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The Artist

Film

The Year in Film: 2012′s Biggest Movie Controversies

By Jason Bailey on

In perusing this year’s biggest movie controversies, we found ourselves discussing matters a good deal less trivial than last year. Make no mistake, there are some tempest-in-teapot situations here: ratings woes, questions of reappropriation and hagiography, and (god help us all) frame rates. But we also grappled with issues of artistic responsibility and racial representation, and with the ongoing question of the very health of the form itself. Join us after the jump for a stroll through the year’s memorable movie controversies, won’t you? … Read More

Books

A Selection of Books “Written” by Celebrity Animals

By Victoria McNally on

When we found out that Uggie, the lovable terrier from the Oscar-winning film The Artist, has landed a deal with Gallery Books and will be releasing a memoir in October, we were excited. Who wouldn’t love a book by an adorable puppy who does awesome tricks — even if said animal can’t even speak English, much less write in it?

Uggie’s not the only animal to get into the book publishing business, though: the fake pet memoir has become a big fad in the past couple of years, and you wouldn’t believe some of the dogs, cats, and even chimpanzees that have gotten their life stories put into print. Check out this list of successful animal-penned books, some of which offer insight into your favorite celebrities’ lives and some of which are just plain, old cute. … Read More

Books

Uggie from 'The Artist' Is "Writing" a Memoir

By Caroline Stanley on

He snagged the Palm Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He inspired Movieline to launch an unofficial awards campaign via Facebook on his behalf. He had his own special booth at the Weinsteins’ Oscars party at the Mondrian. He attended the White House Correspondents Dinner as a guest of the Washington Times.

Now… Read More

Comedy

2012 Comedy Awards Nominations Feature Some Baffling Snubs

By Judy Berman on

Comedy Central has announced the nominees for their 2012 Comedy Awards, and we have to admit, we find their choices just a little bit baffling. Oh, don’t worry — you’ve got your Bridesmaids and your Midnight in Paris. The Artist is all over the place. But the snubs are pretty shocking: Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody’s Young Adult, which critics loved, didn’t score a single nomination. Even poor Charlize Theron’s acclaimed performance in the movie was overlooked in favor of Cameron Diaz, who got a nod for freaking Bad Teacher. Meanwhile, Horrible Bosses got so many nominations (including Best Comedy) you’d think it was a lost Charlie Chaplin film.

The TV list is similarly confusing. Look, we love 30 Rock, too, but let’s acknowledge that its reign is ending. And while it’s nice to see Parks and Recreation finally getting the recognition it deserves, there’s another Thursday-night NBC comedy that’s surpassed Tina Fey’s show in consistent comedic brilliance: Community, which didn’t get a single nomination. Seriously? In a year when Saturday Night Live is among the nominees in the writing category, no one thought Dan Harmon and co. were ripe for a shout out? Also conspicuously absent: Conan was passed over in the late-night bracket in favor of both Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman. Could O’Brien’s industry-darling status be wearing off?

If you’re as underwhelmed by these nominations as we are, you can blame the panel of insiders who make up the Comedy Awards Board of Directors — which includes, among others, Carol Burnett, Stephen Colbert, O’Brien, Joan Rivers, Chris Rock, Ray Romano, Jon Stewart, and Lily Tomlin. Meanwhile, if you’re still interested in watching the awards, the ceremony will be held April 28th and is scheduled to air on Comedy Central May 6th. The entire list of nominees is after the jump. … Read More

Architecture

Take a Google Maps Tour of Old Hollywood Film Locations in ‘The Artist’

By Claire Cottrell on

If last night’s Oscars proved one thing, it’s that Old Hollywood has officially been resurrected, and we hope it’s here to stay. From Rooney Mara’s stunning homage to Audrey Hepburn to Brian Grazer’s decision to include live music in the Theatre-formerly-known-as-the-Kodak-Theatre’s parterre, everything about Hollywood’s golden night seemed to be a nod to gracious days gone by.

Jean Dujardin, our favorite sexy French 1920s throwback and the evening’s Best Actor winner, took us back in time with his nostalgic acceptance speech reminiscing that, “in 1929 it wasn’t Billy Crystal, but Douglas Fairbanks who hosted the first Oscar ceremony. Tickets cost five dollars and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed. Though thank you Douglas Fairbanks, your spirit and joie de vivre inspired me for this role.”

We celebrate this year’s Best Picture winner — and the only movie among the nine nominees filmed entirely in Los Angeles — by combining two of the Golden State’s greatest inventions: Hollywood Glamour and Google Maps. Sit back, relax and enjoy the design of a bygone era as we poke around the street views of The Artist’s architecture with our favorite virtual globetrotting tool. … Read More

Design

Ranking the Best Picture Nominees According to Their Design Aesthetic

By Claire Cottrell on

If you’re like us and doing the obligatory Oscar week movie-cramming in preparation for Hollywood’s big night, here’s something else to think about when considering your pick for Best Picture: the anthropological question of good taste. We took it upon ourselves to rank this year’s nominees according to their design aesthetic. Wikipedia defines aesthetics as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste. So, what films have it? What films don’t? Does it matter?

Click through to see how the nine nominees measured up, and let us know in the comments if you agree with us, or if you’re now questioning our good taste. … Read More

Film

How to Prioritize Your Oscar Week Movie-Cramming

By Jason Bailey on

The Oscars are six days away, and you know what that means: only one more week to see every major nominee, in order to appropriately cheer, jeer, and second-guess on Sunday night. But time has flown in these early months of 2012 — we got distracted by the Super Bowl, and then we suddenly had to watch Knicks games, and now, here it is Oscar time. How on earth are you supposed to get through all of the major nominees? It’s easy to go into a tailspin — what do you see? What can wait? What should you avoid, now and forever?

Have no fear. Flavorwire is offering, as a public service, a priority ranking of the nominees for the major awards (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress), so you can sift through the 18 nominees and see what time will permit you to see. Let’s be clear: this list is only tangentially related to the actual quality of the films at hand (since, as we’ve discussed, the Oscars often don’t reflect that quaint notion). And it’s not a prediction list per se (that will come later in the week). But it is a guide to working your way through the stuff that’s probably going to matter come Sunday night. Sift through with us after the jump. … Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Alison Nastasi on

Today at Flavorpill, we wondered what Larry King will do during retirement after leaving his 27-year-long career with CNN. We learned about the link between fear and abstract art. We peeked at the script for the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning The Artist starring Jean Dujardin. We celebrated Phil Collins Day. We took a… Read More

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we caught up with our old pal Daria Morgendorffer, who is evidently now a Huffington Post blogger. We discovered five useless phrases that all online daters should remove immediately from their profiles. We were surprised by how well Jay-Z and Kanye’s “Niggas in Paris” mashes up… Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Adele — who took home six awards at last night’s Grammy Awards — also gave her first public performance since having surgery on her vocal cords. Listen to her sing “Rolling in the Deep” here.

2. The Recording Academy has explained that Etta James and Don Cornelius were left off the In… Read More