Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Atonement : Christopher Hampton
Charlie Wilson’s War : Aaron Sorkin
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly : Ronald Harwood
Juno : Diablo Cody
No Country for Old Men : Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Actor, Musical or Comedy:
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”
Steve Carell, “The Office”
David Duchovny, “Californication”
Ricky Gervais, “Extras”
Lee Pace, “Pushing Daisies.”

Series, Musical or Comedy:
“30 Rock,” NBC
“Californication,” Showtime
“Entourage,” HBO
“Extras,” HBO
“Pushing Daisies,” ABC.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchette for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie for Away From Her
Jodie Foster for The Brave One
Angelina Jolie for A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley for Atonement

Surprise win for Actress in a Drama.

‘Earth’ welcomes Jennifer Connelly

Keanu Reeves attached to Fox’s sci-fi remake

By TATIANA SIEGEL, TATIANA SIEGEL, MICHAEL FLEMING

Connelly Reeves

Jennifer Connelly has signed on to star in “The Day the Earth Stood Still” for 20th Century Fox. Keanu Reeves has already boarded the sci-fi remake.Scott Derrickson will direct the pic as his follow-up to “The Exorcism of Emily Rose.” Ryne Douglas Pearson wrote the screenplay; David Scarpa penned a recent draft.

Story kicks off as aliens land on Earth carrying a message for all humans: Live in peace or be destroyed. Connelly is set to portray Helen Benson, the role Patricia Neal played in the 1951 original.

Fox has set a December start date in Vancouver.

Erwin Stoff is producing alongside Derrickson’s partner Paul Boardman, who also produced “Emily Rose.”

Connelly is shooting the ensemble comedy “He’s Just Not That Into You” for New Line. She will then segue to “Day the Earth Stood Still.”

Is this a strike that could have been prevented?Both producers and writers are angry over the way talks collapsed Sunday night, with both sides creating a Rashomon atmosphere of disagreeing over who did what — and when. But pretty much everyone agrees that action must be taken in the next 48 hours if Hollywood is going to avoid a long and costly strike.

The question: Who will take the initiative to get talks to resume? Producers believe it’s up to the writers to make the first move; the WGA says it’s ready, willing and able to resume talks at any point.

“I think both sides want to continue negotiations,” WGA West exec director David Young said Monday. “We are not getting a divorce.”

But with a full-fledged strike started and lingering acrimony between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, prospects for resuming talks are dimming. Many already believe that the Directors Guild of America will end up riding in like the cavalry to make a deal that could lead to labor peace — even though WGA leaders have already asserted that they won’t look favorably at such an outcome.

Read the rest of this entry »

when presidential candidates comment on the writers strike.  Then again these two both happily accepted Hollywood dollars, so they better care.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

“I stand with the writers,” Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said from his campaign headquarters in Chicago. “The guild’s demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives.”

Said Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York: “I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pay them for their work in all mediums. I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table.”

Read the entire article here.

American Gangster and The Bee Movie boost box office.

TW LW Title (click to view) Studio Weekend Gross % Change Theater Count / Change Average Total Gross Budget* Week #

1 N American Gangster Uni. $43,565,115 - 3,054 - $14,264 $43,565,135 $100 1
2 N Bee Movie P/DW $38,021,044 - 3,928 - $9,679 $38,021,044 $150 1
3 1 Saw IV LGF $10,348,646 -67.4% 3,183 - $3,251 $50,398,835 - 2
4 2 Dan in Real Life BV $7,870,196 -33.4% 1,925 +4 $4,088 $22,695,653 - 2
5 4 The Game Plan BV $3,931,491 -35.9% 2,844 -498 $1,382 $82,035,100 - 6
6 3 30 Days of Night Sony $3,741,763 -45.5% 2,627 -232 $1,424 $33,970,509 $30 3
7 N Martian Child NL $3,376,669 - 2,020 - $1,671 $3,376,669 - 1
8 6 Michael Clayton WB $2,785,133 -43.4% 2,107 -478 $1,321 $33,083,619 - 5
9 5 Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married LGF $2,604,119 -53.9% 1,403 -494 $1,856 $51,059,398 - 4
10 7 Gone Baby Gone Mira. $2,237,915

As of 12:01 a.m. writer’s official went on strike, in spite of last minute negotiations.  Picket lines will start forming around 9 a.m. et in front of major studio offices in New York.

