Bradley Cooper
This handsome actor began working professionally before graduating from the Actors Studio Drama School at New School University (in fact he missed commencement because he was off filming Wet Hot Ameri...
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BirthDate BirthPlace |
01/04/1975
Philadelphia, PA |
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Jermaine Jackson Legally Changes His Name
February 23, 2013 1:52pm ESTWhen it comes to the Jacksons, we can totally understand if one or two of them wanted to change their name. Paris? Yep. Prince/Blanket? You betcha ya. But what does Jermaine Jackson have to complain about? Apparently Michael Jackson's older brother has petitioned —and won — the right to legally change his last name. No more Jackson, hello Jacksun. RELATED: Michael Jackson's Top 5 Music Videos The petition — which was filed back in November by the 58-year-old — was granted by a Los Angeles judge on Friday. The singer did not attend the hearing as he is currently in Europe performing with his brothers. No word on why the need for a new surname. Brighter? [Photo Credit: Wenn] From Our Partners:25 Most Scandalous Celeb Twitpics (Vh1)Miley & Liam’s Beach PDA: PICS (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage 15 Most Iconic Red Carpet Dresses • We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• 10 TV Stars You Never Knew Won Oscars• The Winner, According to You
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Why Oscar Season Is Hollywood's Bad Movie Dumping Ground
February 23, 2013 11:43am ESTThe movie business, in many ways, functions in a similar fashion as does professional sports. Like sports, the year of movie releases is broken into seasons. The most important is obviously the summer blockbuster season, then the holiday season, which falls almost right in line with awards season. The months of January and February, on the other hand, are very much the off-season. These two months often represent a landfill of subpar films from which, if we’re lucky, we occasionally mine a few gems. Here, at the end of February, it has become frighteningly apparent that 2013 may be one of the worst early-year droughts to date. Could this be true? We gathered a group of prominent writers, including C. Robert Cargill, screenwriter of 2012’s Sinister and former critic for Ain’t It Cool News, Will Goss of Film.com, and Jeremy Kirk of FirstShowing.net, to try and get a foothold on the dearth of quality at the multiplex thus far: Why is it that January and February is such a dumping ground? Kirk: I’ve always assumed it’s because that’s when people aren’t going to movies, because they are going back to work and school after the holidays. This is the time when people talk about film festivals; Sundance and SxSW. Cargill: You get to see all the good stuff early, and by Christmas day you’ve seen pretty much everything. And after that it’s all dumping. The only people who are going to see movies at that time are over the age of thirty-five; who have savings accounts and weren’t tapped out by Christmas. That’s why Taken was such a hit and why Clint Eastwood movies tend to do so well in January. They are made for an audience that still has money. They release the Oscar bait movies, which play to that crowd, and then you just get this terrible sprinkling of crap. REALTED: 'Taken 2' Writer Talks Sequelizing, Says Success Means 'Taken 3' Is On — EXCLUSIVE Kirk: Not all movies released in January and February are inherently dumped. But with some of these movies…you can just tell. It’s a shotgun approach; there’s always going to be good movies and there’s always going to be bad movies. And yes, there are more bad movies at the beginning of the year, but I always go into a movie hoping for the best. How many films at this point this year did you thoroughly enjoy, which would you go to bat for? Kirk: I would say there are two movies that have come out since the beginning of the year that I think are really solid, and that I would recommend people see. If the rest of the year is crappy, I could see Side Effects and Warm Bodies being in my top ten. Goss: Side Effects definitely, probably Warm Bodies, and probably Snitch. But that’s three out of, what, fifteen wide releases. Cargill: Having not seen Side Effects yet, and based on the films I have seen, I wouldn’t go to bat for any of them. RELATED: Steven Soderbergh Retires After 'Side Effects': Is He a Box Office Success? Is it just us? Are we a subset of critics who are just being too hard on these movies or is it a widespread critical perception? Goss: Looking at the Tomato Meter for wide releases post-January; Mama is at 60%, Side Effects is at 85%, Warm Bodies is at 78%. Everything else is rotten. Kirk: I think it’s the audience too. If you look at the box office, there isn’t one movie that has yet passed $100 million, and probably none of them will. Maybe Identity Thief, but that’s the only one that might have a chance. Last year, January/February, we had three movies that