Oscar Film Awards Season: The Social Network, Golden Globes, and The Jewish Question

There's a large list of Academy Awards (or Oscar) "Precursor" award programs that have already passed or have announced their nominations. So many, in fact, that it's easy to go through a week and miss several of them.

As we approach the end of 2010, a very long year, let's see what's happened to date, and on the way to the announcement of Oscar nominations on January 27th 2011.   I could sum it up by just saying bet on The Social Network for Oscar - Best Picture, but that would leave out a lot of news.

Before I continue, a thought on why this is important. In a New Media World, movies are still one of the best reflectors of not just our culture, but our changing values. What we prize, or don't, in film says a lot about who we are, and the human condition.

Movies, like Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and Philadelphia can help to spark awareness, change laws, and spark whole social movements.

Indeed, the Oscar Awards Season itself can be controversial, reflecting race, sex, and intra-ethnic issues, as has been the case with what I call "The Jewish Question."

Annie Awards and Sprit Awards nominations.

The Annie Awards nominations, for 29 categories representing the best in animated film, were announced back in December 1st, and for the award ceremony scheduled for February 5th. The contenders for "Best Animated Feature" are Despicable Me, How to Train Your Dragon, Tangled, The Illusionist, and Toy Story 3. Click here for the rest of the nominations listed at the Annie Awards site.

The Independent Sprit Awards is on February 26th, but it's nominations have been out for a few weeks. In the "Best Feature" category, the ISA's version of the best picture awards, five movies vie for the prize: 127 Hours, Black Swan, Greenberg, The Kids Are All Right, and Winter's Bone. Click here for the full slate of nominations for the ISA's.

The New York-based National Board Of Review's awards announcements were released December 2nd and The Social Network was named "Best Film Of The Year." David Fincher and Jesse Eisenberg took home best director and best actor prizes for The Social Network, the story of the actors behind the creation of Facebook. The National Board Of Review's awards gala is set for January 11th 2010; click here for all of the NBOR awards for 2010.

Washington DC Area Film Awards

The WAFCA Awards winners were announced December 6th, and features another win for The Social Network. It scored best film, best director, and best adapted awards screenplay for it's writer, Aaron Sorkin. Colin Firth landed "Best Actor" for his role in The King's Speech, while The Fighter got the supporting actor awards. For all of the WAFCA awards, click here.

The American Film Institute (AFI)

The AFI awards are split into Movies Of The Year, Television Shows Of The Year, and AFI Special Awards. The movies of the year are Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, 127 Hours, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter's Bone. Visit the AFI site here.

Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards

The Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards are out and for the ceremony set fo January 14th, 2011. The "Best Picture" competition looks like the one we may see for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards: 127 Hours, Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King's Speech, The Social Network, The Town, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter's Bone.

The same is true for Best Actor and Best Actress: Jeff Bridges - True Grit, Robert Duvall - Get Low, Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network, Colin Firth - The King's Speech, James Franco - 127 Hours, and Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine. And for the women Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right, Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone, Natalie Portman - Black Swan, Noomi Rapace - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine.

The Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards site is at BFCA.org

The Golden Globe Awards Controversy And The Jewish Question

The Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press' annual shindig awards event, has Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The King's Speech, and The Social Network rounding out its "Best Picture" competitors. The controversy was around what some called the "snub" of The Coen Brothers True Grit from any of the major categories. For some reason, there's a set of blog posts and articles asserting that Jewish film makers do well as The Globes, and that

Here's the full list for The Globes, and pointing to The Social Network, Black Swan, where Natalie Portman is an Israeli netive, as films that "have a chance." Is that a PR stunt to appease fans of The Coen Brothers? I wonder.

It does offer up a question: If the Golden Globes are favorable to Jewish filmmakers, why not include The Coen Brothers and True Grit? A Google search for "Coen brothers jewish" provides a window into criticism of the brothers' take on "The Jewish Condition" and a posible reasons like they "just did't get" Jews, even though the Jewish brothers grew up in a Jewish suburb of St. Louis.

Haaretz's Uzi Silber spared no words in expressing his dislike for A Serious Man, The Coen Brothers take on the collapse of the life of a Jewish science professor, trashing the movie, and them, wildly stating that the pair "just didn't get Jews," and had little time for "them," as if The Coens were alien to the culture.

If Slber's view reflects those of Jews in Hollywood, it certainly colors the 2011 Oscar Awards Season.  Yes, we know the Oscars are political, but to the extent of ignoring a great work like True Grit? The answer here is "no," and it seems the issue's confined to The Golden Globes.

The Screen Actors Guild Awards

Jeff Bridges, who terrifically played Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, is one of five actors up for Best Actor for The Screen Actor's Guild Awards to be held Sunday, January 30th. The full list of nominations almost mirrors that of the Broadcast Film Critics Association Critics Choice Awards, with the exception of Ryan Gosling. That's also true for "Best Actress" but Hilary Swank for Conviction replaces Noomi Rapace and Michelle Williams. The SAG site is here: SAGAWARDS.org

The Social Network Is Tops

In closing, The Social Network's taking the Oscar Awards Season by storm.  On December 19th, The Satellite Awards named it "Best Drama," and it took home awards for director and screenplay (Fincher and Sorkin again).   The one film that may offer a challenge is Black Swan, which swept the noms at the Online Film Critics Society December 27th.

