Heinz Canada worked with the Rethink Toronto to put up an IMDB page but it was ultimately removed.

All this did was which further Heinz’s tongue-in-cheek outrage and generated a ton of free press. With IMDB playing right into its marketing plan, Heinz is asking its fans to look for the ketchup in movies and share them on their social feeds in exchange for free ketchup. Don’t offer a ketchup lover freebies because they will go seven extra miles to get the thick red stuff., with the promise of free ketchup for those who take part.

Take a look at the brilliance of this commercial:

This according to Brian Neumann, senior brand manager of condiments at Kraft Heinz Canada:

“Award season is an occasion that gets everyone talking. As we look to deliver more contextually relevant and timely content to our consumers, we wanted to find a way to join the conversation. Nothing speaks more to the iconic nature of Heinz Ketchup than our appearances in countless films. This felt like the perfect time to reward our fans for spotting us in their favorite movies”

Rethink Toronto’s creative director Mike Dubrick told the Clio Muse:

“Heinz is front and center in some of the biggest movies and greatest scenes of all time. It’s one of those things that once you notice it, you can’t stop seeing it. As we were looking for ways to further cement the brand’s iconic status, it just felt right. If Wilson the volleyball gets in the credits, why shouldn’t Heinz?” 

It’s true, Wilson the Volleyball does have his own IMDB page.

The campaign’s massive response from fans has been nothing short of impressive. How will it all end? Who know, but for now, I’ll have what she’s having…

CREDITS
Spot Title: Heinz On Film
Creative Director: Mike Dubrick, Nicolas Quintal
Art Director: Hayley Hinkley, Vanessa Harbec
Writer: Jacquelyn Parent, Matthieu Lacombe

The post AD OF THE WEEK/MONTH/WHATEVER: Heinz Oscars Snub appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Sad and angry and thankful. That’s how I feel.

First, the sad part: Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other souls perished in a helicopter crash yesterday. Kobe was only 41. I only met him twice—at an Academy Awards symposium and then backstage in the winners room when he subsequently won an Oscar for his work on Dear Basketball—and only followed his career from afar, safely in the confines of my personal man cave, so I won’t invent false grief from my end when the affected family, friends and former teammates deserve this space. My condolences go out to everyone who loved him and knew him. At the same time, I am sad, and he’s a guy who meant an excessive amount to me during a time when sports shouldn’t have meant so much.

Maybe I wasn’t part of his life, but he was a huge part of mine. He gave joy to me in a time where joy was rationed to me. So it’s a dreadful day for Lakers fans, as well as fans of basketball in general. I cannot recall an athlete dying who crossed so many borders of industry and life, was so dear so much to so many people in so many different worlds, or was idolized so passionately by the youth looking for a clear path to their dream.

Kobe passed away before the Basketball Hall of Fame found a place for him. He’s going to make it this year, as scheduled (this summer’s finalists have already been announced and he will be part of the arguably the best incoming class ever). Now, they’ll have the ceremony without him in Springfield, Mass., and everyone will say, “It’s a proud day, but it’s also a bittersweet day because he wasn’t here to see it,” and then they’ll put up his plaque and we’ll go on with our sadness.

Now, the angry part, the majority of fans who are rightfully sad and distressed love him for his basketball life, still holding near and dear his incredible play on the court. Indisputably, Kobe was as top 10 player of all time, and 18 time all star, and the greatest defensive guard of his era, maybe of any era: nine first team All-Defensive appearances and on the second team). That doesn’t even begin to describe how destructive he played on that end. He was equally devastating on the offensive end. I am angry because someone I was awe in on the court was making real impact off the court. My access the Academy Awards allowed me to see his work and spend time in his presence. Hear his philosophies in candid situations, away from the cameras. He was real at that symposium. He wasn’t someone trying to grab the spotlight from Glen Keane as they spoke about his “love letter to basketball.” He spoke of the process and was thankful to his teammate who made his concept into something real. Detractors will tell you he won because of name recognition but truly this film was easily the best short film nominated that year. His relentless work ethic that drove his 20 years in the NBA also propelled drive his transformation into a business mogul, author, mentor, and advocate of women’s sports. I saw this through the prism of my media work. I am better off for the experiences. It seems impossible to find anyone in this sphere of human who did so much for so many.

The thankful part lays in his Mamba Mentality. He validated my intense love for the process of gaining success through hard work. He nicknamed himself the Mamba and it stuck and authored “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” a book where his revealed his famously detailed approach and the steps he took to prepare mentally and physically to not just succeed at the game, but to excel. We learned how he studied an opponent, how he channeled his passion for the game, and how he played through injuries. In the book he described Mamba Mentality: “To be on a constant quest to try to be the best version of yourself. That’s what the mentality is. It’s not a finite thing. It’s a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday and better tomorrow than you were the day before.”

I’ve been preaching this mentality in my process since I was 20 working in New York City. Be a grinder I tell my people. It’s the clear path to success. Some people can’t handle this intensity. I was far more intensive as a young person. I’ve mellowed as I hit my fifties. I don’t throw hockey pucks through glass doors, and micromanage every detail of my staff’s daily workload. But I’ve never relented on the need for following the process. Kobe was that way too. You were either on board and all in, or he didn’t want to play with you. Every player who wanted to take the easier route and cut corners by ignoring the process received my mocking smile. I did the same when others on my three decades of marketing/advertising teams got the same treatment.

Today, I am searching to make sense of all of this tragedy. I doubt I ever will. Maybe I should be thankful for the many versions of Kobe I experienced in 24 years of being near his rarefied air.

The post Mamba Mentality: The Random Cruelty of Losing Kobe Bryant appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Okay, so where am I? 

It’s been a light red carpet season. I’ve only done two—the Grammys and now today at the Academy Awards. Nothing is better that than when your feet hit that Oscars burgundy carpet. Your imagination soars and you can’t help by daydream of carrying a thirteen-and-a-half-inch tall, eight-and-a-half pound golden statuette.

In good news for the Academy, the telecast drew a 7.7 rating for the ever-valuable demographic adults 18-49 and 29.6 million overall viewers. That’s up from a 6.8 rating and 26.5 million last year, or an increase of 12%. In bad news, this year was the second smallest audience ever for an Oscars telecast.

I am very unhappy to report that my agent has been M.I.A. once again as hope and pray one of my four scripts or two (yet unpublished) books find a way to be developed into a real movie. Alas, no movie this year, but I did pick up a sweet gig writing NHL and Los Angeles Kings columns this past year (no help from my agent, thank you!).

So for the eighth straight year, here’s my first-hand view of the happenings backstage at the 91st Academy Awards:

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Rami Malek: Wait a second. Let’s hold on. Am I one of the last ones here? Well, I just want to say thank you guys for being here. And I will say this: I don’t think critically the decision on this film was unanimous, but I do appreciate everything you guys had to write. As a kid, I read criticism of film, and I learned so much from it. So no matter what, I still do very much appreciate you. Thank you.

Q: I don’t know how I can follow that. Congratulations, first of all, and I know you’ve heard that a lot tonight. But I have to ask, please explain to us and describe for us when you first got this role and what happened exactly at that moment and when did this role become a reality for you? When did it really hit you that you’re playing Freddie Mercury?

Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

RM: I really got blessed. Last night Mr. Spielberg, he had his daughter come up to me and say, hey, make sure you say hi to Rami Malek. It would mean a lot to me and it would mean a lot to him. So I had a seminal moment in my life where I knew some auteurs could influence my life. Since then, I’m about to begin Season 4 of Mr. Robot with Sam Esmail. And in the middle of the second, no, the third season, while we were working on that, I got a call from Graham King and Dennis O’Sullivan to meet them in Los Angeles, and they were fans of Mr. Robot. And I don’t know how they thought a young man who felt so alienated, profoundly alienated, with such social anxiety could ever play Freddie Mercury. But the one thing that was beautiful about it was I started to discover that in this audacious, present, communicative, powerful human being there was a sense of loneliness and a sense of anxiety, and I could relate the two together. So I thank them for discovering that in me, but I do have to thank so many great auteurs who have brought me to the point where I felt confident in my work. And Spike Lee is one of them. Alfonso Cuarón is one of them. Paul Thomas Anderson is one of them. Sam Esmail is definitely one of them. The list goes on. But it was the confidence that they all imbued in me to be able to think that I could take on this challenge. Then , well, that’s a long story. And Tom Hanks. Let’s not forget Tom Hanks.

Q: Allow me on behalf of all the Arab world to say congratulations. We’re so happy that you won with the participation of three nominees this year from the Arab world. You have the trophy.I read that you grew up loving Umm Kulthum and Omar Sharif and there’s plenty of Arab young talents growing up now loving Rami Malek. If it’s not too much to ask, can we get your answer? What would you say to these guys or ladies, in Arabic, if possible?

RM: Well, I will begin by saying [speaks Arabic.] I would say that as a young man, my sister was born in Egypt. I think when I grew up as a kid, I wanted part of me felt like I need to shed some of that. I wanted to I didn’t feel like I fit in. I definitely felt like the outsider. And as I got older, I realized just how beautiful my heritage and my tradition is, and the wealth of culture and magic and music and film and just pure art that comes out of the Middle East. And now I’m so privileged to represent it. And to anyone from there, and for that matter the entire world, we all got a shot at this. We really do.

Q: You gave a beautiful speech in which it seems like it talks a lot about what happened tonight. There was a lot of inclusion it seems, a lot of films that have been talking about that aspect, and I wonder how much in that respect that this Oscar of yours now fits into that and reflects that.

RM: It’s a political question, and I appreciate it, but…

Q: No, no. I mean, I’m talking about the inclusion of the films.

RM: Yeah. I will say, look, I mean, I grew up in a world where I never thought I was going to play the lead on Mr. Robot because I never saw anyone in a lead role that looked like me. I never thought that I could possibly play Freddie Mercury until I realized his name was Farrokh Bulsara, and that is the most powerful message that was sent to me from the beginning. That was the motivation that allowed me to say, oh, I can do this. And that man steps on stage and he moves people in a way that no one else does, and he has ability to look everyone in the eye and see them for who they are. And that’s because he was struggling to identify himself. And all of that passion and virtue and everything burning inside of him allowed him to look to everybody else and say, hey, I see you. Not right here in the front; I see you there in the back. I see all of you, I will play to all of you, and together we will transcend. Because it’s not about being from one place or looking like one thing, one race. Any of that. We are all human beings. And forgive me for this, but collectively we are all the champions.

Q: Rami, I just was wondering after you finished shooting the film, how did you feel about your own performance? Did you know that it was special and that it might end up in an Academy Award?

