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Oscar season is upon us. Even if you’re not the biggest movie buff, there’s no escaping the speculation as to whose hands that little golden dude will end up in come February 29. These Oscar-related links will give you lots to talk about the next time the subject comes up at the water cooler.
www.tourism.net.nz/tours/lord-of-the-rings-tours
Why wait for The Return Of The King to win best picture? You know it’s gonna happen, and you can beat the crowds by booking your tour of former film sets now. Want to climb into a sport-ute for a Misty Mountain hop? Wander on foot through the Shire of Hobbiton? It’s all here, friends, gathered up by New Zealand Tourism Online and listed on one handy page. Don’t forget your elf ears!
www.bmcphee.com/hollywood_nepotism.htm
Sofia Coppola up for best director, you say? Hmm, Coppola… where have I heard that name before? To answer this and other important questions, like, “Why is Clint Howard ever cast in anything?” just visit Brian McPhee’s Hollywood Nepotism page.
Bill Murray had many examples to draw upon for his best-actor-nominated role in Lost In Translation. Hollywood stars have a long and shameful history shilling for Yen. Check this site out to see who’s turned huckster in the land of the rising sun. Even the Simpsons have taken the bait. In Japan, their ads for the soft drink C.C. Lemon are apparently better known than the TV show itself!
Sure, Charlize Theron deserves a gold statue for her transformation in Monster, but some credit must go to award-winning makeup artist Toni G. Have a look through her Internet Movie Database profile and you’ll see an impressive resume: the makeup effects in the remakes of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Nutty Professor and Planet Of The Apes.
Hometown hero Eugene Levy (hey, Hamilton is close enough!) is nominated for best song for A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow from A Mighty Wind. Find out more about Levy’s entertainment roots on this online guide to SCTV.
If the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrates Hollywood’s good, then what about its bad and ugly? Enter the Razzies, celebrating their 24th year of sensationalizing box office disaster. The only question for this year’s ceremony is how many categories Gigli will sweep.
www.triggerstreet.com
As the stars reach their peak on Oscar night, we honour upstarts by offering Trigger Street, Kevin Spacey’s gift to the online and independent filmmaking community. It’s free to join, and members can upload their feature-length scripts or short digital movies for peer review by other members. The site also hosts online film festivals. One of their recent winners is Dog Given Rights, by Toronto’s own Craig Macnaughton and company. You can see Dog Given Rights and other pet projects at Craig’s All Day Breakfast site. ( http://alldaybreakfast.ca )
Oh yeah, the official site – past winners and nominees, best picture posters through the years and more.
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