Knowing the Academy’s top 10 animated shorts doesn’t make Oscar predictions any easier

So 10 films, out of 37 submitted to qualify for the Best Animated Short at the 82nd Oscars, have been selected to move forward in the voting process (see list below), but predicting a front-runner from this group is easier said than done.

The Best Animated Short category has been historically a bit of a wild card, due partly to the fact that there are no advance awards to help in the decision-making (there is no corresponding category with the Golden Globes or an award show of equal magnitude), and partly to the fact that because academy voters must view all of the nominees, their decisions in the past have been based as much on their hearts as critical acclaim and box office returns.

For example,while it seems a safe assumption that Pixar's "Partly Cloudy" should be ahead of the race due to its placement ahead of the blockbuster "Up," one need only to look at the 2008 Pixar entry, "Presto," which played with "Wall-E." Critics and fans alike were effusive to a fault over this charming short about a magician and his highly uncooperative rabbit, and the race seemed to place it head-to-head with the equally amusing French short "Oktapodi." However, the winner of the 2008 Oscar was, in fact, the quieter,more emotionally driven (and less well-known) "La Maison En Petits Cubes" from Japanese animator Kunio Kato.

In fact, Pixar hasn't had a lock on the Animated Shorts category since 2001's "For the Birds"; all of its subsequent nominations ("Presto," 2006's "Lifted," 2005's "One Man Band," 2003's "Boundin'" and 2002's "Mike's New Car'") lost in their respective races, as did such established favorites as cult hero Bill Plympton's "Your Face" in 1987 and "Guard Dog" in 2004, and even Walt Disney Productions, whose "Mickey's Christmas Carol" failed to bring home the trophy in 1983. On the other hand, the much-adored Nick Park, whose "A Matter of Loaf and Death" is among the current 10, has won three of his four Oscar noms ("Creature Comforts" in 1990, "The Wrong Trousers" in 1993 and 1995's "A Close Shave"), so popularity can play a role in the final decision. Or... not.

Whatever the case, you'll have to wait until Feb. 2 to find out which five from this list will be the official nominees; that's when the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee will release its decisions along with the other nominees for the 82nd Oscars. The ceremony itself airs on March 7.

They are as follows:

“The Cat Piano,” Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People’s Republic of Animation)

“French Roast,” Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films)

“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty,” Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O’Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films)

“The Kinematograph,” Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image)

“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte),” Javier Recio Gracia, director (Kandor Graphics and Green Moon)

“Logorama,” Nicolas Schmerkin, producer (Autour de Minuit)

“A Matter of Loaf and Death,” Nick Park, director (Aardman Animations Ltd.)

“Partly Cloudy,” Peter Sohn, director (Pixar Animation Studios)

“Runaway,” Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada)

“Variete,” Roelof van den Bergh, director (il Luster Productions)

-- Paul Gaita

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Razzies for Thanksgiving: "Under the Cherry Moon"

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Razzies for Thanksgiving: 'Under the Cherry Moon'

Just in time for Thanksgiving, we recall the films and performances with that special blend of outlandishness, eccentricity and straight-ahead awfulness that have earned the industry's lowest honor, the Golden Raspberry Award.

1986: Worst picture (tie), worst actor, worst director, worst supporting actor, worst original song: "Under the Cherry Moon"

There are vanity films ("Gigli") and there are vanity films ("Boom!," "Battlefield Earth"), and then there are Prince's vanity films. Granted, he directed only two (not counting the concert film "Sign O' the Times") -- "Cherry Moon" and 1990's "Graffiti Bridge," a picture so willfully viewer-proof that only cult movie critic Michael J. Weldon's term "psychotronic" can adequately define it -- but both are so aggressively self-absorbed and dismissive of even the most basic elements of film structure (or entertainment) that they almost comprise their own sub-genre. "Cherry Moon" has a few things going for it -- the processed black-and-white photography by three-time Oscar nominee Michael Ballhaus is genuinely lush, and there are three terrific musical numbers, most notably a scene in which Prince sings along to the car radio as it plays his huge hit "Kiss" -- but beyond that, it's a wan and totally implausible paean to its star's sexual magnetism, which, for reasons known only to him, makes such polymorphous idols as Adam Lambert seem like old-school he-men by comparison.

Prince plays Christopher Tracy, a nightclub entertainer by day and gigolo (of sorts) by night who cruises the French Riviera in search of his latest buck. Ladies of certain means seem to fall over backwards for Christopher's attentions, but it would seem that the owner of his chantilly lace-draped heart is his pal/major domo/confidante Tricky (Jerome Benton of the Time). When they're not engaged in eye-rolling, knuckle-biting acts of muggery or sub-Stooges slapstick, the pair seem content to compare outfits, lounge about sans shirts and indulge in all manner of bitchy repartee. Their Good Thing comes to a head with the appearance of wealthy heiress Mary Sharon (Kristin Scott Thomas, looking even more bloodless and bored than usual), whose $50-million inheritance is the object of their larcenous desires until Christopher falls for her. If you cannot figure out what happens next -- in short, it's a hot dose of revelation, redemption, and sacrifice -- please hand in your Moviegoers' Club Card at the end of this essay.

