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OSCARS2008
OSCARS ON FILM
When someone refers to an Oscar movie, they’re usually talking about a film that won an
Academy Award. But there are also movies where the Oscars provide a major plot point. Here
are five films that wouldn’t be the same without Oscar I BY MARNI WEISZ
A Star Is Born
(1954)
How Oscar Figures In:
Judy Garland plays
Esther Blodgett, an
up-and-coming singer who
gets involved with fading,
alcoholic actor Norman
Maine (James Mason).
With Maine’s help, she
changes her name to
Vicki Lester and finds
success in motion pictures.
As Lester’s star rises,
Maine’s plummets and
his jealousy comes to a
peak during the Academy
Awards just after she’s
won Best Actress. Drunk,
he dramatically interrupts
the ceremony to beg for a
job, accidentally slapping
Lester in the face.
Trivia: While in the movie
it’s James Mason’s
character dealing with
substance abuse, it was
Garland who died of a
drug overdose 15 years
later. Mason (with whom
she’d had an affair)
delivered her eulogy.
Oscar Worthy? It didn’t
win any, but was
nominated for six —
Best Actor (Mason),
Best Actress (Garland),
Art/Set Decoration,
Costume Design, Original
Song and Score
For Your
Consideration
(2006)
How Oscar Figures In:
On the set of a terrible
indie drama about a
Jewish family celebrating
Purim, a ridiculous
rumour starts about
Oscar buzz surrounding
fading star Marilyn Hack’s
(Catherine O’Hara)
performance.
Trivia: The story was
inspired by a movie
that writer and director
Christopher Guest worked
on early in his career.
Just a few days into
shooting, someone told
the cinematographer to
prepare for an Oscar
nomination.
Oscar Worthy? No
Academy Awards, no
nominations. And those
who honestly suggested
that O’Hara might be
nominated should feel a
bit self-conscious.
Naked Gun 33 1/3:
The Final Insult
(1994)
How Oscar Figures In:
Seven years before 9/11
necessitated a dramatic
increase in security at
the Oscars, this third
Naked Gun movie
has Lt. Frank Drebin
(Leslie Nielsen) trying to
stop a group of terrorists
from detonating a bomb
at the Academy Awards.
Trivia: The film co-stars
two actors who later
became infamous for other
things — O.J. Simpson
and Anna Nicole Smith.
Both won Razzie Awards
for their performances,
Simpson for Worst
Supporting Actor and
Smith for Worst New Star.
Oscar Worthy? Um, no.
famous 28 | february 2008
California Suite
(1978)
How Oscar Figures In:
Based on the Neil Simon
play, the movie
intertwines the stories of
four sets of people staying
at the same Los Angeles
hotel. One of those sets is
British actor Diana Barrie
(Maggie Smith) and her
husband Sidney Cochran
(Michael Caine), who
have come to L.A.
because she’s been
nominated for an Oscar.
Trivia: Smith and Caine’s
scenes outside the
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
were filmed before the
50th Academy Awards.
Richard Burton, who was
nominated that year, can
be seen in one shot.
Oscar Worthy?
Maggie Smith won for
Best Supporting Actress.
The film was also
nominated for Art/Set
Decoration and Adapted
Screenplay.
In & Out
(1997)
How Oscar Figures In:
When actor Cameron Drake
(Matt Dillon) wins an
Oscar for playing a gay
soldier he thanks his
high school teacher
Howard Brackett (Kevin
Kline) for being his
inspiration in playing a
gay character. Problem is,
Brackett’s not out of the
closet, he’s not even sure
he is gay. After all, he’s
engaged to a woman.
Trivia: Inspired by
Tom Hanks’ acceptance
speech for Philadelphia
in which he thanked a gay
teacher. Although the
teacher was openly gay,
many in his life had
no idea about his sexual
orientation.
Oscar Worthy?
Joan Cusack received a
Best Supporting Actress
nomination for her
performance as
Brackett’s fiancée.
OSCAR IMAGE ©A.M.P.A.S.®
Rap and R&B
From braggadocious street poetry to soul-stirring balladry to party-starting floor-fillers and all points in between, this year's hip-hop and
R&B nominees have all the angles covered.
give
the HMV gift card
the
Sound Choice for the 2008
Grammy Awards
From one of HipHop's most influential artists comes Graduation,
Kanye West's third instalment in the groundbreaking series that
started with College Dropout and Late Registration. Once again,
Kanye challenges boundaries and raises the bar with his inventive
style, as seen on the single “Stronger”. Graduation features special
guests Mos Def, T-Pain, Daft Punk and Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Includes the new single “Good Life”.
8 Nominations! Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Solo
Performance - “Stronger”, Best Rap Song - “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’”,
Best Rap Song - “Good Life”, Best Rap Collaboration - “Good Life”,
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - “Better Than I’ve Ever
Been” with Nas (released as a charity single), Rakim and KRS-One
and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - “Southside” with
Common (from Common’s album Finding Forever)
Rihanna
Good Girl Gone Bad
GRAMMY Awards and the gramophone logo are registered trademarks of The Recording Academy,
and are used under license. © 2007 The Recording Academy.
The Bajan born pop princess has delivered her best album yet
with Good Girl Gone Bad, stacked full of pop hits infused with
R&B, reggae and her signature dancehall sound. Includes the
hits "Umbrella," and the new smash “Hate That I Love You”
featuring Ne-Yo!
6 Nominations! Song Of the Year and Record Of the Year - "Umbrella" with Jay-Z, Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration, Best Dance Recording - "Please Don't Stop The Music", Best R&B Vocal Performance
By A Duo or A Group and Best R&B Song - "Hate That I Love You" with Ne-Yo
Alicia Keys
As I Am
Promising a fresh and new direction for her third studio outing, Alicia
Keys delivers with the spectacular pop-soul crossover of As I Am. In
addition to hit singles “No One” and “Superwoman,” songwriter Linda
Perry lends a hand to “The Thing About Love,” and guitarist John
Mayer makes an appearance on “Lesson Learned.”
2 Nominations! Best Female R&B Vocal Performance – “No One" and Best R&B song - “No One”
Mary J. Blige
Growing Pains
Grammy Award® winning singer/songwriter Mary J. Blige's 8th
studio album Growing Pains features production by Timbaland and
“Tricky” Stewart who produced the first single “Just Fine”. The
“Queen Of Hip Hop Soul” has firmly established herself as an icon as
well as one of the best selling recording artists of our time.
2 Nominations! Best Female R&B Vocal Performance - "Just Fine" and Best R&B Performance By A
Duo Or Group With Vocals - "Disrespectful" (from Chaka Khan’s album Funk This)