The American Film Institute have announced the official selections for the 2009 AFI Awards, nominations which include the “10 Most Outstanding Motion Pictures and TV Programs of the Year”. You can find out the top tv in both tv and movies after the jump, included in the official press release.
Our friends at FirstShowing noticed something funny while browsing the Hollywood trade newspaper Variety tonight: an advertisement, seemingly aimed at Academy voters, for the Todd Phillips comedy The Hangover, with the text “For Your Consideration: All Categories” followed by larger and more glitzy Vegas-like text that reads “Best Picture”.
This is the first year that the Academy will nominate ten movies for best picture, double that of previous years. Does Warner Bros actually believe they could get The Hangover a Best Picture nomination? Not likely…
A Reuters piece that’s been making the rounds this weekend speculates that Hollywood may be thinking twice about banking on A-list celebrities in the future. The piece points to recent low-budget and star-free fare like The Hangover, District 9, and Paranormal Activity that each went on to be wildly successful, and contrasts them with big-budget, star-studded flops like A Christmas Carol, Land of the Lost, and Funny People. The overall lesson seems to be that star-power doesn’t have nearly the draw that it used to, and that budgets aren’t much of a factor for audiences either.
Posted on Friday, July 10th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Did you notice that The Hangover was actually just a complete rip off of Dude Where’s My Car? Well not really, but after watching this cleverly edited video from College Humor, you may be convinced. Check out the video after the jump.
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Posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Did you know: Lindsay Lohan turned down a role in The Hangover claiming that the script had “no potential.” And we’ve just learned that Paramount Pictures supposedly turned down an opportunity to have Martin Scorsese direct The Godfather 2. Read both of the stories after the jump.
Just last week, Marshall Fine wrote an open letter to Zach Galifianakis that echoed what a lot of his long-time fans are probably thinking as The Hangover crosses the $200m mark. Basically: “Zach, please don’t screw this up.” Now the Hollywood Reporter has news that the comic is circling three different projects at Warner Brothers (in addition to the potential Hangover sequel), two of which don’t sound particularly compelling. As Galifianakis becomes the latest unlikely superstar, what’s his next move? Read More »
Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 by Peter Sciretta
Steve Mason has checked in with the Friday night box office estimates and The Hangover is heading for another win, with $10.2 million on Friday and $32 million weekend. Pixar’s Up added another $8.3 million on Friday and is heading for #2 with a $28.5 million 3-day. Sony’s The Taking of Pelham 1,2,3 will likely end the weekend at #3, with an estimated $9 million on Friday, and $26 million 3-day. Full numbers available after the jump.
Posted on Friday, June 12th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
Put aside, for a moment, the notion that a comedy like The Hangover really doesn’t need a sequel. The movie has performed spectacularly well, and will likely earn $200m this summer, wo sequel plans that Warner Brothers laid months ago are very likely going to come to fruition. Which means that director Todd Phillips and stars Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper are already fielding questions about it. What they suggest we can expect from The Hangover 2 is after the jump. Read More »
