Archive for Kathryn Bigelow

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Last Night’s Oscar Winners

Jeff Bridges

What’s an award show without silly trivia the morning after? Here are some obscure tidbits about last night’s Oscar winners. And remember, everyone nominated is a winner.

Having finally snagged an Oscar after forty years in the industry, Jeff Bridges can now focus on getting a Grammy. The Crazy Heart crooner actually released a reggae-flavored album, Be Here Soon, in 2000. Click here to enjoy “Movin’”—”soon I’ll be touching you…touching the dream!”
The majority of Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz‘s film career has been over in Germany, but fans hungry to see him sans subtitles can rent the 2000 straight-to-DVD flop, Ordinary Decent Criminal, an Irish crime drama starring Kevin Spacey and Colin Farrell. Waltz plays Dutch art dealer Peter: judging from this clip, we’re not surprised Oscar didn’t notice.
Sandra Bullock may have never been near an Oscar before, but she gave her first televised acceptance speech in 1995, when she won Best Female Performance, Most Desirable Female and Best On-Screen Duo with Keanu Reeves for Speed at the MTV Movie Awards. Those guys are always ahead of the curve!

See seven more, including clips of Jeremy Renner‘s stoner comedy debut and Kathryn Bigelow as a sexy cowgirl, after the jump.

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James Cameron Wants Ex Kathryn Bigelow To Win Best Director

Jim Cameron & Kathryn Bigelow

Don’t try to paint this year’s Oscars as a Battle Of The Exes just because Avatar director James Cameron was married to The Hurt Locker‘s Kathryn Bigelow in the late ’80s—turns out everyone’s on the same side. “In our minds, it’s not a competition. That’s a narrative that’s imposed by others, because it’s, you know, it makes a good story,” Cameron told Charlie Rose, saying he’d love to see Bigelow win Best Director. “It’s the recognition, you know, finally the recognition catching up with the scope of her talent…I mean, I just think she’s worked so hard for so long.” Plus, Cameron could buy and sell every Oscar ever molded with the cash he’s made off Titanic (for which he won Best Director) and Avatar.

But as for Best Picture, well…he’d still like to stick that one on the mantle whether Bigelow wants it or not. “I know how hard my team worked and how much they would—how proud they would be of that accolade, you know what I mean? And look, for myself, I have already got an Oscar. I’ve got a couple of them, you know. And I respect the whole institution of the Academy Awards because it’s so—it’s the pinnacle of achievement in my chosen profession. But I don’t really need another one. But to be honored—you know, to have the team honored and for their accomplishment, that would mean so much to them.” With Bigelow and Cameron trading off accolades so far (Bigelow got the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Director, Cameron took the Golden Globe), there’s no way to say whether either will get their wish until the envelopes open next month. [via HuffPo]

[Photo: Getty Images]

(Some) Stars Skip Super Bowl For Yet Another Award Ceremony

Michael Stuhlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Emily Blunt and Carey Mulligan

While there were tons of celebrities at the Super Bowl this weekend, it’s still trophy season in Hollywood and a handful of stars stayed back Sunday for the 2010 Virtuoso Awards, part of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Among the select few who signed the giant vodka bottle were The Young Victoria‘s Emily Blunt, An Education‘s Carey Mulligan and Saoirse Ronan of The Lovely Bones (awkwardly, of these actresses, only Mulligan is in contending for an Oscar next month). Viral videos aside, Quentin Tarantino outed himself as a less than faithful football fan by attending a director’s roundtable alongside The Hangover‘s Todd Phillips, Precious‘ Lee Daniels and those Academy-bound exes Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron. What, none of these nerds cared about the Saints at all? Get a closer look in the gallery below.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Stars Left Smiling Over Their Oscar Nominations

This heartwarming clip of underdog Jeremy Renner learning he received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for The Hurt Locker (and getting a bear hug from co-star Anthony Mackie) is just one example of the good vibes flowing forth from those acknowledged today. Here’s a few choice quotes from the actors and actresses who woke this morning to good news—assuming they weren’t up all night.

Meryl Streep, on her record-breaking 16th nomination for Julie & Julia: “I am proud and grateful to stand with these women who have given such a range of beautiful, indelible performances this year!!”
Carey Mulligan, An Education: “This is beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed of. I’ve definitely never felt such excitement and nausea this early in the morning!”
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious: “As soon as I heard, I jumped up and down and for some reason I kept screaming, ‘I’m gonna get a car, I’m gonna get a car.’ I don’t know why.” (Good Morning America)
Colin Firth, A Single Man: “I thought I was managing my expectations, but on hearing the news I discovered new and unfamiliar vocal tones. Perhaps I should do another musical.”
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side: “I do believe some liposuction is in order, a very strict diet regime, and I will acquire a very light English accent. I was going to say that I should start wearing glasses, but I already wear glasses, so I am already sort of there.” (Us Magazine)

Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow, while “overwhelmed with joy,” did have something to say about being only the fourth woman to receive a Best Director nomination. “I do think that I hope someday we can lose the modifier and that becomes a moot point whether the person is male or female and they’re just filmmakers making statements that they believe in.” Meanwhile, Precious director Lee Daniels had his own breakthrough to celebrate: “After 82 years, it’s the first film nominated for best picture directed by an African American. Isn’t that great?”

Critics’ Choice Surprise: Little Hurt Locker Tops Blockbuster Avatar

The Hurt Locker might not have been the biggest draw at the box office, but it earned awards for best picture and best director at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards tonight. The best picture winner of the Critics’ Choice often becomes the Oscar winner too. If Kathryn Bigelow‘s win for director is a sign of her Oscar chances, Bigelow would be the first woman to ever take home the trophy — and only the fourth woman to ever be nominated. Avatar, which won best action movie, is directed by James Cameron, who is Bigelow’s ex-husband.

Jeff Bridges won his first major film award for Crazy Heart, almost forty years after his breakthrough performance in The Last Picture Show.

This is the second year in a row Meryl Streep has had to share the award for best actress from the Critics’ Choice, this time with Sandra Bullock and last time with Rachel Getting Married’s Anne Hathaway. Streep won for Doubt last year. Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs Of New York) and Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt) split best actor in 2002, and Amy Adams (Junebug) and Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain) split best supporting actress in 2005. These critics can’t make up their minds!

Up is the eighth Pixar film to win best animated feature — and they’re four for four since Cars in 2006.