"If Slumdog does in fact stumble between now and February 17 (the last day for Oscar voters to turn in their ballots), Milk looks like it's best positioned to capitalize on the stumble. In addition to it being incredibly well-respected within the community of voters who make up the Academy, there are two main factors that could help propel the film to glory on Oscar night.
1) Milk Is Still Building Momentum - As Anne Thompson sagely reports, over at Variety, Focus Features has taken the slow-and-steady approach to building their Oscar campaign for Milk. Whereas their campaign for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 crested too early, Milk is only now going into wide release. If the movie can perform strongly this weekend, it will be top-of-mind for Academy voters as they begin casting their ballots. 2) A Win for Milk Helps Ease the Sting of the Brokeback Snub - As we mention above, Crash was able to overtake Brokeback Mountain in the Best Picture race in 2005. Some attribute this upset to the belief that some of the older ranks of the Academy held strong anti-gay beliefs, an assertion that Rope of Silicon brings up in a post that breaks down this year's Oscar race. In their eyes, a vote for Milk could help to reestablish the Academy as a place where tolerance prevails above all else". Source: nymag.com
"Jake Gyllenhaal keeps warm in a fedora and scarf at the 24th Annual Santa Barbara Film Festival held at The Arlington Theatre on Friday (January 30) in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The 28-year-old actor joined came out to support David Fincher, who was honored as the “Director In Residence”. He directed Jake in the 2007 crime drama Zodiac. Taraji P. Henson was also in attendance, who was directed by Fincher in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".Source: Justjared.buzznet.com Jake at "A Celebration Of David Fincher (2009 SB Film Festival)". Pictures courtesy of Iheartjakemedia.com
"Jamie Foxx is getting a hand from a variety of Hollywood heavyweights in the new music video for his song, "Blame It".
The singer will be joined in the video by Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, director Ron Howard, Cedric the Entertainer, Samuel L. Jackson and Quincy Jones, his label confirms.
Directed by Hype Williams, the clip will premiere the week of Feb. 9. "Blame It" comes from Foxx's latest album, Intuition, which was released in Dec. 2008". Source: www.people.com
"Jamie Foxx calls upon a few of his most famous friends in Hollywood to star in the music video for his new single “Blame It”, off his latest album Intuition (out now).
The 41-year-old singer was joined by Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Samuel L. Jackson, director Ron Howard, Cedric the Entertainer and Quincy Jones.
The vid was directed by Hype Williams, who most recently did Kanye West’s “Heartless” and Coldplay’s “Vida La Vida.” It will premiere the week of Feb. 9. Source: Justjared.buzznet.com
"Naomi Watts graces the upcoming issue of PARADE. Inside she talks about former boyfriend Heath Ledger, who she met doing "Ned Kelly", and current love Liev Schreiber, with whom she has two young sons. Heath and Jake at the 12th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, January 2006. On Heath:
"I hadn't really been that familiar with his work," Watts recalls. "Then, when I got to the set and did that first scene with him, I was like, 'Wow! This guy is alive.' It was just something deep in his eyes. You could look into them, and they would tell a thousand stories in one glance. There was a wonderful mixture of power and fragility at work in everything he did, which just pulls you in. His strength didn't scare you. It intrigued you. And his fragility touched you."
The couple parted amicably in 2004, separated by the distance of two growing careers, but stayed friends until Ledger's tragic death from an accidental overdose in early 2008 at age 28. "It's still incredibly difficult," Watts says, her voice trailing off". Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
"Michelle takes her daughter Matilda, 3, for their regular coffee run during an early morning stroll to their neighborhood cafe in Brooklyn, New York on Friday (January 30).
An out-of-court deal was recently reached in a lawsuit over Heath Ledger’s $10 million life insurance policy. A lawyer for the actor had sued ReliaStar Life Insurance company, claiming it was refusing to pay death benefits to his daughter Matilda. ReliaStar had refused to honor the policy because it asserted that Heath’s death could have been a suicide. Details of the settlement are being kept confidential". Source: Justjared.buzznet.com
"If Slumdog does in fact stumble between now and February 17 (the last day for Oscar voters to turn in their ballots), Milk looks like it's best positioned to capitalize on the stumble. In addition to it being incredibly well-respected within the community of voters who make up the Academy, there are two main factors that could help propel the film to glory on Oscar night.
2) A Win for Milk Helps Ease the Sting of the Brokeback Snub - As we mention above, Crash was able to overtake Brokeback Mountain in the Best Picture race in 2005. Some attribute this upset to the belief that some of the older ranks of the Academy held strong anti-gay beliefs, an assertion that Rope of Silicon brings up in a post that breaks down this year's Oscar race. In their eyes, a vote for Milk could help to reestablish the Academy as a place where tolerance prevails above all else".
