I found this over at Cigarettes and Red Vines, the unofficial PT Anderson website. Below are a few details on the There Will Be Blood DVD, no release date but some info on the special features. For some reason the administrator only types in lower case letters.

now for something equally disheartening for most of you: since it seems there will be blood dvd information has begun popping up around the internet, i think it’s safe to let you know the few things i learned about the dvd release when i was last with paul:

• there is no commentary track, nor will there ever probably be one again. paul mentioned to me how alot of the buzz has been taken from doing them because people quote them back verbatim to him in interviews and fun/flippant comments are regarded as gospel. (not a quote, but the gist of what was said)

• the behind-the-scenes footage we reported ages ago that was being shot by austin lynch will, as of this point, not be included on the dvd as a ‘that moment’ style feature. paul said it all turned out wonderfully but that the footage might take away the magic of the film itself saying “it’s just a bunch of people in a desert standing around making a movie.”

• there is an extremely old documentary/footage that was found about mining and oil production from the era. they are planning to cut in jonny greenwood’s score over top of it and make a presentation out of it.

Why did they do this to the cover? Not only did they add the floating heads to the original poster but look at the order of the names and the faces. Bardem is in the middle with his name but Brolin and Jones are reversed. I think they do this just to screw with my head. The disc will be released on March 11.

Claire Danes, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill, Aidan McArdle and by far my favorite name of the group, Imogen Poots have joined Zac Efron, Christian McKay and Ben Chaplin in Me & Orson Welles, which will be directed by Richard Linklater.

Efron plays a teenage student who stumbles into a minor role in the Mercury Theater production of "Julius Caesar," directed by the 22-year-old sensation Orson Welles (McKay).

Universal and Working Title have hired Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, upcoming State of Play) to direct Bobby Fischer Goes to War, reports Variety.

The drama about the upstart chess whiz's triumph over Boris Spassky in the World Chess Championship in 1972 is scripted by Shawn Slovo, based on the book by David Edmonds and John Eidinow.

Jemaine Clement, star and co-creator of Flight of the Conchords, Sam Rockwell (Frost/Nixon), and Michael Angarano (Lords of Dogtown, Snow Angels) will star in the comedy Gentlemen Broncos, which Jared Hess (Nacho Libre, Napoleon Dynamite) is directing from a script he wrote with his wife, Jerusha Hess. The story is about a high school outcast (Angarano) who has a story he wrote ripped off by a famous novelist (Clement) while attending writers' camp. Rockwell will play the main character in the fictional story, which comes to life in the movie.

Producer Gil Ganis is planning two different Oscar telecasts, one if the strike is still going on and the show is picketed and one if not. If the WGA grants a reprieve the show will be presented as any normal year, with clips from the nominees and so on and so forth. If picketed, the show has a contingency plan that would include history, film clips and out-of-the-ordinary concepts.

I think I'm starting to get tired of these. Hell, maybe not. At least it's something different.

As you can tell from the watermark, this is from Coming Soon.

This is from Deadline Hollywood. This is still a rumor at this point and I hope it doesn't come to fruition. I also think she goes a little overboard, calling it career suicide. A director with Romanek's can definitely find another job, probably not one at this scale, but something.

Start your engines, agents, because this is a prime project to slot in one of your many out-of-work directors. I have no doubt that Universal will find another helmer by the end of the week after Mark Romanek quit Universal's The Wolfman. That's right, quit. "He just blew the opportunity of a lifetime, which is mind-boggling," an insider tells me. The commercial and video director did the well received but small budget One Hour Photo and made the step up to a big studio pic with a budget of $100 mil (but the cost is only $85M to Uni because of the UK rebate). But then Romanek decided he couldn't make the film with just that dough. "He's a purist, an artiste, an exquisite craftsman, but he just had a budget schedule he couldn't accomodate," an insider explains. Talk about career suicide.

UPDATE: Variety is now reporting this so I guess it's true.

I keep waiting for him to resign from the position but apparently we have at least two more seasons to look forward to Jeff Probst hosting Surivor. He has signed onto at 17th and 18th season, the 16th season, Survivor: Micronesia, premieres on Thursday, Feb. 7. I know the show could continue with another host, but would it really be the same? Probst has sort of perfected the art of asking the most uncomfortable questions at Tribal Council and making funny comments during the challenges. Then again, why would Probst leave the show? Is he really going to find a better job, to be able to travel around the world to and stay in amazing and exotic locations?

Do you want to know what the weirdest cast for a big budget action film is, G.I. Joe? One of probably many films based on toys to come out in the next few years, following the success of last year's Transformers. Fitting the final pieces of the oddball troupe are Dennis Quaid and Channing Tatum, who have been cast as the leads. Quaid will play team leader General Hawk, and Tatum will play Duke Hauser, the lead soldier who works closely on missions with fellow team member Ripcord, played by Marlon Wayans. Also cast are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rachel Nichols, Sienna Miller, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Said Taghmaoui. Stephen Sommers is directing.

Starz is developing a new original drama series based on the Academy Award-winning film Crash, will debut in 2008. This is only the second time a Best Picture Oscar-winner has been turned into a series, In the Heat of the Night was the first. Key members of the Oscar-winning theatrical production team are onboard for the series, including the film's director, co-writer and producer Paul Haggis, co-writer and producer Bobby Moresco, producer Bob Yari, producer Don Cheadle, producer Mark R. Harris and executive producer Tom Nunan. Click here to read the full press release.

Over at Sight & Sound they have an interview with Quentin Tarantino. After a few warm up questions he begins to talk about Death Proof, his entry for the Grindhouse film that was released last year. He goes into detail about his original idea, which suffice to say is much different than the final outcome.

...the first idea was a bunch of young college history students that were going through a tour of the plantations of the old South. And there's a ghost of an old slave that is part of negro folklore. Jody the Grinder actually went down and bested the devil, by fucking him. And so the devil put him on earth for all eternity to fuck white women. And that was the devil's punishment.

The opening scene would take place in the classroom, with the professor telling the story of Jody the Grinder in a big four-page monologue. I would probably have had Sam Jackson playing that part. And it was really good. But then I didn't have anywhere to go with it, because if you have a story about a killer slave with supermacho powers done in the style of a slasher films, then even if he's doing it today, and even if the white girls are innocent, how can you not be on the slave's side?