RM: I’ve got to say, being on that stage, I think I may have I don’t know how I looked on that stage, but I never thought this would happen in my life. The one thing I can say about this as an actor, and there are so many of us who only dream of one thing. And perhaps it’s not this; it’s just getting a job. So the fact that I have this in my hand right now is beyond excuse me any expectation that myself or perhaps my family could have ever had. And I’ll just say that. I mean, this has been a tough battle, and I think you all know about it, and the fact that I’m here celebrating with you is proof that a lot of things can be overcome, and that anything is possible. And tonight I’m celebrating with all of you. And anyone who has a dream, it can happen. Thank you.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Q: Your speech touched me and was hilarious. Frankly, how much of that was prepared?


Olivia Colman: None of it. And I’ve just been told I completely forgot Melissa and Yalitza as well, so but, you know, it’s not an everyday occurrence. So I don’t know how anyone is composed and remembers everything because it’s a very weird situation. But to those two beautiful women I forgot to say thank you to.

Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q: Congratulations. Massive congratulations on the win. Where are you going to put your Oscar statue at? Where is it going to go?


OC: In bed with me, between me and my husband. He doesn’t know yet.

Q: I knew you were one of the great actors as soon as I saw you in TYRANNOSAUR years ago. How do you go about finding the tragic and the absurd and vice versa, because that is what you do so beautifully in this role? It’s hilarious and shattering.


OC: Well, that is lovely of you. No, that is a lovely thing for you to say. Thank you very much. I don’t know.

Q: So, first of all, Broad Church is not coming back; right?


OC: No, we’ve done three. That’s it. Sorry.

Q: That’s it. Okay. Were you expecting this at all, because the reaction


OC: No.

Q: both here at the ceremony was you were completely blind sided.


OC: Yeah.

Q: Blind sided by it. So how does it feel, like, to do this?


OC: I have no idea. I could not tell you what I’m feeling. Next year, I might I’ll be able to put it into words, but I don’t know what to do with myself at the moment.

Q: What prepared you for this role?


OC: The script was amazing, and then you just do what’s written down, I think. Without the writers, without words, we are just bumbling around, miming. So if the script is good, it’s all there. I think.

Q: How old are your kids, and are they watching or not?


OC: They are watching, because they are here.

Q: So they are in a hotel room watching it, or…


OC: No, we borrowed my agent’s house.

Q: And how old are they?


OC: 13, 11, and 3. There was a gap. I had to persuade my husband for a few years.

Q: What would Queen Anne say to you right now?


OC: Have some cake. Blue cake. Eat too much blue cake. If you had seen the film, it makes sense. It wasn’t just a weird things to say.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Q: How sweet was it to have your mom there in the front row with you? Obviously, you gave much praise to her during your acceptance speech. What did it mean to you to have her there tonight?

Regina King: It’s hard to, like, put it in words really quickly. I feel like kind of like one of those full circle moments because so much of the character Sharon Rivers was mapped or inspired by my mother and my grandmother. So to have her there, my family was there, my sister, Reina, my son, Ian, were there. They are both here tonight. And it goes by so fast, and you want to thank so many people, and your mind just goes blank. And, you know, my mom was like the lighthouse right there. And…mmm, just everything.

Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q: how was it to get to say those words and play somebody who believed, you know, to the depth of their soul

RK: Yes.

Q: About love?

RK: Love. Persevering. I mean, If Beale Street Could Talk is a beautiful film, a beautiful novel before it was thank you before it was a film you might be clapping for somebody else, but I’m going to take that. Thank you. And where we are to your point, where we are right now, I think that’s it’s a film that is breaks through a lot of the sections that are exist right now. You know, love is that thing that pushes us through trauma. You know, this is an urban tragedy, but tragedy is a is something that is experienced no matter what sex you are, no matter what race you are; and love and support is usually what pushes us through, which gets us to the other side. So I think this film is so needed right now because we need a lot of help getting through the other side and seeing how how much we are alike. We are different in a lot of ways. Absolutely. Our circumstances are so different; but it’s to the core, to the core, we are really a lot alike.

Q: Four hundred years ago this year in 1619, the first slaves were brought to Jamestown. Talk to me a little bit about what it means to stand here today winning your first Academy Award, the same place where, you know, Hattie McDaniel, and so many others who may have been discounted?

RK: Well, I mean, it’s I mean, I think it kind of piggybacks on what we were just saying in the last question: That it means so much for me personally, because you guys aren’t able to witness this, but the love and support and the lifting up that I have received on my journey as an actor in just this last five months, how many people have been rooting for me, and it has not just been black people; although, you know, the black family has always lifted me. But it’s just a reminder of when Hattie McDaniel won. She didn’t win just because black people voted for her. She won because she gave an amazing performance. And especially then, the Academy was was not as reflective as it is now. We are still trying to get more reflective, still trying to get there. But I feel like I’ve had so many women that have paved the way, are paving the way, and I feel like I walk in their light, and I also am creating my own light. And there are young women that will walk in the light that I’m continuing to shine and expand from those women before me. You know, I’m blessed and highly favored.

Q: So I’m thinking about that very climactic scene when you confronted you and Emily Rios

RK: Yes.


Q: …and it’s such a visceral and emotionally raw scene. So I wanted to ask you, What particular source did you draw from to portray such emotion?

RK: You know, all of us, we just pulled on being women, and we have all been in if we have not experienced a violation on that level firsthand, we have lifted a sister up through that. And that, you know, even all the way from when the abuelitas came in and escorted her off, that was something that was universal. Every woman that had something to do with this production, the understanding and the need to make sure that it was very clear in the story that we all knew that she was raped. It wasn’t Fonny, but she was raped. And we hold each other up through a secret that shouldn’t be a secret. So often, that’s the beautiful thing about the Me Too Movement, and the Me Too Movement has I think have gone has gone even beyond that with creating opportunities for women to find their voice even beyond just being violated sexually, but being marginalized, being violated. When you have put in the work to be at the table and being denied a seat at the table, this movement has allowed us and has inspired us to say no, I am supposed to have a seat at that table. So that energy was going on throughout the production of that film of this film. Barry supported that and lifted it up as well. And that’s the thing. When you have men and women working together, pretty amazing things happen.

Q: If Beale Street Could Talk was a very important part of American literature before this movie. What do you think James Baldwin would say right now and feel about this win and about the movie?

RK: I think one word, something that he would say often, amen.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Q: And your other movie won, too, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.


Mahershala Ali: Yes. Spider-Verse.

Q: This film is about people changing each other, or they’re changing because of what they go through. How did this film change you? Could you put that into words? I meant the making of it, obviously.

MA: Well, I never it was the first time that I had that kind of responsibility. I’ve always been very fortunate to contribute to stories in a more limited way, and this was the first time in which there was a good degree of the time I was at work in there all day every day, you know, or all day during the week, you know. And so to to shoulder that, to shoulder more responsibility than I’ve been accustomed to shouldering, to have to play a character that had attributes that were very different from my own; so, therefore, I had to let certain things go that were in my personality in order to to take on and embrace other attributes that that man had. It was it was constantly sort of having sort of negotiating and finding my way to locking into a truth and finding his essence, you know. And so I was really just grateful for failing and succeeding at times and just fishing through it all, digging and excavating, and collaborating with Viggo. So I’m sure I didn’t answer your question. But, you know, it was it was difficult and beautiful and very grateful to have gone on the journey.

Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q: What is going on? It’s your second Oscar for a supporting role. How do you feel about it?

MA: I feel very fortunate. I feel fortunate to have been nominated. Any of those gentlemen could have been up here and would be, obviously, deserving of being up here. They did wonderful work, beautiful work, work that inspired me. So to be the one that was chosen to get to hold this trophy again, it’s not something that I take lightly. It’s not something I take for granted. If anything, it makes me aware, more aware of all the people that have really contributed to my life, from childhood to my team that works on my behalf and is always looking to take advantage of the best opportunities, the opportunities that are fit for me. And so I’m I’m very grateful. The first one helped me get Green Book, you know. I don’t think if I had won I wasn’t just getting offers like that, you know; and so to to get an Oscar for Moonlight, it changes your profile. It changes it gets you in other rooms, and it shines a light on your work; and then suddenly you could have been around for 15, 20 years and suddenly people notice you; and so I’m really grateful for that, because I’ve been wanting to work and expand and stretch. I have been wanting to stretch my legs for a really long time, and this was the first time I got to stretch my legs.

Q: You kind of touched on what I was going to ask you a little bit about the failing and succeeding. And then I just wanted to know what was your thinking when you after Moonlight the time that it takes to come to now. Did you ever feel that failing and succeeding from, like, Moonlight to now, or did some things that you thought would happen since Moonlight didn’t happen? Can you speak to those things?

MA: My life is has changed tremendously since in two years. My daughter just had her second birthday two days ago, you know; and I was busy in that time, you know, working. But I think when I say success and failing, I think of them as the same thing, in that as long as you walk away having been improved, having learned from the experience, that it’s all an education, you know. And and so there’s things that I try in my work where I personally watch, and I feel like it worked; or sometime I feel like it doesn’t, it didn’t work. And and I try not to be too hard on myself, but I got to just go for it, and take chances and commit and see how things turn out all with the goal of improving, and growing, and being stretched, and also just making a contribution. I just want to feel like I’m being productive with my time on this earth, you know; and because I just don’t take that for granted. And so I will continue to fail, and I’ll hopefully continue to succeed; and, but I and continue to make my best efforts, and to do the best work that I could possibly do, and be the best person I can be.


NOTES ON THE SCORECARD:

Past Media Guy Oscars Backstage Columns: 2018 – 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012

The Big Four — Oscar-winners Rami Malek, Olivia Colman, Regina King, Mahershala Ali pose in the Press Room with their Oscar for Achievement in acting:

Getty Images / Rick Rowell

Jennifer Lopez outs the finishing touches on her makeup backstage.

Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler goof around backstage.

Lady Gaga sips champagne as Bradley Cooper looks on.

Instead of breaking the rules, I took a portrait in front of the step and repeat the day before the Sunday telecast:

I met five-time Academy Award nominee Amy Adams – what a delight:

Q: Does the Adapted Screenplay win makes up for the Do the Right Thing loss at the 1990 Oscars and the Academy overlooking it for a Best Picture nomination (Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture the year).

Spike Lee: “I’m snake bit. Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose – but they changed the seating arrangement!”

©A.M.P.A.S.

Rami Malek celebrates with the bubbly:

That Julia Roberts Smile:

©A.M.P.A.S.

James Bond and the Atomic Blonde:

©A.M.P.A.S.

Captain America discusses the weather with JLo:

©A.M.P.A.S.

The post Backstage at the Oscars: 2019 appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

9Oscars winner Allison Janney and Gary Oldman during Saturday rehearsals.

