Saturday, August 29, 2015

AND THAT'S THE TRUTH, RUTH: One of America's greatest filmmakers, Spike Lee, will finally win his first Academy Award, as he and Gena Rowlands will be receiving honorary Oscars this year at the Governors Awards ceremony, with a Hersholt to Debbie Reynolds.

Lee's sole nominations have been original screenplay for Do the Right Thing,** and best documentary feature for 4 Little Girls. He has never received a Best Director nomination; no actor in his films has ever won Oscar -- not even Denzel Washington in Malcolm X. It's about time.

(He is, to be fair, the youngest winner of an honorary Oscar in almost 50 years.)

**A hell of a crew of fellow losers that year: Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen);  Sex, Lies, and Videotape (Steven Soderbergh); and When Harry Met Sally... (Nora Ephron). Tom Schulman won for Dead Poets Society.

Thursday, August 27, 2015

BOOK THE AWKWARD CAMEO FOR HARRISON FORD ON DECEMBER 17:  Our friend Jordan needs some help -- his responsible, ethical new workplace runs a SNL Guest Star Pool, and the draft is tomorrow: "My understanding is that you draft a team of potential hosts and a couple musical guests (in defined rounds). You get points for hosting/music and fewer points for a cameo appearance.  Double points if the musical guest hosts. There was talk of theme rounds (non-actor, etc.). Most total points at the end of the season wins. Already announced hosts are undraftable."

I think Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are safe bets, between their own film and possible cameos (esp, in the Tracy Morgan return).  Jennifer Lawrence has two films later this year, and I'd want to lock her in.  For double duty, hmm: Bruno Mars? One of the judges on The Voice?  Part of the Janet Jackson comeback?

[I can only imagine how awesome this league was the year someone drafted Gregg Jefferies and Mark Grudzielanek.]
GIRL, YOU NEED HELP:  Linda Holmes outlines the five types of shows which are never, ever going away.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN, HI!  So how excited should I be that Pennsylvania is finally getting Fat Tire beer next week, being positioned "against some of the other aggressive out-of-towners who've done well in the city lately-Lagunitas, Deschutes and Sierra Nevada."
WELCOME TO CENTRAL PERK: Last night, Taylor Swift covered "Smelly Cat," with help from Lisa Kudrow.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

BAD MF:  There is much in Vulture's profile of Samuel L. Jackson, focusing on his working relationship with Quentin Tarantino, to make you smile, but nothing more than this detail:
Jackson likes to sit with a real audience for most movies, especially his own. He claims to have seen 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret Service, in which he played a billionaire ecoterrorist, eight or nine times. “I’m 66! I can show my ID at the theater and get a discount. And I do!” he says, clapping his hands together loudly. “I’m not too proud. I’ve earned it.”

Monday, August 24, 2015

I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT TO SUCK YOUR BLOOD:  Is Carly Rae Jepsen actually a vampire?  The Verge investigates.