The operator of Clean Flix, a company who edited out parts they deemed inappropriate for children or discriminating movie-goers, was recently arrested for allegedly paying for sex with two 14-year-old girls. Ironic?

Read the full story here.

Here is a transcript of Daniel Day-Lewis' speech at last night SAG awards.

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS: Thank you. I’m very, very proud of this. Thank you so much for giving it to me. And I’m very proud to be included in that group of wonderful actors this year.

You know, for as long as I can remember, the thing that gave me a sense of wonderment, of renewal, the thing that teased me with the question, how is such a thing possible, and then dare you to go back into the arena of one more time, with longing and self-doubt, jostling in the balance. It’s always been the work of other actors, and there are many actors in this room tonight, including my fellow nominees who have given that sense of regeneration and…

Heath Ledger gave it to me. [applause] In “Monster’s Ball,” that character that he created, it seemed to be almost like an unformed being, retreating from themselves, retreating from his father, from his life, even retreating from us, and yet we wanted to follow him, and yet we’re scared to follow him almost. It was unique. And then, of course, in “Brokeback Mountain,” he was unique, he was perfect. [applause] And that scene in the trailer at the end of the film is as moving as anything that I think I’ve ever seen. And I’d like to dedicate this to Heath Ledger. So, thank you very much. Thank you so much. [applause]

I also forgot to mention Tina Fey's speech last night, which I also enjoyed.

TINA FEY: Thank you. Oh my goodness. Well, thank you so much. I thank anyone in the Screen Actors Guild for considering me an actor at all. And I share this with everyone in our ensemble; it takes a lot of people to make me look like a good actor. And specifically, I really want to thank my most frequent scene partner, Alec Baldwin. [applause] If you’ve seen me on the show with Alec Baldwin, then you know it’s sort of like watching Fred Astaire dance with a hat rack. And after a while, you’re like, “Oh, that hat rack is pretty good, too.” [laughter] So, you’ve given an award to the hat rack, and I thank you.

And I want to thank everyone in SAG for being so supportive of the Writers Guild of America. Thank you.

You can read all the speeches over at Sagawards.org.

UPDATE: I found this after posting the transcript above. Here is the video of Day-Lewis' speech.

Guillermo del Toro is in talks to direct the two planned Peter Jackson-produced adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, according to Hollywood Reporter. The director's name has been mentioned as a strong possibility for the MGM/New Line projects since the studios first worked out a deal with Jackson for a movie and sequel in December. Because of the writers' strike, there is still no writer attached. I guess if Peter Jackson isn't going to step behind the camera then there is no better choice than del Toro. He is probably the only person who can keep the films in the same vein as Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and still make it his own.

Director Michael Mann has set Marion Cotillard (La Vie en rose), Channing Tatum, Giovanni Ribisi, Stephen Dorff and Jason Clarke to join Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in Public Enemies.

The Oscar-nominated Cotillard will play Billie Frechette, the lover of the country's most notorious gangster, John Dillinger (Depp).

Tatum will play outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd, Ribisi will play Alvin Karpis, Dorff is near a deal to play Homer Van Meter, and Clarke will play John "Red" Hamilton. That quartet repped a Dillinger gang that knocked off banks all over the Midwest during the Depression.

The Screen Actor Guild Award winners. The biggest surprise of the night was Ruby Dee taking home best supporting actress. Part of me has a feeling that come Oscar night one of the older member of the supporting class will end up taking home one of the awards, either Hal Holbrook or Ruby Dee. The best speeches of the night belonged to Daniel Day-Lewis who dedicated his award to Heath Ledger or Charles Durning accepting the life achievement award. I also liked Josh Brolin saying: "This is Javier Bardem's 497th award." And his little jab at the end: "The Coens are freaky little people, man. And we made a freaky little movie, whether you liked the ending or not."

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a MotionPicture
The cast of "No Country for Old Men"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julie Christe, "Away from Her"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The cast of "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The cast of "The Office"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Kline, "As You Like It"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Queen Latifah, "Life Support"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
"The Bourne Ultimatum"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
"24"

A couple of articles on Michel Gondry and his new film, Be Kind Rewind.

One at the Telegraph.

Another one from The New York Times (this one is actually about VHS tapes, using Be Kind Rewind as its backdrop).

Rambo

In lieu of an actual review I am going to pass along some of the items I said or that were said to me during the running time of Rambo, which to be honest is very short. There were six of us watching the film at the movie tavern.

"I like this one because you get to see more of Rambo's personal life."

"Stallone's neck and shoulders have sort of merged into each other."

"Are people laughing at this or into it?"

"This movie is boring."

"The best part about this has been the trailer for Midnight Meat Train."

"Was that a nuclear claymore mine?"

"That was really the ending?"

"Did he walk all the way to Arizona from Burma?"

"I hope he walks all the way to his house and then it explodes."

A few memories of Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight's director Christopher Nolan (via Newsweek).

One night, as I'm standing on LaSalle Street in Chicago, trying to line up a shot for "The Dark Knight," a production assistant skateboards into my line of sight. Silently, I curse the moment that Heath first skated onto our set in full character makeup. I'd fretted about the reaction of Batman fans to a skateboarding Joker, but the actual result was a proliferation of skateboards among the younger crew members. If you'd asked those kids why they had chosen to bring their boards to work, they would have answered honestly that they didn't know. That's real charisma—as invisible and natural as gravity. That's what Heath had.

Heath was bursting with creativity. It was in his every gesture. He once told me that he liked to wait between jobs until he was creatively hungry. Until he needed it again. He brought that attitude to our set every day. There aren't many actors who can make you feel ashamed of how often you complain about doing the best job in the world. Heath was one of them.

One time he and another actor were shooting a complex scene. We had two days to shoot it, and at the end of the first day, they'd really found something and Heath was worried that he might not have it if we stopped. He wanted to carry on and finish. It's tough to ask the crew to work late when we all know there's plenty of time to finish the next day. But everyone seemed to understand that Heath had something special and that we had to capture it before it disappeared. Months later, I learned that as Heath left the set that night, he quietly thanked each crew member for working late. Quietly. Not trying to make a point, just grateful for the chance to create that they'd given him.

