Honorary Oscars Announced - Bacall, Willis, Corman, and Calley

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Post by Damien »

"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Post by Damien »

From USA TODAY:

Oscars honor three greats, while hinting at show to come

By Anthony Breznican

The Oscars took a look back, and some Oscar hopefuls took a step forward.

Three lifetime achievement Academy Awards were presented Saturday night to Lauren Bacall, B-movie mogul Roger Corman and The Godfather cinematographer Gordon Willis, and the black-tie bash came packed with some of the biggest names in the business.

Just a few of them: Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Tom Hanks, Anjelica Huston, Annette Bening and Kirk Douglas.

But even more notable were the number of potential nominees present, there to pay homage to the veterans while subtly waving the flag for their own Oscar-seeking films.

Quentin Tarantino, whose Inglourious Basterds will make a play in multiple categories, presented the trophy to Corman; Jeff Bridges, getting best-actor buzz for his country music drama Crazy Heart, did the same for Willis. In the audience was Basterds' charismatic villain (and likely supporting actor contender) Christoph Waltz; Up in the Air's Vera Farmiga, Precious newcomer Gabourey Sidibe and Bright Star's Abbie Cornish.

Other potential nominees hobnobbing among the swarm of Academy voters were The Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow; Morgan Freeman, who plays Nelson Mandela in the drama Invictus; and Alec Baldwin— not only a potential supporting actor candidate for the Meryl Streep romance It's Complicated, but also co-host of the March 7 telecast with Steve Martin.

Dubbed the Governors Awards, these lifetime achievement honors used to be part of the overall Academy Awards telecast, but this year they were moved into this separate, non-televised ceremony in a bid to streamline a show often criticized for being overlong.

Advantage: The long careers of each honoree were highlighted in depth, without the usual rush. Disadvantage: no home audience of tens of millions of viewers (though brief clips of the event are expected to be shown on the March broadcast).

"It's so much better, though maybe I'm wrong, that nobody is worrying whether 36.5 million people are watching us or 29.2," said Warren Beatty, presenting the Irving G. Thalberg award to the evening's fourth honoree, producer and longtime studio chief John Calley (The Da Vinci Code, Postcards from the Edge).

With more time for the honorees, there was a lot more storytelling.

Corman was saluted for being miserly with budgets, but generous to talented kids trying to break into the business. His credits include titles such as Attack of the Crab Monster, X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes, and the original non-musical Little Shop of Horrors. Though his movies were not critical favorites, and tended to be fueled by sex and violence, among those who got their starts on his low-cost movies were Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, Francis Ford Coppola and Ron Howard.

Howard, raising a toast to Corman, said the producer gave him the chance to make his first movie, the car-crash comedy Grand Theft Auto, when "no one in the industry was lining up to take a 20-something ex-sitcom kid and put that person in the director's chair."

He did torment Corman by recalling a dispute they had on the set of that film, when Howard felt like he wasn't getting the resources he needed. Corman refused to budge, he said, but told the first-time filmmaker: "I promise you this: If you continue to do a good job for me on this picture, you'll never have to work for me again."

While Corman's filmography may seem like a strange one to honor with an Oscar, he was one of the earliest and most successful independent producers at a time when big studios controlled practically the entire business, paving the way for generations of do-it-yourself filmmakers. "I believe the finest films being done today are being done by the original, innovative filmmakers who have the courage to take a chance and to gamble," Corman said.

Among the indie filmmakers who found inspiration in his movies was Tarantino, who said: "Roger, for everything you have done for cinema, the Academy thanks you, Hollywood thanks you, independent filmmaking thanks you, but most importantly for all the weird, cool, crazy moments you've put on screen, the movie-lovers of planet Earth thank you."

Gordon Willis, nicknamed The Prince of Darkness for his shadowy cinematography in The Godfather trilogy, Annie Hall and All the President's Men, was introduced by Bridges, who recalled working with him on the 1972 western Bad Company. "We had a wonderful time, though I do recall two terrible days. It was probably the coldest I've ever been on a film, shooting that gunfight in the forest. Remember that?" Then they found out the processing lab lost the film footage. "We had to reshoot it, and it was even colder the next day."

