's most powerful figures.

There's more at stake for Jackson, previously an obscure New Zealand director, who is aiming for the top of Tinseltown's A-list.

Then there is an intriguing dark horse named Baz Luhrmann.

He was snubbed by Oscar's Best Director race, but he's up for a SAG award. And his movie, "Moulin Rouge," just pulled a surprise upset in the Producers Guild awards last weekend.

Could Baz pull it off again? Just look at the DGA awards for 1995.

Ron Howard wasn't nominated for an Oscar for "Apollo 13" - but he won the Directors Guild award.

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Cranky Critic predicts the Oscar

In a year filled with good performances in bad movies, only a few made the cut. We can hear the creak of Oscar's bones just by looking at the lists of nominees below. There are a large number of statue-less elderly nominees and we wouldn't advise betting against some of them, regardless of what you think of their films. This list also reflects the loud mouths of some critics, who can't distinguish between great performances and great films. We acknowledge the eMail regarding In The Bedroom: The performances are top notch but 99.9% of y'all found the film totally unwatchable, as did we. As for Moulin Rouge, we're on the "not thrilled" side, though it should take most of the design, costume and music categories. The best flick of the year to get screwed by the Academy is Memento, which has found its way back into the "original screenplay" category. If it doesn't win there, well, the Academy is allegedly composed of old folks with no attention span, which is why Moulin Rouge has done so well. As for those old brains and In the Bedroom, they can still read a zillion critic's Best of Lists and vote from that. We once worked for a voting Member and that's how he did it. Here are your nominees . . .

Best motion picture
A Beautiful Mind
Gosford Park
In the Bedroom
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Moulin Rouge

If the Academy had watched the films rather than looked at a horde of Best of Lists, you wouldn't be seeing In The Bedroom on this list, you'd be seeing Iris. Oscar's preference for "epics" would give Rings an edge, though the consensus is that A Beautiful Mind will take the cake (one with which we agree even as we acknowledge that Rings took the top of our personal Best of 2001 List). As far as the Academy goes, if Rings doesn't take it this year, and continues to deliver the quality filmmaking seen in that first segment, wait for Part 3: The Return of the King to receive Oscar glory. Moulin Rouge is the definite dark horse though, if the Academy is feeling incredibly sentimental towards the still statue-less Robert Altman, then Gosford Park could surprise everybody.
Cranky's pick: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Oscar to: A Beautiful Mind

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind
Sean Penn in I Am Sam
Will Smith in Ali
Denzel Washington in Training Day
Tom Wilkinson in In the Bedroom

Russell Crowe is the majority critic's pick (us included) though his disdain and public arrogance about all the awards he's won may shoot him in the foot. Simply, if you want two in a row, be nice like Mr. Hanks. That should put our support behind Sean Penn though, if Crowe flames out, we would not be surprised at all to see Denzel Washington at the podium. The man has the momentum: He delivered an against the grain character. He's well liked in and out of the Academy and has earned enough career points that there's a definite shot. If the Academy is as racist as some claim, you'll still see the veteran (Washington) outdo the rookie (Smith). Why? Box office. Training Day had it. Ali bombed.
Cranky's pick: Denzel Washington
Oscar to: Denzel Washington

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Halle Berry in Monster's Ball
Judi Dench in Iris
Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge
Sissy Spacek in In the Bedroom
Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary

All we hear is Sissy Spacek Sissy Spacek Sissy Spacek. Anyone who sits through the admittedly difficult Monster's Ball all the way to the final expression on Halle Berry's face in the final scene of the movie can't deny the woman. Our Best Of honor went to Judi Dench but we acknowledge an emotional trigger was pushed by her most excellent performance. Zellweger is an outside shot but we don't expect a radical shift here.
Cranky's pick: Halle Berry
Oscar to: Sissy Spacek

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Jim Broadbent in Iris
Ethan Hawke in Training Day
Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast
Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Jon Voight in Ali

