The Oscar Week: Who was the MVP of Phase 1?
Friday, January 13, 2017 at 3:47PM In this weekly feature from Murtada we follow Oscar contender appearances and interviews. With Oscar balloting closing today, who did we enjoy on the campaign trail.
This was the last week of campaigning and contenders did not disappoint. Some got a boost from the Golden Globes, while everybody continued to cram in appearances. Amy Adams got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Natalie Portman made headlines about gender wage disparity, for No Strings Attached of all her films. Many sang “I Will Survive”.
Today ends what is termed as Phase 1 in Oscar campaigning, the nomination portion. This phase started on Labor Day Weekend as films were unspooled at the Venice and Telluride festivals. So who made it through almost 5 months of interviews, appearances and came out on the other side surprising, charming and endearing to those of us who follow these things closely? Here are our favorites...
Isabelle Huppert
Huppert was the biggest surprise. Winning critical acclaim and awards in not surprising for the actress many consider the absolute best. But winning the Golden Globe? The charming breathless speeches? Appearing on the actress roundtable? Being a constant fix on the circuit? And all of it for a film, Elle, that is not the easiest sell. Color us charmed, surprised and hopeful that the nomination is hers.
Ruth Negga
Vogue cover. Check. W Magazine cover. Check. Crowned fashion breakout star. Check. Named checked by Meryl Streep. Check check and check again. If there’s one newcomer who charmed Oscar fanatics, fashion editors and movie bloggers, it was Loving’s Negga. More surprising is that she did it all whilst having the lowest profile of any of the contenders at the beginning of the season. Nathaniel thinks she and her team have done enough to get the nomination. We are hopeful that even if she doesn't, her career will get a boost, But we are worried. Loving first screened in Cannes back in May and we have yet to hear of any upcoming Negga projects apart from the second season of her AMC show The Preacher. She clearly belongs on the big screen. Make it happen, Hollywood.
Andrew Garfield
He’s kissed Ryan Reynolds at the Golden Globes. He revealed that his mentor is Laura Dern. Told endearing charming stories about his ex, Emma Stone. Stood up to cheer for her when she won the Golden Globe. Declared himself her biggest fan this week in an interview with Vanity Fair.
There’s so much love between us and so much respect. I’m her biggest fan as an artist. So for me, it’s been bliss to be able to watch her success and watch her bloom into the actress that she is. And it’s also been wonderful to have that kind of support for each other. It’s nothing but a beautiful thing.
Who have you enjoyed the most during this Oscar season?
Reader Comments (28)
All great choices, but I vote Streep, who I think sealed a questionable nomination with that incredible Globes speech.
I'll add Dev Patel. While Slumdog Millionaire brought him instant fame, he's more often than not been typecast in to the same buffoonish character with an Indian accent, rather than a British actor of Indian ethnicity. Not only was he remarkable in Lion, he's been gracious and charming on the circuit and flattered by the recognition. Having Nicole Kidman at your side on the trail doesn't hurt either.
Amy Adams just cannot take a bad photo. Dayum!
MVP has to be Isabelle. What a lovely, delightful, charming lady. Sigh.
I vote Streep as well. That was heck of a lot of unintentional campaigning at the Golden globes.
Barry Jenkins, Mahershala Ali and Joel Edgerton.
okay noted.....but stick to my vote.....Meryl Streep....La Streep...got her 20th !!!!!!
As much as I love Meryl, it baffles me people at TFE think seriously she "sealed the deal" with the speech. It may be true. But "campaigning" bc somebody is perceived to be honest and fantastic in a speech instead of the actual performance at stake it's not something I would encourage from an atressexual here. We all know Meryl's performance don't belong in the top 5 THIS year. What about encouraging category-fraud, too? One can campaign and play by the rules, too. So play by the rules.
Chofer- I said unintentional- no, I do not believe the speech "sealed the deal"- I actually beleive the speech has nothing to do with her possible Oscar nomination. The speech did get a lot of press, good and bad.