Willis hinted that after The Godfather, not everyone trusted his penchant for darkness and shadow. "To all the beautiful women I've worked with in this business that were terrified of looking like Marlon Brando— it's OK. It's over now. You're safe," Willis joked before ending on a more personal note. "All of you, do your best, take care of your kids, and thank you very much."

Most of the emotion was saved for Bacall's award, with Douglas introducing her by telling a story about being in acting school with her in New York. "I was a poor guy. It was winter, cold, and she looked at the coat I was wearing. Tattered — she was sorry for me," he said. "She went home and talked her uncle into giving her an overcoat. And I wore it for two years."

After that, he joked: "I tried to seduce her — without success. But we became friends for over 60 years."

The 85-year-old Bacall was typically brassy in her acceptance speech, wisecracking about her long-ago romance with Humphrey Bogart, whom she met on her first film, 1944's To Have and Have Not, when she was just 19 and he was 44.

At first, she said "it didn't thrill me" when director Howard Hawks said Bogart was her co-star. "If he'd said maybe Cary Grant, I'd have said, 'Well …Now you're talking!' " she joked. "But it ended up being Bogart. That was my great love. He was not only a wonderful actor, but he was an extraordinary man. And he gave me a life. And he changed my life."

After his death in 1957, she was married to Jason Robards, but they later divorced. She joked that the Oscar is the new man in her life.

"I'm very grateful they think I'm deserving of this honor," she said. "But I do welcome it. And the thought that when I get home I'm going to have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting!"
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Post by Big Magilla »

Hollywood Gets Honest at Governors Awards
By MICHAEL CIEPLY

The first annual Governors Awards banquet, created to bestow career-oriented Oscars on the worthy without taking up time on the annual awards broadcast, was loving, lustrous and long.

Held in a giant banquet room near the Kodak Theater, where the regular Oscars will be handed out in March, honorary and career awards on Saturday night went to Lauren Bacall, Roger Corman, Gordon Willis and John Calley in a ceremony that clocked in at 3 hours and 18 minutes. That was only a little longer than the three hours considered ideal for a full-blown Academy Awards broadcast.

But something happened at the semi-private dinner — there was no television coverage, and a relatively modest press presence — that almost never happens on-air: Genuine things were said.

Possibly the most poignant of those was pronounced on a giant video screen by Mr. Calley, a storied executive and producer who could not attend to pick up his own Irving G. Thalberg award because of illness.

“You’re unhappy for a long period of time,” Mr. Calley said, in speaking of the executive’s life. “And you don’t experience joy. At the end, you experience relief, if you’re lucky.”

In an impressive display of industry might, Mr. Calley’s award was picked up by Steven Spielberg, a past Thalberg recipient, who was flanked by six others: Walter Mirisch, George Lucas, Saul Zaentz, Warren Beatty, Norman Jewison and Dino DeLaurentiis.

In keeping with the low-key, bittersweet mood, Mr. Beatty told the crowd he would skip telling his best anecdotes about virtually each and every one present, because he had realized, on reflection, that his stories were all “self-serving.”

Ms. Bacall, who reckoned that 60 years had passed since her screen debut as a 19-year-old, clutched the statuette and said she was happy just to have a “two-legged man” to take home again. Actually, she said, she was happy just to be alive. “Some of you are surprised, aren’t you?” she said.

Mr. Corman was feted by many whose careers he had started, among them Ron Howard and Jonathan Demme. In getting the evening started, Mr. Howard began with a toast to Mr. Corman, known for squeezing movies by the dozen out of underpaid talent in circumstances that were often less than ideal.