Those nights on the streets of Chicago were filled with stunts. These can be boring times for an actor, but Heath was fascinated, eagerly accepting our invitation to ride in the camera car as we chased vehicles through movie traffic—not just for the thrill ride, but to be a part of it. Of everything. He'd brought his laptop along in the car, and we had a high-speed screening of two of his works-in-progress: short films he'd made that were exciting and haunting. Their exuberance made me feel jaded and leaden. I've never felt as old as I did watching Heath explore his talents. That night I made him an offer—knowing he wouldn't take me up on it—that he should feel free to come by the set when he had a night off so he could see what we were up to.

When you get into the edit suite after shooting a movie, you feel a responsibility to an actor who has trusted you, and Heath gave us everything. As we started my cut, I would wonder about each take we chose, each trim we made. I would visualize the screening where we'd have to show him the finished film—sitting three or four rows behind him, watching the movements of his head for clues to what he was thinking about what we'd done with all that he'd given us. Now that screening will never be real. I see him every day in my edit suite. I study his face, his voice. And I miss him terribly.

Back on LaSalle Street, I turn to my assistant director and I tell him to clear the skateboarding kid out of my line of sight when I realize—it's Heath, woolly hat pulled low over his eyes, here on his night off to take me up on my offer. I can't help but smile.

Also last night, Robert Elswit won The American Society of Cinematographers Award for There Will Be Blood.

Joel and Ethan Coen won the the DGA's best feature award for No Country for Old Men at last night's ceremony in Century City.

This has been a rumor ever since 2005 and it seems like it is finally happening and the book in question is actually one of my favorites. I hope they keep it as is and don't try to cram any larger story into it, just two men walking on the trail. When I first heard that Robert Redford was attached it was also being rumored that Paul Newman would join him, hopefully that is still the case. Anyway, Robert Redford's A Walk in the Woods is finally a go.

Redford told The Associated Press that his next film project is an adaptation of the best-selling 1998 Bill Bryson book about hiking the Appalachian Trail.

He will produce the film and star as Bryson, Barry Levinson is expected to direct it.

After that, Redford said he'll tackle the "inside, down-to-the mats story" of how Branch Rickey helped Jackie Robinson break into major league baseball in 1947.

What you see if you go to the official Dark Knight website.

This would be a 1,000 times better if it didn't have the photos at the bottom.

Another one from Sundance.

Over at AICN Harry Knowles ran that rumor of PT Anderson making a horror film next by the man himself, here is his response.

News to me. I thought I just made a horror film....

Wish I had something to report, but I'm dry as a bone...

pta.

This is probably the only time I will ever link to TMZ but Daniel Day-Lewis was on the Oprah Winfrey show to talk about his Oscar nomination. Instead he sends out a heartfelt message about Heath Ledger's passing. Click here to view the video.

When you are finished, think about this: that same man played Daniel Plainview.

This is playing at Sundance, other than that, no idea. It's got Mathew Perry in it so it must be good, right?

I'm not really sure what Keith Richards is doing in this poster.

Can anyone tell what is wrong for this International poster for Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, which was released last year?

Martin Scorsese's upcoming film Shutter Island will now apparently be titled Ashecliffe, the name of the mental hospital in the movie. This is according to the Boston Herald.

Tom Wilkinson and Billy Bob Thornton have joined Julia Roberts and Clive Owen in the drama Duplicity, which Tony Gilroy will direct from his own script. Both Thornton and Wilkinson (who just received a supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in Michael Clayton, also directed by Gilroy) will play CEOs of rival pharmaceutical companies jockeying for market domination. Roberts and Owen play former lovers and corporate spies who team to manipulate the companies and determine which company will wind up on top.

American Beauty director Sam Mendes is taking another look at the American family, this time in a comedy written by author Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and his novelist/editor wife, Vendela Vida (And Now You Can Go). The untitled film follows a couple, pregnant with their first child, as they travel America looking for the ideal place to settle down. Focus Features, which will distribute the film, hasn't confirmed casting, but John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph (SNL) are rumored to star.

Mendes is currently in post-production on the 1950s drama Revolutionary Road starring , Kate Winslet, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Eggers recently co-wrote the screenplay adaption of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. The film, co-written and directed by Spike Jonze was set to open this summer but was recently pushed back to 2009.

The BBC is claiming the name of the next 007 movie will be Quantum of Solace.

UPDATE: Sony held a press conference for Bond 22 earlier this morning, which announced the official title as QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Below is the logo and an official synopsis of the films plot.

Betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and M (JUDI DENCH) interrogate Mr White (JESPER CHRISTENSEN) who reveals the organisation which blackmailed Vesper is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an Mi6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille (OLGA KURYLENKO), a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene (MATHIEU AMALRIC), a ruthless business man and major force within the mysterious organisation.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world’s most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano (JOAQUIN COSIO). Using his associates in the organisation, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in a Latin American country, giving the General control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land.

In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists and even M, to unravel Greene’s sinister plan and stop his organisation.

There is a rumor circulating right now that Ryan Gosling is going to be the new Jack Ryan, the role made famous by Harrison Ford in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, also played by Alec Baldwin in The Hunt for Red October and Ben Affleck in The Sum of All Fears. Based on the novels by Tom Clancy it seems like an odd choice for the actor to take, that is until I read the rumor of the director they are trying to attach, Fernando Meirelles director of City of God and The Constant Gardner. The upcoming film will not be based on any of Clancy's previous novels and will just carry on the Jack Ryan name. The title of the film will be By Any Means Necessary.

Two music videos. One from a movie, one not. Both done in one shot.

Another reaction to Pretty Bird, this one from Ew's Adam B. Vary.

I especially wish the Pretty Bird audience at the Racquet Club last night had a chance to witness the freewheeling hilarity of that "interview," because they certainly didn't experience it in the film itself. Laced with a mordantly off-kilter sense of humor, the movie seemed to make many people laugh out of confusion as much as anything else, and the last 30 minutes left most completely bewildered. Waiting outside for the shuttle bus afterward, one long-standing indie distributor muttered, to no one in particular, "I don't understand why they even placed that in the festival. It was so bad."

This is from a Best Buy store in San Diego's Mission Valley.

I was just looking through the Academy Awards nominations and realized something. The Coen's themselves appear in four major categories: Picture, Director, Writer, Editors.

This is from Joblo (via Bloody Disgusting). There may not be an ounce of truth in this but any PT Anderson news is worth mentioning. I can't decide if I hope he goes through with this idea or not. It has been a while since there has been a really good horror film. What is the last one, The Sixth Sense? I read somewhere years ago that Anderson was working on something scary, not really a horror film and I assumed that idea eventually turned into There Will Be Blood.

