JOIN OUR FOREIGN FILM DISCUSSION
Come join the Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominee Panel Discussion!
As it has become tradition, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association together with the American Cinematheque will hold a Directors Roundtable on the day before the Golden Globes, January 14, 2012 at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Discussing their Golden Globe nominated films will be the directors Yimou Zhang (FLOWERS OF WAR), Angelina Jolie (IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (KID WITH A BIKE), Asghar Farhadi (A SEPARATION) and Pedro Almodóvar (THE SKIN I LIVE IN).
The event will start at 1pm and will be moderated by Mike Goodridge of Screen International. Admission is free and so is parking (first come, first served) in the Classic Parking lot at Las Palmas Avenue and Selma Avenue behind the Egyptian. You must tell the attendant that you are going to the Egyptian Theatre for the Golden Globe event.
Films screened daily Starting January 9, at 7:30pm the five Golden Globe nominated Foreign Language films will show at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica Monday:
“In the Land of Blood and Honey” (USA, Bosnian) directed by Angelina Jolie
Tuesday: “The Skin I Live In” (Spain) directed by Pedro Almodóvar
Wednesday: “A Separation” (Iran) directed by Asghar Farhadi
Thursday: “The Kid With a Bike” (Belgium), directed by Jean-Pierre
and Luc Dardenne (filmmakers in attendance)
Friday: “The Flowers of War” (China) directed by Yimou Zhang
For more information also visit www.americancinematheque.com
Read More »AN EVENING OF BEAUTY AND GLAMOUR
The first in a long list of star presenters are announced: Nicole Kidman, Freida Pinto, Salma Hayek, Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen, Antonio Banderas and Jake Gyllenhaal.
The s
tage is set for an evening of beauty and glamour with the news that an international ensemble of some of the world’s most gorgeous actresses will be presenting Golden Globes during Sunday’s star-studded ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Nicole Kidman from Australia, India’s Frieda Pinto and Mexican-born Salma Hayek are among the first group of presenters announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Together with Melissa McCarthy from Bridesmaids they will be joining the handsome trio of Antonio Banderas, Clive Owen and Jake Gyllenhaal at the ceremony, which will be hosted by British comedian Ricky Gervais and televised live on NBC.
More presenters will be announced during the coming week.
Pictures: Theo Kingma
Read More »PRAISE FOR HFPA GLOBE CHOICES—VARIETY
From Daily Variety:
Globes more in line than in year’s past
Award Season Focus: The Actor & The Actress
‘Bridesmaids,’ with Golden Globe nom Kristen Wiig, left, was one of the few comedies last year to receive near unanimous acclaim.The annual eruption of critical snark set off by the announcement of the Golden Globes nominations is usually followed by a sheepish admission: Many of the choices were in line with what was expected.
In fact, the outlier may be Oscar. In several celebrated instances in recent years, it has been the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., and not the Academy, that has hewed closer to the critical consensus. Last year, the HFPA picked “The Social Network” as best drama — as had the L.A., N.Y., London, Chicago and Boston critics, the National Board of Review, the National Society of Film Critics and a litany of other orgs. The Oscar went to “The King’s Speech.” In 2007, when the Academy went for “Crash,” the Globes picked “Brokeback Mountain,” as had many others.
This season, there’s no obvious one-on-one “Social”/”King” face-off, but the reaction has been respectful.
“I actually think the HFPA acquitted themselves quite nicely this year,” says Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger of the HFPA’s selections, echoing much of the response to a selection one studio publicist calls predictably “eccentric and starry,” but which largely reflected choices made elsewhere in the run-up to Oscar madness.
Those selections included motion picture drama noms for some very obvious suspects — including “The Descendants,” “The Help” and “Hugo” — as well as lots of love for “The Ides of March” and a well-timed assist for what may be the year’s comedy showcase, “Bridesmaids.”
History being what it is, however, the Globes choices are forever scrutinized for favoring studio, and not indie, fare; an aversion to anything remotely provocative or controversial (“The Tree of Life,” “Melancholia”) and a propensity toward nominating both films and actors that provide plenty of star power.
“I know some people are suspicious of the Angelina Jolie nomination for foreign film, but the fact is that her movie is getting strong reviews,” Karger says of the Jolie-directed “In the Land of Blood and Honey.” “It’s much less embarrassing than giving her and Johnny Depp lead-acting nominations for ‘The Tourist’ last year.