@Jamie
Got it. I'm afraid some members of the Academy think otherwise. That would be painful to know about.
I'm happy for Amy Adams who dressed appropriately for the occasion and looks great in the photos. She has great hair, just great hair.
Meryl Streep won the week, world attention over her speech. And made Trump look like even more of a fool for his reply. The fact that certain lines are quoted over and over shows you the impact of well chosen words from the right person.
Andrew gets my MVP vote.
I can tell you who was not the MVP of the week: Nicole Kidman. I love her so much, which means her comments on Trump hurt even more. Her already slim chances of winning just evaporated. Can someone do a welfare check on her PR team?
Streep speech was towering. And she gives zero f***s about a nomination.
Ez: Just looked that up. Wow. That's completely insulting, whether you agree with Trump's policies/politics or not, and blissfully blind to what actually happened. What happened even happening is a lot of why I would have told Obama, at the start of his first term: "Okay, your policies: Avoid socializing health care. Instead, let's look at two things: One, the widening of education standards and the elimination of standardization beyond grade 6. Yes, some of that is necessary, especially in earlier grades, but, sorry, the arts can't be judged with bubbles, and by pursuing standardization? You ARE, most likely, leaving those kids behind. And two: Voter suppression and the electoral college. You fight against those things? Democrats will likely become unchallenged, on a national level, for a LONG time. And, if they don't, it'll be because the Republican Party will have purged itself of most to all of its worst aspects."
Queen Meryl might have sealed her 20th nom w THE speech, but I wont call it questionable. Even w/o THE speech, she's still one of the top 4 front runner (w Stone, Portman, Adams). THE speech helped the voters to make up their mind when they fill in the ballots.
I know many TFE's followers are rooting for Bening & Negga but much as I luv em to get Oscar recognition but they are really the underdogs.
The one that really break out the underdog status is of cos La Reine Huppert!! W her triple holy trinity film critics citations and her surprise (yet satisfyingly delicious) GG win, she had really raised her profile TREMENDOUSLY!! & many fans and new fans r rooting for her to take up the 5th spot
Yes- I would be very disappointed if I was Kidman fan. I am confident with boycotting her along with Sarandon. I do not need to support them in any way.
Ez -- i keep saying this to people but unless i missed something in that article we don't know when Nicole said this (interviews are often published well after they take place) and to be fair to her, as absolutely gross as that statement is a LOT of people, Democrats, famous and un, were saying that weeks ago, foolishly trying to stay civil (which Republicans never ever do when the situation is reversed) as well as hoping that this ignorant country elected someone other than the dangerous fascist that they actually did.
i'm so terrified right now. He shows ALL the signs of a fascist which means that we definitely lost this country that we've kept going for hundreds of years. All empires fall I guess.
Apparently the interview was recorded the week after the election. She gave an interview today (or yesterday depending on timezones) saying that she believed 'in the constitution and democracy', but wouldn't elaborate further on her original comments. What an opportunity missed. I wish that she had elaborated. Something like 'I respect the political process and the office, but not Donald.' But maybe she does respect Donald...
I am Australian. If she had said the same things about our Trump-like politicians (and sadly there are a lot of them) I would be utterly horrified.
I am scared for the future too Nathaniel :(
Isabelle Huppert has been pretty great to watch. And I add my voice to the support for Meryl's recent appearance at the Globes. However I've also really enjoyed the women of Hidden Figures. I think they've been a pretty great presence on the press trail. In particular Octavia Spencer who just rounded out a great week by buying out a Hidden Figures screening and used her social media feeds to offer the seats to families who couldn't afford to pay to see the film. Love Her.
Nathaniel - Re: Nicole: In the footage the interviewer says "You voted in the US elections last month what do you think of Donald Trump?", so I think it was maybe early or mid-December when she was in London to promote Lion. She began by trying to avoid answering, and then offered up a tone deaf and deeply disappointing answer. I suspect she was aiming for apolitical / nonpartisan and missed. I wish she had more courage.
