Hollywood Boulevard: Ama Jo Budge on-the-street pre-Oscars 2011

I took to the streets this afternoon to inhale the pre-2011 Academy Awards Hollywood buzz. The road in front of Hollywood Boulevard is already blocked off with scaffolding, patrolled by security guards, and watched over by the towering canvas Oscars Award itself. The cramped corridors between the blockade and the shop walls becomes crammed with tourists, film-buffs, and locals alike, the usual touristy excitement heightened as people tramp up and down the (plastic covered) red carpet. 

I meet and talk to not only locals and Easterners but also some girls from Switzerland, a couple from Sweden and Norway, and a Dutch woman (the Scandinavians out in numbers)! I ask them whether they will be here on Sunday night or at home watching the Oscars, most say yes (apart from the occasional oblivious local). The general opinion is that best film will be a toss up between Black Swan and The Kings Speech (which took the British Academy Film Award for best film in the UK earlier this month) with which I agree, although there were a few batters on The Fighter’s team too.

A knowledgeable local showing around his New York friend gets into great detail, saying that The Kings Speech will undoubtedly take Best Film, although True Grit will be ‘the dark horse’. He predicts Colin Firth for best actor, Christian Bale for best supporting actor, and to my surprise names a pregnant Natalie Portman as the stunner he will be looking out for – “her talent makes her even more attractive” I am blown away, I must admit (they don’t think like that where I come from – and we’re supposed to be the gentlemen!) 

(Hollywood Blvd last week, and now...)

Some of the younger generation remind me (somewhat to my embarrassment) that Justin Timberlake does of course appear in The Social Network and will therefore be the hottie they are looking out for, with James Franco (127 Hours) brining up a slightly more mature fan base.

Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie still take the cake for hottest celebs however, what a shame The Tourist was such a let down, I guess there is such a thing as too much gorgeousness on one set...

I meet some photographers from Portland, Oregon who will be working the red carpet on Sunday. They are all together unimpressed with the celebrity-hunger that surrounds them, refusing to pronounce any star-struckness other than a ones grudging confession that Sigourney Weaver said ‘hi’ to him last year “which was pretty cool”.

(Yes these were totally for my 8 yr old brother - if you can't beat em join em!)

I am undaunted, and soon meet a group of three (what I would call ‘lads’) from San Francisco who amusingly bicker over whether Scarlet Johansson, Angelina Jolie, or Natalie Portman deserve their most attractive vote. The discussion comes to the satisfying conclusion when one loudly concludes that regardless he would "definitely go gay for George Clooney…" To which I could think of no reply other than maybe (who wouldn't?)

Back to the professional stuff, they tipped Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) for best supporting actress and gave the first (and only) vote for The Kids Are Alright stating that Hollywood was sure to give the ‘lesbian nod’. I did not get into the discussion that I have had with many others about whether or not this film actually discusses or appropriately deals with Annette Benning and Julianne Moore’s characters sexuality at all, let alone the fact that Hollywood is not known for giving 'nods' of any kind to my knowledge.

There seems to be an overall feeling that Natalie Portman (Black Swan) deserves Best Actress despite previous loyalties for the consistent talent of (Rabbit Hole) Nicole Kidman (I will certainly always hold Annette Benning in a special place of high reverence in my heart) but Portman's got my money too…

****

I get stopped by a young woman reporting for a Boston TV show and do not hesitate to stop and have a bit of a chat about the Oscars on camera, and give a shout out for the blog of course.

My favourite comment of the afternoon/evening may be a Swedish young woman claiming, when asked who she would be most excited to see in Hollywood this week – “I want to see John Travolta!”

The tension is certainly building in Hollywood, stay-tuned folks, I have a feeling we could all be surprised, come Sunday night…

Ama J. Budge

Special Correspondent

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2011 Academy Awards: Searchable Datebase

For all of you Academy Award trivia freaks, here's a handy searchable database provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Want to know who won Lead Actor the year you were born, check it out.

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2011 Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure: Oscar 2011 Sunday @ 9AM

Expect surprise celebrities at the 2011 Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure Oscar Sunday morning -- a cause I have participated in over the past 10 years since my cousin, a classical musician, Stanford University educator -- Dr. Adrienne Maravich Meckel was diagnosed with cancer over a decade ago and survived to see her children graduate from college -- and was a year short of seeing her first grandchild born. 