It would be nice to see Ian McKellen win but even nicer to see the relatively unknown Jim Broadbent walk away with a statue for Iris. Since it is in the supporting categories that we traditionally see the biggest surprises, we'll follow the trail. Only one of our "Best of" picks made this list, so we'll stick by him, even as it is clear as a bell which nominee will probably take the gold. That's Voight, for his career and a dead on enjoyable play as Howard Cosell in Ali. Yes, there's a lot of talk about Ben Kingsley. He's already got the bigger Actor Oscar so we're crossing our fingers that the Academy puts a statue in the hands of someone who hasn't got one.
Cranky's pick: Jim Broadbent
Oscar to: Jon Voight

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Connelly in A Beautiful Mind
Helen Mirren in Gosford Park
Maggie Smith in Gosford Park
Marisa Tomei in In the Bedroom
Kate Winslet in Iris

There should be no question here. With all due respect to both Helen Mirren (as the servant with a secret) and Maggie Smith (as the traditionally bitchy aristocrat), both in Gosford Park; to Marisa Tomei (whose role was the only watchable part of In the Bedroom for us) and Kate Winslet, the spotlights of almost everyone are shining on one actress.
Cranky's pick: Jennifer Connelly
Oscar to: Jennifer Connelly

Achievement in Directing
Ron Howard for A Beautiful Mind
Ridley Scott for Black Hawk Down
Robert Altman for Gosford Park
Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
David Lynch for Mulholland Drive

Remember what we've said about the Directors Guild Award? Well, here we go again with lists that don't match. Altman and Lynch made the cut here, bumping Christopher Nolan's Memento and Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge. The latter is our guess as to why we don't think MR is going to score the big statues -- these things tend to go hand in hand, even when there's a slip or two. We vote in the DGA and went with the underdog that doesn't show on these lists so we'll fall back on our "Best of" pick, even though I don't think the Lord of the Rings trilogy will garner the major awards until all is said and done in 2003.
Cranky's pick: Peter Jackson
Oscar to: Ron Howard although we're not counting Altman out since he's never won and his career merits a statue.

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Hollywood faces runaway films
Joseph Lee
CNN Money

Filmmakers flock to cheaper locales as Tinseltown struggles to fight back.

Two of this year's hottest Oscar contenders, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and "Moulin Rouge," were filmed and produced entirely in New Zealand and Australia, respectively.

Mark Ordesky, executive producer of "Lord," said "the problem in this process is self-policing."

'Film studios are always looking for ways to save money, and it would cost dramatically more if the film [Lord] wasn't shot overseas," he said.

But CEIDR's Katz argued that while the bottom line remains crucial, many film companies have compromised the creative and artistic merits of the film.

"This is a creative field," Katz argued. "There's quality and there's quantity, and there's cheap goods."

Katz said Hollywood has dominated the industry for a long time, and a shortage of experienced crew, especially in highly skilled areas, often inconveniences runaway production.

Ordesky defended the decision by saying that New Zealand was the perfect location for J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord" trilogy. "In order to sustain the belief, the geography of the film has to look like Middle Earth," he said.

As for "Moulin Rouge," a Paris-based love story about "truth, beauty, freedom, above all," it was shot completely in a sound studio in Sydney, Australia.

Katz said the Australian government subsidized a great deal of tax incentives for Twentieth Century Fox, the studio that financed "Moulin Rouge," and New Line Cinema received similar benefits for the "Lord" trilogy from the New Zealand government.

Full article...

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Fantasy films bring best box office sales in three decades
Ananova

Cinema audiences in the UK have hit a 30-year high.

Moviegoers clocked up 141 million visits to cinemas during 2001, the largest number since 1972, the Office for National Statistics said today.

Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings are among the most successful films of all time just three months after their release.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone is only bettered by Titanic in the all-time box office top 10.

Cinemas have seen a major resurgence over the past few years as they recover from the impact of video on an already declining market.

The audience figures hit a low in 1984 but have improved almost every year since then.

They are four million up on 2000 admissions. The final quarter of 2001, when both Potter and Rings were released, saw the number of admissions increase by 17% compared with the same period a year earlier.

However, admissions are nowhere near the levels achieved in the early 1950s which were nearly 10 times greater.

The increased ownership of TV sets was partly to blame for the drop in attendance. The highest figure prior to 2001 was 157 million in 1972.