Oscar, Indies. Indies, Oscar

 

The champagne's flowing, one of the Olsen twins (never can keep them straight) is smoking, and Sheryl Crow and Laura Dern are chatting and giggling.

Mickey Rourke, who's spray-tanned to within an inch of his life, is thrilling the bicyclists, joggers, homeless guys and other onlookers outside the big tent just by walking by before the Spirit Awards on Saturday afternoon.

Gloomy weather be damned. Nobody hanging around the area seems to care that Santa Monica isn't its usual 72 degrees and sunny because the stars have come out for this annual celebration of micro-budgeted indie movies that takes place on high-priced beachfront real estate.

Film Independent's Spirit Awards, also known as the anti-Oscars, are by their very nature, location and temperament the flip side of the awards granddad, with a mandate to honor movies made for less than $20 million, often with newcomers, up-and-comers or complete unknowns. But the kudos skated right up to the line this year, choosing some films that didn't have maxed-out credit cards behind them and or no-name performers in the top billing.

The two events have plenty in common, though, year after year, like a lot of "Juno" love at both last February.

So we'll cut to the chase for what results we saw today that we might see again tomorrow:

"Man on Wire" won for best documentary -- it's our pick for the Oscar, though "Trouble the Water" could be the lucky one.

Penelope Cruz for best supporting actress in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." Unless Viola Davis does a runaround, we think Cruz will hit again at the Oscars.

Dustin Lance Black for best first screenplay for "Milk." He's been our pick for quite some time in the Oscar category (though there's no "first" screenplay award -- he's tossed in with a lot of veterans). If the Academy didn't see fit to name "WALL-E" one of its five best pictures, we're not sure that its screenwriters can win here, though they are nominated and favored by a lot of critics and Oscarologists.

What we don't think we'll see:

Mickey Rourke, who gave today's show some of its only real juice in an "f"-bomb-filled speech dedicating his award to his recently deceased 18-year-old Chihuahua, Loki, for best actor. We still say it's going to be Sean Penn for "Milk."

Melissa Leo, who took every opportunity on Saturday to give shout-outs to the indie world from whence she came, for best actress. Not that she wasn't great. She was. But we're still betting on Kate Winslet.

"The Class" for best foreign film, since the blitzkrieg that is Israel's "Waltz With Bashir" so far this awards season may have one more day to go.

See the full results here, which basically show the Spirits embracing "The Wrestler" with three awards; choosing Woody Allen, "Synecdoche, New York" and James Franco; and leaving "Rachel Getting Married" in the dust.

Rainn Wilson's ram jam on 'The Wrestler'

 

Hey look, Rainn Wilson is doing a two-fer as the master of ceremonies, in back-to-back years, of the Spirit Awards.

Oh, if only.

Outrageous funnyman and co-star of "The Office," Wilson gave us one of the only lively bits during the entire Spirit Awards on Saturday. Not sure why, but the event was a lot less freewheeling than in years past, and that could be because host Steve Coogan never really found a groove. Or maybe this just isn't his element. He tried but mostly fell flat with humor that talked about all the beautiful people expected at the Oscars on Sunday vs. those who are beautiful "on the inside" who show up to the Spirits.

Well, OK, that's kind of sharp. The rest of it, not so much. The best part was that he didn't hog the stage.

That left room for a choice performance from Wilson, last year's memorable host, who gave a song-and-"dance" parody of "The Wrestler" to the tune of "I Feel Good," with lots of Ram Jam, steroid and staple references. If you don't watch the show (and we're not necessarily recommending that) look for the clip on the YouTubes. It'll no doubt make it there soon.

Dustin Lance Black reiterates the 'Milk' message

It's not the first time we've heard Dustin Lance Black speak eloquently about the fight for gay rights in an awards speech.

He did it again, every bit as compellingly, backstage at the Spirits Awards on Saturday after winning best first screenplay for "Milk."

"When I was researching and writing this spec script, in 2004, I was watching the presidential re-election campaign, and Karl Rove was pitting the Evangelicals against the gay community. I kept thinking, 'Things haven't changed. Why have we not won yet? What happened to Harvey Milk, and where is his message?'

"It's critical to have his message back out there. We need to come out and represent ourselves again and build coalitions, which he was a master at. That didn't happen for Prop 8. I believe Americans love gay and lesbian people; they just haven't met us yet."

We hope he has the chance to talk to a much bigger audience on Sunday.

Madea, fan favorites and indie love

Out there, and by that we mean in places that aren't Hollywood, 38% of online ticket buyers plan to see this weekend's Christian-tinged dramedy, "Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail," and 81% of moviegoers think the Academy is out of touch with mainstream tastes (no Top 10-grossing films are in the Oscar best picture race).

To make their opinions heard, those interested will be able to choose between the year's biggest cash cows like "Twilight," "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who," "Quantum of Solace" and "Iron Man" for an upcoming fan favorite contest.