broke $100 million. You have to go back to 2008 to find a January/February that didn’t have at least one film that netted $100 million. Is it always that the studios believe these movies are subpar, or is it just a function of fear and uncertainty? Cargill: Well, look back at Chronicle last year. Fox had no idea whether it was going to work or not. Goss: I feel the same way about Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in August of 2011. They didn’t have a clue if they made something good for geeks and/or general audiences. Cargill: That’s true. They were scrambling to put screenings together in other markets at the last minute after the L.A. critics loved it. Goss: Chronicle was the same way; they scheduled that screening the same night as The Woman in Black. But again, right up until the week before, I don’t think Fox knew what they had. Speaking of The Woman in Black, it seems this time of the year has become the “other October.” So many studios releasing horror movies in January, and again quality is the exception and not the rule. Goss: Ever since White Noise was a hit in 2005, that’s what started it. If you look back at every first weekend, besides expanding titles, the only new release is usually one crappy horror movie. Cargill: For years, horror movies made $19-20million in a January release. They would take the weekend and that would be it. But The Devil Inside proved that even in our worst dumping ground, you can appeal to a market that won’t see movies, and in fact that they’ll throw money at a terrible movie if it looks like it’s good. I mean, $35 million is sick money for an opening weekend for a film that cost, what, $250,000? Kirk: Looking at the January horror this year, Texas Chainsaw 3D was an obvious dump, especially considering how many times it got pushed back. Cargill, your movie Sinister was originally slated for January, no? Cargill: Yeah. But we really wanted an October release and January, at the time, was piling up with too much horror, much of which was since reshuffled. Mama ended up on the weekend everyone was staking out. And it did quite well as a result. Goss: Mama was the only PG-13 movie out in January, everything else was rated R. It’s the same reason movies like Escape from Planet Earth keep doing well. There hadn’t been a family film in theaters since Parental Guidance at Christmas. Even that made $70 million just by being there. Cargill: Some years it’s really bad and some years its good, and most years there’s one bright spot; at the very least you get a Cloverfield. Kirk: Given how well Cloverfield did, I’m surprised J.J. Abrams didn’t go back to the January slot for other projects. RELATED: 'Star Wars Into Darkness'?: The 5 Best J.J. Abrams/Episode VII Mash-Up Trailers But there again, Cloverfield was a gamble for the studio. That was released a year before Paranormal Activity so they weren’t sure this whole found footage thing was going to work. Cargill: It’s all gambling, and the minute anybody moves then everybody else starts shuffling around. I mean we ended up shifting our date for Sinister, what three weeks out? Everybody recognized what a huge monster hit Taken 2was going to be and knew we’d get swallowed whole. But clearly horror isn’t the only genre getting dumped. Kirk: I’m actually shocked that Die Hard, of all franchises, was moved to February. I thought that was such a weird choice. To me that speaks to both issues we were talking about earlier. It was the only franchise entry to not be released in the summer. They don’t even have confidence in a Die Hard movie this year, and rightfully so, because it was a disaster. Kirk: This year is really front-loaded with action movies. On top of Gangster Squad, Hansel and Gretel, and Snitch, we got new movies from Schwarzenegger, Stallone, and Willis. Who would have thought Willis’ would be the worst? Wow, three of the Expendables have new movies out in the first two months of the year. Kirk: Four if you count Statham. Goss: Last year, Chronicle did well on Super Bowl weekend, which is usually unheard of because it’s Super Bowl weekend and they don’t go for male-skewing films. You put a Dear John there and it makes a killing. So that suggests that even then they can put something there that people would actually come out and see. Warm Bodies did alright, but that’s arguably more female-skewing; Bullet to the Head clearly didn’t. Identity Thief made a ton of money and nobody goes to see Side Effects, so it’s give and take. So what’s the consensus here? This year is bad, but not worse? Goss: I think by default of there not being The Grey and Haywire, this year is worse. Just compared strictly to last year, I haven’t seen anything I liked as much as The Grey. However, that’s more a statement that last year was an anomaly. Cargill: Yeah. I’ve seen some pretty lean years where everything is garbage. I’ve had years where it’s been six straight weeks of dreck until finally something halfway decent came out on Valentine’s Day. Kirk: There are little movies here and there that are well-placed in January and February. Steven Soderbergh always does well at the beginning of the year. But I agree that we’ve been more heavily inundated with mediocre to dreadful movies. Cargill: It’s a really rough year. Goss: Which isn’t to say rougher than normal, it’s just that normal is pretty rough. From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage 15 Most Iconic Red Carpet Dresses • We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• 10 TV Stars You Never Knew Won Oscars• The Winner, According to You
