Song, Dance, and Commendation: Turning the 2009 Oscars into a Television Event When the Academy Awards brought on a set of new producers, there was the usual buzzwords: on time! Big surprises! Excitement! On time! Thrilling! And yet, we all doubted that it could live up to the expectation, especiall...

OSCAR PREDICTIONS • Gold Derby's gutsy, 100% accurate Oscars predictions • Gold Derby odds on the top Oscars races • Experts predict who'll win the Oscars • Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke in a real heavyweight bout • Can Meryl Streep beat Kate Winslet at the Oscars? • Rookie pundit needs a ...

Because Richard Nixon was the first President for whom I could have voted for - I didn't - he has long held a special role in my life and my heart. In the day, it was nothing but anger and revulsion; since then, a more nuanced view. At the time, I thought he was destined to be one of the United Stat...

We’re a few short days away from another Oscar gala so it’s as good a time as any to share our latest ambitious little short. Yes, for the second year in a row MTV’s Movies Editor Josh Horowitz has found himself cast out into a special circle of Oscar hell thanks to the mysterious ...

Nathaniel R: First things first, please welcome this year's Symposium guests (in alpha order just like Oscar do): Timothy Brayton, Antagonie & Ecstasy, Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine, Karina Longworth, Spout, Erik Lundegaard, Eriklundegaard.com and Kris Tapley, In Contention. They were chosen throu...

The politics of failure is taking center stage. Today we take a look at three fallen leaders and their relationship to the media. President Richard Nixon interviewed by David Frost. The film Frost/Nixon received several Oscar nominations for the portrayal of David Frost’s famous interview with...

Say hello, good evening and welcome to one of the greatest political movies ever. That bit of glorious hyperbole doesn't come from me, of course, but from the British tabloid The Sun. My sentiment would be, this was a pretty darn entertaining flick, but I really wish I could have seen the play. The ...

I’m not surprised that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Slumdog Millionaire" were top dogs in Oscar noms, announced earlier today. Both films are up for Best Picture, as well as director and screenplay. Honestly? I think they should just give everything to "S...

With invaluable assistance from our many forum posters, including the aptly named AcademyAwardsGuru, here are some interesting stats about this year's nominations for the Oscars. Lucky 13: This year’s film with the most Oscar nominations is "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" with 13 n...

Well, the Academy has spoken, picking this year’s Oscar nominees, and they couldn’t be safer or more boring ... except for those categories in which “Milk” figures in somewhere. At least that’s what the San Francisco Chronicle’s completely unimpressed critic Mick ...