Best Picture
Green Book
Media Guy Thoughts: The outrage police will be patrolling Twitter when this one wins. A Green Book win could set the Oscars back a few years. All of the so-called progress that occurred with the Shape of Water, Moonlight, and 12 Years A Slave victories might be destroyed. The hate Green Book has generated throughout awards season is might be enough to break Twitter when Peter “I flashed Cameron Diaz” Farrelly and Nick “Muslims celebrated on 9/11” Vallelonga get on the Dolby Theatre stage to accept their award.


Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close, The Wife
Media Guy Thoughts: How she didn’t win for Fatal Attraction will never be explained.  No other actress has ever been nominated seven times without a win. This is her seventh nom. The Academy doesn’t like those kind of streaks.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Media Guy Thoughts: At all of the Oscars events where actual voters are present, I spoke with about 40 (out of 50) who said they voted for Malek. In other words, in a sample of this size, it’s as close to a lock as possible.

Amy Adams and I have six Oscars noms and two Emmy wins, combined

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Media Guy Thoughts: Two wins in three years sounds about right.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Media Guy Thoughts: She was the critical darling taking the Big Three (New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association and National Society of Film Critics), plus she’s adored and respected. Ask one hundred critics and you will be hard-pressed to find anything but a positive story about King.

Directing
Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Media Guy Thoughts: They won’t give him Best Picture, but he will take this and also honors for Foreign Language Film.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Media Guy Thoughts: Spike won’t win the directing honors (at least he can’t say it’s a white thing) so this is the shot to get him his Oscar. Get ready for the drama.

The Oscars Swag Bag

What’s in the 2019 Oscars Swag Bag? Win or lose, all of the nominees are gifted swag bags filled with luxury travel packages, world-class beauty products, fine art, jewelry and even the opportunity
to give back to charities.

The “Everyone Wins” nominee gift bags were crafted by Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets, who says “Every human being, regardless of career or fame, appreciates a great gift. While our ‘Everyone Wins’ Gift Bag is certainly not given based on need, it is put together with a profound sense of gratitude for the incredible performances these talented individuals gave all of us this year.”

Here are some of the highlights:

One of a kind custom stained glass portrait created by glass master and artist John Thoman.

Pure Organic Maple Syrup and Glamour Gourmet Gift Set: gourmet maple products with recipes.

Millianna’s interpretation of pop culture and fashion is infused with inspiration from historical eras such as Elizabethan England and various art movements. The company employs women from the World Relief Spokane Refugee Organization to make their pieces which provides the women with meaningful work while they resettle in the US.

Nominees (and a guest) can enjoy a luxury small-ship adventure with International Expeditions. Choose one of four: an adventure to Iceland, the Galapagos, the Amazon or Costa Rica and Panama.

Proceeds from every Love Is Stronger Than Hate merchandise purchases will provide hope and healing to communities impacted by tragedy through the Stars of HOPE therapeutic arts program and the New York Says Thank You Foundation.

The post Oscars Week 2019: My Picks appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Okay, so where am I? 

I’ve been a little fidgety because the Oscars seem so late this year. I mean I can’t recall the last time the show was as late at March 4th. But today is where my dreams soar while I settle into my spot on the red carpet (which as you all should know is actually a burgundy shade of red) of the Academy Awards®. I mean, I only have three scripts written (two for film and two for television), but I sincerely believe that somehow one of these will become the perfect blend of compelling, emotional, heartfelt, and ultimately Oscar-worthy. Let it be noted that I don’t want to be like that dude Terry Bryant who tried to steal Frances McDormand’s statuette at the Governor’s Ball. I want to earn my own.

I hope more watch the telecast though. This year the show lasted nearly four hours and tumbled 19 percent from 2017 with only 26.5 million viewers. That’s easily the least-watched Oscars in history, trailing 2008 by more than 5 million. Yikes!

This still a far better audience than I received from my agent. I’ve been waiting for his promises to be fulfilled since we talked about traveling to Beirut together in 2006. Alas, I’m going it on my own and every year I feel like I’m being chased by the Revenant bear. I was told once that you have to persevere to success.

Here’s to perseverance…

So for the seventh straight year, and without further ado, here’s my take on the happenings backstage at the 90th Academy Awards:

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

A. Thank you. Don’t give me anymore attention because it will all go to my head. Come on. Ask away. I’m ready. I’m ready.

Q. Please explain your comment at the end, the two words “inclusion rider.”

credit: Michael Yada / A.M.P.A.S.

A. Right. I just found out about this last week. There is — has always been available to all everybody that get — that does a negotiation on a film, an inclusion rider which means that you can ask for and/or demand at least 50 percent diversity in not only the casting, but also the crew. And so, the fact that we — that I just learned that after 35 years of being in the film business, it’s not — we’re not going back. So the whole idea of women trending, no. No trending. African Americans trending, no. No trending. It changes now, and I think the inclusion rider will have something to do with that. Right? Power in rules.

Q. I want to ask you about a bit of a follow up to that question. The tone of the evening, obviously it’s about awards, but there was certainly throughout the evening the idea that this was a different Oscars than in the past because of what has happened since October.

A. No. It actually was it happened way before that. I think that what happened last year, you know, with Moonlight winning the best picture, that’s when it changed. And it had to be acknowledged. That had to be acknowledged, and it was acknowledged in the best possible way. Not just by, you know, fixing the mistake, but actually recognizing that that won Best Picture. Moonlight won Best Picture of 2017.

Q. It was about the idea that this evening was sending a message because of the activities that have happened and the revelations and women being brave enough to speak out since October. Did you feel that was handled properly and enough this evening?

A. Well, yeah. You know, it was really interesting because like I said, feeling like I was Chloe Kim doing back to back 1080s in the halfpipe, I was — I don’t do everything. As you know, I don’t show up all the time. I only show up when I can and when I want to, but I was there at the Golden Globes and it’s almost like there was an arc that started there. It doesn’t end here. But I think publicly as a commercial, because that’s what we are ‑‑ this is not ‑‑ this is not a novel.. This is a TV show after all, but I think that the message that we’re getting to send to the public is that we’re going to be one of the small industries that try to make a difference. And I think $21 million in the legal defense fund is a great way to start. And the commission that’s being headed by Anita Hill, that’s really smart. See, we didn’t just — we didn’t just put out commercials about it. We actually started a conversation that will change something.

Q. Okay. Three Billboards has started a movement. Have you seen the billboards all over the world?

A. Oh, are you kidding? Off the screen and on to the street. Really exciting.

Q. Talk about that. I want to hear what your comment is about that.

A. Well, you know, recently my husband and I were in London at the BAFTAs, and we went to the Tate Modern and we saw an exhibition about the Russian Revolution — Russian Revolution and the propaganda that was used. Now, that revolution did not go so well, so we don’t want to think too much about that. But the red and black is a really, really good choice. And Martin McDonagh knew that. He was involved in the choice with the with the set design of the film to use that kind of iconography, and I think that idea that activists are taking that kind of statement and putting it out there billboards still work. They still work. So I think that it’s really exciting. It started actually with the Grenfell Tower fires investigation. Then it leapfrogged to the Miami gun control situation. It was outside the UN about the Syrian situation. You know, it’s a kind of — that’s the kind of power that an image can have. And that’s what we’re making. We’re making powerful images.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Q. You asked Kazu makeup artist to work with and why do you think he’s special? Computer graphic can’t replace his work.

A. Do I think the computer graphic can replace his work?

Q. Yeah.

credit: Michael Yada / A.M.P.A.S.

A. I hope not. You know, the ‑‑ the clothes, makeup and clothes are the things that ‑‑ are the closest things to the actor. And they actually touch the actor.  And they are the first people that you meet in the morning and they are really ‑‑ they are vital individuals that you interact with to ‑‑ I’ve done motion capture and you are in a gray void with no costume, and they then CG it on you later.  So to lose that kind of connection, you know, we really ‑‑ we worked as a team. And plus, it’s always easier, I think, to throw something out because something new comes along. You know, just because you can.   mean, he’s a consummate artist and it was really my ‑‑ once I had stepped off the ledge, as it were, with Joe Wright, I said to Joe, it’s contingent on getting Kazuhiro because, for me, he was really the only person on the planet that could have ‑‑ that could have pulled it off. I mean, I think he delivered.  Yeah.

Q. It’s been almost a year since we were in Vegas, and you said if you ‑‑ if they will offer the Oscar, you wouldn’t say no.  So what it really means to finally get it?

A. I didn’t say no.

Q. What it means, what it means for you an Oscar, to win an Oscar?

A. I think for this role, it’s got a sort of special — it feels like it has a special significance. I can’t say what it would be like to win an Oscar in any other year. But winning an Oscar for playing arguably one of the greatest Britons who ever lived. To win it for playing Winston makes it doubly special. Does that make sense? And this film and this company of actors and Joe, working again with Sarah Greenwood and Jacquie Durran and those actors on the set, it was a very — it’s been an unforgettable experience and a highlight of my career.

Q. What is it like for you meeting so many young actors and young filmmakers that have looked up to you in their youth and throughout their career and are getting to share the stage with you tonight?

A. I think we are — the thing that I — one of the lessons that I learned from — from John Hurt, the late John Hurt, God bless him. When I was a younger man, went to the cinema, I looked up at, you know, Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay and Alan Bates and Peter O’Toole, and Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, they were all sort of my heroes. We are links in a chain, you know. I’m thrilled for Chalamet. He’s a lovely kid. I mean, he really is. He’s a kid. And he’s a charmer. Hugely talented. And I said to him tonight, in the words of Armie, You will be back. You know, he’s got — this is probably it for me. He’s got years. He’s got years yet.

Q. This movie seems to be a lot about facing up to great fears and great obstacles. Do you think people can relate to that in their lives apart from, like, politics and stuff like on a personal level so they connect to it in the movie?

A. We all have — I think we can all relate to — I mean, Joe has said that there’s part of the movie that is about doubt. But those insecurities and fears, we do things — we want to do things with the best intentions. I would like to give people the benefit of the doubt and say that they are motivated by a good heart, and, you know, they have the best intentions. You know, but when you are in a position like, I think, Winston is in like he was in 1940, we see in the movie he sends 4,000 men to their death to save 300,000. And when you are in that big chair, making those decisions, though in war, those are the types of things — those are the types of decisions that you have to make, and then of course I don’t know how you then sleep soundly in your bed on the evening of the day when you sent 4,000 innocent men to their death. But you walk — you walk in those shoes. And I think that we can all    we — not that extent, but, you know, most people, I think, you know, in the audience, they have got financial worries. They have got children. They are trying to put the kids through college or they have illness or sickness in their family. We’ve all got — and certainly, I know that I, you know, there are regrets and things. And you — you know, that’s the worst thing you can do as an artist is you can edit yourself and second guess, but I still sometimes have that little demon on my — that little voice talking to me like that kid, you know, Mrs. Torrance.