We learned from a well-trusted insider that the brilliant Paul Thomas Anderson - who is looking like a solid contender for an Oscar with his astounding film There Will Be Blood - is seriously contemplating making his next project a HORROR film. As of right now the project is just a thought that has yet to be put down on paper, but hopefully in the next few months or so a decision will be made.

Movie City News has up a group of Oscar nominees reactions when hearing they were nominated. Below are a few of my favorites.

"If you could bottle up the way that I felt this morning when I found out I was nominated, people wouldn't buy drugs anymore because this is just the best thing on the planet."
— Kevin O'Connell, on his 20th Oscar nomination for sound mixing, this time for "Transformers." He has yet to win.

"I'm pretty sure that I won't win, but it's thrilling to think there are five people and you are in the top five."
— Tom Wilkinson, supporting actor nominee for Michael Clayton.

"There were a lot of candidates and a lot of the awards shows or organizations this year have had different mixes of people. It was nice to see Tommy Lee Jones in there. He hadn't been in so much of the mix and when I saw his name come up and there was only one name left to go, I thought, `Naah, well, there's no way (I'll be nominated).' So to be honest, I was quite surprised."
— Viggo Mortensen, on his best actor nomination for Eastern Promises.

“It's unbelievable. Mom and I were in bed and dad was waiting up for the announcements again, because that's the way my daddy is. It's kind of a bit weird actually, in a good way, in a fantastic way. I never expected this in a million years to happen. I can't believe it. I'm really proud as well that two Irish paddies have been nominated for an Oscar for the same film. It's really great for Ireland, great

We might get fish 'n’ chips because I hear they're really good here, but it won't be anything too posh. We weren't expecting this so we're going to go to the local supermarket and get the nicest bottle of champagne that we can. I might have a sip or two.”
- 13-year-old Saoirse Ronan , who is up for a Best Supporting Actress award, is filming in New Zealand and had to be woken up to hear the good news.

"I'm delighted that `There Will Be Blood' has been recognized by the Academy. These nominations are a testament to the cast and crew, who I am deeply grateful to, for their talent and collaboration. ... It's a thrill to be in this."
— Paul Thomas Anderson, nominated for writer and director Oscars for There Will Be Blood.

"You put me shoulder to shoulder with a group of fine actors. I'm proud to be in their company and to have the broader recognition for the film is a lovely thing."
— Daniel Day-Lewis, best actor nominee for There Will Be Blood.

"I am grateful. Enormously grateful. Grateful to Sean Penn who gave me the role and directed this beautiful film, and grateful to Emile Hirsch-we really should share this nomination because we worked together. And grateful that after all these years of acting, I got a shot at recognition like this from the Academy. Miraculous. "
— Hal Holbrook, nominated for Into the Wild

This is from a story over atMSNBC

Although some insiders claim that Ledger wasn’t ever “totally happy about things,” or that recently he was inexplicably turning down roles, those points are elements of Ledger’s life that in the long term, will be overshadowed by his body of work and his love for his family.

A few of the roles he recently turned down: Llewelyn Moss in the Coen's No Country for Old Men, the role that ultimately Josh Brolin played. He had also dropped out of the next Terrence Malick film, Tree of Life, being replaced by Brad Pitt.

This is from AICN regarding Heath Ledger's status of work on The Dark Knight.

Hey folks, Harry here... There's a lot of rumors swirling around right now in regards to Heath and where his involvement with THE DARK KNIGHT was. I got it confirmed from a source involved in Post-Production on THE DARK KNIGHT. Heath's post work was complete. He had indeed finished it, as to not interfere with the production of the film he was doing with Gilliam. We're now working to find out what's going to happen there. The last known photo of Heath was as a clown in that film. Will Terry re-cast? What will happen? We'll try to find out for all of you. But there will be no-dubbing on Heath in THE DARK KNIGHT - his performance was finished.

Also, I guess this is the photo mentioned above, the last one of Ledger.

Delaney sent this to me. It is from the New York Times and could be a window into Heath Ledger's death. I remember reading this right before I'm Not There was released and thinking nothing of it. Could his death been a complete mistake? Could he have been too invested in a role and unable to completely let it go?

He tends to do that. He is here in London filming the latest episode of the “Batman” franchise, “The Dark Knight.” (Mr. Bale, as it happens, plays Batman; Mr. Ledger plays the Joker.) It is a physically and mentally draining role — his Joker is a “psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy” he said cheerfully — and, as often happens when he throws himself into a part, he is not sleeping much.

“Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,” he said. “I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.” One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing.

Even as he spoke, Mr. Ledger was hard-pressed to keep still. He got up and poured more coffee. He stepped outside into the courtyard and smoked a cigarette. He shook his hair out from under its hood, put a rubber band around it, took out the rubber band, put on a hat, took off the hat, put the hood back up. He went outside and had another cigarette. Polite and charming, he nonetheless gave off the sense that the last thing he wanted to do was delve deep into himself for public consumption. “It can be a little distressing to have to overintellectualize yourself,” is how he put it, a little apologetically.

Of course more information will come out once there is an autopsy. There is also this eerie quote from I'm Not There's director Todd Haynes, comparing Ledger to James Dean.

In a telephone interview from Berlin, where he was promoting “I’m Not There,” Mr. Haynes said that Mr. Ledger’s character was inspired by “photographs of Dylan taken in the mid-’60s when he was hanging out in New York locations with dark-rimmed eyeglasses and shooting pool or reading the newspapers in the classic Godardian striped crew-necked shirt.”

James Dean too. “Dylan was completely inspired by James Dean, and Heath has a little bit of James Dean in him, even physically, a kind of precocious seriousness,” Mr. Haynes went on. “As adult actors seem more and more infantile and refusing to grow up, middle-aged guys with their baseball caps, Heath is one of those young people who have a real intuition, a maturity beyond their years.”

Academy Award nominated director's ad and signature (at least I think it is) in my hallway.

A scene from one of Heath Ledger's final roles, I'm Not There. The whole segment with Ledger as a bad husband torn up about his divorce is one of, if not my favorite section of the film. Warning, this is NSFW and contains nudity.



And one more for all the 10 Things I Hate About You fans.