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Oscars: What Should Win Best Picture? — POLL
February 23, 2013 9:44am ESTAs much fun as the Oscars are — and for those catching movies for the past year, it's something of a pop culture Super Bowl — Hollywood's biggest night doesn't always speak to the audiences' opinions. Behind-the-scenes politics, industry friendships, and a push to bestow up-and-comers with awards all play a part in who walks away with gold statues. "Best" may not really be the best in the end. RELATED: Robert Redford and Obama Ask: Is Gun Violence in Movies a Problem? So while we're anxious to see if our predictions for the Academy Awards are right, we also want to know what you think deserves to take home the coveted Best Picture of the Year award. Is it Ben Affleck's true life thriller Argo? Tarantino's stylized Western Django Unchained? The bittersweet French drama Amour? Spielberg's grand ode to Abraham Lincoln? Vote in our poll and then check out some of our Oscar coverage highlights from the whirlwind award season. <a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6915325/">What 2012 Movie Should Win Best Picture?</a> Check out these Oscar-themed stories: Seth Macfarlane At The Oscars: Why Ben Affleck Should Be NervousToo Pretty For Oscar Gold: Is There A Male Double-standard In Hollywood?Oscar's Best and Worst Musical PerformancesThe Oscar Speech Oscars: 20 Best (and Worst) Academy Award Speeches10 Actors Who Won Oscars For The Wrong Movie Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches [Photo Credit: The Weinstein Company(2); Sony Pictures Classics; Columbia Pictures; 20th Century Fox; Warner Bros. Pictures; Universal Pictures; Fox Searchlight; Touchstone Pictures] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Arrivals: PICS! • Anne Hathaway: Oscar’s Worst Dressed?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• Oscars 2013: The Full Winners List• The Winner, According to You
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Celebs Who Need Fashion Redemption on Oscar Night
February 22, 2013 6:57pm ESTWhile the red carpet looks this season have wowed us and bored us, shocked us and given us enough fodder to chat for months, three celebrities have yet to really impress us with their red carpet dresses. While Girls star Lena Dunham, Les Misérables star Anne Hathaway, and Zero Dark Thirty star Jessica Chastain have raked in the wins, they've floundered on the red carpet this awards season. These struggling fashionistas need redemption, and what better way to prove their style know-how than to look bangin' on Oscar night? All they need to do is deliver one whopper of a dress at the Academy Awards ceremony or after party, and we'll forgive them for the following travesties. RELATED: Our 2013 Oscar Predictions Lena Dunham at the Golden GlobesDunham is known for breaking the mold and flaunting her own style without offering apologies, and it usually works for her (hell, that's why we love her so much). But her eggplant Zac Posen gown came across almost brown on camera, looking very drab. The cut of the gown made it seem like she was wearing a size too big, and she was lost in the heavy, pleated fabric. While we don't expect to see Dunham at the Dolby Theatre (the rat-faced people of television, as Amy Poehler would say, aren't allowed at this ritzy affair), we hope she steps it up this Sunday and arrives at one of the after parties looking appropriately fly. Anne Hathaway at the SAGsHathaway might have wowed audiences singing in Les Miserables, but her black Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown at the SAG awards was just plain miserable. The sheer overlay was like a ballet tutu gone bad, the length was just awkward, and when a dress makes a woman as thin as Hathaway look frumpy... you know it was a bad choice. Jessica Chastain at the Golden GlobesThis radiant redhead is one of the most flawless beauties in Hollywood right now and, thanks to Zero Dark Thirty, she is one hot item. You'd think she would anticipate her many trips to the stage and up the ante in the fashion department, but she just can't seem to get her red carpet look down. Her biggest flop was her ill-fitting Golden Globes gown. Her sky blue Calvin Klein number succeeded in making her perfect figure look droopy and when you have skin as fair as Chastain's, it's best to stear clear of such light colors. Let's hope these lovely ladies turn it around and bring their A-game to Oscar night this Sunday. Follow Sydney on Twitter: @SydneyBucksbaum [Photo Credits: Steve Granitz/WireImage; Brian To/Wenn; Wenn] From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage 15 Most Iconic Red Carpet Dresses • We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• 10 TV Stars You Never Knew Won Oscars• The Winner, According to You