Q. If Winston Churchill were alive today, what advice would you think he would give the leaders of the world?

A. Oh, my heavens. He would probably 

Q. Impeach Trump?

A. He would what?

Q. Impeach Trump?

A. Maybe. My God, he would give him a good talking to, wouldn’t he?

Q. What would he say?

A. Well, none of them look at history. He was a big believer that you’ve learned — that you’ve looked at history to move forward. There’s an — actually, there’s an interesting thing. There was sort of a survey done, and the children were asked about Winston Churchill, and not just — I’m not talking about nine or ten year olds, I’m talking about, you know, young, young sort of college people. And a great many of them thought that he was either a soldier in the First World War or he was a dog in a TV commercial in Britain, and there is a TV commercial called Churchill, and it’s a bulldog, and he talks. It’s an insurance company called Churchill. And we don’t — we don’t teach history anymore, do we? They don’t know anything about it.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Q. Could you tell us more about the process? How you embodied the character? How you started working on that role?

credit: Michael Baker / A.M.P.A.S.

A. Oh, it’s so boring, but if you want to hear it, I can tell you the whole — you know, it’s like a big soufflé or a stew. You throw in some potatoes and some carrots in there and you work with an amazing dialect coach like Liz Himelstein who worked with Gary Oldman and Margot and Terry Knickerbocker, my acting coach. And I did some ride alongs with some cops, Josh McMullin in Southern Missouri. Liz Himelstein taped two cops, actually. There was a guy named Demer [phonetic] in L.A. I did a ride along with him. And I met with this skin graft doctor who introduced me to some burn victims, actually. I mean, but the thing is, that’s if you have luxury, the luxury of time, you know, which you don’t always have for a part. And then I worked with Martin and but sometimes you get a part and you only have a week or a couple days to prepare. I heard that Jeremy Renner only had four days to prepare to play Jeffrey Dahmer, which is a lot, if you are playing Jeffrey Dahmer, you know. So I had the advantage that I had, like, two or three months. And so I got to indulge in all this research. And so it was a lot of fun. So that’s the long answer to your short question.

Q. You said a wonderful thing about the arc of your character being Barney Fife going into Travis Bickle.

A. Yes, yes.

Q. I’d love to ask, in any way, was Barney Fife and the great Don Knotts any inspiration to you as an actor throughout your career?

A. Absolutely. I mean that when I say Barney Fife and, you know, the town of Ebbing is very much like Mayberry, and Woody Harrelson’s character is very much like the Andy Griffith character. And, in fact, I could be wrong about this, check your facts, but I think we shot in Sylva, North Carolina and I think Mayberry was shot there, but I could be wrong about that. But, you know, the goofiness of Barney Fife, the kind of hapless thing of Barney Fife, and then his transition into somebody else was just sort of — Travis Bickle was kind of a — Barney Fife to Travis Bickle was kind of a generalization, but it’s a lot more complicated than that, obviously, but, you know, yeah.

Q. You dedicated your win to Phil Hoffman. 

A. Oh, you caught that, good.

Q. So I’m curious, as a friend and as a colleague, tell me, you know, what he meant to you, how he inspired you.

A. Well, I guess you want to start making me cry, but he’s, yeah, he was an old friend of mine, and he directed me in a play at the Public Theater and, yeah, he was very close to me and he was an inspiration to all of my peers. You know, people like Jeffrey Wright, Billy Crudup, Liev Schreiber, you know, you know, everybody. Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin. I mean, whoever was in my age range, Phil Hoffman was the guy. And he was a great director and he believed in doing theater. In fact, he was — he vowed to do a play a year, which I don’t know if he got to do because he was very busy doing movies, but he was a great inspiration and a great theater director. And I don’t know if anybody knows, he was a bit of a jock. He was a wrestler, and he played basketball, and he inspired me. And I could go on for an hour about Phil Hoffman. Philip Seymour Hoffman was a good friend and he was a huge, huge inspiration on me. Yeah.

Q. I stopped counting at 21 the awards that you won. So do you count them at all and do you feel that those were like billboards saying, Sam, you’re going to win the Oscars now?

A. No, but that sounds like a really cool dream, but no, no.

Q. Can you talk about, specifically, your character and whether you take that criticism on or was that how you dealt with it and your sense of that?

A. Well, yeah. I mean, it’s a complicated issue, but, I mean, Kareem Abdul Jabbar wrote an article that was really amazing sort of defending the movie as far as that goes and it was really eloquent. I didn’t realize he’s like a cultural professor, which I didn’t know, in addition to being like a basketball icon, and that was a great article that articulated everything. And I think for me, you know, the whole thing is that, you know, they have a lot of work to do, Mildred and Dixon. It’s not like they are like all of a sudden redeemed at the end of the movie. They have, you know, a lot of work to do and maybe some therapy, you know. It’s an ongoing thing, you know. So, and it’s also it’s a movie and it’s a dark fairytale of some sorts. And so it’s like, it’s not necessarily — in real life we probably would have gone to prison, both of our characters, so, you know. That’s — that’s sort of how I see it.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Q. So winning an Oscar by yourself with no one’s help, that’s an awesome feat. So now that you’ve won this big honor on your own, how are you going to change on a day-to-day basis?

A. I have to be at a table read for Mom at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. So I am going right back to work, and I will ‑‑ I am so happy that I have a job to go to after something like this.  Because it could go to your head, and then tomorrow to wake up and feel ‑‑ and have nothing to do and have this whole journey be over. Starting in September when we premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and the whole journey we’ve been through is extraordinary. And it’s going to be ‑‑ I’m going to have a big crash down after this.  So I’m happy that I have Mom ‑‑ the people at MOM to lift me up and keep me ‑‑ keep me going and keep me focused. And I’m just happy to have a job to go to tomorrow. But this is extraordinary. Thank you.

credit: Michael Yada / A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Hi.  So where did trophies ‑‑ I mean, you have a ton of Emmys. You’ve got every award leading up to this one this year. Now you have an Oscar. Was that ever part of your fantasy of what your acting career was going to be like? Or is this like this great side effect?

A. I certainly ‑‑ I kind of didn’t dare to dream of things like this, because I didn’t want to be disappointed. And I think at a certain point, I had given up thinking this would happen for me because I just wasn’t getting the kind of roles in film that would give me attention like this, and that’s what my very good friend Steven Rogers did for me. He says he did it ‑‑ wrote this for me to do just that, to show a different side of me and show that I could ‑‑ what I could do, and I will never be able to repay him. It’s an extraordinary gift he gave me. It’s kind of overwhelming.  I think I’m going to get him a Rolex. I don’t know. What do you think? And engrave it on the back. I haven’t figured out what, but I’ve got to get him a good present. That’s a start at least.

Q. You’ve spoken about using your inner critic. But what is your inner voice saying right now?

A. “Bravo.  Good going, girl.  I’m proud of you.”

Q. We’re asking what makes a great story?

A. Oh, God. What makes a great story?  Fully realized characters, characters with ‑‑ who have big needs, wants, desires that butt up against people who don’t want them to have them.  Definitely great characters and great writing.  Great writing is key. That’s why I’m ‑‑ when I read a script as an actress that I get excited about like I, Tonya, American Beauty or Juno, things that ‑‑ or West Wing I’ve gotten to do. That just gets me so ‑‑ it makes me want to come alive, and I feel like I come alive when I do all different roles I’ve gotten to do.  And it’s how I feel the most tethered to the earth, and I feel a communicator when I’m sit‑ ‑‑ telling others’ stories. And great storytellers are great writers, and I like telling ‑‑ I like telling stories.

Q. Can you talk us through a little bit of what it was like working with Margot Robbie and director Craig Gillespie?

A. Craig Gillespie?  Yeah. I met them both ‑‑ well, I met Margot the day before I started shooting, and I really ‑‑ I only had eight days to shoot this role with them because I was doing Mom, and I was rehearsing for Six Degrees of Separation, the Broadway play I did last spring.  I’ve never been more busy as I was last year, so when this came together, I had no time to do it, and all of the producers made it happen, the producers of Mom and Six Degrees and Margot and Tom and Bryan, Bryan Unkeless and Tom Ackerley of LuckyChap.  They made it happen for me, and they’re extraordinary.

Margot has ‑‑ she’s kind of a phenomenon. Because I have no head for business whatsoever. All I know how to do was be emote [sic] and do my act. But she’s got this great head for business and a beautiful heart and an artist’s soul and a heart. And she’s remarkable, and I cannot wait to see what she’s going to accomplish in her career. She’s, you know, 20‑nothing, and she’s done this unbelievable performance in I, Tonya, and she’s going to do extraordinary things. They’re both ‑‑ and Craig’s just ‑‑ he killed this movie. He just killed it.  And I mean killed in a good way. He just nailed it. He knew how to ‑‑ he knew how to get just ‑‑ was a running freight train. We had no time to shoot it, and he had the best sense of humor and best attitude, and knew how to grab things on the fly. And he’s just ‑‑ remarkable man. They’re both ‑‑ I’ve never even been to Australia, but I’ve got to go now.  Because, I ‑‑ yeah.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH:
Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water
Best Picture and Directing

Q. At the Golden Globes I asked you about how you balance the light and darkness and you said, “I met somebody.”

A. Yes.

credit: Michael Baker / A.M.P.A.S.

Q. And you created a meme that’s gone all around the world and affected millions of people. So the question is how do we keep that ‑‑ how do we help you keep that going? How do we stop the scapegoating of Mexico and really reaffirm your unique and magnificent culture?

A. I think every time we can demonstrate in any forum, be it sports, science, art, culture, anywhere, what we have to bring to the world discourse, to the world conversation, is extremely important, and it’s extremely important when we do it to remember where we’re from, because it’s honoring your roots, honoring your country. Now I’m going ‑‑ my next stop is I’m going to see my mom and my dad this week.  I’m going back home with these two ‑‑ with these two babies.

Q. Congratulations. You spoke fondly about Fox Searchlight on stage, and I wonder if you know anything about the studio’s future? Have you talked to anybody at Disney about it? Have they reached out to you? What can you say about that?

A. As they say here, it’s above my pay rate. Way above my pay rate. But what I know is I’m continuing conversations with them about future projects, you know, and you form bonds with a studio, but you form bonds with individuals, with people that support you. And whatever that I ask for, it goes or stays, you continue creating.

Q. How is this a victory for Hollywood North and the production going on in Canada?  So much of this was done in Toronto.

