PGA Nominations

[Sonic Youth]

It's time to give the group some major props.

Remember what corporate whores they used to be years ago, with nods in previous years for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", "Shrek", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "The Last Samurai" (and I'd say "Seabiscuit", except the Oscars nominated it)? Movies that make would make a producer's heart go pitter-patter, had they one to begin with. Putting aside our personal opinions on the films themselves, this is the third year in a row where their choices are not so unreasonable. Even their most populist shout-outs ("Walk the Line", "Dreamgirls", and now "Juno") were Best Picture possibilities. The PGA of 2002 would have had "Hairspray" and "American Gangster" on this list.

And unlike SAG, who rescheduled their nominations to come three weeks earlier than usual, this group announced their nominations later. Didn't they always use to come BEFORE the DGAs? "Diving Bell" and "There Will Be Blood" look like unsurprising choices, but that's because by now we've seen them mentioned a million times in a million other guilds. But what if they were announced LAST Monday, before the DGAs and WGAs? Shockwaves. The conformist Producer's Guild choosing the PT Anderson movie, which has only been in very limited release and is by all accounts a most distressing film that's gonna turn audiences off? A dang furrin' film that's only made a million at the B.O.? Over "American Gangster" and "Sweeney" and "Hairpray" and... and "Atonement"?! I suppose it wouldn't ultimately change much, but it would have gotten some pulses racing. And there would probably be fewer Schnabel-but-no-Diving-Bell predictions.

'Course there's also the possibility that if the PGAs WERE a week earlier these wouldn't be the five nominees, but I choose not to entertain that.



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1200375359

[Damien]

For anyone who's interested, here are the Television nominations, as well as Special Awards:

Longform television
"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" (HBO)
"The Bronx Is Burning" (ESPN)
"High School Musical 2" (The Disney Channel)
"Jane Eyre" (PBS/BBC)
"The Starter Wife" (USA Network)

Previously announced television nominations:

The Danny Thomas Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television -- Comedy
"Entourage" (HBO)
"Extras" (HBO)
"The Office" (NBC)
"30 Rock" (NBC)
"Ugly Betty" (ABC)

The Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award in Episodic Television -- Drama
"Dexter" (Showtime)
"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
"Heroes" (NBC)
"House" (Fox)
"Lost" (ABC)
"The Sopranos" (HBO)

Nonfiction television
"Deadliest Catch" (Discovery Channel)
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (ABC)
"Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (Bravo)
"Planet Earth" (Discovery Channel)
"60 Minutes" (CBS)

Live entertainment/competition
"The Amazing Race" (CBS)
"American Idol" (Fox)
"The Colbert Report" (Comedy Central)
"Project Runway" (Bravo)
"Real Time With Bill Maher" (HBO)

PGA honorary awards and recipients:
Milestone Award: Alan Horn
David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures: Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall
Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television: Dick Wolf
Visionary Award: Simon Fuller
Vanguard Award: YouTube founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen
The Stanley Kramer Award: "The Great Debaters"

[Hustler]

Hmm...Diving Bell, Into the Wild, Michael Clayton, No Country, and There Will Be Blood.

Looks about right to me! Hope you enjoyed last night, Globe winners!

Atonement and Sweeney Todd could replace Into the Wild or The Diving Bell. The other three are locks. I´m still reluctant to consider Juno in that category.



Edited By Hustler on 1200363218

[Sonic Youth]

I am glad to think that Sweeney Todd may be "dead"--obviously there is some taste left in the world.

I think the lack of industry support may mean there's more Sweeney Todd (the stage musical, that is) fans out there than we think.



Edited By Sonic Youth on 1200355417

[cam]

Atonement and Sweeney Todd are dead. And even if Atonement shows up at the Oscars, it won't win Best Picture now.

I am glad to think that Sweeney Todd may be "dead"--obviously there is some taste left in the world.
My fear is that it's "death" will affect other potential Sondheim adaptations, like Follies, which we are discussing on another thread.

[Akash]

Atonement and Sweeney Todd are dead. And even if Atonement shows up at the Oscars, it won't win Best Picture now.

[rolotomasi99]

i could live with these five come oscar time. although i would prefer MICHAEL CLAYTON or JUNO to be replaced by ATONEMENT, I'M NOT THERE, or THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES, i can certainly handle this lineup. a nice balance of art house films worthy of recognition, and commercial films to get people to tune in.

[The Original BJ]

Hmm...Diving Bell, Into the Wild, Michael Clayton, No Country, and There Will Be Blood.

Looks about right to me! Hope you enjoyed last night, Globe winners!

[Penelope]

If this duplicates at the Oscars, I'd expect Juno to lack a corresponding Directing nomination, with Sean Penn as the beneficiary.

[OscarGuy]

Jack posted these on another thread, but I notice that Into the Wild isn't nominated here, either...

But I will gloat now about my assertions that Sweeney Todd was not going to figure. I think with the hugely-populist swinging PGA ignoring the film in favor of smaller pics, including The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, it's going to be a shock if the Academy does nominate it.

[Mister Tee]

From Awards Daily:

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax)
“Juno” (Fox Searchlight)
“Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
“No Country for Old Men” (Miramax/Paramount Vantage)
“There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage/Miramax)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN ANIMATED THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“Bee Movie” (Dreamworks Animation)
“Ratatouille” (Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar Animation)
“The Simpsons Movie” (20th Century FOX)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD IN DOCUMENTARY THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
“Body Of War” (Phil Donahue Productions/Mobilus Media)
“Hear And Now” (HBO)
“Pete Seeger: The Power Of Song” (The Weinstein Company)
“Sicko” (The Weinstein Company)
“White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki” (HBO)