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Seth MacFarlane at the Oscars: Why Ben Affleck Should Be Nervous
February 22, 2013 4:16pm ESTIt's almost Oscar Sunday, and if Seth MacFarlane's jokes are anything like his Family Guy quips, there are at least a few A-listers who should be shaking in their fine Italian leather shoes. After a quick survey of jokes aimed at Oscar-nominees like Bradley Cooper (Best Actor nominee, Silver Linings Playbook) and Ben Affleck (Best Picture nominee as producer for Argo) from past Family Guy cut-aways, it makes sense that the two handsome stars would be a bit worried about what MacFarlane might come out with at the Oscars. On the show, where MacFarlane has the veil of protection provided by the cartoon medium, his jokes are sometimes petty, hitting stars and pop culture icons far, far below the belt. As part of a TV show, there's enough distance between the subject and reality that the somewhat mean-spirited jokes land relatively safely, but when the man serving up digs is standing before a room of the people he's burning, things could get testy quickly. (Need we remind you of the sheer upheaval of the rich and famous every time Ricky Gervais landed a scathing insult at the Golden Globes?) RELATED: Seth MacFarlane Will Be Late (And Drunk) at the Oscars Here are few reasons some nominees should be a wee bit apprehensive about settling into their Kodak Theater seats on Sunday: Ben Affleck: Hack Extraordinaire? According to the cutaways on Family Guy, Affleck's not so much a talent as a guy who sits in his basement drinking beer and skipping off to set without so much as a readthrough of his script. And while we don't have the clip, he's also supposed to have mooched off of Matt Damon for a co-writing credit on Good Will Hunting. So. Funny. You guys. RELATED: Watch Seth MacFarlane's 'Psycho' Oscar Video Bradley Cooper: Basically The Worst Actor/Hot Guy/Famous Person Ever Cooper's been burned so thoroughly in one swift swoop on Family Guy that he should really be worried. In an encounter with Brian, the know-it all dog who writes terrible books, then-girlfriend Renee Zellweger tries to get Brian to hire Cooper, only to have Brian go on for a whole minute about how not-talented and not-handsome the not-so-beloved "heartthrob" is. Dude, did you see the cold stare he gave the HFPA woman who gave him a compliment at the Globes this year? Maybe MacFarlane is the one who should be worried. Sally Field: Really, Guys? Little Ol' Sally Field? The only mention of Sally Field in the history of Family Guy is a Smokey and the Bandit reference, the entire purpose of which is to bring up the idea that Field is not a "hot piece of ass." Oh, she's only one of the great actresses of our time. But yeah, keep talking about how you don't want to bang her. RELATED: What Are Seth MacFarlane's 3 Ds of the Oscars? Daniel Day-Lewis: Family Guy Does Not Understand You Daniel Day-Lewis' appearance on Family Guy was as one of Peter's submissions for the Oscars that time he stuffed the ballot box. It could be a commentary on how the Oscars love Day-Lewis, but he gets beat out by "A Red Guy" so the only thing we can really cull from this interlude is that MacFarlane and Co. have no idea what to make fun of Day-Lewis for. Of course, Anne Hathaway can actually take comfort from this clip, because she's the one reading off the list of nominees, so she's basically on the MacFarlane team. James Bond: The Rapiest Spy Ever 007 finally gets his due at the Oscars this year with a tribute to his 50 years of cinematic prowess, but it could all come crashing to an awkward, cricket-heavy halt if MacFarlane tells us what he really thinks of the super spy... Fortunately for many of the nominees, Family Guy's aim at Hollywood stars is rather spotty, so only a few folks have real reason to fear the host for any specific reason, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a gut-punch at the ready for the unmarked targets too. And of course, there's always the option that he'll keep it clean and go for the broad, crowd pleasing easy jokes, but it couldn't hurt for Oscar nominees to start practicing their poker faces now. Follow Kelsea on Twitter @KelseaStahler [Photo Credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC] From Our Partners:25 Most Scandalous Celeb Twitpics (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Arrivals: PICS! • Anne Hathaway: Oscar’s Worst Dressed?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• Oscars 2013: The Full Winners List• The Winner, According to You
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Our 2013 Oscar Predictions: Prepare for Your Betting Pool!