There's nothing wrong with a hackneyed plot. But the script (by Becky Johnston, who later penned "The Prince of Tides" and "Seven Years in Tibet") is the least of the film's problems. Rather, it's director Prince (who replaced veteran video helmer Mary Lambert) who puts up the majority of the roadblocks in its path. For one, he bites off more than he can chew for a first-timer; attempting to stitch together elements from musicals, broad comedies, romances and melodramas is a formidable enough task for an established filmmaker, but Prince simply has no idea how to hide the seams in his embroidery. More problematic is Prince the actor. Christopher is supposed to be 5-foot-2 of Pure Sex and Charm, but more often than not, he comes across as rude, boorish and opportunistic -- in short, no one that the classy Scott Thomas would fall so head over heels for. More believable, in its own high camp way, is the relationship between Christopher and Tricky, though one imagines that their mincing shtick must have baffled many of Prince's younger female fans.

With so little going for it, there was little surprise that "Under the Cherry Moon" was a dismal failure during its brief theatrical run, with a gross that hovered somewhere around $10,000 (on a budget of $12 million). Even its promotional campaign was a disaster; an MTV-sponsored premiere in Sheridan, Wyo. (of all places) was marred by vandals, who swiped several parts from the '64 Buick Prince pilots in the film. It cleaned up at the 7th Annual Razzie Awards, where it shared top prize of worst film with "Howard the Duck" and took four others, with Scott Thomas earning (but not winning) noms for worst supporting aActress and worst new actress, and Johnston landing the worst screenplay nod. The double whammy clearly had little or no impact on Scott Thomas' career; it's unlikely that few, if any of the viewers who have rallied around her Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated turn in "The English Patient" (not to mention "I've Loved You So Long"), remember this early misstep. Similarly, Prince's career rebounded, after lengthy and complex mutations, and he exists now as a beloved pop figure whose "genius" label is actually warranted. In the case of "Cherry Moon," however, the Razzie is equally on the money.

-- Paul Gaita

Photo: Prince in "Under the Cherry Moon." Credit: Warner Bros.

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Facebook, Twitter, Wikipedia top Webby Awards Top 10 Web Moments of the Decade

The Webby Awards, the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, released its list of the Top 10 Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade. The list, which covers everything from the rise of Craigslist to the 2008 presidential campaign, underscores the Internet's impact on major decisions in the lives of people around the globe. 

The list is as follows:

Craigslist's expansion outside of its home turf of San Francisco, which revamped the accepted model of classified advertising. (2000)

The launch of Google AdWords, which, as the Webbys put it, "turned advertising on its head" by opening the marketplace to any business.(2001)

The launch of Wikipedia, which, with its 14 million articles in 271 different languages, unites readers and researchers from around the world to collaborate on educational and informational projects. (2001)

The closure of Napster, which in turn gave rise to a flood of media-sharing sites, from iTunes to Hulu (2001)

Google's IPO, which helped to turn the search engine, which claims Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps, Google Earth and a host of other innovations, into the most dominant and influential company of the decade. (2004).

The online video revolution, led by YouTube, which made amateurs into Web stars and further changed the means of how news, entertainment and advertising reaches the population. (2006)

Facebook opens to non-college students in 2006, the same year that Twitter launches. Both have immediate and lasting effects on both the course of social networking media, but also how people connect and interact with each other. (2006)

The debut of the iPhone, which turned smart phones into items of everyday necessity, and proved that there was indeed an app for every occasion. (2007)

The U.S. presidential campaign utilized the Internet to inspire (and at times, enrage) voters to become a part of the political process through online video, fund-raising and social media. The result was a completely new paradigm for American politics. (2008)

The protests over the Iranian presidential election of 2009 showed that social networking media like Twitter could be used as a force for positive change in a regime that, despite its best efforts, could not censor the will of the people and its technology. (2009)

And in other Webby news, the 14th annual Webby Awards will be announced in April 2010. The awards pay tribute to excellence on the 'Net in a variety of categories, including news, advertising and online film and video. 

-- Paul Gaita

Photo: President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama on Jan. 20, 2009, shortly before being sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. Credit: Getty Images.

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Paul Gaita's bio

Paul Gaita has been an entertainment writer for more than 18 years. During that time, he has put his love for cult movies, character actors and fringe rock 'n' roll to paper for such publications and websites as LA Weekly, the New York Times, MTV and Geek Monthly. He lives in Sherman Oaks with his lovely wife and daughter.

15 documentaries in contention for 2009 Oscar

Fifteen films in the documentary feature category will advance to the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement Wednesday; eighty-nine films were originally submitted for consideration.

The Documentary Branch Screening Committee, which viewed all of the films in the preliminary round of voting, will now select the five nominees from this group of 15. The nominees will be announced as part of the full list of Oscar nominees on Feb. 2; the 82nd Academy Awards will take place on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre.

