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24 Jan 2012 11:24

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Culture: Our four favorite surprises from today’s Oscar nominations

  • one The amazing silent film “The Artist” didn’t top the nomination list — “Hugo” had one more, despite the fact it was shut out of the acting categories.
  • two “The Tree of Life” must’ve confused the Academy: A strange message, “Nominees to be determined,” accompanies its Best Picture nomination.
  • three Maybe not a huge surprise, but Pixar’s “Cars 2” is the first Pixar flick that didn’t get a single nomination for an Oscar. Perhaps it’s because it sucked? Yeah, probably.
  • four And a surprise going the other way: Melissa McCarthy got an acting nomination for “Bridesmaids,” her breakout role. The question is, will she win? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2011 10:43

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U.S.: 2011 box-office’s big drop: Major stars, horror flicks, family films flop

  • $500 million the expected drop in box office between 2010 and 2011
  • 4.5% decline the fall in box office this year, partly blamed on the lack of “Avatar”
  • hits The biggest hit of 2011? “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” which scored $381 million in the U.S. alone. The latest “Transformers” and “Twilight” movies also scored this year.
  • bombs On a $150 million budget, “Mars Needs Moms” only made $39 million worldwide. Horror films struggled, and even major stars like Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts were no longer bankable.
  • surprises The two biggest were “Bridesmaids” (a female-focused twist on the Apatow film) and “The Help,” both of which had solid box-office runs. The secret? Both were aimed at older audiences. source
  • » Better news in 2012? Possibly. With such high-profile films as “The Hunger Games” and a remake of “21 Jump Street” hitting the theaters, it’s entirely possible that 2012 could hold up way better than 2011. And as “The Lion King” showed this year, 3D remakes are proving to be especially financially sound. Two fairly large ones — “Star Wars: Episode One” and “Beauty and the Beast” — will hit the box office in 2012.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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