This sucks. Heath Ledger is dead. He was one of my favorite actors of his generation and gave an amazing performance in Brokeback Mountain, which I just re-watched this past Sunday. He was probably set up to reach and even bigger level of stardom this summer with The Dark Knight. A big question will be how The Joker is now handled in that film. If he doesn't die or at least captured at the end how will the role be filled for the conclusion of the trilogy? It is a little too early and a lot too insensitive to even question that kind of thing right now but it is one of the first thoughts that popped into my head. Ledger was also one of my favorite things about last years I'm Not There. You can read more about it over at MSNBC.

UPDATE: Just received this text message from Eric, who when not doing army things actually met Heath while living in Prague: "The next James Dean or River Phoenix - discuss."

Please watch this and then realize it is a real movie, that is going to be released in real movie theaters. If life could only be this simple, hanging out in the auto shop solving the world's problems through step.

This is from Lou Lumenick at the New York Post. It is an excerpt from one of his posts about Sundance

I knew 10 minutes into "Pretty Bird,'' the self-indulgent directorial debut of actor Paul Schneider, that it wasn't going to work for me despite the presence of Paul Giamatti as the inventor of a rocket belt who develops a conflict with an entrepeneur (Billy Crudup, incredibly annoying). I stuck it out for an hour; there were plenty of walkouts, including the L.A. Times' Kenneth Turan, who was on the shuttle back to the hotel with me.

New York Magazine takes a look at those contenders who were snubbed. If you search around over there they pretty much cover everything related to this mornings nominations.

Just realized that The Diving Bell and the Butterfly wasn't nominated for best picture, I guess that can be counted as a surprise after all of it's guild recognitions. Probably not though since foreign language films rarely make it into that category.

Adrien Brody and Jeffrey Wright are starring in Cadillac Records, the Leonard Chess biopic Darnell Martin (Their Eyes Were Watching God) is directing for Sony BMG Film. Brody will play Chess, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who started the Chicago blues label Chess Records, selling records from the back of his Cadillac. Matt Dillon was originally set to play Chess but ultimately had to pass due to scheduling conflicts. Wright will play Muddy Waters. Columbus Short, Cedric the Entertainer, and Tammy Blanchard have also recently joined the cast.

Kirsten Dunst is in negotiations and Ryan Gosling has signed on for All Good Things, a period love story/murder mystery Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans) is directing. Marcus Hinchey, Marc Smerling, and Jarecki wrote the screenplay, which tells the story of a 1980s New York real estate suit (Gosling) who falls for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks (Dunst) who goes missing. When a detective uncovers info on her whereabouts, the political stakes begin to rise and people close to the situation wind up dead.

Here is the full list of Oscar Nominations. Original Song is by far the most controversial list in my opinion. Snubbing all of Eddie Vedder's songs from Into the Wild, which is a shame since that album has more than one good song and had the best from any film, Guaranteed. Good that Falling Slowly from Once made it but do we really need three songs from Enchanted? We don't get anything from Walk Hard? Say what you will about the movie but the songs were fantastic. In a pretty liberal year as far as all the other categories Original Song is the most conservative and typical of past Oscar's.

I am glad that Jack Fisk's work in There Will Be Blood was noticed.

The final break down in terms of numbers is No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood lead the pack with 8 and Atonement and Michael Clayton were second with 7 nominations. Michael Clayton had the most nominations in the major categories though, landing best picture, director, screenplay, actor, supporting actor, and supporting actress. The read my reactions to the categories announced this morning see my post below this one.

Performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”
(DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Best animated feature film of the year
“Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Brad Bird
“Surf's Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Achievement in art direction
“American Gangster” (Universal)
Art Direction: Arthur Max
Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
“Atonement” (Focus Features)
Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood
Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners)
Art Direction: Dennis Gassner
Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Art Direction: Dante Ferretti
Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Art Direction: Jack Fisk
Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

Achievement in cinematography
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.) Roger Deakins
“Atonement” (Focus Features) Seamus McGarvey
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Janusz Kaminski
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roger Deakins
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Robert Elswit

Achievement in costume design
“Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
“Atonement” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood

Achievement in directing
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Julian Schnabel
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Jason Reitman
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Tony Gilroy
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Paul Thomas Anderson

Best documentary feature
“No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures)
A Representational Pictures Production
Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group)
A Documentary Group Production
Richard E. Robbins
“Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company)
A Dog Eat Dog Films Production
Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara
“Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm)
An X-Ray Production
Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
“War/Dance” (THINKFilm)
A Shine Global and Fine Films Production
Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

Best documentary short subject
“Freeheld”
A Lieutenant Films Production
Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
“La Corona (The Crown)”
A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production
Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
“Salim Baba”
A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production
Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
“Sari’s Mother” (Cinema Guild)
A Daylight Factory Production
James Longley

Achievement in film editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Christopher Rouse
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Juliette Welfling
“Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment) Jay Cassidy
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Dylan Tichenor

Best foreign language film of the year
“Beaufort” A Metro Communications, Movie Plus Production
Israel
“The Counterfeiters” An Aichholzer Filmproduktion, Magnolia Filmproduktion Production
Austria
“Katyń” An Akson Studio Production
Poland
“Mongol” A Eurasia Film Production
Kazakhstan
“12” A Three T Production
Russia

Achievement in makeup
“La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
“Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount) Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
“Atonement” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
“The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Falling Slowly” from “Once”
(Fox Searchlight)
Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”
(Walt Disney)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”
(Warner Bros.)
Nominees to be determined
“So Close” from “Enchanted”
(Walt Disney)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”
(Walt Disney)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

Best motion picture of the year
“Atonement” (Focus Features)
A Working Title Production
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production
Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
A Clayton Productions, LLC Production
Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production
Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production
JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

Best animated short film
“I Met the Walrus”
A Kids & Explosions Production
Josh Raskin
“Madame Tutli-Putli” (National Film Board of Canada)
A National Film Board of Canada Production
Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
“Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” (Premium Films)
A BUF Compagnie Production
Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
“My Love (Moya Lyubov)” (Channel One Russia)
A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production
Alexander Petrov
“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)
A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production
Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

Best live action short film
“At Night”
A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production
Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (Sky Cinema Italia)
A Frame by Frame Italia Production
Andrea Jublin
“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (Premium Films)
A Karé Production
Philippe Pollet-Villard
“Tanghi Argentini” (Premium Films)
An Another Dimension of an Idea Production
Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
“The Tonto Woman”
A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production
Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

