What Time is it? It’s Oscar Time!

 

With less than two months away from The Academy Awards, I will be dedicating the majority of my time to analyzing the movies who are in the race to win Oscar gold.  A lot has happened thus far and there are a lot of movies in the running for the Best Picture category.  The ballots have been mailed out to all of the members of the AMPAS already.  Here is a list of the upcoming important dates until the awards presentation:

Friday, December 28, 2008 – Nominations ballots mailed
Monday, January 12, 2009 – Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT
Thursday, January 22, 2009 – Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 – Final ballots mailed
Monday, February 2, 2009 – Nominees Luncheon
Saturday, February 7, 2009 – Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards presentation
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 – Final polls close 5 p.m. PT
Sunday, February 22, 2009 – 81st Annual Academy Awards presentation

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If you’re interested in knowing how the nominees are selected, read this article:  “How Oscar nominees are selected”

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If you didn’t know already, the host for the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be the Aussie actor, Hugh Jackman.  Here is The Academy’s press release announcing the news.

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Anyway, if you don’t know me then let me tell you that I can’t get enough of awards season this time of year.  Along with the Superbowl and whenever my beloved New York Rangers make the NHL playoffs, The Academy Awards is one of my favorite events to watch every year.  I will be updating my thoughts on how the nominations seem to be shaping up frequently and maybe I can beat my 17/24 predictions score of last year.

Box Office Results: America Loves Dogs!

Studio Estimates for Dec. 25-28:

1.  Marley & Me – $51.7 million
2.  The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – $39 million
3.  Bedtime Stories – $38.6 million
4.  Valkyrie – $30 million
5.  Yes Man – $22.4 million

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It has been proven that best selling novels succeed in the movies, or else why is every great book being adapted to screen, right?  Well, now it seems that every live-action movie with a dog or dogs in it are also big money grabbers.  Marley & Me really surprised me this holiday weekend grabbing over $50 million, well exceeding my prediction.  So the new formula is Best Selling Novel + Dog = $$$.  Should we expect to see a few more family films with dogs?  I think that’s a safe bet.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a pleasant surprise by landing the #2 spot.  It was the only film I watched this weekend and I’m glad so many people went to see this great film despite its long runtime and serious tone.  Bedtime Stories fell to #3 though it was expected to rival Marley & Me for the top spot.  And to round out the Top 5 were Tom Cruise’s Valkyrie and Jim Carrey’s Yes Man.

Check back Friday for our new predictions, though there’s no new releases.