That info and the movie sweepstakes come courtesy of Fandango, which reminds us that not everyone is an industry maven with a built-in predisposition/obligation to rush to the art house to see "The Reader" or tune in to Sunday night's rebuilt telecast. 

We'll be among some of those folks for our Oscar coverage. Come on back for what we hope will be at least a sliver of insight into the 81st annual Academy Awards themselves but also what impact the biggest revamp in the ceremony's televised history may mean to Regular Joe (as regular as he can possibly be in the entertainment capitol of the world).

But back to the center of the universe...

Film Independent's Spirit Awards are tomorrow, and there's some overlap between who and what is nominated here and what you'll see (if you watch) on Sunday. Sean Penn, Penelope Cruz, Anne Hathaway, screenwriters Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") and Courtney Hunt ("Frozen River"), Mickey Rourke, Richard Jenkins.

There's arguably enough true, micro-budgeted indies ("Ballast," "Secret of the Grain") and lesser known faces (Rosemarie DeWitt, Haaz Sleiman) to keep it real. The Spirit Awards, Oscar's cocktail-pounding, beach-casual-wearing cousin, are a party not to be missed. They may be the only place where an actress like Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), a tiny film like "Chop Shop," or a director like Tom McCarthy ("The Visitor") can get some love.

See a full list of nominees here, catch it on IFC or AMC, and check back this weekend for results.

Razzie preview: Just as awful as you think

 

There are varying levels of crapdom in the movie world, from much-anticipated projects that weren't as good as they should've been to those that wholesale missed the mark to the ones that are downright God awful.

It's the latter that are "celebrated" by the Razzies.

The "29th Annual Razzie Awards" -- Razzie being shorthand for Golden Raspberry -- happen this weekend, strategically placed near the Oscars for maximum contrast, and we'll be there. Posts on the results and the kitschy held-together-with-drag-queens-and-duct-tape ceremony will show up Sunday.

As a new Razzie member and voter/co-conspirator, your resident Gold Rusher got a sense of vindication out of choosing between such time-, talent- and money-wasters as "The Love Guru," this year's most-nominated film, "The Happening," M. Night Shyamalan's latest piece of dead wood, and "In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale," part of German "auteur" Uwe Boll's continuing assault on the senses.

Most of the nominees racked up Tomatometer numbers above 90% negative, so there's consensus on just how horrifying bad these movies were.

Not all of them were boxoffice flops -- "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" has a nod for "worst prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel" -- and not all the performers were Paris Hilton and Verne Troyer -- there are Oscar winner/nominees like Annette Bening, Sir Ben Kingsley, Eddie Murphy and Al Pacino in the mix.

But rest assured there's the requisite smattering of D-list "actresses" like Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian, and Boll's entire uber-violent, video game-based oeuvre.

Go here to see all the nominees and, for the proactive among you, start figuring out what should be on the dishonorable mention list for 2010. "Pink Panther 2"? "The Unborn"? "Bride Wars"? See, plenty of choices already. Now get to it.

Jackman rehearsing, not naked or drunk

Hugh Jackman intends to start the morning with adult beverages and continue swilling and losing his inhibitions right on up to show time of the "81st Annual Academy Awards," logging his first (and maybe last) hosting gig "drunk and naked."

Well, that's what he said. But he jests.

Is somebody getting punchy? Too many late night rehearsals? Or is it just his own brand of Aussie Oscar humor? It is funny. Read the full CNN interview here.

Watch the video, though, to see a slightly more reverent Jackman going through some steps for Sunday's live three-plus-hour telecast. (Is this an ABC-created promo?) He compares this gig to being a 100-meter sprinter at the Olympics and says he's taken professional tumbles before, "but if I fall on my ass this time everyone's going to remind me about it for the rest of my life."

True dat.

He's determined not to be the guy who's standing on stage saying, "Uma, Oprah. Oprah, Uma." And he wants to enjoy himself. Let's hope we can all have some fun.

Oscar, minute by minute

 

Ready for "Hugh at the Piano," a 2008 recap of a bunch of movies that didn't make it to the Oscars but that made a whole lot more money than the nominees, and a five-part storytelling format?

Then you're all set for Sunday night's three-hour-plus telecast of the "81st Annual Academy Awards."

So say the production notes for the live show, according to Cinemascope (via Carpetbagger) that has the first acting award (for best supporting) handed out at 5:45 p.m. and best director, lead actor and actress and best film bringing up the rear starting at 8:14 p.m. and lasting until the giant cast of "Slumdog Millionaire" is played off stage with a rousing white-guy orchestral rendition of "Jai Ho."

For those who'd like to plan their snack breaks ahead of time and don't care much about the various below-the-line honors like sound mixing and makeup, this rundown is pure gold. For the rest of us, it gives decent insight into the expected flow of things.

Still can't determine the real heart and tone of the show yet. But it looks to be montage-lite. Hooray!