Sad to read Kidman's remarks on Trump. Methinks she has lived in Tennessee too long. I don't think she ever meant to imply she was a supporter of his or of the policies he's peddling.
Just one glance at the people he is appointing makes me cringe. So no, Nicole. We can not support him. Or Jeff Sessions, one of the most racist, homophobic choices Trump could have made.
Back to what I was originally going to comment on...MVP week one.
For me, Ryan Gosling was the man most likely to receive support after his Globe win.
And I want to say Ruth Negga, but it was Viola Davis whose intro to Streep was beautiful.
Despite the category fraud, I want her to win, for what IMO is her greatest screen performance to date. Bravo!
MVP is Isabelle Huppert. Runner up is Amy Adams, who looks like a goddess in that picture.
isabelle huppert. if for some reason, she is not nominated, the world truly should end.
Where is Molly Shannon's buzz for "Other people"? Oh! I know, overshadowed by the lead performance given by Viola Davis in "Fences"!
As a big Kidman fan, I was not pleased to see her comments, but I also think the press is sensationalizing them. The interview apparently WAS from a while ago, when many Democrats, including Obama and Clinton, were voicing similar sentiments--he's the president that the US elected, we should support him, etc. It seems like the intent was a call for unity, but it came across as, frankly, wimpy. In the same interview she says that she believes same-sex marriage should be legal in Australia. I highly doubt that she is a right-wing, Trump-loving nutcase, although that seems to be the impression the press is wanting to give this. The Entertainment Weekly website's headline was initially something like "Kidman announces support of Trump" --and then eventually changed it to "Kidman discusses new film, election." So there really does feel like there's a twisting of her words. I've noticed that there are lots of Facebook and Twitter comments that are just TRASHING her--with individuals saying that they'll boycott her films (is it even possible for audiences to avoid her films more than they already do?), and, of course, using the opportunity to make further Botox jokes.
Of course, I think there are far less tone-deaf ways for her to communicate what she was wanting to say. For someone who generally comes across as so intelligent, she sounded very out-of-touch here. She tried to clarify her comments yesterday, saying that she only meant to say that she supported democracy, but it would have been a good opportunity for her to go a bit further. She did not. She lives in TN and her husband works in the country music industry. I imagine she's not wanting to ruffle any feathers and feels uncomfortable talking about politics. Fair enough. These are really fraught times.
I am curious how people think this will effect her odds at a fourth Oscar nod and her career in general. The interview aired towards the tail end of Oscar voting, so it might not have had a huge impact, but she's towards the bottom of the list, I think. I'm more curious about whether this is significant enough that she will lose industry support and opportunities.
re: Huppert. I just can't stop thinking that I've seen her play this role a million times before. Deadpanning, sociopathic, perhaps with a touch of humor but generally her role in Elle was Piano Teacher Pt. 12 (with other, less noticed films like Deux and Ma Mere in between). She's amazing, no doubt, but I can't help but feel this (probable) first Oscar nomination should've happened years or even decades ago.
re: Adams. Stop nominating this poor thing if you ain't gonna give it to her.
re: Kidman. I understand exactly what she was trying to say, and no, she's no tRump fanatic. But it's still a problem to basically say "fall in line" no matter what or who. That man is a horrible misogynist and race baiter. She shouldn't be anywhere near telling people to give him a chance. I don't know if living in Tennessee is making a difference with her, but perhaps she should consider that that state is one of those that offers no statewide protections for LGBT (in fact there are multiple anti-LGBT laws in place). She has the luxury of living there without worrying about her job, home, etc. Others don't.
Don't say anything...just mumbling words : Meryl got her 20th, Meryl got her 20th, Meryl got her 20th......
Come on, it's La Streep. That speech, the whole Globe thing. Meryl is trending right now.
aww nicole.
now, she's gonna be reduced to a republican also-ran.