James Bates: Behind the Screens
IN THE BLOGS
Oscars, Grammy, Globes and beyond.
GOLDDERBY
Can 'Lord of the Rings' grab a Tony? ... Heath and Jake: best kiss?
Fresh Features
To review...
Final thoughts and parting shots on the awards season that was.
The next big things?
The early line on 12 films to watch for next year's best picture race.
The weak after
'Crash' lands with a thud, 'Brokeback' limps home in first post-Oscars outings.
To review...
Final thoughts and parting shots on the awards season that was.
Recent Columns:
It's appropriate that Oscars are gold, since winning one can make a fortune for talent or a studio. This column will look at the business of Hollywood's awards season, and what all that money being spent really buys. Send your ideas, comments, criticisms, tips and pontifications to James.Bates@latimes.com
This is the last of these columns for this year's season of endless kudos.
In the spirit of a Hollywood awards show, I'd like to start by thanking my agent, except I don't have one.
So instead, I'll tie up some loose ends and offer a handful of random thoughts:
Best missed opportunity for a trade headline: "Oscars get Bird flu'' (had singer-songwriter Kathleen "Bird" York won best song for "In the Deep" from "Crash").
Oscar winning song that will inspire a thousand headlines: "It's Hard Out Here for a (fill in the blank.)"
Awards show that should be put out of its misery: The "People's Choice" awards. This made-for-TV event is as much a relic of the 1970s as "Battle of the Network Stars." This year's show even featured a lame product placement infomercial for a stomach acid pill disguised as a People's Choice viewing party (know anyone who ever had one of those?)
Best tip on how to win your "People's Choice office pool": If stars shows up, they will win. If star are a no-show, they won't.
Democracy, Hollywood style: The People's Choice award nominations are determined by editors at Entertainment Weekly, the production team and a panel of pop culture fans, then subjected to Internet voting.
Best Grammys suggestion: Make Sly Stone the host of next year's awards.
Worst Oscars injustice: Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," the best-reviewed feature documentary last year, not even making the first cut of 15 films to be considered for a nomination.
In the spirit of a Hollywood awards show, I'd like to start by thanking my agent, except I don't have one.
So instead, I'll tie up some loose ends and offer a handful of random thoughts:
Best missed opportunity for a trade headline: "Oscars get Bird flu'' (had singer-songwriter Kathleen "Bird" York won best song for "In the Deep" from "Crash").
Oscar winning song that will inspire a thousand headlines: "It's Hard Out Here for a (fill in the blank.)"
Awards show that should be put out of its misery: The "People's Choice" awards. This made-for-TV event is as much a relic of the 1970s as "Battle of the Network Stars." This year's show even featured a lame product placement infomercial for a stomach acid pill disguised as a People's Choice viewing party (know anyone who ever had one of those?)
Best tip on how to win your "People's Choice office pool": If stars shows up, they will win. If star are a no-show, they won't.
Democracy, Hollywood style: The People's Choice award nominations are determined by editors at Entertainment Weekly, the production team and a panel of pop culture fans, then subjected to Internet voting.
Best Grammys suggestion: Make Sly Stone the host of next year's awards.
Worst Oscars injustice: Werner Herzog's "Grizzly Man," the best-reviewed feature documentary last year, not even making the first cut of 15 films to be considered for a nomination.