Heath Ledger's Oscar by proxy

 

Oscar is a little touchy about proxies -- he doesn't want just anyone grabbing onto his smooth, bare haunches. Not on live TV, anyway.

As a rule, but apparently a bendable one, a winner is supposed to show up to accept his or her Little Gold Man and if he/she doesn't, the presenters just do the anticlimactic honors and slink off stage.

This leads us to today's Academy Arcana.

The unofficial no-stand-in rule came about in the early '70s after Marlon Brando sent "Sacheen Littlefeather" in his stead to turn down his Oscar for best actor in "The Godfather." (See some background on that historic, trouble-making kiss-off here). 

But, as GoldDerby tells us, the guideline has often been overlooked when a winner was ailing (Jane Fonda emotionally accepting for her father, Henry, when he took the best acting trophy for "On Golden Pond") or dead (screenwriter Paddy Chaefsky and Peter Finch's widow on behalf of the "Network" star just weeks after he'd passed away).

This is all topical, of course, because there's probably no award as pre-determined as the Heath Ledger win for supporting actor in "The Dark Knight." So who picks it up? The late Ledger, who died just over a year ago, has already won a slew of trophies this season and the heartfelt acceptance speeches have come from director Christopher Nolan, co-star Gary Oldman (at the SAG Awards, pictured) and Ledger's family members.

Which of those should we expect to see Sunday?

Apparently Kim Ledger, Heath's father, and other members of the Ledger clan, because it wouldn't be right (nor would it serve the ratings) if this incredible run ended with a truncated, unsatisfying "accepting on his behalf." "We all want closure," says Bruce Vilanch, one of the main writers of the kudocast. See what Kim Ledger said on touching down in L.A. yesterday.

Now, what happens to Oscar after it's handed over seems to be another hot mess all together. It's supposed to be destined for Ledger's heir and legal next-of-kin, his 3-year-old daughter, Matilda, but not until she's 18. In the meantime? His family? Actress Michelle Williams, Matilda's mother, who was never married to Ledger and had split with him before his death?

It's a sticky wicket, and one that's not likely to be resolved any time soon. Certainly not before this weekend.

'Runway' under wraps

 

We're still in the thick of "Top Chef: Creole-Flavored Finale" and there's trash TV like "Millionaire Matchmaker" and "Real Housewives," so we should be content with Bravo's reality output.

But we miss "Project Runway," even though the last season of the Emmy-nominated Peabody-winning series was definitely not its finest hour. (Picking four finalists just so Designated Heel Kenley Collins could stay until the bitter end? We all saw that for the con job/ratings grab it was).

Ongoing legal grapplings between Bravo, show producer the Weinstein Co., and its purported new home Lifetime have stalled Season 6. That is, it's stalled the scheduling of season six. It's been taped already, with Los Angeles as the backdrop, and its three finalists sent their designs down the runway today at Bryant Park during Fashion Week in New York.

So the finale's in the can. But the designers themselves had to be kept in the shadows, lest it ruin the entire unaired season for the fans. Heidi, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and, of course, the beloved Tim Gunn were front and center, but necessarily vague, during the event.

It's always a surprise when any secret is kept secret these days (see the announcements of Robert Pattinson, Miley Cyrus and other teen-pandering appearances at this weekend's Oscar ceremony, when it was all supposed to be so hush hush). But the worldwide coverage of Fashion Week would seem to preclude any scrap of undisclosed information.

We just say, figure it out, you litigants, and get the show back on the road.

Oscar presenter non grata

 

Some of those anonymous, red carpet-ducking presenters have decided to ditch their surprise unveiling and their high/low profile jobs at the "81st Annual Academy Awards" this Sunday.

But we don't know which ones. 

So it boils down to this -- unnamed celebs who would've presented Little Gold Men aren't going to do that now, and they're protected from scrutiny by the whole faceless/nameless thing. Is that why they backed out, because they could? Or is that why the appearance wasn't that appealing after all, because the stars weren't part of the pre-show promotion?

Why does this strike us as even less interesting than the whole ruse about keeping some of the presenters under wraps to begin with? And why is anyone bothering with this when Zac Efron's locked and loaded? He'll be there, people!

Even though "they" might not show up, there are some guests of honor who will -- the entire cast of "Slumdog Millionaire."

After suffering through and successfully answering criticism about the treatment of the young actors, Fox Searchlight and the Mumbai fairy tale's producers have decided to haul everyone to the Kodak Theater for the ceremony.

That's given rise to a stylist session, Mumbai-style, for adorable "youngest Latika" (shown in the photo above). Rubina Ali did some shopping and got make-better tips from members of her family before hopping a plane to Hollywood.

If the sumptuous love story wins best picture, all nine performers (who play Latika, Salim and Jamal at various stages of their lives) will appear on stage with producer Christian Colson. There should be spontaneous dancing, and we'll be sort of disappointed if it doesn't happen.