February 22, 2013 10:51am ESTMore so than the Emmys, the Grammys, or Uncle Ted's "Best Barbecue Sauces of the Year Awards" (everyone has one of those, right?), the annual Academy Awards ceremony feels the most like pop culture's attempt at a sporting event. There's pre-show entertainment, a major competition, and enough dancing to fill a half-time show. If this year's Oscars suffers a power outage, they'll have gone full on Super Bowl. And as with all great contests, the betting pool has become an essential part of the night's festivities. To prepare you for cinematic throwdown of 2013 — in hopes that you walk away with a few bucks in your pockets — we've compiled our predictions for this year's Oscars. Be forewarned: unlike the folks at the esteemed Psychic Sports Network, we don't claim to have supernatural powers allowing us to perfectly call the winners. But we have done our research. Here's what we've come up with: Best Picture Should Win: Zero Dark Thirty Will Win: Argo Thanks to a whirlwind of controversy surrounding the portrayal of torture and its political ripple effect, Kathryn Bigelow's sweeping look at the 10-year hunt for Osama bin Laden exited the contender conversation by the time it opened wide in January. Riding Ben Affleck's epic Best Director snub, Argo took ZDT's place as the favorite. A win for Affleck's ripped from the headlines thriller will put it in a select group of movies that have won without their directors picking up, let alone being nominated for, a statue. With all the hype surrounding Argo's win, there is a chance that the blaring sounds of other award groups are clouding the true winner. Lincoln or Silver Linings Playbook could sneak up after months of raves. RELATED: The Oscar Speech Oscars: 20 Best (and Worst) Academy Award Speeches Best Director Should Win: Michael Haneke Will Win: Steven Spielberg With Affleck out of the ring, there are two major contenders in this category: the legend, Steven Spielberg, for his restrained, theatrical work in Lincoln (a departure for the king of blockbusters) or Ang Lee, who employed 3D and CG effects to new artistic degrees in Life of Pi. Without a director tied to the Best Picture win, the Academy could hand this one to Lee just for his painterly decisions behind the camera. But we'll side with Spielberg — a safe bet when tradition has been thrown out the window. Likely winners aside, we wouldn't mind seeing Amourdirector Michael Haneke picking this one up for his elegant study of aging. Quiet and devastating — no special effects required. See More Oscar Predictions:Best Actor and ActressBest Supporting Actor and ActressBest Screenplay, Cinematography, Song, and More Follow Matt Patches on Twitter @misterpatches [Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures] Best Actor Should Win: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln This Oscar was Day-Lewis' the minute a snapshot of the bearded actor was released from set. He's not playing Lincoln in Lincoln. He's living Lincoln. That said, this will be Day-Lewis' third Oscar win, and we'd be okay with spreading the wealth. How about the unhinged, mentally chaotic stylings of Joaquin Phoenix in The Master? It's a raw performance, as physical as Day-Lewis' gentle Lincoln, with the added layer of visceral outbursts. RELATED: Too Pretty For Oscar Gold: Is There a Male Double-Standard in Hollywood? Best Actress Should Win: Emmanuelle Riva in Amour Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook Lawrence is fantastic in Silver Linings Playbook, a complex female ally for Bradley Cooper's depressed leading man. The Academy loves acknowledging the next wave of A-Listers, and there are few more worthy than Lawrence. If the Academy decides to wait on giving Lawrence her first (and certainly not last) Oscar, they may (and should) throw it to Emmanuelle Riva, who at 85 years old put herself through the ringer to terrify us with the prospect of losing oneself to time. Stunning, but not particularly "Hollywood." See More Oscar Predictions:Best Picture and DirectorBest Supporting Actor and ActressBest Screenplay, Cinematography, Song, and More Best Supporting Actor Should Win: Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master Will Win: Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook The last time De Niro won an Oscar was in 1981 for Raging Bull. Since, he hasn't done many movies that deserve the attention of the Academy Award. That changes with Silver Linings Playbook and, even with fierce competition (Supporting Actor is the most up in the air of all categories), expect the Academy to jump at the chance to award him again. In a just world, this would be Philip Seymour Hoffman taking home his second statue for his spine-tingling work in The Master. But who can blame the Academy for wanting De Niro to reclaim his former glory? RELATED: 10 Actors Who Won Oscars For The Wrong Movie Best Supporting Actress Should Win: Anne Hathaway Will Win: Anne Hathaway Oh, just give it to her already! Her "I Dream a Dream" is the knockout movie moment of 2012. That's what "Supporting" is all about and Hathaway, despite a sliver of the world outright despising her, deserves the career boost that the Oscar delivers. See More Oscar Predictions:Best Picture and DirectorBest Actor and ActressBest