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Best Picture Breakdown: There Will Be Blood

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:30:14 -0800

From now until the 2008 Oscars air on Sunday night, I'll be breaking down the five contenders for Best Picture, giving you the scoop on why each film could win and why it might not stand a chance. Today, I'm kicking off the series with a closer look at There Will Be Blood.

Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is a stark and stunning look at greed, power, and success viewed through the lens of the oil boom of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The bulk of its acclaim has come for Daniel Day-Lewis's performance as tycoon Daniel Plainview, but the movie has many other things going for it, as its eight Oscar nominations - for diverse categories including cinematography and sound editing - show. To see how I think There Will Be Blood will fare in the Best Picture race, just read more.

Why It Might Win

Three words: Daniel Day-Lewis. His Daniel Plainview is a greed-driven maniac, neglecting all - social conventions, religion, even his own son - in the service of his quest for power, fortune, and oil, oil, oil. Delivering the year's biggest movie catchphrase ("I drink your milkshake") is just the icing on the cake.
It's well-rounded. As its Oscar nominations show, it's strong in a number of different filmmaking categories, from the visual (including Best Art Direction) to the auditory (Best Sound Editing). It's still a shame that Jonny Greenwood's score was disqualified, because his music added yet another compelling dimension to the film.
It's ambitious. Through its focus on Plainview (and its secondary story of Paul Dano's young prophet), it seeks to tell a bigger story about religion, greed, community, and fatherhood.

Why It Might Not Win

It could have used some editing. As I noted in my review, the movie is a series of interlocking conflicts that can, at times, detract from the central story. A few of the subplots just didn't feel necessary enough to justify the film's 158-minute running time.
Day-Lewis truly does make this movie. The Academy could be content with rewarding him with the Best Actor nod and giving the overall prize to another film.
It could be a victim of its own success. Its ambiguous ending could be frustrating for some viewers, and voters who heard the movie described as "the next Citizen Kane" could have expectations too high for this film to meet.

Chance of winning: Moderate to good

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Oscar Nominee: There Will Be Blood for Art Direction

BuzzSugar — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 14:30:53 -0800

In the days leading up to the Oscars, I'll be featuring the nominees in the various visual categories. This week, I've been looking at the nominees for Best Art Direction, which encompasses the entire look and feel of a film from the scenery to the lighting. Today brings us to the last of the nominees: There Will Be Blood.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson and gang did well with capturing the dangerous and spooky atmosphere of the oil industry at the beginning of the 1900s. Every frame portrays a dusty, dirty and oil-splattered world, all in that palette of slick blacks, coarse browns and sometimes fire-gold.

The film makes great use of its landscape, setting its characters against a barren desert or a shockingly blue sky. A few scenes - such as the one where an oil rig catches fire, ultimately tumbling to the ground in a heap of burning rubble - are particularly stark.

For more stills from There Will Be Blood, read more.

View 12 Photos ›

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

There Will Be Blood: Savagely Stirring

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 05:45:00 -0800

The opening scenes of There Will Be Blood are like a preview for the superb Daniel Day-Lewis performance to follow. For the movie's first 15 or so minutes, there is not a bit of dialog - only silence interspersed with the dissonant, deep-stringed musical score by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood. The action focuses solely on the grueling labor at hand. It's a striking way to start a story and also a metaphor for Day-Lewis's portrayal of Daniel Plainview, whose outbursts are as sinister as his silence and who lives for nothing but the pursuit of oil.

Based loosely on Upton Sinclair's Oil!, this movie is strange and hard to pigeonhole, and that's one of the main reasons I enjoyed it. It's a tale of two megalomaniacs, representing capitalist and religious greed, that at times has the feel of a horror film. The other big reason to savor There Will Be Blood is for Day-Lewis's eerie performance, which is hands down one of the year's best, so read more.

The majority of the movie's action takes place in the early 20th century in a small California town where Plainview has come to prospect with his 10-year-old son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier). If Plainview and his men find oil, he pledges to fund the local church, run by a weaselly little preacher named Eli Sunday (Paul Dano). Though the town eventually strikes it rich, the wealth comes at a cost, including disasters and family drama, failed attempts at religious conversion, and one heart-breaking accident.

Dano, who I loved in Little Miss Sunshine, is great as the politely manipulative Eli, a pre-TV version of a televangelist. And Day-Lewis is one of those rare actors totally consumed by a character - not because he puts on an accent or grows facial hair (although he does) but because everything about his manner and psyche seems transformed. With Plainview, he perfectly illustrates the struggle between greed versus compassion, creating a man so misanthropic, he cannot even bring himself to care about the people he longs to love.