A. What I will say when we started this, Miles [J. Miles Dale] and I, we talked very, very seriously about creating this movie with heads of departments from Canada. We wanted to ‑‑ you know, I’ve been there working for more than half a decade continuously, and I wanted to ‑‑ we wanted to show the talent and showcase the talent of the HODs in Canada and make it something where you don’t go and use a rebate and escape. You know, you go to use the talent, you go to have the artistry, you go to have the complicit creation with everybody there.

Q. Before the movie was released, you said that you didn’t dare to dream about the Oscar, but if you had the chance you wouldn’t dare to write a speech and prepare that.  So my question is: Did you do it? Did you write it? Did you think about doing it? And what did you have left to say?

A. The only time I wrote a speech was on the beginning, and I pulled out the paper and I couldn’t read it and, you know, I was sweating into my eyes, and I started just speaking from the heart. So, what I wanted to do ‑‑ what I did here is the same.  I thought, you know, I’m going to get there, and if I have a little piece of paper and I count down, it’s horrible because you see the numbers.  So just talk about what you’re feeling at that moment.

Q. I’m wondering why it is ‑‑ why did you choose Baltimore?

A. You know, I fell in love ‑‑ when I was a kid I fell in love with one of the primal trilogies in cinema for me, Barry Levinson’s Baltimore trilogy, you know, and I loved the setting. And I know we screwed up with the accent.  I’m very, very, very aware with that, but what I wanted was to capture that flavor.  You know, it’s such an interesting mixture, the Catholic, the industrial, how near is to the ocean, all those things, and for me it was mythical.  Levinson invented so many things in those films, and particularly important for The Shape of Water was the Tin Men and the Cadillacs in Tin Men and how they represent America, and that isn’t there.  You know, I think that those three films, Avalon, Diner and Tin Men are fabulous landmarks of American cinema. And then the John Waters, man.

NOTES ON THE SCORECARD:

Past Media Guy Oscars Backstage Columns: 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012

The Big Four — Oscar-winners Sam Rockwell, Frances McDormand, Allison Janney and Gary Oldman pose backstage with their Oscar for Achievement in acting:

credit: Michael Yada / A.M.P.A.S.

Emma Stone checking out her phone, or lines, or her massive bank account:

The rare double: Kobe Bryant (with director Glen Keane) now has an Academy Award and an NBA MVP for Dear Basketball as Best Animated Short Film:

credit: Matt Sayles / A.M.P.A.S.

Jordan Peele and Nicole Kidman share a winners’ chat backstage:

There was extra attention on the Envelopes this year:

Helen Mirren — in her fourth dress — falls in love with Uncle Oscar all over again:

Finally, my favorites from the red carpet:

The installation..

JLaw, I can’t quit you…

Daniel Kaluuya staying Get Out character the entire time…

As I did in 2017, I sneaked across the red carpet to the Oscars’ step and repeat… What a rush… I feel like I robbed a bank, again!:

Allison Williams being interviews with cue cards behind her…

Jordan Peele’s smile…

Emma Stone’s Laugh…

Armie Hammer going out of his way to prove he was acting in Call Me By Your Name during the entire red carpet experience…

Margot Robbie’s Greetings…

The happiest couple I saw — Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb…

With these captures from a special night, I hope to see you for my eighth straight year with an update from my new agent — because my new agent went silent for the last 25 months. Poor me!

The post Backstage at the Oscars: 2018 appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Before I get to my picks I need to pat myself on the back. Since I started covering the Oscars seven years ago, let it be noted my picks have been correct to the tune of 45 out of 53 in the major categories! At 84.9%, that warrants a regular trip to Vegas or London to book some bets. That is, uh, if I gambled. Now that the shameless promotion is over, here’s the Media Guy choices for the telecast on Sunday:

Best Picture
Get Out
Media Guy Thoughts: I have a feeling it’s time for the Oscars to honor a movie like this, plus who would want to be the person or company reaped the profits from a movie that has grossed over $250 million off a $4 million production budget? SPOILER ALERT: Who didn’t lose it when Daniel Kaluuya found all of this old boyfriend pictures in the closet? I’d go with The Shape of Water but Splash and Creature from the Black Lagoon are already better.

Kobe and I have 33,643 combined NBA points.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Media Guy Thoughts: Easiest choice on the board.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Media Guy Thoughts: If Get Out gets on a role, then this pick won’t make it.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Media Guy Thoughts: He’s won everything else.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Media Guy Thoughts: She’s won everything else and a boatload of Emmys.

Directing
Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird
Media Guy Thoughts: #TimesUp

Animated Short Film
Dear Basketball
Media Guy Thoughts: Kobe Bryant has home court advantage. Go Lakers!

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Jordan Peele, Get Out
Media Guy Thoughts: If is Get Out’s year then Jordan Peele wins directing and Greta Gerwig wins this one. So, I’m hedging my bets and going Peele here.

The Oscars Swag Bag

I think it’s pretty funny that the what’s perceived as the official Oscars swag bag really has no association with the Oscars. This is true to the point were in 2016, the Academy sued Distinctive Assets for trademark infringement (they have since settled).

Since the legal extras, Distinctive Assets has also toned it down its extravagant image, taking the value of each bag from its high of $230,000 down to the current overall value around $100,000. Ad, oh, you have to pay taxes on the bag if you opt to take it! Highlights include:

• 12-night Tanzania vacation for two…The package from International Expeditions is the most expensive gift at more than $40,000. The journey includes spa services, a private safari guide, wild game drives and a hot air balloon safari with champagne breakfast.
• Week-long stay at the Golden Door spa…The relaxing San Diego retreat goes for $8,850 and the spa donates 100% of net profits to children’s advocacy organizations.
• Six-night and seven-day stay at Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu in Kauai…Nominees and their guests get to stay in a two-bedroom villa with an ocean view. Additional perks include a zipline adventure and helicopter tour.
• 10,000-bowl donation from Halo, Purely For Pets…Donations are made in the nominee’s name to an animal shelter or rescue of their choice. $8,000. 
• Luxury false lashes from Le Céline

• A commitment from Jarritos iconic Mexican soda to donate a pallet of soft drinks to a charitable event of the nominee’s choice
• A lifetime supply of Oxygenetix Breathable Foundation and Hydro-MatrixALLÉL DNA-based skincare
• Avaton Luxury Villas Resort Greek beachfront escape
• BANGARANG Positive Cube
• Blush & Whimsy magical color changing lipstick
• Chao Pinhole Gum Rejuvenation
• Charleston & Harlow candles
• Chocolatines’ edible 16-piece jewelry box
• Cook Yourself Happy: The Danish Way cookbook
• Curlee Girlee children’s empowerment book
• Dandi Patch amazing underarm sweat patches
• Delicacies Candy & Confections organic & vegan lollipops
• D.Thomas Clinic Signature DNA Head-to-Toe Treatments
• DNA kit from 23andMe
• Fresh crate of California oranges from EpiFruit
• Esther Fairfax Lotte Berk Barre Method private group class
• Face It makeup remover combo kit
• Happiest Tee luxury t-shirts
• Hydroxycut Organic weight loss supplements
• Inception of Beauty 10-piece makeup brush set
• Justice For Vets Challenge Coin
• Kalliope NYC Phobia Relief Expert
• Liwu Jewellery inspired by ancient Celtic symbols and Chinese calligraphy
• Look Fabulous Forever Prime Collection
• Luxura Diamonds limited edition conflict-free diamond necklace
• My Magic Mud activated charcoal whitening toothpaste
• M·Y·O Cosmetic Cases
• MZ Skin Collagen Eye Mask and Golden Eye Treatment
• “99 Creative Wows – Words of Wisdom for Business Celebrity” Creativity Kit
• Non-invasive full face skin rejuvenation from Nurse Gigi
• No. 9 Daily Chemical Exfoliant from Oumere Skin Care
• Paiva Aloe Gorgeous! luxury cleanser and mask fusion
• Personal training sessions with celebrity trainer Alexis Seletzky
• Posh Pretzels gourmet gift box
• PROVEN AI-based personalized skincare based on the Beauty Genome Project
• Quincy Herbals SlimMax Detox Tea
• Quip beautifully simple electric toothbrush
• Reian Williams Fine Art
• Rouge Maple pure organic maple syrup
• Safi Kilima Tanzanite bolo bracelets
• Southern Wicked Lemonade all-natural lemonade moonshine
• The Green Garmento Gigantote
• TOTALEE hair care products
• Vaya Tyffyns stainless steel lunchboxes
• Wetsleeve wearable hydration on-the-go
• Youth Blast anti-aging supplement

The post Oscars Week 2018: My Picks appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

It’s the last Sunday in February which can only mean that I’m walking the Academy Red Carpet (which is actually a burgundy shade) of the Academy Awards®, snapping pictures with my new Canon 70D and trolling backstage looking for juicy quotes and pictures for this annual report.

Before I go much further, let it noted at my picks were correct to the tune of eight for nine. And, if Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty had their way, I would have been nine for nine. Regardless that makes me 45 out of 53 in the last six years!

So, in case you missed it, La La Land joins the Hillary Clinton, the Cleveland Indians, Atlanta Falcons, and the Golden State Warriors in the list of sure winners who clutched defeat from the jaws of victory over the last year.

Without further droning on, here’s my take on the happenings backstage at the 89th Academy Awards:

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Emma Stone, La La Land
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Q. I just wonder how will you celebrate tonight and who will you call first after the show?

A. My mom for sure. And I’m going to go out with a bunch of my friends and dance and drink champagne. That’s pretty much the only plan.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone backstage at the 2017 Oscars.

Q. What does it mean to you as one of the ones who dreamed to have won this award for playing this role that mimics what so many people in this city go through to get to the point of where you are standing right now?

A. Well, it’s I guess surreal is probably the only way to describe it.  It was ‑‑ I mean, to play this ‑‑ this woman, I knew this ‑‑ I’ve lived here for 13 years.  I moved when I was 15 to start auditioning, and I knew what it felt like to go on audition after audition. So I mean anything like this was pretty inconceivable in a ‑‑ you know, in a realistic context. So right now, it still feels ‑‑ I had a really creepy little moment backstage ‑‑ not to change the subject ‑‑ but I was just like looking down at it, like it was my newborn child. This is a statue of a naked man. Very creepy staring at it. So hopefully I will look at a newborn child differently. But I mean it’s, yeah, it’s incredibly surreal. I don’t have the benefit of hindsight yet. Sorry if that’s a terrible answer.  Turned it into a naked man story.

Q. How are you doing? You know it’s a dream you have to get an Oscar. Did you ever dream like that? And what is the dream when they announce you as the Best Picture, La La Land, and it didn’t win?