Adrienne survived nearly a decade beyond her prognosis thanks to advanced cancer treament and awareness and to the Susan G. Koman organization and many otherslike it, I am thankful for their continuing work in combatting this inciduous disease.

I urge each and every one of you to donate generously to the cause and to come out Sunday, February 27, 2011 to Dodger Stadium, located at 1000 Elysian Park Avenue in Los Angeles to cheer on celebrities Brenda Song, Aimee Garcia, Nia Long and others in support of this great cause.

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2011 Academy Awards tidbits: Depp & Bale 2011 hotties, big no to media recording devices after Feb. 23

Rolling out the Red Carpet for the 2011 Oscars

Our woman on-the-street, Ama Jo Budge, at Hollywood & Highland claims that her personal survey reconfirms Johnny Depp as the hottest actor alive with Christian Bale following in second place of women aged 15 to 60 surveyed during this 2011 Oscar week.

Media warning -- wireless devices are verbotten after February 23, 2011.

Huh?

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Academy Awards 2011: 3D mega performance may impact Oscar pics

Rumblings that 3D -- the new box office panacea -- may have judges inclined to vote for a genre that will keep money flowing in Hollywood could have an impact on the 2011 Academy Awards results.

Today, the Motion Picture Association of America reported that global box office reached $31.8 billion, a global box office record with an 8% increase in 2010 over last year, Daily Variety reports, with a drop 5% drop in actual domestic attendance.

So how does this affect the 2011 Oscars?

Dunno yet, but, I've got a cool $100 on Toy Story 3 and Alice in Wonderland taking home some bacon.

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Academy Awards 2011: Live coverage of the 13th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

Reported by Special Correspondent, Ama J. Budge



Ama Jo Budge with Better Midler

I arrive outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel in my taxi about 5.20pm feeling very glamorous indeed and stroll into the hotel, nodding at the security guard as if I was born there. Once inside I become much shyer, finally finding the woman I’m supposed to speak to and getting my press badge. The entire lobby oozes with the distinct aromas of fame, excitement, and extremely expensive taste.

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Finding my place in the red carpet line, I talk to other press members, peruse the ‘tip-list’ (as it sounds literally a list of the big names and faces attending) and await the arrival of the celebrities. Trickle turns to flood and suddenly the room is a-flash with shouting photographers all vying for the attention of the biggest stars. Sex and the City star Kristin Davis is hosting the evening, and appears in a floating black and white polka-dot gown.

In the flesh, and throughout the evening, she is every bit the trotting, beaming, adorable beauty of ‘Charlotte’ the character we have come to know and love her for. In her interviews she talks about the importance of costume for acting as well as for people, down to the importance in every shoe, and the value of the modern woman’s flats in which she feels comfortable and strong.

Praising the work of the designers:

“Tiny details all come together on screen to create what everyone takes for granted…its very intertwined and complicated and amazing, what they do.”

And of Halle Berry:

“Halle is a genius in so many ways and such a generous person, she’s a sweetheart.”

These sentiments were echoed later not only by the president of the Costume Designers Guild, Mary Rose (see below) but also by Samuel L Jackson as he presents Berry with the Lacoste Spotlight Award. This award singles out an actor who has proved consistently committed to achieving excellence in their role and shown a particular awareness to the integral operation of costume design within that role.

A personal favourute of mine, Lisa Edelsein (who plays the character of Cuddy - Dr. House’s love interest and Dean of Medicine in the hit US show House) appears on the red carpet looking stunning in Viviane Westwood and I positively leap on the poor woman for a photograph, who is extremely gracious and agrees.

She will be presenting the Outstanding Contemporary Television Series Award along with Melora Hardin (The Office).

All-American hunk James Bamber arrives lurking on the side lines, somewhat shy out of his Battlestar Galactica uniform. 

I meet Bette Midler in the cocktail lounge, a childhood icon of mine and manage to get a photo with her to both mine (and my mother's) delight. 

The red carpet is rounded off with Halle Berry’s extraordinary

entrance in her Elie Saab Haute Couture gown. 

I step into the cavernous room which is bedecked in classy green and black, alight with the chinking of cocktail glasses, sparkling eyes and glittering chandeliers.