The WGA East has put up some strike rules if both the WGA West and East vote to strike.My favorite is number 7. Don’t enter the buildings. lol I don’t think that will be hard to do, unless Jay Leno kidnaps you and forces you to write his monologue while Ross the Intern keeps watch. TV is about to go through some desperate times if they do indeed strike. More on that later though.

2007 Strike rules - Index

Introduction to the Strike Rules

Strike Rules

1. Stop writing for all struck companies immediately.
   Programming made for non-traditional media .
   Animation programming.
2. Do not deliver or submit any literary material or any documents to a struck company.
   Accepting payments
3. Do not negotiate with a struck company.
   Notice (sample notice)
4. Notify struck companies to return your literary material.
   Notice (sample notice)
5. Do not discuss future employment, sales or options with a struck company.
6. Do not negotiate with a struck company to obtain financing for development or production of a project.
7. Honor all Guild picket lines and do not enter the premises of any struck company.
8. File with the Guild copies of all unproduced literary material written for a struck company (”script validation program”)
9. Inform the Guild of the name of any writer you have reason to believe is engaged in any strike breaking activity or scab writing.
10. You have the obligation to picket and/or perform other strike support duties.
11. Do not attempt to negotiate a settlement of the strike with any struck company.
12. Additional strike rules pertaining to writers also employed in additional capacities (”hyphenates”).
13. Rules pertaining to non-members

Variety:Actor signs two-year deal with Universal

Universal Pictures has made a two-year, first-look producing deal with Vince Vaughn and his Wild West Picture Show Prods. Arrangement kicks off with three features, each of which could be a starring vehicle for Vaughn.

Vaughn has set in development “Male Doula,” a high-concept comedy based on his idea, to be scripted by Dana Fox (”What Happens in Vegas …”).

He is partnered with “The Break-Up” producer Scott Stuber on two other projects. One is an untitled comedy Jon Favreau is scripting about couples that attend a retreat to reinvigorate their marriages. The other is “Realtors,” a satire about the cutthroat chase for commissions by rival realtors in the residential housing market.

The deal given Wild West Pictures Show Prods. by U production prexy Donna Langley allows the shingle to acquire pitches and spec scripts and gives Vaughn a discretionary fund.

While Vaughn received his first producing credit with Favreau on their “Swingers” follow-up “Made,” he made his mark as a producer with Universal on “The Break-Up.” The comedy was based on Vaughn’s idea, with Jeremy Garelick and Jay Lavender writing the script. After the pic grossed $205 million worldwide, U brass felt Vaughn was money and he didn’t even know it.

“We came away feeling that he was one of the absolute smartest guys in the business, who attended to every part of the process with such focus and has a real touch for what is fresh and interesting for the culture,” Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger told Daily Variety. “We think Vince will find a long and comfortable place for himself here.”

Vaughn was also a hands-on producer on the documentary “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland.” Pic, which features Vaughn as emcee of a comedy tour, sold in a bidding battle to the Weinstein Co. at last year’s Toronto Film Festival.

Months later, when Vaughn was unconvinced about the release and marketing strategy, he appealed directly to Weinstein and was able to buy back the film and make a new deal with New Line and Picturehouse. The pic will be released next year, after Vaughn stars in the holiday comedy “Fred Claus” for Warner Bros., bowing Nov. 9.

“I’m looking forward to working again with Marc, David Linde, Donna Langley and their talented teams,” Vaughn said in a statement. “I had a great experience on ‘The Break-Up,’ and the marketing team, led by Adam Fogelson, did a fantastic job with the film.”

After a long 18 years of waiting, tomorrow is the day. The Simpsons’ Movie finally hits theaters. Forgot El Cantante and I Know Who Killed Me, this is what you need to see this weekend.

Check out the movie trailer as if you haven’t seen it already.

Also check out how someone decided to do the famous opening with real life people. Classic.

Also check to see if there is a Kwik E Mart near you. If you have no idea what I am talking about check out the article. You can actually have a real life Kwik E Mart experience. No, I don’t know if you will meet Abu.