A. Okay.  So yes, of course.  I’m an actor.  I’ve always dreamt of this kind of thing, but again, not in a realistic context.  And for that, I fucking love Moonlight. God, I love Moonlight so much. I was so excited for Moonlight. And of course, you know, it was an amazing thing to hear La La Land.  I think we all would have loved to win Best Picture, but we are so excited for Moonlight. I think it’s one of the best films of all time. So I was pretty beside myself. I also was holding my Best Actress in a Leading Role card that entire time. So, whatever story ‑‑ I don’t mean to start stuff, but whatever story that was, I had that card. So I’m not sure what happened. And I really wanted to talk to you guys first. Congratulations Moonlight.  Hell, yeah.

Q. Could you just speak a little bit to what the atmosphere was like after that nightmare?  I think the atmosphere in here was crazy.

A. I think everyone’s in a state of confusion still.  Excitement, but confusion. So there’s no real ‑‑ I don’t really have a gauge of the atmosphere quite yet. I need to, you know, check in.  But I think everyone is just so excited, so excited for Moonlight. It’s such an incredible film.

Q. How much does an Oscar cost in terms of sacrifice and discipline?

A. Oh, my God. Is that measurable? I don’t ‑‑ I don’t know. I guess it depends on the Oscar. For ‑‑ in my life, I have been beyond lucky with the people around me, with the friends and family that I have and the people that have lifted me up throughout my life. So in terms of sacrifice, those people are all sitting back in a room right now and I get to go celebrate with them, and it’s felt like the most joyous thing. So, I mean, being a creative person does not feel like a ‑‑ like a sacrifice to me.  It’s the great joy of my life. And so, I mean, I don’t know if that’s a, you know, a good answer to that question, but I’ve been very lucky in terms of that.

Q. I’m just wondering as a performer, as someone who’s been in Hollywood, you’ve experienced many things before. Are you able to give us sort of a word picture of what it was like?  I timed it by the way, two minutes and 30 seconds La La Land was Best Picture of the year. What was it like on stage when you first thought you won, you didn’t win? I know you are taking it in good stride and everything.

A. Again, I don’t know if this is a measurable question? Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool. We made history tonight. Craziest moment. And again, I mean, I don’t ‑‑ I don’t even know what to say. I think I’m still on such a buzzy train backstage that I was, you know, on another planet already. So this has all just felt like another planet.  But again, God I love Moonlight. I’m so excited. So, it’s, you know ‑‑ I think it’s an incredible outcome, but very ‑‑ a very strange happening for Oscar history.

Q. My question is do you feel like owing Emma Watson a drink or dinner to thank her for turning down the role?

A. Oh, my God, you know what?  She’s doing great. She’s the coolest. She’s Belle. I mean I think it’s all ‑‑ right? It’s all good. I think she’s amazing.

Q. Being on the top of the world right now, what does it humble you?

A. Well, you know, we had a nice little jarry moment that’s just, you know, it’s very ‑‑ it feels like real life. But everything kind of feels like real life.  Like this is an incredible, incredible honor. And you know, and in many ways game changing for me, personally, but it’s also just still me. And again, back to the people that I love, nothing changes when I go home.  Nothing is going to change at all. So I don’t know that there’s a humbling moment. It’s just already like feels ridiculous.  In the best way.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

credit: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Congratulations on your win tonight.  I’m really curious. What did you like about making this in Boston and, Casey, you returning there to make this film there?

A. Well, I like to work there because I know it so well and it still feels like home, so that’s sort of a bonus of getting to work on a movie that is in Boston. There’s also a certain familiarity that helps the work, I think. But, you know, Kenny [Kenneth Lonergan] writes with such incredible authenticity and specificity that it really was on the page, the whole feel of the place and the characters and everything. So I could have been from anywhere else and I think I would have got it.

Q. You said something along the lines of you wished you had something meaningful to say. You said something fairly meaningful yesterday at the Independent Spirit Awards, but we were led to believe that this was going to be a very political Oscars, but it didn’t quite turn out that way. So why do you think that was?

A. Why was it that there weren’t that many people who made remarks that were political? I think there were quite a few people who made some ‑‑ said some things that were sort of about their current global political situation and they’re also about ‑‑ you know, but were from a point of view of artists and they spoke about the importance of arts and so forth. I don’t know why
more people didn’t. It doesn’t entirely seem like an inappropriate place given the state of things. It seems like this is just as fine a platform as any to make some remarks so long they are respectful and positive. Personally, I didn’t say anything because my head was completely blank, the shock of winning the award and the terror of having a microphone in front of you and all of those faces staring at you. So if I said I wish I had something meaningful to say, that was my inside voice coming out. I wasn’t even aware that I actually said that out loud. I didn’t thank my children, which is something that I’ll probably never ever live down. About three seconds after I made it backstage, my phone rang and my son said, “You didn’t even mention us.”  And my heart just sank. So, you know, that probably would have been the most meaningful thing I could have said and I failed.

Q. During your speech they took a shot of your brother, Ben, in the front and it looked like he was having tears in his eyes and started to tear up so I was wondering what it was like accepting the award in front of him and sort of a group of your loved ones, just the group right there?

A. It was very moving, and I include Kenny in that group of loved ones. And, obviously, my brother, to have him there, yeah, it was a nice moment. I wasn’t sure if he was just ‑‑ I saw those tears and I thought maybe I’m just not making a good speech and he was really disappointed. But I think he was probably touched, and I think that we are ‑‑ I mean, not to brag or anything, but I think we’re the only two brothers to win Academy Awards, ever.

Q. From almost the first major showing of this film, you were predicted to win this award, and I’m sure that that whole ride has been kind of crazy.  But how has it changed your expectation for what you could do as an artist?  How has it fed your future thoughts for where you’re going?

A. It’s only just reinforced the idea that I had going into it which was if you want to have a good performance or do good work, really, then you’d better work with good directors and good material because, let’s face it, that’s really what a good performance is, 90 percent of it. And this man is the best.

Q. We really enjoyed that brotherly moment between you and Ben, the great hug. What did he say to you before you took the stage or did he give you any advice before coming into this evening?

A. No, he didn’t. He didn’t actually say anything. He just hugged me. A lot of people have been giving me some grief for not thanking him in the past, but in a friendly way. He may have said “Have fun” or something.  It was really insightful, it was, “Be yourself.” You know, what is there really to say? I think that he has given me ‑‑ I’ve learned a lot from him because he’s been through a lot in this business and ups and downs and been under‑appreciated and, I don’t know, and then it’s been proven how great he is. So I definitely have had ‑‑ it’s been an advantage to be able to watch someone you love and you know so well go try to navigate the very tricky, rocky, sometimes hateful waters of being famous. And so I have learned a lot from him. But in that moment, I don’t think he said anything at all.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

credit: Michael Yada / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. Good evening. Over here. Congratulations.  Wow.  I guess we should have known that Moonlight was going to be the Best Picture when you walked away with the first Oscar of the evening. That was a good sign. You are the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar. This says a lot at this particular time in our history.  Could you speak to that, please?

A. Well, regardless of one’s theology or however you see life or relate to worshipping God, as an artist my job is the same and it’s to tell the truth, and try to connect with these characters and these people as honestly and as deeply as possible.  And so one’s spiritual practice I don’t ‑‑ I don’t necessarily feel like it’s as relevant unless it gives you a way into having more empathy for these people that you have to advocate for. So, but I’m ‑‑ I’m proud to own that. And I embrace that, you know.  But, again, I’m just an artist who feels blessed to have had the opportunities that I have had and try to do the most with every opportunity that’s come my way.

Q. The material is so personal to Tarell and Barry. How much pressure did you feel to get it right?

A. I think I always want to walk away from any project feeling like the writer, director was pleased with what I had to offer. And considering the personal nature of this project, I think that there was a heightened sense of ‑‑ there was a need that felt a little heightened to me to ‑‑ to get it truthful where they could walk away and feel ‑‑ feel like I really contributed to their film and didn’t screw it up considering that, you know, I was playing someone who had a ‑‑ who played a ‑‑ who had an extraordinary impact on Tarell’s life, and I’m actually glad I didn’t know till later more the details of that ‑‑ of Blue or Juan’s contribution to Tarell’s life, but it did.  It added a layer of pressure.

Q. First off, kind of what went through your head when you read the script to begin with because it was such a beautiful film? And, two, I obviously have to ask you about the Best Picture and kind of what went through your head hearing La La Land and then hearing Moonlight after all?

A. Well, I sincerely say that when I read the script, look, I don’t get to read everything, because there’s things that I’m just not remotely right for, you know.  Ryan Gosling and I read different scripts.  It’s just what it is, right? But in terms of the ‑‑ as far as the scripts that I’ve read in my 17 years of doing it professionally, Moonlight was the best thing that I’ve ‑‑ that has ever come across my desk. And that character for the time that he’s ‑‑ that he was on the page really spoke to my heart, and I felt like I could ‑‑ I could hear him, I could sort of envision his presence, and I could ‑‑ I really had a ‑‑ I had a real sense of who that person was, enough to start the journey. And I really wanted to be a part of that project, and I’m just so fortunate that it ‑‑ that Idris and David Oyelowo left me a job. You know, very, very kind of them.  So yeah, and then the second part of your question, you know, Moonlight ‑‑ excuse me, La La Land has done so well and it’s resonated with so many people, especially in this time when people need a sense of buoyancy in their life and need some hope and light. So that film has really impacted people sort of in that ‑‑ in a different ‑‑ in a very different way than Moonlight. And so when they ‑‑ when they ‑‑ when their name was read, I wasn’t surprised. And I am really happy for them. It’s a group of some extraordinary people in front of the camera and behind the camera.  So I was really happy for them. And then when I did see security or people coming out on stage and their moment was being disrupted in some way, I got really worried.  nd then when they said, you know, Moonlight was ‑‑ Jordan Horowitz said, Moonlight, you guys have won, it just threw me a bit because ‑‑ it threw me more than a bit, but, you know, I just didn’t ‑‑ I didn’t want to go up there and take anything from somebody, you know, and it’s very hard to feel joy in a moment like that, you know. But because somebody else just in front of them.  So, but I feel very fortunate to ‑‑ for all of us to have walked away with the Best Picture award. It’s pretty remarkable.

Q. And as home base for House of Cards, I have to ask you, what do you think your former boss, Frank Underwood, would have to say about your win tonight and about the way the whole thing ended this evening?

credit: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

A. “Bah humbug.”  No. Kevin, he’s been really supportive. I think it’s a film that ‑‑ that he really loved, and he’s told me. So, and they’ve been ‑‑ House of Cards is the reason I’m here, you know.  I’ve been working to that point 12 years, very steady employment for the most part, and then was finally able to be on something that ‑‑ that really resonated with people in a way that honestly was a real shift in ‑‑ in the culture.  House of Cards was the first binge‑watched show that was ever binge watched, and so to be a part of that and that being something that feels really authentic for our culture and a real option in how we view and absorb and embrace content, that was that show. And so that’s the reason I’ve been able to put certain things together and even have this moment because of the ‑‑ the four years I spent on House of Cards.

