Let's talk about Oscar's screenplay races

by Nathaniel R

"Mank" is about the writing of a legendary screenplay. That should do the trick.

Are there locks in the Screenplay categories? At the moment both races feel almost settled (aside from hugely competitive fifth slots) though the WGA nominations arrive on February 16th which could theoretically disrupt the consensus punditry.

ORIGINAL
In the original race Mank, Minari, Promising Young Woman, and Trial of the Chicago 7 all feel like certainties but are they? That's too many locks prior to the WGA nominations and leaves only one spot open. That hypothetical fifth spot battle has a lot of strong fighters...

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Showbiz History: Linda Blair movies, Kurt Russell's Emmy nod, and Burt Reynolds on a bear-skin rug

8 random things that happened on this day, February 11th, in showbiz history...

Linda Blair made several TV movies in the 1970s post The Exorcist

1975 Sarah T Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic starring fresh Oscar nominee Linda Blair airs on NBC. It was the second of a handful of TV movies she made after The Exorcist that all traded on the dichotomy of her being young and innocent in scary adult situations...

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Globe chaos: A deep dive into the Comedy or Musical nominees

By: Patrick Gratton

At long last, the second phase of the awards race is well underway. This past week we had Globe and SAG and Critics Choice nominations and then the Oscar shortlists. Normally all of this takes place earlier but this season is elongated and fragmented to. Originally, I though that the abnormality of this race would give way to industry groups following the critic’s leads and anoint, say, Riz Ahmed, Carey Mulligan, Paul Raci, and Youn Yuh-jung, as frontrunners following the critical tallies. Clearly I was wrong, The HFPA saw this possible route, and instead chose violence. 

First things first, let’s just contextualize the Comedy or Musical designation within the framework of the Golden Globes themselves. The drama/comedy division of Picture and Lead Acting awards by genre started in 1951, when the HFPA awarded both A Place In the Sun and An American In Paris as their "Motion Picture, Drama" and "Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical" winners. The HFPA would later divide Motion Picture Comedy and Musical into separate categories in 1958, only to reinstate the category as we know it in 1963...

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We Got the Link

• The Guardian Vanessa Redgrave and Miriam Margoyes in conversation. Wow, love them both
• Variety this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame... The Go-Gos, the most success female rock band of all time, FINALLY make the list -- the recent documentary surely helped -- but who knows if they'll actually get voted in because the competition is pretty fierce: Tina Turner, Carole King, Dionne Warwick, Iron Maiden, Kate Bush, LL Cool J, etcetera and only 5 will be chosen
• People Halle Berry putting the trolls commenting on her love life in their place. Queen.

Tina Turner, Priyanka Chopra, and bad news for an animated film we were looking forward to after the jump...

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