As to "The Jewish Question," stay tuned.

Tucker Carlson: Michael Vick "Should Have Been Executed"

Tucker Carlson disagrees with a call that President Obama made to the owner of the Eagles, in which the President stated that he was glad that the Eagles were giving Michael Vick a second chance.  Michael Vick was convicted of running a dog fighting ring and did prison time.  


Tucker Carlson made the statement while filling in for the show Hannity on Fox News.  


"I'm a Christian, I've made mistakes myself, I believe fervently in second chances, but Michael Vick killed dogs, and he did  in a heartless and cruel way," Carlson said. "And I think personally he should have been executed for that. He wasn't."


John Bobst aka The Force of Nature


Check out my blog at www.theforceofnature.net

Tucker Carlson On Michael Vick: Put A Sock In It

Tucker Carlson, Conservative Editor of the Daily Caller and fill-in for vacationing Sean Hannity on Fox News  (oh, man) opened up and said that Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick "should have been executed" for his fiscal involvement in the business of dog fighting.

On this issue, Tucker Carlson needs to put a sock in it.

Like so many others in what I've come to call The Matrix - that combination of images, ideas, and the at times tireless attempts at maintenance of them, that defines American Society and forms what we call "stereotypes" - Carlson can be counted on to make a stupid statement from time to time.

And Tucker's really a smart guy.

Really.

It's just that Tucker says and does things that...Well, take how he impersonated MSNBC's Keith Olbermann a few months ago, flirting with an identify theft charge in the process.  

You see what I mean?

But if Tucker bothered to look at what's driving his need to make that statement - that subconsciously he thinks it's OK to associate executions with an African American man - he would see that wealthy white families like the Rooneys, who own the Pittsburgh Steelers, were involved in dog racing. Dog racing has a near-equal level of abuse to man's best friend, yet PETA and Carlson have ignored this.

Not a statement.

Tucker Carlson would not even think to suggest what my logical conclusion would point to. And that's the problem.

If Michael Vick were a wealthy, white dog racing owner, Carlson would have never suggested he be executed.  But because he's a black guy, it's OK.

Welcome to The Matrix.  

Vikings vs. Eagles: Mike Vick Victim Of Bad Game Plan

The Vikings vs. Eagles game may have been different if Philadelphia Eagles QB Mike Vick had a better game plan. This video was created to show what the Eagles should have done to place Vick in a position not to be hit as much as he was.

Have him sprint right, but from a formation that puts immediate receiving pressure on the defense. The Eagles left Vick as a sitting duck; he's of average height and defensive linemen were just putting their hands up to block passes. The Eagles offensive coaches failed to get him out of the pocket by design. The result was a lot of hurries, batted passes, and sacks.

But it must be noted that Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier came up with a whale of an offensive and defensive game plan. The Vikings under Frazier for a full season will be a force in the NFL.

Jim Toth and Reese Witherspoon: Engaged to be Married

Jim Toth proposed to actress Reese Witherspoon over the holiday weekend.  This will be actress Reese Witherspoon's second marriage.  Jim Toth, an agent for the Creative Artists, and Reese Witherspoon started dating shortly after the end of her two year relationship to actor Jake Gyllenhaal.  The actress is represented by Creative Arts but not by Jim Toth.  "They are both extremely happy," said a representative for Reese Witherspoon.

John Bobst aka The Force of Nature

Check out my blog at www.theforceofnature.net

Adam Sandler: Another Death Hoax

Adam Sandler was the victim of a celebrity death hoax.  The rumor was reported by the Global Associated News and goes a little something like this.  "Sandler lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a high rate of speed… Sandler was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local hospital; however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact of the crash" 


This same hoax was spread around about Charlie Sheen a few days ago and Morgan Freeman was also recently the victim of a death rumor.  


John Bobst aka The Force of Nature

Check out my blog at www.theforceofnature.net

Tuesday Night Football: Eagles vs Vikings - Mike Vick Hurt By Game Plan

The first Tuesday night pro football game played since 1946 had a surprise ending. The Minnesota Vikings under Rookie Quarterback Joe Webb beat the seeming World-beating Philadelphia Eagles in Phili, 24 to 14.

While Webb's cool, calm, clutch performance in his first start made a lot of people say "Tavarez who," (referring to the Vikings other QB Tavarez Jackson) and cemented him as their new signal caller, it was a very bad offensive game plan that prevented Vick and the Eagles from playing up to expectations.

Michael Vick can't win. When his athleticism overcomes a bad game plan, everyone cheers him. When his athleticism can't overcome the bad game plan, everyone boos him. But the bad game plan, and the coaches who created it, goes without criticism.

Against the New York Giants last week, Vick overcame a bad offensive game plan with his legs and timely passing. But the Vikings used the same defensive game plan as that of the Giants, and with Vick not able to muster the same energy as the week before to essentially play out of that awful game plan, the Eagles offense stalled.

"That bad game plan," sets the relatively short Vick up in the pocket as a sitting duck, a focal point for blitzes. And those pass rush calls have come more and more over the last four games. But instead of rolling Vick out to have him throw more often than not, Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid kept Vick in the pocket.

The result: hurries, batted passes, and sacks.

And a shocking Vikings win.