The problem with There Will Be Blood is that it lacks a unified, tension-building plot and instead feels more like a series of interlocking conflicts. Director Paul Thomas Anderson chooses to focus more on the struggle between capitalism and religion than that of greed versus compassion, but by the shocking and riveting final scene, it's not clear which side he wants to win.

Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Link Time! Comcast Buys NBC

BuzzSugar — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:29:06 -0800

Comcast bought NBCU for $137 billion - Movieline
The National Board of Review has named Up in the Air the best film of the year - Vulture
The Hills has been renewed for a second season and The City gets a second -Zap2It
Leonardo DiCaprio will voice Jack Frost in an animated film - Coming Soon
Arcade Fire is releasing their next album in the Spring - Pitchfork
Fox has announced a new sketch comedy show called Inside Jokes - The Wrap
Paul Thomas Anderson is set to write and direct The Master, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman - Cinematical
Peep the latest image from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - MTV Movies Blog
Take Yum's quiz on the Top Chef finale - YumSugar
Is legendary Brit rock band the Kinks getting a biopic? - Screen Daily

BAFTA Noms Announced; Atonement Once Again Most Beloved

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:42:58 -0800

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the 2008 nominations, which largely mirror the Globe noms - though there's (unsurprisingly) even more love for Atonement on the other side of the pond. The romantic Joe Wright-directed drama leads the nominations with a whopping 14, while No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood each nabbed nine. La Vie en Rose is another favorite, as is The Bourne Ultimatum, which is one of the few major departures from other recent award nominations.

The acting categories are filled with familiar names (Clooney, McAvoy, Knightley, Cotillard, Bardem, Blanchett, etc.), though there are a few new additions, like Samantha Morton (Control) and Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men). And apparently the German film The Lives of Others, which took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film last year is now eligible for a BAFTA award, and has a good chance of winning one with five nominations.

To check out the full list of BAFTA Award nominees, read more.

2008 BAFTA Nominees:
BEST FILM:
American Gangster
Atonement
The Lives Of Others
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST BRITISH FILM:
Atonement
The Bourne Ultimatum
Control
Eastern Promises
This Is England

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD:
(For special achievement by a British director, writer or producer in their first feature film)

Chris Atkins (Director/Writer) - Taking Liberties
Mia Bays (Producer) - Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Sarah Gavron (Director) - Brick Lane
Matt Greenhalgh (Writer) - Control
Andrew Piddington (Director/Writer) - The Killing Of John Lennon

DIRECTOR:
Atonement - Joe Wright
The Bourne Ultimatum - Paul Greengrass
The Lives Of Others - Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
No Country For Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
American Gangster - Steven Zaillian
Juno - Diablo Cody
The Lives of Others - Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
This Is England - Shane Meadows

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Atonement - Christopher Hampton
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly - Ronald Harwood
The Kite Runner - David Benioff
No Country For Old Men - Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE:
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
The Kite Runner
The Lives Of Others
Lust, Caution
La Vie En Rose

ANIMATED FILM:
Ratatouille
Shrek The Third
The Simpsons Movie

LEADING ACTOR:
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James Mcavoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Ulrich Mühe - The Lives Of Others

LEADING ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Keira Knightley - Atonement
Ellen Page - Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Paul Dano - There Will Be Blood
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Kelly Macdonald - No Country for Old Men
Samantha Morton - Control
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

MUSIC:
American Gangster - Marc Streitenfeld
Atonement - Dario Marianelli
The Kite Runner - Alberto Iglesias
There Will Be Blood - Jonny Greenwood
La Vie En Rose - Christopher Gunning

CINEMATOGRAPHY:
American Gangster - Harris Savides
Atonement - Seamus Mcgarvey
The Bourne Ultimatum - Oliver Wood
No Country for Old Men - Roger Deakins
There Will Be Blood - Robert Elswit

EDITING:
American Gangster - Pietro Scalia
Atonement - Paul Tothill
The Bourne Ultimatum - Christopher Rouse
Michael Clayton - John Gilroy
No Country for Old Men - Roderick Jaynes

PRODUCTION DESIGN:
Atonement - Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Guy Hendrix Dyas/Richard Roberts
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Stuart Craig/Stephenie Mcmillan
There Will Be Blood - Jack Fisk/Jim Erickson
La Vie En Rose - Olivier Raoux