The full list of 15 films, along with their production companies, is as follows:

"The Beaches of Agnes," Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)

"Burma VJ," Anders Østergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)

"The Cove," Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)

"Every Little Step," James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame
Entertainment)

"Facing Ali," Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)

"Food, Inc.," Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)

"Garbage Dreams," Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)

"Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders," Mark N. Hopkins,
director (Red Floor Pictures)

"The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon
Papers," Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)

"Mugabe and the White African," Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors
(Arturi Films)

"Sergio," Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge
Productions)

"Soundtrack for a Revolution," Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors
(Freedom Song Productions)

"Under Our Skin," Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)

"Valentino: The Last Emperor," Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)

"Which Way Home," Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)

— Paul Gaita

Photo: Agnes Varda in "The Beaches of Agnes." Credit: Cine-Tamaris

Save the date: Important 2010 Academy of TV Arts and Sciences dates announced

Mark your calendars: the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has released the dates for its key events in 2010. They are as follows:

Jan. 20: Hall of Fame Ceremony, Beverly Hills Hotel

May 5: Television Academy Honors, Beverly Hills Hotel

July 8: Primetime Emmy Award Nomination Announcements, Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre

Aug. 7: LA Area Awards, Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre

Aug. 21, Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Nokia Theatre

Aug. 29: Primetime Emmy Awards, Nokia Theatre

Clear your schedules accordingly.

-- Paul Gaita

Photo: The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. Credit: Getty Images.

'Precious' will receive Stanley Kramer Award from PGA [Updated]

Lee Daniels' coming of age drama "Precious" added another award to its growing collection when the Producers Guild of America announced today that it would receive the Stanley Kramer Award. The film's producers will receive the honor at the 21st Annual PGA Awards on Jan. 24 at the Hollywood Palladium.

The Stanley Kramer Award was established in 2002 to honor a motion picture, television program, studio, executive, producer, network or other entity whose work sheds light on provocative social issues in an accessible and elevating fashion. Previous recipients include "Milk," "An Inconvenient Truth," "Hotel Rwanda" and "Good Night, and Good Luck."

The Kramer Award is the latest tribute paid to Daniels' film, which has considerable Oscar buzz surrounding it. Among its recent awards are the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival's Cadillac People's Choice Award; three awards at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, including the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award; and Official Selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival -- Un Certain Regard.

[Updated on 11/19/09:  “We are thrilled to receive the Stanley Kramer Award and feel honored that the Producers Guild of America has chosen to recognize 'Precious' out of this year’s diverse film slate," shared producers Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness. "It is an honor to join the ranks of past recipients and we feel blessed that the film has been so well received.”]

-- Paul Gaita

Photo: Gabourey Sidibe of "Precious." Credit: Getty Images.

Nominations for International Emmys announced

Forty-one nominees will compete in 10 categories at the 37th annual International Emmy Awards. The winners will be announced at the black-tie ceremony held at the Hilton New York Hotel on Monday. British television personality Graham Norton will serve as host for the event.

The nominees hail from 17 countries and include the first-ever nomination for Thailand in the children and young people category for "Lham Phoo Koo E-Joo." The leading nation this year is Britain, nine nominations, followed by Brazil, which has five, and Germany, Mexico and the Philippines, which each have three. Six hundred judges from more than 50 countries weighed in on the nominations, which were decided over a period of six months.

In addition to the awards for programming, two special awards will be presented during the ceremony. British television legend David Frost will receive the 2009 International Emmy Founders Award, while Markus Schacter, director general of Germany's national public television channel, ZDF, will be honored with the 2009 International Emmy Directorate Award.

The complete list of nominees is listed after the break.

— Paul Gaita

Photo: David Frost. Credit: Getty Images

Hamish Hamilton to direct Oscars

Industry veteran Hamish Hamilton is the director for the 82nd Academy Awards telecast. Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman, who serve as producers for this year's ceremony, made the announcement today.

British native Hamilton has helmed numerous major live events since the late '90s, including the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and multiple editions of the MTV Europe Music Awards and Victoria's Secret fashion shows. He has also directed specials for U2, Christina Aguilera and, most recently, Neil Diamond's "Hot August Night/NYC" this year.

The 82nd Academy Award nominations will be announced Feb. 2 with the ceremony on March 7 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

— Paul Gaita

Kumail Nanjiani tapped to host IFP's Gotham Awards

Rising comic Kumail Nanjiani will be the host of IFP's 19th annual Gotham Awards, to be held in New York on Nov. 30. The performer, best known for his role on Comedy Central's "Michael and Michael Have Issues" and appearances on "The Colbert Report," was recently the focus of a New York Times profile and has amassed a growing following on the comedy circuit. Among his upcoming projects is a feature role in the big-screen comedy "Life as We Know It" with Katherine Heigl.

Nominees for the Gotham Awards' six competitive prizes include such festival favorites as "The Hurt Locker," "The Maid," and the Coen Brothers' "A Simple Man."

The ceremony will also pay tribute to actors Natalie Portman and Stanley Tucci, "Hurt Locker" director Kathryn Bigelow and producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. 

-- Paul Gaita

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