“You can’t help but get weary,” said Mr. Howard, setting a tone that carried through the evening, but in a good way. It was actually remarkable to hear Hollywood talking honestly about itself — something that will never happen when the cameras are on.
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Post by Big Magilla »

LOS ANGELES – Without the burden of a live worldwide broadcast, members of the film academy threw themselves a lively yet relaxed dinner party to honor the first Oscar winners of the season.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences broke with tradition and presented its honorary Oscars off-camera Saturday night, months ahead of the televised ceremony in March.

Actress Lauren Bacall, B-movie king Roger Corman and "Godfather" cinematographer Gordon Willis each received Oscar statuettes during the black-tie banquet at the Grand Ballroom above the Kodak Theatre, the same room where the annual post-Academy Awards Governors Ball is held.

In addition, producer John Calley was honored with the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award, recognizing career accomplishments that include "Catch-22," "The Remains of the Day" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Each of the recipients was chosen by the academy's Board of Governors.

Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Morgan Freeman and Steven Spielberg were among the 600 invited guests at the inaugural Governors Awards event.

"We're gathered here together, all artists, celebrating excellence without any television cameras — isn't it great?" said veteran producer Norman Jewison.

Warren Beatty agreed: "It's so much better ... that nobody's worrying whether 36.5 million people are watching us or 29.2," he said.

Guests drank Champagne and dined on filet mignon as each honoree was celebrated with tributes, toasts and a generous montage of film clips — leisurely elements not possible in previous years when special-Oscar presentations were built into the already-crowded Oscar broadcast.

Corman, 83, was the first to be honored Saturday night. The longtime producer-director was lauded for being a champion of independent and efficient filmmaking and for promoting women to positions of leadership long before it was popular.

Quentin Tarantino said the man behind films such as "Bloody Mama" and "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes," inspired him to become a filmmaker. He praised Corman for his "undeniable impact on the industry, both as a business and as an art form."

"The movie lovers of planet earth thank you," Tarantino said.

Ron Howard credited Corman with giving him his start as a filmmaker, saying working for Corman was "a badge of honor."

Corman's advice to his peers? "Keep gambling. Keep taking chances."

Kirk Douglas honored Bacall, his friend for more than 60 years, and confessed that he once tried to seduce her — "without success."

Anjelica Huston presented the award to the legendary actress, saying she "defines what it means to be a great actress and also a huge movie star" and praising her "steadfastness, honesty and extraordinary beauty."

Ever feisty, the 85-year-old actress shooed away an escort who tried to help her to the podium to accept her Oscar.

She spoke of her late husband, "my great love" Humphrey Bogart, and her dashing leading men: Douglas, Gregory Peck and Henry Fonda.

Bacall said she did not expect to receive an Oscar but gratefully welcomed the honor.

"The thought when I get home that I'm going to have a two-legged man in my room is so exciting," she quipped.

Willis, whose cinematography credits include "The Godfather," "Annie Hall" and "All the President's Men," was honored for his decades of work. He was nominated for an Oscar twice: For "Zelig" in 1983 and "The Godfather: Part III" in 1990.

Presenter Jeff Bridges noted Willis' "unsurpassed mastery of light, shadow, color and motion."

Willis, 78, told his industry peers, "Do your best. Take care of your kids."

Heath concerns kept Calley from accepting his award in person, so seven previous Thalberg Award winners did it for him, including Spielberg, Jewison, Beatty and George Lucas. They lauded Calley for his willingness to support creativity throughout his career.

"Please know how proud all of us are to welcome you to our ranks," Spielberg said.

Though not televised, the Governors Awards were taped and portions will be shown during the 82nd annual Academy Awards on March 7, 2010.
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Post by dbensics »

If you go to the Academy's website, you'll find pictures from the Governor's Awards that were handed out last night.

One possible rationale for this new "Event" is that since there will be 10 Best Picture nominees next year, the show will need to find an extra 15 minutes+ to slot in introductions and highlights covering the five additional films. Cutting out all the honorary awards does the trick. If I remember correctly, the recent Emmy's presented no honorary awards.

