Showbiz History: The Hurt Locker, Xena, and a Truly Great Cinematographer
Tuesday, September 4, 2018 at 8:00AM 7 random things that happened on this day, September 4th, in showbiz history...
1936 Swing Time is released in movie theaters starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers
1945 Happy 73rd birthday to the beyond-talented cinematographer Philippe Rousselot who won the Oscar for Sun-Drenched Ode to Brad Pitt's Golden Beauty (or as they called it in 1992 "A River Runs Through It")... but that's not the half of it. Rousselot is particularly gifted with erotic period dramas: Henry & June, Dangerous Liaisons, and Queen Margot are all utterly sensational to gaze upon...
Other beauties in his filmography: Interview with the Vampire, Hope and Glory, and the memorable French new wave (not The French New Wave) picture Diva from the early 80s. For some reason he's only doing those Fantastic Beasts pictures right now so his gifts are being wasted! Someone rescue him with a sexy noir or something!
<-- 1995 Xena: Warrior Princess debuts on TV. They're planning to reboot this because what AREN'T they rebooting?
2002 Doris Roberts testifies before a Congressional panel that Holllywood has a problem with age discrimination. Totally!
2008 The Hurt Locker premieres at The Venice Film Festival. It won't open in the US until the following year but it will go on to win Best Picture.
How happy were Kathryn Bigelow and Jeremy Renner for their well deserved success that whole year-plus span?!
2009 All About Steve starring Sandra Bullock opens in theaters to disastrous reviews and meh box office and a Razzie for Worst Actress (which she was cool enough to accept in person). Sandra has the last laugh as no one remembers it and her two other movies that year (The Blind Side and The Proposal) became her two top grossers ever (until Gravity later on)... oh and she won another statue that season, too.
2014 Joan Rivers passed away. We still miss her.
← Today's Birthday Suit: Happy 41st to Wes Bentley.
Other Celebrity Birthdays: Oscar nominees Leonard Frey (Fiddler on the Roof) and director Edward Dmytrk (Crossfire) and Tony winners Judithy Ivy and James Monroe Inglehart and Grammy winner Beyoncé. Also: Alexandra Borbely (star of last year's Oscar nominated On Body and Soul) singer Nona Gaye, Mitzi Gaynor, Max Greenfield, director Jocelyn Moorhouse, Ione Skye, Noah Taylor, Felix Wong, and the late Dick York (Bewitched's original Darren)
Reader Comments (7)
Good morning, people of Film Experience. I like a lot this site especially because I use the commentaries to right in English and became (become? Always confused me!) a better writer (I am Brazilian, by the way).
I know is not the topic, but we need start talking about Alfonso Cuarón possible nominations history next year. I will be clear: six nominations!
Best picture
Best director
Best original screenplay
Best cinematography
Best foreign film
Best editing
Was Walt Disney the last one to have this number of nominations on the same year?
Are we all prepare (I am!) to have a third combo best picture / best director provided by a Mexican director?
Birdman - Alejandro G. Iñarritú
The Shape of Water - Guillemo del Toro
Will the academy congrats the same movie with best picture and best foreign language film awards?
What the hell is Wes Bentley doing in that pic? Is he channeling The Shape of Water?
Jon -- he could get a lot of nominations yes but I think either the editors or the cinematographers will balk at nominating him. Those branches don't particularly love it when directors take their jobs and since they're the ones who do the nominating...
"he could get a lot of nominations yes but I think either the editors or the cinematographers will balk at nominating him"
@Nathaniel
Alfonso got two oscar nominations and one oscar for editing:
CHILDREN OF MEN
GRAVITY (won)
The only category we don't see him nominated right now is best cinematography.
But, when the movie opening in 70 mm, they wil change they mind.
Editors are ok with directors taking their place. Cuaron is 2/1 in editing, like Cameron. The Coens have two nominations in this category.
Wes Bentley's popping up in M:I 6 was a little jarring, wasn't it? (Not on par with Alicia Silverstone in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, but it did take me back a little.)
Happy b-day, too, to Mitzi Gaynor! If you've never seen her bananas 1966 Oscars performance of Georgy Girl, do yourself a favor: https://youtu.be/nvZHEh0YyW0
jon -- provided that Netflix provides ample opportunities for people to see it in 70mm... but big screen showings aren't really their MO. such a strange choice that he went with them.