Screenplay, Cinematography, Song, and More Best Adapted Screenplay Will Win: Argo Best Original Screenplay Will Win: Django Unchained Best Animated Feature Will Win: Brave Best Cinematography Will Win: Life of Pi RELATED: Oscars 2013: How To Watch All The Nominated Films Best Costume Design Will Win: Mirror Mirror Best Production Design Will Win: Lincoln Best Documentary Feature Will Win: Searching for Sugar Man Best Editing Will Win: Argo Best Foreign Language Will Win: Amour Best Makeup and Hairstyling Will Win: Les Misérables Best Original Score Will Win: Life of Pi, Michael Dynna Best Original Song Will Win: "Skyfall" from Skyfall Best Sound Editing Will Win: Skyfall Best Sound Mixing Will Win: Les Misérables Best Visual Effects Will Win: Life of Pi Best Documentary Short Will Win: Redemption Best Live Action Short Will Win: Curfew Best Animated Short Will Win: Paperman From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Arrivals: PICS! • Anne Hathaway: Oscar’s Worst Dressed?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• Oscars 2013: The Full Winners List• The Winner, According to You
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Oscars 2013: Carrie Keagan to Live Tweet the ABC Red Carpet
February 21, 2013 2:26pm ESTOn Sunday, all of Hollywood's shiniest movie stars will step out on the red carpet to celebrate the past year's accomplishments in film at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. In addition jaw-dropping fashion (both awe- and ugh-inspiring), the red carpet is home to some of the awards show's most memorable moments. Last year, Angeline Jolie's right leg made its first appearance, earning its own Twitter acount (@AngiesRightLeg) and Sacha Baron Cohen (dressed as The Dictator) dumped ashes on Ryan Seacrest. Could the 2013 red carpet be as promising? This year, VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live host Carrie Keagan is acting as Hollywood.com's official Oscars Red Carpet Twitter correspondent, keeping all of us up to date on anything and everything that goes down Sunday on the red carpet. RELATED: 20 Best Oscar Speeches Be sure to stay tuned to Hollywood.com's official Twitter account, @Hollywood_com, on Sunday, Feb. 24. Keagan will be taking over for us from 7:30 - 8:30 PM EST and chatting all about ABC's Oscars red carpet! [Photo Credit: Anthony Behar/AP Images] From Our Partners:Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward, Sweaty (Vh1)Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz)
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Too Pretty for Oscar Gold: Is There a Male Double-Standard in Hollywood?
February 21, 2013 12:04pm ESTIt's really easy to talk about the issues that plague women in Hollywood. Why? Because there are so many steps that need to be taken before women and men have equal footing in the industry (or pretty much, you know, anywhere in life). But there may be instances in which Hollywood's obsession with female beauty benefits them: The Oscars. It's no industry secret that if a woman (especially a beautiful one) drastically changes her image for a dramatic role, she's almost assured to be in the running for Best Actress. What happens, though, when men held in similar esteem downgrade their looks for a leading role? Crickets, mostly. In fact, men who are often considered beautiful by society (read: women and gay men) have a mighty hard time getting their names on the winner's envelope when the Best Actor announcement comes around. So the question begs: does the Academy have a double standard on its hands? It sure seems that way. Or perhaps it goes back to the perception of women. "Women are supposed to be admired for what they look like," Linda Mizejewski, a professor of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Ohio State University, says. "But if a man is admired for what he looks like, it's suspicious." Does this mean, then, that a looks-based value system creates such a double standard? Gasp! Impossible! Only it's completely logical when you break it down: our society places an incredibly high value on female beauty, but peg a veritable smörgåsbord of "weak" traits as distinctly feminine. As Mizejewski says, we can value women for their looks, but a man is "feminized" as soon as we consider his beauty a valuable asset. In the less-than-immortal-but-still-terribly-apt words of "What It Feels Like For A Girl" by Madonna, "Girls can wear jeans and cut their hair short / Wear shirts and boots / 'Cause it's okay to be a boy / But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading / 'Cause you think that being a girl is degrading." If you look at the past 10 years, the Best Actress category is rife with women who have altered (sometimes quite drastically) their sexy image in the name of nailing the character: Charlize Theron in Monster. Nicole Kidman in The Hours. Kate Winslet in The Reader. Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose. Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby AND Boys Don't Cry. Heck even Meryl Streep did it for The Iron Lady. And that doesn't even include the bevy of women that underwent major transformations who were simply nominated (Hello, Albert Nobbs). RELATED: Why 2012 Was Not The Year of The Woman While it is safe to say that the majority of these performances were worthy of their accolades and awards, the fact that these women undermined traditional beauty on the big screen is no doubt a large reason why they get so much acclaim. "For women in movies, their main job is to look good. That's the standard expectation." says Mizejewski. The professor suggests that when these women go against the grain and are willing to drop the glamor, "we pay a lot more attention to that as 'serious acting.'" But how many men have been given the same treatment in the Best Actor category? Look at those leading men who haven't won a Best Actor Oscar but are widely considered to be incredibly nice to look at in their face and body regions: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Michael Fassbender, and Ryan Gosling. Similarly to the women mentioned above, every single one of these men have gone to extensive lengths to either downplay or cover-up their pretty boy looks in the name of methodical acting. Yet they've all been left out of the nomination pool when the big dance comes to town. The men listed are not just attractive — many of them are straight-up locker fodder. They're not just handsome (like recent Oscar winners Colin Firth and Jean Dujardin), they're beautiful. They're pretty boys who have been pinned onto the walls of screaming and hysterical fans (often of the teen girl variety) for at least part of their careers. With that level of fandom fueling your career, it's often difficult to be considered a contender. "People always tend to take you less seriously if you're really, really good looking," says Professor Will Akers, film department chair at Belmont University and author of Your Screenplay Sucks: 100 Ways To Make It Great. Especially in a world as superficial as Hollywood, "because people will assume you got your success just because you're handsome." The stigma lies between whether or not the audience considers these men "actors’ actors" or "movie stars," a differentiation that seems quite defined by looks itself. "Being a 'movie star' means being handsome and interesting on screen," Akers says. An actors’ actor, on the other hand, is someone who provides less box office bang, and more artful storytelling unconcerned with the masses' bucks. It's a problem that plagued Pitt following his Oscar-nominated turn in 12 Monkeys. A perma-topper on many a person's Sexiest Man Ever list, Pitt has always been better suited for character work rather than the mushy leading man territory he frequently falls into. Many laud Pitt's performance in 12 Monkeys as one of his best, and felt he was snubbed in his loss to Kevin Spacey that year. But it seems as though the stigma attached to Pitt's pretty boy good looks is almost subconsciously ingrained. "As soon as you say Brad Pitt, you think 'well he’s just the most handsome man on the planet. He's definitely a movie star [as opposed to an actors' actor],'" says Akers. "But that's a stupid thing to say, because he's such a gifted actor." It's important to look at his body of work rather than, say, his body. RELATED: 10 Actors Who Won Oscars For The Wrong Movies But perhaps the most snubbed actor of all is DiCaprio, who has tried in vain to scrub away his image as teen dream pretty boy. He's the Susan Lucci of the Oscars. Thanks to Titanic, we'll probably never let go (to make up for the fact that Rose did) of 90s-era DiCaprio. And maybe Oscar voters can't either. DiCaprio is widely regarded as one of the best actors in the industry. His work in The Aviator and Blood Diamond earned him nominations, but he was shut out of a nod on The Departed (perhaps the most shocking snub of all), Revolutionary Road, Gangs Of New York, and Catch Me If You Can. Losses all around. No wonder he packed on the play-doh for J. Edgar. It's almost as if the way in which women (and some men, too) objectified him sexually as he came up in the business has left a permanent mark on his back. Look at Albert Finney or Cary Grant — even a Peter O'Toole — all widely-regarded actors who never took home the gold, despite their attempts. And when you look at someone like Jeff Bridges — a veritable force in the industry over the past 40 years — it seems absurd that it took him until 2010 to nab an Oscar of his very own. It wasn't until his face caught up to the slightly grizzled characters he was born to play that the Academy finally took notice. It's as if shiny pretty things blind them, and they can only see the talent after the glow has dulled. For men, it's get old and prosper (compared to women, where the goal is to stay young forever). When examining the Best Actor winners from the past 10 years — Adrien Brody, Sean Penn, Jamie Foxx, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Forest Whitaker, Daniel Day-Lewis, Sean Penn (again!), Jeff Bridges, Firth, and Dujardin — all are certainly handsome in their own right, but are hardly pretty boy heartthrobs (even if Firth will always be Mr. Darcy to us). Some have described their looks as classic, Romanesque, hard-worn, or even ugly. Nary a pretty boy in the bunch. But what makes a pretty boy? "Someone with somewhat effeminate features: hairless [body] but with good hair, dimples but with chiseled cheekbones, nice eyes with full eyelashes, and slender but with strapping shoulders," says James Ramey, director