I fear that the next step might include dropping some of the technical awards from the main ceremony, too.
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Post by Big Magilla »

I'm sure they'll be invited to take bows at the actual Oscars but that's about it unless they're asked to present an award.
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Post by anonymous1980 »

I think the Academy will post all their acceptance speeches in full on their YouTube page but only the highlights during the actual ceremony.

I still do think it SUCKS donkey balls they won't be part of the ceremony.




Edited By anonymous on 1252714765
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Post by Reza »

Damien wrote:
Mister Tee wrote:Momentary freakout: When the headline read "Willis", I thought they'd given one to Bruce Willis, which was completely absurd. (I think Willis is a decent actor, and might well get a real nomination or win one day, but he'd be ridiculously young for a special)

Matt Damon is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Cinematheque. 38 years young.

This is absurd on so many levels.

Who voted for him? Must have been a jury of 25 year olds.




Edited By Reza on 1252702290
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Post by Damien »

Mister Tee wrote:Momentary freakout: When the headline read "Willis", I thought they'd given one to Bruce Willis, which was completely absurd. (I think Willis is a decent actor, and might well get a real nomination or win one day, but he'd be ridiculously young for a special)
Matt Damon is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Cinematheque. 38 years young.

This is absurd on so many levels.
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
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Post by Reza »

Mister Tee wrote:The thing is, the Honorary Oscars -- evn the Thalbergs -- have been a way of saying, You slipped through the cracks; you should have won an Oscar at some point, but it didn't quite happen, and now, before it's too late, we want you to FEEL like you did.
Unfortunately not enough....as so many greats slipped through the cracks and never received an honor by the Academy.
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Post by Reza »

flipp525 wrote:Just out of curiosity, how many Honorary Award winners (actors) have gone on to win competitive Oscars?

Henry Fonda & Paul Newman. I think Newman even got the Jean Hersholt after his competitive win.




Edited By Reza on 1252694415
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Post by Mister Tee »

On John Calley: this article left out the most important part of his resume: his years in the 70s when he was chief production executive at Warner Brothers, widely credited for developing films for which the era is so fondly remembered -- Dirty Harry, A Clockwork Orange, McCabe And Mrs. Miller, Deliverance, Mean Streets, The Exorcist, Dog Day Afternoon. Only UA had a comparable output during the decade. I think Calley is as deserving as any of these.

Momentary freakout: When the headline read "Willis", I thought they'd given one to Bruce Willis, which was completely absurd. (I think Willis is a decent actor, and might well get a real nomination or win one day, but he'd be ridiculously young for a special)

The main point, though, is what everyone's saying: how sad these folk have to be shunted to a side event. I'd heard some talk the Board of Directors might reverse the earlier ruling, but the fact that they've picked so many seals the deal. No way they'd devote so much time out of the main event to these presentations the younger generation seems to find so boring.

The thing is, the Honorary Oscars -- evn the Thalbergs -- have been a way of saying, You slipped through the cracks; you should have won an Oscar at some point, but it didn't quite happen, and now, before it's too late, we want you to FEEL like you did. How is one supposed to feel that at some new ceremony that's indistinguishable from the AFI show?
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Post by flipp525 »

Just out of curiosity, how many Honorary Award winners (actors) have gone on to win competitive Oscars?
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Post by flipp525 »

The Original BJ wrote:Flipp, I was joking. I think Lauren Bacall is a lovely choice for an honorary Oscar, and Gordon Willis's work as a photographer is legendary, which makes it all the more frustrating I can't watch a telecast with them being honored.

And I don't really think Meryl Streep is ancient either. :p

I feel like such a fool! I was thinking, "Who is this person posting as The Original BJ?!?"

Damien, I'm misremembering her reaction in '96. Or maybe I just confused her with Fernanda Montenegro's.




Edited By flipp525 on 1252687968
"The mantle of spinsterhood was definitely in her shoulders. She was twenty five and looked it."

-Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
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Post by Reza »

What great news....Bacall, Corman & Willis.

Hopefully Lansbury will get one the following year......and Doris.
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