Achievement in sound editing
“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal)
Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Skip Lievsay
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Matthew Wood
“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro)
Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Achievement in sound mixing
“The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal)
Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
“3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate)
Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro)
Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

Achievement in visual effects
“The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners)
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
“Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro)
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

Adapted screenplay
“Atonement” (Focus Features)
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
“Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
Written by Sarah Polley
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn)
Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Original screenplay
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
Written by Diablo Cody
“Lars and the Real Girl” (MGM)
Written by Nancy Oliver
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Written by Tony Gilroy
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney)
Screenplay by Brad Bird
Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
“The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Written by Tamara Jenkins

Alright, here we go. Oscar nomination day is sort of like Christmas morning, all anticipation and build up then is over way too soon. I'm going to try and post these nominees live and type out my reactions but these thing move pretty quickly. There will probably be a large number of misspelled words and abbreviations but I will go through and correct those a little later. I will also post the full list of nominees whenever it is posted online.

The President of the Academy Sid Ganis and Kathy Bates are reading the nominees, Bates sounds nervous.

Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Bone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

Who is missing here? It pretty much comes down to Ryan or Blanchett. I missed Ruby Dee's big scene when the sound went out on American Gangster.

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 Holbroook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Perfect list though I have yet to see Charlie Wilson's War it would have been a shame if Hoffman didn't get at least one nomination from his three outstanding performances.

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

Angelina Jolie is left off the list, Laura Linney takes her place.

Best Actor
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortenson - Eastern Promises

I am little disappointed that neither Emile Hirsch or Ryan Gosling was nominated for best actor but if that means that Tommy Lee Jones gets nominated for In the Valley of Elah than I am fine with that, it is easily one of the best performances of the year and has gone unnoticed all awards season.

Best Director
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman - Juno
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood.

Jason Reitman sneaks in, taking the place who? Joe Wright, Sean Penn?

Original Screenplay
Diablo Cody - Juno
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Ratatouille - Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages

Pretty much as expected, the screenplay nominations are where you usually get the smaller, quirkier films being recognized.

Adapted Screenplay
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Sarah Polley - Away From Her
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood

Again, pretty much as expected.

Foreign Language Film
Beaufort - Israel
The Counterfeiters - Austria
Katyń - Poland
Mongol - Kazakhstan
12 - Russia

I have seen none of these, I don't even think any of them have been released in my area. There is a controversy right now about 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days being left out.

Animated Feature
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

Surf's Up? Really? What about The Simpsons Movie?

Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Atonement makes the final five. Probably the strongest best picture line up in recent memory. I am disappointed that Into the Wild didn't make it but four of these five were in my top ten and the other one (Michael Clayton) was just outside of it.

I woke up too early. Not really but I thought the Academy Awards were going to be announced at 7 a.m. local time only to have my alarm going off at 6:50 and Gordon Kieth telling me they would be announced live at 7:38. I had a dream last night that Daniel Day-Lewis was left was not nominated and that some film called The Heritage was a surprise multi-nominee. I don't think that will happen (especially since the second film doesn't even exist) and I don't have enough time to get in the shower before the show starts so I thought I would come up with one last group of predictions. This is sort of a no guts/no glory list (borrowed from Awards Daily), predictions that I don't really think will happen but that I have the slightest worry or idea about.

Atonement leads all films with the most nominations, including best actor, actress, supporting actress, and picture.

There Will Be Blood not nominated for best picture.

Kelly Macdonald nominated for best supporting actress for No Country for Old Men.

Cloverfield

I don't know how this film will play on repeat viewings but the initial one was one hell of a ride. The gimmick of this being shot in POV from a handicam wears off after the first 20 minutes or so and it actually works to bring you into the movie. You start to wonder how you would act in these situations, where you would go and how would you save yourself. It becomes an intimate story of a group of survivors surrounded by a much larger story of a monster eating New York.

The actual use of the video camera is actually really well done. The only time you are given any information to the overall situation is when the characters are able to view a television or come across some military personnel. You learn what they learn and see what they see. Of course there are a few conceits you must make. Try not to think about battery life or the length of tapes while watching, details like that might drive you a bit crazy.

The best way to see this is with as little knowledge of the film as possible.
There are surprises and things happen so randomly that you are really thrown off guard. This is a realistic film, or at least as realistic as any monster movie could be. Scenes are not set up in any traditional sense and there is no pay off, you experience one situation and move onto the next, trying to stay alive.

The film is not perfect though. There really isn't one character you root for, these are upper class New York Hipsters who probably have it a little too well off financially. You never fully connect with any of them in any way you would hope to. I was also initially upset that they tried to cram a story into what should have been a simple survival tale. One character makes a decision that effects the others in his group and they seem to follow along a little too easily. When the film concluded though, it seemed like this was the only possible outcome. It wraps up so nicely that I didn't even think about it anymore. Could it have been different? Yes. Would it have been better? Who knows? It's actually sort of ingenious the way they tell two stories at once, it doesn't cheat in the overall design of the movie and fills in nice character details as the film moves forward. Then again, is anybody really seeing this for the story? It's just fun to watch things blow up and people running from a monster in a completely new and unique way.

NOTE:

1. I have now spoken to two people who have told me they felt sick when watching this and that the people they were with actually threw up. Theaters across America are actually now posting warning signs that this film may cause side effects. If you get sick during movies that contain a lot of shakicam (The Bourne Ultimatum) you might want to be forewarned.

2. This might be considered a spoiler so if you want to know nothing about the film going in read no further, this has to do with the ending. The spoiler starts here, highlight the text to read: Notice during the last shot of the film, the panoramic view of the beach at Coney Island, in the top right of the frame something falls from the sky and into the ocean. Is this a possible origin of the monster? I am certain I saw something in this shot, the person I watched this with didn't and I can't seem to find anything on the internet. I like that there are no answers really given, just questions.

This is bad news. There Will Be Blood easily had my favorite score of the year. Taken from Red Carpet District.

Jonny Greenwood's original score for "There Will Be Blood" has been ruled ineligible by the music branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The news comes on the heels of last week's Best Foreign Language Film debacle, which left the two most critically acclaimed efforts of the year in that category out of contention (Romania's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" and France's "Persepolis").

(Pete Hammond is also reporting on this over at The Envelope, but there is much more to the story, which has been fluttering in the wind throughout the weekend.)