Lou Eyrich begins the evening, taking the

Award for Best Contemporary Television Series

Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series goes to

John Dunn and Lisa Padovanni for Empire Boardwalk 

Michael Dennison who passed away last September at the premature age of 58 was mourned and respected tonight as he joined the Guild’s Hall of Fame. Known for work such as ‘Almost Famous’, ‘What Women Want’, ‘Basic Instinct’, and ‘Eat Pray Love’, Dennison, or as his colleagues call him ‘Dixie’ showed extraordinary diversity within his work, from the comic-book like caricatures of The Spirit to the raw, true story: ‘World Trade Centre’.

Julia Roberts, his long time friend, colleague and neighbour held a personal memorial for him in her home last year, and he received a standing ovation in the hall tonight.

The Big Love cast present the Award for Outstanding television movie or miniseries: 

Mary Rose, President of the Costume Designers Guild pulls off a funeral-worthy netted black hat, though she is barely seen behind the podium. She thanks Lacoste as the Guild’s Presenting Sponsor and Halle Berry who received the Lacoste Spotlight Award this evening. 

Bill Marr begins a heartfelt and fairly hilarious speech in honour of Joel Schumacher, costume designer, writer and director, having worked on pieces such as ‘Carwash’  with Woody Allen, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘Phone Booth’ and the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical ‘The Phantom of the Opera’.

 

The gorgeous Isaiah Mustafa presents the award for Excellence in Commercial Design, which goes to Aude Bronson-Howard.

British costume designer Jenny Beavan wins the Excellence in Period Film Award for the kings speech which has received political acclaim both here and in the UK, winning six Awards, including Best Film, out of thirteen nominations.

 ****

Hollywood’s Star-studded couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore take the podium to present Julie Weiss with the Disaronno Career Achievement in Film and Television Award.

Weiss’s impressive repertoire includes ‘American Beauty’, ‘Frida’, ‘Secretariat’, ‘The Ring’, ‘Steel Magnolias’, and most recently ‘No Strings Attatched’. She is spoken of with love and respect by several directors and actors:

“This eccentric, amazing little woman…(who) finds the music in the wardrobe…”

 

Which is awarded to Amy Westcott for Black Swan, who is brought nearly to tears when thanking her husband, son and team:

“Any costume designer isn’t worth anything without a fantastic team.”

I get a little star-struck myself as Samuel L Jackson takes the stage in a dashing tux to Pulp Fiction’s timeless Pumpkin and Honey Bunny/Misirlou soundtrack.

He honours Halle Berry with familiarity, admiration and respect, reading the praise of some   designers who’ve worked with her, before presenting her with the Lacoste Spotlight Award.

After showing the tribute video of her career, Jackson finishes with (what I think was on everyone’s mind, male and female alike…) 

 “Nothing beats leather"

After snapping a shot in the ladies with another personal icon of mine - Holland Taylor, I make my way to the cues outside the Beverly Hilton and the valet hails me a cab.

I have much enjoyed reporting for you this evening, stay tuned for the

rest of Oscars week, and thanks for reading!

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David Letterman Reduces Rand Paul On Talk Show

Perhaps Freshman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul should have paid attention to Senator Al Frankin, who Paul says told him not to go on The Late Show With David Letterman - or for that matter, Paul's own wife. Going on David Letterman's show resulted in a Rand Paul with a reduced image. Regardless of what die-hard Tea Party myopics want to believe, and how much they flood message boards and chat rooms with fantasies about Paul's performance tonight, the total truth is, it was a massive disaster.

As you can see in the video, everything was wrong. It started from the moment Paul came out to the stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York, where Letterman's show is taped. Rather than wave to the crowd and walk out in a relaxed fashion, Senator Paul literally waddled out like a Penguin. He even looked the part in a blue blazer, blue jeans, and white shirt with a red tie: he looked stiff and nervous.

Then, once Senator Paul sat down he made the major mistake of trying to be funny. So, his first three quips that were jokes you'd have to be a Washington insider or politico to get, went over without a laugh. In fact, it wasn't until Paul said that Senator Frankin told him not to come on the show that he actually got a laugh.

It was horrible.

