- MENU
- HOME
- SEARCH
- WORLD
- MAIN
- AFRICA
- ASIA
- BALKANS
- EUROPE
- LATIN AMERICA
- MIDDLE EAST
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- USA
- BUSINESS
- WEALTH
- STOCKS
- TECH
- HEALTH
- LIFESTYLE
- ENTERTAINMENT
- SPORTS
- RSS
- iHaveNet.com
Liz Smith
Jeff Bridges & Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
"A LARGE part of acting is just pretending. You get to work with a lot of other great pretenders, all making believe as hard as they can."
That was young
But as the years wore on, his admirers asked, with some irritation, why this talented, super-professional "pretender" -- a major screen star since 1971 -- had not garnered an Oscar?
Jeff Bridges has been nominated for "The Last Picture Show," "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," "Starman" and "The Contender." Now he's up for "Crazy Heart," as a burned-out country singer. (In this movie Bridges oozes a spent lifetime and plenty of regrets, but he doesn't go over the top doing it. This is subtle work.)
Frustrated fans still yelp: what about the missed nods for that
classic, "The Big Lebowski," "American Heart," "Wild Bill" and a
half-dozen other performances in what were perhaps less-than-stellar
films? (Hey, I think Jeff should have been nominated right along with
This year Bridges is vying against
None of these films -- or indeed Jeff's "Crazy Heart" -- is up to "Avatar" box office standards.
To millions who tune in to the Oscars on
Just as
Is she actually better than
Well, let's put Sandra in the role of the embattled Mrs.
Exactly -- you see that the whole idea of "best" is ridiculous.
Oscar is about many things: Longevity, professionalism, publicity, a good sense of humor, a great reputation, a monster box office, industry guilt.
It is so rarely about what has happened on screen that year.
.
'Avatar' vs. 'The Hurt Locker'?
I am personally afraid that 'Avatar,' which has made so much splashy money, will win in what may well be a box office bonanza vote. But James Cameron's science fiction 3-D work, which has astonished so many, is certainly not 'the best' picture. So, I am hoping a woman director, Kathryn Bigelow, will make history by winning best picture with The Hurt Locker
Oscarcast Challenged By More Nominations
Widening the Academy Awards field to 10 contenders for 2009 was hailed and criticized on various fronts, with some seeing the expanded roster as a crass, grade-inflating attempt to provide more populist appeal -- thus boosting the audience's rooting interest and, presumably, the kudocast's ratings.
© Variety. Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
82nd Academy Awards Oscar Nominations: Will Oscar Lose Its 'Crazy Heart' for Jeff Bridges