The disqualification has been attributed to a designation within Rule 16 of the Academy's Special Rules for Music Awards (5d under "Eligibility"), which excludes "scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other pre-existing music."

Greenwood's score contains roughly 35 minutes of original recordings and roughly 46 minutes of pre-existing work (including selections from the works of Arvo Pärt, as well as pieces in the public domain). Peripheral augmentation to the score included sporadic but minimal useage (15 minutes) of the artist's 2006 composition "Popcorn Superhet Receiver."

"Popcorn Superhet Receiver" is a 20-minute work commissioned by the BBC in 2005. The piece premiered at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall in November of 2006.

All musical inclusions were indicated on the score's cue sheet, of which the Academy has been in possession since early December. The organization had over a month to run over rules and eligibility, sending out reminder sheets to Academy voters that included Greenwood's score for consideration along the way. Other scores that were deemed ineligible include Alan Menken's "Enchanted" and Michael Brook's "Into the Wild," both due to the "predominant use of songs."

Paramount Vantage was alerted to the ineligibility of "Into the Wild" far in advance. The situation with "Blood," however, has come at the last minute, catching the studio entirely off guard.

Vantage was made aware of the Academy's "Blood" decision on January 19, seven days after balloting closed. Greenwood himself first received word via postal mail from the Academy at his home in London on January 17.

According to the studio, the Academy's decision has come in part due to a situation which arose with Nino Rota's score for "The Godfather" in 1972, which was pulled from the list of nominees after it was discovered that the film's love theme was used in another film, 1958's "Fortunella." The reasoning even in that instance seems flimsy in the face of the fact that the film's sequel won the original score Oscar and featured the exact same theme.

Sources at the studio say that, though they are baffled by the surprising turn of events, they respect the Academy's decision

This is an exercise in futility but here are my predictions for the Oscar nominations. They will be announced sometime early tomorrow morning and I'll be up and watching as they are read live. I am only doing the major categories here, sort of pointless to try and guess who I think will be nominated for best costume design or sound editing. I did also include cinematography though, since it is one of my favorite categories.

With so many great movies released this is sort of an exercise in futility. The only thing that is certain about tomorrow is that there will be a number of surprises.

PICTURE
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

I'm hoping for Into the Wild to make it into the final five but I'm not optimistic. Even if that film is snubbed this would be a really strong group. I also wouldn't be upset if Atonement somehow made it's way into the group but it has been left out of practically all of the guild awards that it doesn't seem likely. It is always exciting to see these read live because you sort of get a sense of what the best picture nominees will be when you start seeing the film showing up in other categories. Sort of like a film can ride a final wave into a large group of nominations that is totally unexpected.

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

There always seems to be on wild card in this category. A director who's film doesn't make it in the best picture category but sneaks into this one. I almost went with Sydney Lumet or David Cronenberg here but ended up just picked the same list that the DGA went with.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Julie Christie - Away From Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

It seems like four of these slots are locked. The fifth one could go any number of directions but I am guessing it will be Laura Linney. Cate Banchett in The Golden Age, Keira Knightly in Atonement (if that film is picking up nominees in other categories), or just a complete surprise. Sadly, I have not seen many of the films that are supposed to have the best lead female performances.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Emile Hirsch - Into the Wild
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

I would like Ryan Gosling to show up here but I don't know who I would have him replaces. Actually, I would probably have him replace Depp but that ain't going to happen. Especially since Gosling was nominated last year and his film was not as widely seen as the others. If The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is picking up momentum I could see Mathieu Amalric being a surprise contender.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Catherine Keener - Into the Wild
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
Vanessa Redgrave - Atonement

If I had my way I would put Emily Mortimer from Lars and the Real Girl, Marisa Tomei from Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, or Samanth Morton in Control on the list.

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
Roger Deakins - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Seamus McGarvey - Atonement
Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Roger Deakins - No Country for Old Men
Robert Elswit - There Will Be Blood

SCREENPLAY BASED ON MATERIAL PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED OR PUBLISHED
Charlie Wilson's War - Aaron Sorkin
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Ronald Harwood
Into the Wild - Sean Penn
No Country for Old Men - Joel & Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson

SCREENPLAY WRITTEN DIRECTLY FOR THE SCREEN
Juno - Diablo Cody
Lars and the Real Girl - Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille - Brad Bird
The Savages - Tamara Jenkins

Ken Watanabe is joining Paul Weitz's vampire flick Cirque du Freak, based on a children's-book series by Darren Shan. In the movie, about blood-suckers who are part of a circus freak show, Watanabe will play barker Mr. Tall. Previously cast: John C. Reilly (as a vampire who recruits the 14-year-old main character) and Salma Hayek (as bearded lady Madame Truska). Brian Helgeland (Mystic River) wrote the script.

From EW.

Director Oliver Stone, a vocal critic of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, is putting together a feature film project about the current president, and has tapped Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) as his George W.

Stone, who's shopping around a script completed pre-strike by his Wall Street co-writer Stanley Weiser, told Daily Variety that he does not intend to make a stridently anti-Bush movie, but instead wants to use a style similar to that of The Queen to explain Bush's motivations and rise to prominence. ''People have turned my political ideas into a cliché, but that is superficial,'' Stone told the trade paper. ''I'm a dramatist who is interested in people, and I have empathy for Bush as a human being, much the same as I did for Castro, Nixon, Jim Morrison, Jim Garrison, and Alexander the Great,'' he said, referring to the subjects of his previous films. Stone also asserted that his film will aim to offer a ''fair, true portrait'' of Bush, and will contain surprises for both fans and detractors of the president.

Filming on Bush could start as soon as April. As for Stone's other recent project, a movie about the My Lai massacre called Pinkville, UA has pulled the plug, citing reasons related to the writers' strike — but Stone told Variety he hopes to get that script back and revive it.

Newsweek has posted their annual Oscar roundtable, this year featuring Daniel Day-Lewis, George Clooney, James McAvoy, Ellen Page, Angelina Jolie, and Marion Cotillard. They also have video footage of the whole event, in case you weren't in the mood the read the transcript.

A trailer for a movie finally teaming the talents of Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher. What do you wanna bet they end up together at the end?

Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Mexican actor Diego Luna (Y tu mamá también) has joined the cast of director Gus Van Sant's Untitled Harvey Milk Project. Harvey Milk, to be played by Sean Penn, was an activist and politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America.