Q. Congratulations. I want to say congratulations. Remy Danton in House of Cards, Cottonmouth, Luke Cage, and now Moonlight, you seem to have very eclectic taste when it comes to picking your roles. Do you ‑‑ are you working on a project that you could share with us?  It will stay between you and us.

A. Well, there’s a project called Alita: Battle Angel that Robert Rodriguez is directing and James Cameron did in Austin. And I’m really excited about that.  I actually play two parts in that film. So ‑‑ so that ‑‑ that was a blast, and I literally wrapped that maybe two weeks ago. But then after that, I’m going to start something in a couple of months, you know, and just honestly excited to read scripts and to have meetings and hopefully work with some more extraordinarily talented people like Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, and this wonderful cast and crew of Moonlight and Hidden Figures, you know. So I just feel very, very blessed to have had this award season and this experience.

Q. So then, therefore, what is next for you? And also, who are some of your role models that you have idolized and you have patterned yourself after?

A. Okay. You don’t play. You ask those heavy questions. So as far as what’s next, I think I’m going to try this way. I’m going to just look for material that I am inspired by and that I respond to and just try to do my best work, you know, and keep it about the work, working with great directors and writers and other extraordinary talented actors, because, you know, you want to be around people who are better than you and who can lift you up where you have raise your game.  And I want to be inspired and just improve and do work that makes me uncomfortable, that scares me because anytime you get into the unknown, you get into that fearful space, that’s when you’re in new territory and you have the greatest opportunity to grow and improve as a talent or as an actor, an artist, and as a human being.  So I don’t really ‑‑ it’s very difficult to separate them for me, you know? So that’s how I would like to approach moving forward.  And I think you asked me about who inspired me?  Well, look, you know, we could talk about it till I’m some version of blue in the face, but the diversity topic, it’s very real in that when I was growing up ‑‑ I’m 43 years old, I was born in 1974, and there weren’t a lot of people on TV, you know, and there weren’t a lot of films. It was a big deal when ‑‑ when Billy Dee Williams was in Star Wars, like that was a big deal in my house and in my family, and it was somebody who was in the story that I could kind of attach to and say, Oh, wow, we’re present as well.  But for me, that person has always been Denzel Washington because, one, he’s just so damn talented; but, then, two, to see someone who comes from your tribe, so to speak, play at the level of all the other great ones and do it so well and be able to have ‑‑ articulate his voice and his talent in a way that was on par with the very best and he looks like you, too. You know what I mean, in that like, wow, there’s somebody who could be an uncle of mine. Like, those are things that ‑‑ that play in your mind as you ‑‑ as you move forward, you know. And also what I love about Denzel is not that he’s a great black actor, he’s a great actor. And I’ve never ‑‑ I’ve never looked at myself as a black actor. I’m an actor who happens to be African American, but I just want an opportunity to respond to material and bring whatever ‑‑ whatever I bring to it in some unique fashion, and that’s it. But basically short story long, Denzel.

BACKSTAGE INTERVIEW WITH:
Viola Davis, Fences
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

credit: Robert Gladden / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Q. You talked about how much your parents have supported you, and I’m just curious if there’s anything that they said to you when you were growing up that you kept with you and that you pass onto others.

A. That they loved me.  And my mom always said, “I knew the difference between an accountant and an actor,” but she was always okay with it.  You know, someone told me years ago, they said, “You have the best parents.”  I said, “I do?” And they said, “Yeah, because they’re okay with just letting you fly. They’re not stage parents.” And I think that’s the biggest gift my parents gave to me is to kind of allow me to live my own life. They weren’t living their dreams through me. So, yeah.

Q. How did playing Rose challenge you?

A. Everything about Rose challenged me. Rose just kind of seemingly just being sometimes at peace with being in the background was hard to play. Rose getting to a place of forgiveness was hard to play. I never hit it when I ‑‑ that last scene when I did 114 performances on stage, I didn’t understand the last speech when she said, you know, “I gave up my life to make him bigger.” I didn’t get that.  But what Rose has taught me is a lot of what my mom has taught me: That my mom has lived a really hard life, but she still has an abundance of love. And that’s the thing, you know.  That’s the thing about life. You go through it, and you ‑‑ just terrible things happen to you, beautiful things happen to you, and then you try to just stand up every day, but that’s not the point. The point is feeling all those things but still connecting to people, still being able to love people. And that was the best thing about playing Rose because I’m not there yet. Even at 51, sometimes I just kind of live in my anger.

Q. What would your TV alter ego Annalise Keating from How To Get Away With Murder might say about your Oscar win?

A. Oh, she would most definitely say, “I deserve this.” And then she would have some vodka. And in that we are very similar.

Q. I’ve heard about you. I’ve heard about August Wilson. I’ve heard about your parents. I’ve heard about the everyman. I want to know what Viola Davis ‑‑ not the black woman, not the woman ‑‑ but Viola, what are you feeling right now? What is going through your head right now? What is your experience?

credit: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

A. It’s easier to ask the alter ego. I feel good. You know, it’s not my style to just kind of wake up and go, “Oh, I’m an Oscar winner. Oh, my gosh, let me go for a run.”  You know. I’m good with it.  I’ll have some mac and cheese, and I’ll go back to washing my daughter’s hair tomorrow night.  But this is the first time in my life that I’ve stepped back ‑‑ and I’m going to try not to cry now. All of a sudden.  Be cheesy.  And I can’t believe my life. You know, I mean, my sister is here somewhere, and I grew up in poverty. You know, I grew up in apartments that were condemned and rat‑infested, and I just always sort of wanted to be somebody.  And I just wanted to be good at something. And so this is sort of like the miracle of God, of dreaming big and just hoping that it sticks and it lands, and it did. Who knew?  So I’m overwhelmed. Yeah.

Q. You said you wanted to be good at something.  You’re absolutely fantastic at it.  You completely tore me apart with your performance, and I absolutely love the film. What I want to know is what moment was it during those performances on stage when you started back in 2010 that you and Denzel said, “Maybe we should make a film out of this. Maybe we could do that.”

A. There was no moment, one moment on the stage. It’s the whole, every moment on the stage. The thing that I love about August Wilson is that he let’s people of color speak, and a lot of times I’m offered narratives where people will say a whole lot of things are happening in this scene, but it’s just not on the page. There’s no words. There’s no journey.  There’s no full realization of who we are. There’s no boldness. There’s no taking risks for being anything different. I love every moment of this film is about the beauty of just living and breathing and being human. And not didactic, not being a walking social message. They do that with us a lot, as people of color. Audiences love us when we represent something.  I just want to represent me, living, breathing, failing, getting up in the morning, dying, forgiveness. August was the inspiration. You know, and Denzel decided he was going to do the movie from the moment he was given the script. He just said, “Let me do the play first.” So that’s it.

Q. I’m very excited about your production company, JuVee Productions.  So tell me what you love about being a black woman.

A. Everything. I love my history. I love the fact I can go back and look at so many different stories of women that have gone before me who seemingly should not have survived, and they did.  And I love my skin. I love my voice. I love my history. Sometimes I don’t love being the spokesperson all the time, but so be it. That’s the way that goes, right? But at 51, I ‑‑ I’m ‑‑ I’m sort of loving me.

Q. What makes a great story?

A. What makes a great story? What makes a great story most definitely is fully realized characters, great writing, definitely, where you can ‑‑ where a character is introduced to you from the very beginning and they go on a journey that’s unexpected, and then they arrive someplace completely different from where they started. What makes a great story is the element of surprise.  And what makes a great story absolutely is if it has a central event that helps people connect to a part of themselves.  And in that, Fences had it all.  Because that’s what it’s about, right? You want to connect when you go and ‑‑ I mean, sometimes you want to eat the buttered popcorn and the Milk Duds and the Sour Patch Kids. I do that a lot too, and Diet Coke. But more often you want to be shifted in some way in your thinking in your feeling about who you are in the world, you know. That’s ‑‑ that would be a great story, yeah.

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH:
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Directing

credit: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Thank you so much. This is such an honor. I just want to first thank my fellow nominees. I was absolutely honored and floored to be in your company this year. So, Barry, Kenny, Mel, Denis—like, my eyes are searching, but I know you’re here somewhere. Just thank you for what incredible filmmakers you are and for inspiring me with your work every day. I want to thank the people who helped me make this movie. My crew, my team, everyone at Lionsgate for taking a chance on it. Ryan and Emma, for bringing it to life. John, for acting alongside them and now doing me very proud here on the stage. Thank you, John. And I want to thank Justin, who I’ve known since we were both 17, 18, I think. Justin, thank you for riding with me on this and carrying this dream forward and for never giving up. Thank you. I want to thank my family—my parents are in the crowd, my sister Anna—thank you for always believing in me. And finally, I want to thank Olivia, my love, sitting there. This was a movie about love, and I was lucky enough to fall in love while making it. And it means the world to me that you’re here sharing this with me. Thank you. Thank you so much.

NOTES ON THE SCORECARD:


Past Media Guy Oscars Backstage Columns: 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 – 2012

The Big Four — Oscar-winners Ali, Stone, Davis, and Affleck pose backstage with their Oscar for Achievement in acting:

credit: Mike Baker / ©A.M.P.A.S.

Charlize Theron and those amazing earrings:

Sting almost smiled:

The happiest couple I saw — Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux:

Note for the 90th Academy Awards: It’s not over until the fat lady sings:

Finally, my favorites from the red carpet:

The calm before the storm…

Leslie Mann’s flirting…

Tanna’s co-directors and stars…

The effervescence of Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho,…

At some point, I sneaked across the red carpet to the Oscars’ step and repeat… What a rush… I feel like I robbed a bank!:

Terrance Howard steals a kiss from Kirsten Dunst…

The moment I had with Brie Larson…

Matt Damon, ready to take on Jimmy Kimmel…

The PDA from Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban…

The moment I had with Felicity Jones…

The wow-factor supplied by Taraji P. Hensen…

And my #1 favorite: Justin Timberlake…

With that, I’ll see you next year on the red carpet with an update from my new agent — because the current one didn’t even pick up my call this year!

The post Backstage at the Oscars: 2017 appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

The red carpet is not actually red; it’s more like a burgundy.

Get ready for the Oscars’ politically tinged acceptance speeches — and likely more than 45 minutes of advertising.

Before I get to all of the tidbits around the Academy and the Dolby Theatre, I’ll bore you with my winners prognostication. Before you roll your eyes, remember that I started covering the Academy Awards six years ago and my picks have been accurate to the point I want to fly to London back them up with a little bit of cash. For the record, I’ve gone  on in the major categories with 37 out of 44 correct selections. Here’s the Media Guy choices for the telecast on Sunday:

Best Picture
La La Land

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Emma Stone, La La Land

Just to remind everyone…Spielberg and I have two Oscars combined!