COSTUME DESIGN:
Atonement - Jacqueline Durran
Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Alexandra Byrne
Lust, Caution - Pan Lai
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Colleen Atwood
La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen

SOUND:
Atonement – Danny Hambrook/Paul Hamblin/Catherine Hodgson
The Bourne Ultimatum - Kirk Francis/Scott Millan/Dave Parker/Karen Baker Landers/Per Hallberg
No Country for Old Men – Peter Kurland/Skip Lievsay/Craig Berkey/Greg Orloff
There Will Be Blood – Christopher Scarabosio/Matthew Wood/John Pritchett/Michael Semanick/Tom Johnson
La Vie En Rose – Laurent Zeilig/Pascal Villard/Jean-Paul Hurier/Marc Doisne

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS:
The Bourne Ultimatum - Peter Chiang/Charlie Noble/Mattias Lindahl/Joss Williams
The Golden Compass – Michael Fink/Bill Westenhofer/Ben Morris/Trevor Woods
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Tim Burke/John Richardson/Emma Norton/Chris Shaw
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End – John Knoll/Charles Gibson/Hal Hickel/John Frazier
Spider-Man 3 – Scott Stokdyk/Peter Nofz/Kee-Suk Ken Hahn/Spencer Cook

MAKE UP & HAIR:
Atonement – Ivana Primorac
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Jenny Shircore
Hairspray – Nominees TBC
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – Ivana Primorac
La Vie En Rose – Jan Archibald/Didier Lavergne

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD:
Shia Labeouf
Sienna Miller
Ellen Page
Sam Riley
Tang Wei

Source

Announcing the 2008 Oscar Nominations!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:16:51 -0800

No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood led the field this morning when the Oscar nominations were announced in Hollywood. Each film snagged eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

After it raked in a huge number of Golden Globe nominations, Atonement made less of a splash here, scoring nods for Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress but largely getting shut out of other major categories.

Juno and Michael Clayton are the other two films that will compete for Best Picture when the awards are presented Feb. 24. Juno scored a total of four nominations, while Michael Clayton nabbed seven. To see the full list of nominees, just read more.

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman, Juno
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, I'm Not There
Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney, The Savages
Ellen Page, Juno

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, Juno
Nancy Oliver, Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Ratatouille
Tamara Jenkins, The Savages

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Christopher Hampton, Atonement
Sarah Polley, Away from Her
Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood

BEST FOREIGN FILM
Beaufort (Israel)
The Counterfeiters (Austria)
Katyn (Poland)
Mongol (Kazakhstan)
12 (Russia)

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Freeheld
La Corona (The Crown)
Salim Baba
Sari's Mother

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from Once
"Happy Working Song" from Enchanted
"Raise It Up" from August Rush
"So Close" from Enchanted
"That's How You Know" from Enchanted

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
Peter and the Wolf

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
At Night
Il Supplente
Le Mozard des Pickpockets
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Transformers

Source

Kanye, Amy Winehouse Lead Grammy Nominations

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:39:55 -0800

Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, and Rihanna each swept up multiple nominations when the Grammy Award nominations were announced this morning.

West leads the field with eight nominations, including one for Album of the Year and many others in the rap performance categories. Winehouse scored six nominations, including Album, Record and Song of the Year and Best New Artist.

The Album of the Year category is an interesting one this time around, with Herbie Hancock, Vince Gill, and the Foo Fighters joining West and Winehouse. Beyonce, the Foo Fighters, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Winehouse will square off for Record of the Year.

The most pleasant surprise: Four nominations for my gal Feist, including Best New Artist. The awards - the Grammys' 50th - will be presented Feb. 10.

This list has all of the nominees in more than 100 categories, and to see the highlights - including the rock, pop, rap, R&B, and country nominees - just read more

RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Irreplaceable" - Beyonce
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"Umbrella" - Rihanna featuring Jay-Z
"What Goes Around…Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
These Days - Vince Gill
River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
Graduation - Kanye West
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse

SONG OF THE YEAR
"Before He Cheats" - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
"Hey There Delilah" - Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's)
"Like a Star" - Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
"Umbrella" - Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)

BEST NEW ARTIST
Feist
Ledisi
Paramore
Taylor Swift
Amy Winehouse

BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Candyman" - Christina Aguilera
"1234" - Feist
"Big Girls Don't Cry" - Fergie
"Say It Right" - Nelly Furtado
"Rehab" - Amy Winehouse

BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Everything" - Michael Bublé
"Belief" - John Mayer
"Dance Tonight" - Paul McCartney
"Amazing" - Seal
"What Goes Around...Comes Around" - Justin Timberlake

BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"(You Want To) Make A Memory" - Bon Jovi
"Home" - Daughtry
"Makes Me Wonder" - Maroon 5
"Hey There Delilah" - Plain White T's
"Window In The Skies" - U2

BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
"Steppin' Out" - Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
"Beautiful Liar" - Beyoncé & Shakira
"Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
"The Sweet Escape" - Gwen Stefani & Akon
"Give It To Me" - Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Off The Grid" - Beastie Boys
"Paris Sunrise #7" - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
"Over The Rainbow" - Dave Koz
"One Week Last Summer" - Joni Mitchell
"Simple Pleasures" - Spyro Gyra

BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
The Mix-Up - Beastie Boys
Italia - Chris Botti
At The Movies - Dave Koz
Good To Go-Go - Spyro Gyra
Roundtrip - Kirk Whalum

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
The Reminder - Feist
It Won't Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5
Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

BEST DANCE RECORDING
"Do It Again" - The Chemical Brothers
"D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
"Love Today - Mika
"Don't Stop The Music" – Rihanna
"LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" - Justin Timberlake

BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM
We Are The Night - The Chemical Brothers
† - Justice
Sound Of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns
Elements Of Life - Tiësto

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Bublé
Cool Yule - Bette Midler
Trav'lin' Light - Queen Latifah
Live In Concert 2006 - Barbra Streisand
James Taylor At Christmas - James Taylor

BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Timebomb" - Beck
"Only Mama Knows" - Paul McCartney
"Our Country" - John Mellencamp
"Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen
"Come On" - Lucinda Williams

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"It's Not Over" - Daughtry
"Working Class Hero" - Green Day
"If Everyone Cared" - Nickelback
"Instant Karma" - U2
"Icky Thump" - The White Stripes

BEST HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE
"Sweet Sacrifice" - Evanescence
"The Pretender" - Foo Fighters
"I Don't Wanna Stop" - Ozzy Osbourne
"Sick, Sick, Sick" - Queens Of The Stone Age
"The Pot" - Tool

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
"Nothing Left" - As I Lay Dying
"Never Ending Hill" - King Diamond
"Aesthetics Of Hate" - Machine Head
"Redemption" - Shadows Fall
"Final Six" - Slayer

BEST ROCK INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"The Ecstasy Of Gold" - Metallica
"Malignant Narcissism" - Rush
"Always With Me, Always With You" - Joe Satriani
"Once Upon A Time In The West" - Bruce Springsteen
"The Attitude Song" - Steve Vai

BEST ROCK SONG
"Come On" - Lucinda Williams, songwriter (Lucinda Williams)
"Icky Thump" - Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)
"It's Not Over" - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters (Daughtry)
"The Pretender" - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
"Radio Nowhere" - Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

BEST ROCK ALBUM
Daughtry - Daughtry
Revival - John Fogerty
Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
Magic - Bruce Springsteen
Sky Blue Sky - Wilco

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
Alright, Still... - Lily Allen
Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
Volta - Bjork
Wincing The Night Away - The Shins
Icky Thump - The White Stripes

BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Just Fine" - Mary J. Blige
"When I See You" - Fantasia
"No One" - Alicia Keys
"If I Have My Way" - Chrisette Michele
"Hate On Me" - Jill Scott

BEST MALE R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Woman" - Raheem DeVaughn
"B.U.D.D.Y." - Musiq Soulchild
"Because Of You" - Ne-Yo
"Future Baby Mama" - Prince
"Please Don't Go" - Tank

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Same Girl" - R. Kelly Featuring Usher
"Disrespectful" - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige
"Hate That I Love You" - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
"Baby" - Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright
"Bartender" - T-Pain Featuring Akon

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B VOCAL PERFORMANCE

"Walk A Mile In My Shoes" - Otis Clay
"All Night Long" - Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
"In My Songs" - Gerald Levert
"I Apologize" - Ann Nesby
"I Am Your Man" - Ryan Shaw

BEST URBAN/ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
"Make A Baby" - Vikter Duplaix
"That’s The Way Of The World" - Dwele
"Daydreamin'" - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott
"Fantasy" - Meshell Ndegeocello
"Dream" - Alice Smith