Luna is playing Jack Lira, one of Milk's supporters as well as his lover. He joins a cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Victor Garber, Denis O'Hare, and Stephen Spinella.

Here is how you do a movie poster.

There are a few things that worry me about this film. One: that poster below and just how horrible it is. 2: It is an Mtv Films release. I am pretty sure the only quality movie Mtv has ever released was Election. I could be wrong but this is just off the top of my head.

The one thing giving me hope is that it is directed by Kimberly Pierce, who made the excellent Boys Don't Cry.

From Delaney:

I'll write a review of this soon but if anyone is planning on seeing Cloverfield, please do so in the theater. I would also recommend seeing it as soon as possible so none of the surprises are ruined for you.

I found this clip of Zac Efron on YouTube. I think it is pretty apparent he has something.

Zac Efron has signed on to star in Me and Orson Welles, a Richard Linklater (Fast Food Nation, Waking Life)-directed adaptation of Robert Kaplow's coming-of-age novel. The story, set in 1937, focuses on a high school student (Efron) who is noticed by Orson Welles while wandering the streets of New York. He lands a bit part in Julius Caesar, the project that launched Welles, and spends the next week learning about life and love. Christian McKay has been cast as Welles.

Again, I have no idea who Zac Efron is. Other than starring in the High School Musical Movies I am not aware of any projects he has been a part of, but if Richard Linklater wants him then maybe he has something. Then again, this could turn out to be another Newton Boys and Zac Efron could be the next Skeet Ulrich.

The Directors Guild of America has come to a new three-year agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers after six days of negotiation. I'll save you the trouble of reading about all the details but if you are interested, go here for a summary.

Mark Wahlberg has been tapped for Paramount's as-yet untitled biopic based on the life of international drug dealer Jon Roberts, whose life was first chronicled in the 2006 documentary Cocaine Cowboys. Wahlberg will portray Roberts for director Peter Berg (The Kingdom). Roberts headed to Miami in the late 1970s after returning from Vietnam as a decorated soldier. He forged a relationship with the Medellin drug cartel and helped distribute billions of dollars in cocaine before getting turned in by a cohort and serving a decade in prison. Wahlberg is currently shooting Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones and will next move on to Darren Aronofsky's The Fighter with Brad Pitt. Hopefully this will be better than Blow.

The Internet Movie Poster Awards have posted their end of the year nominees for various awards. Since there is no news coming out today I will pick my favorite from each category. Head over to the site to see all of the nominees and images.

Best Movie Poster - Black Snake Moan
Worst Movie Poster - Hostel Part II
Best Teaser/Advance Poster - There Will Be Blood
Worst Teaser/Advance Poster - Hostel Part II
Funniest Poster - Knocked Up
Bravest Poster - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Creepiest Poster - Captivity
Best Character Poster Set - Hairspray
Best Funny Tag Line - Life made him tough. Love made him strong. Music made him hard. - Walk Hard
Best Serious Tag Line - The truth can be adjusted. - Michael Clayton

Another new There Will Be Blood poster.

Warner Bros. confirmed Wednesday that it won't be able to get the George Miller-directed Justice League of America off the ground in time for a spring start. Script issues and production tax complications have forced the studio to push things back until the writers' strike (and expected actors' strike) are over. The studio is still committed to the young cast Miller has selected (including Adam Brody as Flash and the unknown Megan Gale as Wonder Woman) and hopes to make the movie with them at a later date.

EW has posted a Conan O'Brien strike diary.

The trailer Tina Fey's next movie, Baby Mama.

The headline for this story over at Coming Soon was Danny R. McBride Gets Lost . I sat there and wondered how Bust Ass was going to fit into the Lost universe. Would he be one of The Other's, or a cast away just showing up to the island. Turns out he will be none of these as he is just joining Will Ferrell in Universal Pictures' big screen Land of the Lost adaptation.

Scheduled for a July 17, 2009 release, the film is based on the 1974-77 television series of the same name. It revolves around a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks.

Here is the full list of the BAFTA's.

BEST FILM

AMERICAN GANGSTER – Brian Grazer/Ridley Scott
ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN – Scott Rudin/Joel Coen/Ethan Coen
THERE WILL BE BLOOD – JoAnne Sellar/Paul Thomas Anderson/Daniel Lupi

BEST BRITISH FILM

ATONEMENT – Tim Bevan/Eric Fellner/Paul Webster/Joe Wright/Christopher Hampton
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM – Frank Marshall/Patrick Crowley/Paul L Sandberg/Paul Greengrass/Tony Gilroy/Scott Z Burns/George Nolfi
CONTROL – Orian Williams/ Todd Eckert/Anton Corbijn/Matt Greenhalgh
EASTERN PROMISES – Paul Webster/Robert Lantos/David Cronenberg/Steve Knight
THIS IS ENGLAND – Mark Herbert/Shane Meadows
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD

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 – Kathleen Kennedy/Jon Kilik/Julian Schnabel
THE KITE RUNNER – William Horberg/Walter Parkes/Rebecca Yeldham/Marc Foster
THE LIVES OF OTHERS – Quirin Berg/Max Wiedemann/Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
LUST, CAUTION – Bill Kong/James Schamus/Ang Lee
LA VIE EN ROSE – Alain Goldman/Olivier Dahan

ANIMATED FILM

RATATOUILLE – Brad Bird
SHREK THE THIRD – Chris Miller
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – Matt Groening/James L Brooks

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

SHORT ANIMATION

THE PEARCE SISTERS – Jo Allen/Luis Cook
HEAD OVER HEELS – Osbert Parker/Fiona Pitkin/Ian Gouldstone
THE CRUMBLEGIANT – Pearse Moore/John McCloskey

SHORT FILM

DOG ALTOGETHER – Diarmid Scrimshaw/Paddy Considine
HESITATION – Julien Berlan/Michelle Eastwood/Virginia Gilbert
THE ONE AND ONLY HERB MCGWYER PLAYS WALLIS ISLAND – Charlie Henderson/James Griffiths/Tim Key/Tom Basden
SOFT – Jane Hooks/Simon Ellis
THE STRONGER – Dan McCulloch/Lia Williams/Frank McGuinness

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

SHIA LABEOUF
SIENNA MILLER
ELLEN PAGE
SAM RILEY
TANG WEI