It went further down hill when, in an exchange that's worth listening to over and over again, Letterman made Paul look like the Senator was just out of touch with the working person. When Paul tried to say that America was throwing too much money at education, Letterman countered that we were spending enough on education. When Paul tried to argue for reducing the public sector, Letterman got him to basically say he was trying to take jobs and spending away from the middle class basic worker.

The entire exchange made for the most cringe-inducing segment since the one where Actor Joaquin Phoenix came on Letterman's show and acted like he was on acid. The problem was Senator Paul wasn't on acid or anything. Maybe he should have been; it would have given him some kind of excuse for what happened.

David Letterman made Senator Paul look like a common city councilman from a small Kentucky town, instead of a major political player in America. Paul had better go back and re-think his platform and his message to America, because after tonight it's obvious he's out of touch with what's happening. People don't want to hear rhetoric about the size of government, they just want jobs. Period.

SF Muni Story By Jonathan Bloom, KRON TV Channel 4

I just - about 30 minutes ago from this writing - met KRON TV Channel 4's Jonathan Bloom, and as he was standing outside the San Francisco Muni Light Rail Line entry / exit area with his Sony betacam on a tripod.

As I did, with KPIX TV Channel Five's Mike Sugarman last June, here:

I said to Mr. Bloom that a Flip Video Camera worked better. He asked if I could hold it steady at a distance and still get a great shot. I explained that I do regularly and took time to demonstrate my technique of holding the camcorder to eye level and keeping it there throughout my scene creations, even panning. I then asked Mr. Bloom what he was doing out at a BART station at this time of night.

It was at that point, Bloom mentioned his work on a story involving San Francisco MUNI and claims thaat MUNI is not properly maintaining its light rail lines. Bloom says that SF MUNI is also "bypassing" inquiries by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. He's going to have more on the story at 11 PM on KRON TV 4, San Francisco.

As for the camera talk, Bloom loves Flips, he just wishes they had a better telephoto capability.

Stay tuned.

Space Shuttle Discovery: Foam Falls Off After Launch

BREAKING - According to CNN Television and NASA, a video shows foam to be falling from Space Shuttle Discovery as it speeds into orbit after a successful launch today. To be clear, the foam that covers much of the Shuttle's exterior did not start falling while the spacecraft was in the process of liftoff, but afterward.

That's important, because it was falling material from the Space Shuttle Challenger that led to a series of engineering processes leading to its eventual explosion in 1985.

Foam Was Replaced Last November

Foam was replaced on Space Shuttle Discovery last November, and along the external tank where cracked support beams were replaced.

The damage was reported after a cancelled November 5th launch because of a gas leak. Eventually, it was repaired, tests were conducted, and the launch date that was today was authorized.

Stay tuned.

ABC and The Academy Extend Oscar Telecast Agreement

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just issued a press release announcing the extension of their TV agreement with the ABC Television Network . Here's the AMPAS release, in full:

The ABC Television Network's contract to carry the annual Academy Awards presentations has been extended for six more years, though 2020, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ President Tom Sherak and Anne Sweeney, President of the Disney/ABC Television Group, announced today.

"This contract ensures that the Oscar show will be an ABC tradition for 45 consecutive years," said Sherak. "ABC is absolutely the very best place for the Academy Awards, a television event that is beloved and watched by millions of movie lovers all over the world."

"ABC has been home to the Oscars for many years, having aired a total of 46 of the annual telecasts, so we’re thrilled to announce that this tradition will continue," said Sweeney. "During that time, we’ve enjoyed a tremendous partnership with the Academy, pairing the best in movies with the best in television, and look forward to a long and successful collaboration in the years to come."

Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis added, "The Oscars remain the most-watched non-sports program in America, and we’re delighted that ABC will continue to be the setting for that jewel. The network has consistently demonstrated an understanding of what makes us unique, and has energetically supported those qualities."

The new agreement for the domestic broadcasts of the Academy Awards adds six years to the existing contract, which was scheduled to expire in 2014. International rights are covered by a separate agreement with Walt Disney International which runs through 2014.

The 83rd Academy Awards, which will air live on Sunday, February 27, will be the 36th consecutive ceremony to air on ABC.

Be sure to catch full Oscars coverage at Zennie62.com, ramping up on Friday!