of the Fusion Fashion Show competition in New York City. And there's the buzz word, folks: effeminate. The word is widely characterized as a being derogatory in nature (just check any dictionary), which is not only offensive to women (what's wrong with being like a lady?), but also gives the Sean Penns and Jeff Bridges and Forest Whitakers of the world a bit of an advantage — at least in perception. "It’s OK for [a woman] to just have value for her looks, but for a man to have value for his looks, it sounds like he's feminized ... and to be pretty is to be feminine, which is a lower status," says Mizejewski. And if the past Best Actor and Best Actress winners prove anything, it's that the Oscars love a face with character and distinct qualities that carry emotional weight differently than their pretty counterparts. RELATED: Leonardo DiCaprio To Take 'Long, Long Break' From Acting It is probably safe to say that Ben Affleck wasn’t snubbed in the Oscar’s Best Director category because of his six-pack abs — no matter how much Fox News might try to tell you otherwise. But it's interesting to think that an industry so integral in fostering society’s obsession with beauty and perfection — and one that all but demands idolatry from its fans — would then shun those that possess both talent and looks. Sure it’s easy to demand a separation of the two in the name of awarding the most worthy, but is it possible? Especially when there's so much stacked up against those that fall on the other side of the 'attractive' line. It’s a superficial problem that befalls incredibly successful, attractive men for a seemingly superficial thing (awards). So should anyone care? Well, if we're not constantly trying to hold ourselves to a higher and fairer standard in all aspects of life, how are we supposed to find fairness across the board? Maybe when we stop associating 'pretty' with 'femininity' and in turn that with 'weakness,' society will have made a step in the right direction overall. More equality is never a bad thing. Do you think there's a double standard? Let us know in the comments. [Photo Credit: Hunting Lane Films; Miramax; Warner Bros] Follow Alicia On Twitter @Alicialutes From Our Partners:40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)33 Child Stars: Where Are They Now? (Celebuzz) Oscars 2013 Special Coverage Oscars 2013 Red Carpet Arrivals: PICS! • We Predict the Winners: Do You Agree?• 15 Oscar-Winning Nude Scenes• The Worst Best Picture Winner Ever• Oscar's Problem With Pretty Boys• Why Stars Should Fear Seth MacFarlane• Oscars 2013: The Full Winners List• The Winner, According to You
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Late Night Last Night: Is Hugh Jackman a Better Lincoln Than Daniel Day-Lewis?
February 21, 2013 11:24am ESTWith just three days remaining until the 85th Annual Academy Awards, Hugh Jackman is on a campaign to score some last minute votes to help him win the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. On Wednesday night, Jackman appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman dressed as Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln. RELATED: Late Night: Andy Samberg Makes Out with an Eagle Along with the getup, Jackman also sang a few lines from Les Miserables to prove that he is more talented than Day-Lewis, who is up against him for Best Actor. But can this last minute performance earn Jackman the votes he needs to take out Day-Lewis and the other nominees — Bradley Cooper, Joaquin Phoenix, and Denzel Washington — in his category? Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat. [Photo Credit: CBS] From Our Partners:25 Forgotten Celebrity Crushes of the ‘90s (Vh1)30 Stars Who Have Gone Topless (Celebuzz)
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Lou Myers, 'A Different World' Star, Dies at 77
February 21, 2013 9:58am ESTHollywood has lost a great star. Lou Myers, who was best known for his role as restaurant owner Mr. Gaines in A Different World , died on Tuesday night at the age of 77, the Associated Press reports (via Fox News). According to Tonia McDonald of Myers' not-for-profit organization, Global Business Incubation Inc., the actor passed away at Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia. After reportedly being in and out of the hospital since late last year, the actor recently collapsed, landing him back in medical care. An autopsy is planned to learn the official cause of Myers' death. RELATED: Oscar Pistorius Charged With Premeditated Murder Myers has a long résumé as an actor. He broke into the career in 1976 as an understudy for the Broadway play The First Breeze of Summer. In addition to A Different World, on which Myers starred from 1988-1993, his TV credits include NYPD Blue, All About the Andersons, ER, and My Parents, My Sister & Me. He also had roles in films like How Stella Got Her Groove Back and The Wedding Planner. Myers was born in Chesapeake, W.Va. and was living near the state's capital at the time of his death. He is survived by his mother and his son. Follow Lindsey on Twitter @LDiMat. [Photo Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images] From Our Partners:Bradley Cooper Dancing Is Surprisingly Awkward, Sweaty (Vh1)Kate Upton Bares All in Nothing But Body Paint: Video (Celebuzz)
