Oscar Volley: Is Best Supporting Actress a Done Deal?

Team Experience is discussing each Oscar category as we head into the precursors. Here's Ben Miller and Cláudio Alves to talk Best Supporting Actress...

So far, Da'Vine Joy Randolph has won EVERYTHING.

BEN: Alright Cláudio, my Portuguese pal...let's dive into BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

It's a funny year when it comes to the supporting ladies, because we actually seem to be pretty devoid of any category fraud in the main contenders.  With Lily Gladstone and Carey Mulligan in their correct categories, this race feels wide open.  Here's my big question: why does this happen every year with actresses and never with actors?  I'm glad they are striving to get it correct, but "people" also argue that Gladstone would be walking away with this category if she was still placed here.

Do you think Gladstone or Mulligan would win if they were here, and do you think they should be?  I am of the opinion they should both be leads, though I think Gladstone would be undeniable if she was thusly categorized...

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2005: America Ferrera in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"

by Nick Taylor

We all know the story of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Four 16-year-old Maryland girls who’ve been friends since birth - Lena Kaligaris (Alexis Bledel), Bridget Vreeland (Blake Lively), Carmen Lowell (America Ferrera), and Tabitha “Tibby” Rollins (Amber Tamblyn) - are about to spend their first ever summer apart. The day before they set out on their separate journeys, they find a pair of jeans that somehow (magically?) fits each of them perfectly. They vow to share the pants the whole summer, each wearing them for a week before mailing them off to the next sister. What surprised me is that the movie did not structure itself around said paints but spent time with all four girls regardless of who had them. To paraphrase one of Carmen’s last lines, the pants aren’t so much a character in Sisterhood but a witness to some of its events. Maybe you think it’s a little iffy to categorize them as supporting, maybe you think the structure giving each one their own plot and weaving them all together at the end allows for it. What’s not up for debate, at least for me, is that America Ferrera’s performance as Carmen is the undeniable highlight of the whole film.

There are a few reasons outside of Ferrera’s performance why I think Carmen’s section of Sisterhood is the strongest...

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Together & Apart: 10 Years with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

By Spencer Coile 

Growing up in the early 2000’s, it was near impossible to avoid hearing someone talk about The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It followed four best friends who, realizing the difficulty of being apart from each other for the summer, find themselves inexplicably linked by a pair of jeans that magically fit all of them. The first book by Ann Brashares was published in 2001 with four sequels shortly after, so it wasn’t long before a film adaptation was in the works. 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was released in 2005 and its sequel in 2008. With the casting of TV stars Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Blake Lively, and Amber Tamblyn, the films brought the same magic that the novels did before them. They were melodramatic and trite, but bursting with themes of loss, love, and friendship. I was swept up in the magic, and with the 10th anniversary of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, felt it was imperative to get nostalgic and explore a series that helped define my adolescence...

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Born in 1984? Oscar doesn't love you (yet)

Since 1984 is our Year of the Month I was prepping a "vintage" list of the people, places, and things birthed that year and was alarmed to realize that I could find ZERO Oscar nominees born that year. Not a one. And I've spent all too much time scouring the web for it.

Actors born in 1984 are 31 or 32 years of age which is plenty of time to secure an Oscar nomination, at least for women. For comparison sake consider that a very quick glance at 1983, no more than one minute of research, turns up at least 5 nominees one of whom won (Lupita N'yongo). The same speedy glance at 1985 reveals 4 nominees instantly. Even 1986 has one that immediately pops out (Lady Gaga for Original Song) though the more recent years naturally have less as the field of contenders gets younger and younger. Unless I'm missing some fast-rising sound editor or makeup artist or some such, Oscar has yet to love any 1984 babies. Poor Millenial babies. If you were born in 1984 does this make you grumpy?

So who do you think will be first? Some options after the jump as well as the saving grace of Tony, Emmy, and Grammy nominees from that 1984 crop.

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Linkages

The Film Stage Such exciting news. Looks like Luca Guadagnino (of I Am Love brilliance) finally has another feature lining up after many thwarted attempts. Not much is known about the thriller but he'll direct Tilda Swinton again but this time she's not the only major international draw: the cast also includes Ralph Fiennes, Margot Robbie and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Cartoon Brew the producer of Legends of Oz, that animated flop, is mad and blaming everything but the movie for the movie's failure
Pajiba gets righteously angry about how lightly the media is reacting to this "prankster" who is attacking celebrities on the red carpet. His latest victim was America Ferrera at Cannes . Naturally superhuman Cate Blanchett is the person that was quickest to console her.

The Powder Room wonders why none of the gay superheroes are hitting movie screens (and the comments sections raises a great point that X-Men Days of Future Past could have totally used Northstar in place of Quicksilver and been the first to do so) 
Playbill here's a fun list for those who love musicals: top ten signature showtunes for the original performer. Featuring Bernadette Peters, Babs, Sutton Foster and more 
HitFix listens to the Godzilla score via ubiqutous Alexandre Desplat 
Variety and Godzilla is crushing it at the box office but more on that and the review later today
The Guardian is reasonably fond of The Two Faces of January. I'm still so excited for that one despite the lack of excitement that greets it in general
Television Blend by now you've probably heard that the entire Twin Peaks series AND Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) are coming to Blue-Ray with tons of new extras. It's been so long since I've seen the show that I'd love falling completely into that world again for awhile