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis, Fences

Directing
Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Animated Feature Film
Zootopia

Foreign Language Film
The Salesman, Iran

Writing (Original Screenplay)
Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan

THE COMMERCIALS

Last year’s Oscars drew over 34 million total viewers, Because of that number, a thirty-second commercial on the Oscars telecast will cost you a cool $2 million. This is the most expensive TV buy after the Super Bowl.

Last year’s Oscars featured 80 commercials which generated $115 million in ad revenue which is about equal to the Grammys and Golden Globes combined.

GOVERNOR’S BALL MENU

The 1,500 guests to the Governor’s Ball expect some of Wolfgang Puck’s traditional specialties, but each year they are treated to new dishes to sample, including this year’s treats: gold-dusted popcorn, sweet pea falafel, taro root tacos with shrimp and mango, spice gougeres with black truffle dust, lobster corn dogs and parsnip agnolotti.  no small undertaking…

…It takes a lot of fish and cheese to feed that many guests: 3,500 miso tuile cones, 15 pounds of truffles, 350 pounds of Atlantic tuna, 7,500 shrimp, 2,375 pretzels, 4,250 pieces of handmade gnoccetti and 150 pounds of arugula. And don’t forget the Oscar-shaped smoked salmon matzos.

Dessert stations will offer lava cakes, red velvet waffles, and a chocolate buffet with treats including caramel cappucino Oscar lollipops and bonbons in movie theater flavors like Sour Patch Kids.

THE OSCARS SWAG BAG

A pelvic floor exercise tracker, a sweat absorber and a CPR kit might not seem the most exciting of gifts for anyone, let alone a Hollywood star. But these, along with a Hawaiian holiday, a California ranch experience and personal training sessions are just some of the gifts in the unofficial Oscars swag bag courtesy of Los Angeles-based Distinctive Assets.

A five-night holiday to Kōloa Landing, a luxurious resort on Hawaii’s Kauai island is included, costing around $1,150 a night, along with a week at Golden Door, an exclusive California spa where a “Classic Women’s Week” costs around $8,850.

If the nominee prefers a European adventure, then a three-night stay in a suite at the Grand Hotel Tremezzo on Lake Como is also on offer, which retails at around $1,400 a night, before taxes. Also in the swag bag are three nights in the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, where a suite costs upwards of $700 a night.

Quirkier gifts include a hydrating mist “for improved vocal cord management and skin regeneration,” a SweetCheeks cellulite massage mat, and a t-shirt from Happiest Tee, to “celebrate your happy place.”

NOMINEES QUESTIONNAIRES

This year, the Academy released some of the questionnaires submitted by the nominees providing a fascinating look at the the stars. Here’s a couple of note…Nicole Kidman and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The post Oscars Week 2017: My Picks appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

It’s Oscar® Week and that means I’m the Media Guy by day and the Oscars Guy by night. Before I let you know about the happenings this week in Beverly Hills and Hollywood, I want to say that I’m pretty moved that Saturday Night Live picked up on my outrage over the pandering of the Super Bowl LI sponsors and parodied it:

So what does Oscar Week mean? It means a lot of nights in Beverly Hills at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater leading up to the red carpet madness on Sunday. The rare chance to dive into the minds of filmmakers and producers is at the forefront with the excellent symposiums that the Academy of Arts and Sciences allows access to folks like me on the five days leading up to the telecast.

The lineup is beyond hyperbole, but rest assured, it is amazing:

Last night – SHORTS: ANIMATED AND LIVE ACTION, hosted by Dead Pool director Tim Miller. More on this one on other media outlets (yes, I’ll post links), but Miller was the best symposium host in the six years I have been going to Oscar Week events. He was honest, funny, intelligent and obviously channeling his inner Dead Pool. All I can say is I want more of Tim Miller movies. Like now.

Tonight – DOCUMENTARIES, hosted by Documentary Branch Governors Kate Amend and Rory Kennedy

Thursday – ANIMATED FEATURES, hosted by Pete Docter (Toy Story, Monsters, Inc., Up, writer) and Jonas Rivera (Inside Out and Up Producer)

Saturday – FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS

Also Saturday – MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING SYMPOSIUM

For those of you that care about such things, I will do my darnedest to get my Annual Backstage at the Oscars column up fast on Sunday night. That’s always a tricky proposition to transcribe the winners’ speeches and fact check it all. Traditionally, these are among the most read columns of the year and this year was no different with the 2016 column still in the top three as I write this. In case you missed any, here are the previous five Backstage columns:

Usually I wait for the Sidebars about the Oscars, but I thought you should be prepared earlier, rather than later. Without further ado…

Uncle Oscar always looks so good!

• With 14 nominations, La La Land ties the record held by All about Eve (1950) and Titanic (1997).
• With their Best Picture nominations for Moonlight, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner become the first individual producers to have nominations in the Best Picture category in four consecutive years.
• La La Land is the first musical with original music and story to receive a Best Picture nomination since All That Jazz (1979) and the second since Anchors Aweigh (1945).
• With his Best Picture nomination for Manchester by the Sea, Matt Damon becomes only the third individual to be nominated in the Acting, Writing and Best Picture categories. The others are Warren Beatty and George Clooney.
• Denzel Washington is the seventh individual to receive Acting and Best Picture nominations for the same film, joining Warren Beatty, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Bradley Cooper.
• In the acting categories, seven individuals are first-time nominees (Andrew Garfield, Mahershala Ali, Lucas Hedges, Dev Patel,
• Isabelle Huppert, Ruth Negga and Naomie Harris). Six of the nominees are previous acting winners (Denzel Washington, Jeff Bridges, Natalie Portman, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Octavia Spencer).
• Meryl Streep extends her lead as the most nominated performer with her 20th nomination.
• Kubo and the Two Strings is the second fully animated film to be nominated in the Visual Effects category. The first was The Nightmare before Christmas (1993).
• With a running time of 7 hours 47 minutes, Documentary Feature nominee O.J.: Made in America is the longest film ever nominated for an Academy Award.
• Mica Levi, nominated for Original Score for Jackie, is the eighth woman to be nominated in the music scoring categories.
• Thomas Newman’s nomination for Original Score for Passengers is his 14th and brings the total for members of the Newman family (Alfred, Lionel, Emil, Thomas, David and Randy) to 90, more than any other family.
• Stuart Craig has the most nominations for Production Design of any living person with 11. The all-time record in the category belongs to Cedric Gibbons with 38 nominations.
• Kevin O’Connell and Andy Nelson, each with 21 nominations for Sound Mixing, are tied for the most nominations in the category since nominations began going to individuals in 1961.
• With their nomination for Sound Editing for La La Land, Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan become the first female team to be nominated in the category. Six other women have a combined total of 10 nominations and five wins for Sound Editing.
• Kim Magnusson, with his sixth nomination for Live Action Short Film, has produced the most films nominated in the short film categories of any living person.
• “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story is the seventh song from a documentary feature to be nominated and the fifth in the past five years.

The post Oscar Week 2017: It’s On! appeared first on Media Guy Struggles.

Feeling like a Neanderthal today.

Okay so where am I?

Current mood says I am lost in my own mind. I’m in a bit of a funk with this Clio Awards shortlist announcement staring me in my face. Scroll down. Scroll up. Scroll sideways. Nothing but the giants of advertising there. Not a Media Guy campaign to be found. My single entry was not selected.

Ugh.

I imagine this is what Angelina Jolie felt like in early 2015 when the Academy Awards were announced and she wasn’t nominated for Unbroken. I guess it would be easy to flick this away attributing the slight to the old adage that David loses to Goliath 99% of the time. I mean look at who was nominated:

      -Barbie
      -Burger King
      -Getty Images
      -Heineken
      -Kraft Heinz
      -Netflix / House of Cards
      -UNICEF
      -Wrigley, a Subsidiary of Mars, Incorporated

There are others on the shortlist too. Shoot, even the smaller names are big names in the real world. 

“Wait till next year!” was the rallying cry…mine too.

I spent two days telling myself in true loser rationalization, “Wait till next year!” In the 1940s and ’50s, the Brooklyn Dodgers (no David by any means) could never win it all Most often they would lose to their cross-town rivals, the hated Giants or the hated Yankees. The rallying cry was “Wait till next year!” Then in 1955, it was next year. The Brooklyn Dodgers finally won it all. Then they broke the hearts of Brooklynites and moved their beloved team to Los Angeles. Yet, I digress…

It’s been a really great month I have to say. My Media Guy Struggles pilot is getting noticed and all, but it doesn’t hide the fact that my bid to win my first Clio since 1999 was snuffed out. Denied. A stomach punch of sorts. Happy hour starts early today, I suppose.

So here it is, #ThrowbackThursday, and all of this reminded me of the time when a screen legend dissed me in the wildest way possible…

…The announcement took me back to those regular Secret Life of Walter Mitty moments to that time I was at a cocktail party with King Kong and I’m telling him about how much I loved his work on top

Being dissed by King Kong was a stomach punch.

of the Empire State Building and the Twin Towers and asking how he feels about working with leading ladies Fay Wray, Jessica Lange and Naomi Watts. And I’m waiting for his answer and he’s giving me this growling stare but finally he breaks the silence and says, “I like them as long as they are blonde, but what you should have asked is if I thought Peter Jackson brought his A-game or not to the last movie and if he could gotten more out of my performance.” And I instantly start perspiring and going back into the dark place in my mind wondering how I could’ve screwed up meeting a screen legend on the scale of Kong himself and after what seems like a lifetime he bursts into laughter and says, “Relax, I’m screwing with your simple homo sapiens mind.” And I start laughing as well. Louder and louder, like I never laughed before – in part out of pure relief – and both of us wind up giggling like schoolgirls for what feels like a solid ten minutes. Finally after we catch our breath he says to me, “Why don’t we go raid the bar in the misses private room and you show me what you can do with that opposable thumb.” And I’m like, “You’re still messing with me, right?” And he’s like, “I’m serious as planes shooting monkeys from the sky.” So I kind of wring my hands a bit and tell him, “Kong, I’m not really comfortable with…” Then he goes stone cold, staring off into the distance, and says, “You tell anyone about this and not a single effing soul will believe you.” And without making eye contact he spits his jawbreaker into my drink and walks away. And I’m all, “Holy crap! King Kong sucks on jawbreakers?”

Well…all that’s left to say is, of course, “wait till next year!”

—–

Who did is better? You Decide…

Kong and Fay Wray:

Kong and Jessica Lange:

Kong and Naomi Watts:

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