BEST R&B SONG
"Beautiful Flower" - India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
"Hate That I Love You" - M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo)
"No One" - Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)
"Teachme" -Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)
"When I See U" - Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)

BEST R&B ALBUM
Funk This - Chaka Khan
Lost & Found - Ledisi
Luvanmusiq -Musiq Soulchild
The Real Thing - Jill Scott
Sex, Love & Pain - Tank

BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM
Konvicted - Akon
Just Like You - Keyshia Cole
Fantasia - Fantasia
East Side Story - Emily King
Because Of You - Ne-Yo

BEST RAP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"The People" - Common
"I Get Money" - 50 Cent
"Show Me What You Got" - Jay-Z
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - T.I.
"Stronger" - Kanye West

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP
"Southside" - Common Featuring Kanye West
"Make It Rain" - Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne
"Party Like A Rockstar" - Shop Boyz
"Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" - UGK Featuring OutKast
"Better Than I've Ever Been" - Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"I Wanna Love You" - Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg
"Kiss, Kiss" - Chris Brown & T-Pain
"Let It Go" - Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
"Umbrella" - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
"Good Life" - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain

BEST RAP SONG
"Ayo Technology" - Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
"Big Things Poppin' (Do It)" - Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.)
"Can't Tell Me Nothing" - A. Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West)
"Crank That (Soulja Boy)" - Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)
"Good Life" - A. Davis, F. Najm & K. West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters) (Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)

BEST RAP ALBUM
Finding Forever - Common
Kingdom Come - Jay-Z
Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas
T.I. vs T.I.P. - T.I.
Graduation - Kanye West

BEST FEMALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORMANCE
"Simple Love" - Alison Krauss
"Famous In A Small Town" - Miranda Lambert
"Nothin' Better To Do" - LeAnn Rimes
"Before He Cheats" - Carrie Underwood
"Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love" - Trisha Yearwood

BEST MALE COUNTRY VOCAL PERFORAMNCE
"Long Trip Alone" - Dierks Bentley
"A Woman's Love" - Alan Jackson
"If You're Reading This" - Tim McGraw
"Give It Away" - George Strait
"Stupid Boy" - Keith Urban

BEST COUNTRY PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS
"Proud Of The House We Built" - Brooks & Dunn
"How Long" - Eagles
"Moments" - Emerson Drive
"Lucky Man" - Montgomery Gentry
"Sweet Memories" - The Time Jumpers

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS
"Days Aren't Long Enough" - Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
"Because Of You" - Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson
"I Need You" - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
"Lost Highway" - Willie Nelson & Ray Price
"Oh Love" - Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

BEST COUNTRY INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE
"Little Monk" - Russ Barenberg
"Mucky The Duck" - The Greencards
"Throttleneck" - Brad Paisley
"Rawhide!" - Andy Statman
"Fidoodlin'" - The Time Jumpers

BEST COUNTRY SONG
"Before He Cheats" - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
"Give It Away" - Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)
"I Need You" -Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
"If You're Reading This" - Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
"Long Trip Alone" - Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
These Days - Vince Gill
Let It Go - Tim McGraw
5th Gear - Brad Paisley
It Just Comes Natural - George Strait

BEST TRADITIONAL FOLK ALBUM
Try Me One More Time - David Bromberg
Let Us Now Praise Sleepy John - Peter Case
Banjo Talkin' - Cathy Fink
Dirt Farmer - Levon Helm
Charlie Louvin - Charlie Louvin

BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK/AMERICANA ALBUM
The Calling -Mary Chapin Carpenter
My Name Is Buddy - Ry Cooder
Washington Square Serenade - Steve Earle
Children Running Through - Patty Griffin
Orphans - Tom Waits

BEST CONTEMPORARY WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
Céu - Céu
Gil Luminoso -Gilberto Gil
Momento -Bebel Gilberto
Djin Djin - Angelique Kidjo
An Ancient Muse - Loreena McKennitt

BEST MUSICAL SHOW ALBUM Best Musical Show Album
A Chorus Line
Company
Grey Gardens
Spring Awakening
West Side Story

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION, OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Across The Universe
Dreamgirls
Hairspray
Love
Once

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM FOR MOTION PICTURE, TELEVISION, OR OTHER VISUAL MEDIA
Babel
Blood Diamond
The Departed
Happy Feet
Pan's Labyrinth
Ratatouille

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Howard Benson
Joe Chiccarelli
Mike Elizondo
Mark Ronson
Timbaland