“Also, I’m a huge ‘Ides of March’ fan so I’m happy with George Clooney getting a slot for best director. I fully expected them to nominate Mel Gibson for ‘The Beaver’ or Ashton Kutcher for ‘Two and a Half Men’ just for the attention, but they clearly resisted the urge.”
Says one studio exec: “I still think a film like ‘Tree’ could get in the Oscars, because it’s that kind of film. I’m wondering about ‘The Artist,’ too, and what will happen with it.”
The Weinstein Co.’s Gallic B&W movie, “The Artist,” is a candidate in the comedy-musical category, which can only further its campaign as one of the year’s quirkiest success stories.
Elsewhere, exception was taken to what may be an intrinsic character issue with the HFPA.
“I think the exclusion of ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ reflects the foreign press’ inability to connect to the well of emotion still connected to Sept. 11,” says Joe Neumaier, critic for the New York Daily News. “Its late screening for the HFPA certainly didn’t help, and I’m surprised Sandra Bullock and Max von Sydow weren’t included. At the same time, though, it isn’t a shock to find an emotional block between the HFPA and that movie’s hyper-local take on tragedy.”
Neumaier also points to the omission of a supporting perf, and what he saw as the disconnect between the character and the HFPA’s foreign perspective.
“It may be that Melissa McCarthy’s Megan in ‘Bridesmaids’ was too gauche and too ‘American” for them,” he says. “So they went with lead Kristen Wiig. Alternately, though, I think the love they showed for ‘Ides of March’ is partly because it felt like a peek behind the American political curtain.”
There were other films that reflect American sensibilities that got some HFPA love.
The backdrop of drama nominee “Moneyball,” for instance, features the quintessential American pastime, baseball. Long a U.S. passion, the sport is largely ignored in much of the rest of the world, but HFPA viewers took the story of Oakland A’s g.m. Billy Beane to heart.
Then there’s “The Help,” which examines how African-American maids were treated in the American south in the 1960s. Clearly, writer-director Tate Taylor’s pic resonated to those who may have been unaware of the abusive treatment those women suffered in the racially slanted region of the U.S.
What: Golden Globe Awards
When: 5 p.m. PT Sunday
Read More »THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN
Anke Hofmann (left) and Zoya Malinskaya start the process of printing and issuing 1308 of the hottest tickets in town for next week’s 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
GLOBE PREPARATIONS GET UNDER WAY
With the 69th Annual Golden Globes ceremony only ten days away, preparations at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills have already started.
Yesterday, the International Ballroom opened its backstage doors and numerous – mostly locally hired – crews will start its transformation into one of the most glamorous venues Hollywood has ever seen.
RICKY: I MAY REALLY BE DRUNK THIS TIME
H
ollywood beware! Ricky Gervais has warned that he may “really be drunk” when he hosts the Golden Globes awards show on January 15.
The controversial British comedian whose remarks at last year’s show offended some of the star guests told Matt Lauer on the Today Show: “Controversy is irrelevant to me…I do it my way and they don’t know what I am going to say until I say it.”
It is the third time Ricky has hosted the Golden Globes show and although he said last year he wouldn’t do it again, he explained: “What tipped the balance was all the people saying I’d never be invited back. That’s like a red rag to a bull.”
He dodged the question of whether he would tone down his remarks this year but gave a hint of what is to come when he admitted: “Whenever I go out live I could always say the wrong thing.”
And then he added: “And I might really be drunk this year.”
Read More »GLOBES MENU SPANS THE CONTINENTS
It has taken six months of meticulous planning for the chefs at the Beverly Hilton Hotel to prepare for the Golden Globe ceremony on January 15. Executive chefs Suki Sugiura and pastry chef Thomas Henzi have created an elegant and mouth-watering menu reflecting the global nature of the Golden Globes and it will take a team of 40 chefs and 110 kitchen staff members to prepare it on show day.
Chef Sugiura has combined local produce with an ensemble of cuisines from around the world to create a globally harmonised menu. It will include an appetiser of pistachio crusted pistou ravioli with wild arugula, smoked tomato, kabocha compote and burrata; a combination entree of miso and sake lees marinated pacific sea bass with grilled king oyster musroom and braised prime short rib of beef with porcini pine nut herb ragout in a light cream of sherry wine ginger tamari sauce with roasted fingerling potatoes, candy striped beets, baby bok choy and yellow baby carrots.
For dessert Chef Henzi will be serving a trio of chocolate delice almond crunch terrine and acacia honey, caramel and fresh berries, which will pair ideally with the Moet & Chandon Grand Vintage 2002 magnums specially created for the show.