BEST SHORT FORM MUSIC VIDEO
"God's Gonna Cut You Down" - Johnny Cash
"1234" - Feist
" Gone Daddy Gone" - Gnarls Barkley
" D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
" Typical" - Mute Math

BEST LONG FORM MUSIC VIDEO
"Live & Loud At The Fillmore" - Dierks Bentley
"Trapped In The Closet Chapters 13-22" - R. Kelly
"The Confessions Tour" - Madonna
"10 Days Out - Blues From The Backroads" - Kenny Wayne Shepherd & "Liberacion - The Songs Of The New Cuban Underground" - Various Artists

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What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 07:30:00 -0700

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to the titles below, you can also rent Reservation Road (not to be confused with Revolutionary Road), and Leonardo DiCaprio's global warming warning, The 11th Hour.

There Will Be Blood
This April is a great month for renting DVDs because a new stellar, Oscar-nominated film seems to come out every week. Today's release is the stirring Paul Thomas Anderson masterpiece, There Will Be Blood. The film is loosely based on Upton Sinclair's novel Oil! and follows the story of an ambitious oil man, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he becomes one of those famed self-made American magnates, a la William Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

If you haven't heard by now that this film is both visually stunning and soul-stirring, and that Daniel Day-Lewis gives the Oscar-winning performance of the year, then you've had a very distracting year. I stuck this movie on my April must-haves list not only because of its classic story of greed vs. compassion, but also because Day-Lewis only seems to emerge to knock one out of the park every five years or so, which in Hollywood years can seem like a lifetime. You'll want to own this one to get you through to 2013 when he's had enough of shoe-making on the Italian Coast or something and decides to show the rest of those amateurs how it's done. Again.

For two more titles that couldn't be more different than each other, read more.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
2007 truly was the year of Judd Apatow, though admittedly this spoof on the musician biopic he co-wrote was probably his weakest submission. While it was hard to recommend paying theater prices for this film, it is a perfectly serviceable at-home rental.

Starring John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, a rocker with secrets (shocker!), the film pokes fun at movies like Ray and Walk the Line and takes many prisoners, sparing neither Bob Dylan nor the Beatles (in a hilarious scene starring Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Justin Long, and Jason Schwartzman as the Fab Four). While it drags in some parts, Reilly is great in this role and the whole thing is more or less a good time.

Special features include deleted and extended scenes and featurettes titled, "The Music of Walk Hard", and "The Real Dewey Cox."

Lions for Lambs
First of all, the stars of this movie need to have a serious talk with the DVD cover-art people. How is it possible to airbrush Robert Redford so that he looks utterly unattractive? And that's one highly arched brow on Meryl Streep. Anyway, don't let the cover distract you from this serious meditation on the nature of current American politics.

While I realize many are turned off by movies about the current war in Iraq, I think this film, directed by Robert Redford, gives us a lot of food for thought. More talking than action, I thought this might have worked better as a play than a movie, but it's still a highly worthwhile watch. Most intriguing are the questions Redford brings up about young people who, he asserts, seem to feel disaffected amidst these turbulent times. All three performances are fine (Tom Cruise is particularly good as a smarmy congressman), but most importantly it gets you thinking and might spur on good debate.

Special features include audio commentary by Robert Redford and a making-of featurette.

What Do You Think About the Best Directors?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 20:51:09 -0800

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won an Oscar for Best Director! Looks like they each received their own statue and don't have to share. They beat out Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Jason Reitman for Juno, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton and Paul Thomas Anderson There Will Be Blood. What do you think about this win?

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Directors Guild of America Nominees Cast New Light on Oscar Race

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 11:29:23 -0800

The Directors Guild of America has announced their nominees for the best director of 2007. The choices are interestingly different from the Golden Globe nominees, casting some doubt on whether the Globes will actually predict the Oscars in this category. DGA president Michael Apted points out that the race this year is wider than last year's: "There’s no big studio blockbuster among them, the way The Departed was last year. It’s a very open year." Check out the competition for DGA's big honor:

Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton
Sean Penn, Into the Wild
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

The most surprising absences here are Joe Wright for Atonement and Ridley Scott for American Gangster, as both are in the running to win the Best Director Golden Globe for two of the most talked-about films of 2007.

Not having seen The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I can't speak to how deserving Julian Schnabel would be of this award, though I must say I'm slightly surprised to see Gilroy and Penn there in place of Wright and Scott. I also personally think Tim Burton continues to be shafted from these award nominations.

What do you think about the DGA's shortlist? Who should win the prize for best director of 2007?