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The Departed (2006)

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Aniston Forms New Film Company
2 April 2008 (WENN)
Friends With Money star Jennifer Aniston has teamed up with Hollywood producer Kristin Hahn to create her own film company. The actress co-founded movie production firm Plan B Entertainment with her ex-husband Brad Pitt, but decided to part ways with the company after the couple split in 2005. Now the 39-year-old has formed Echo Films with Hahn, who is best known as an executive producer on Martin Scorsese's The Departed. The company is already reported to have lined up a variety of projects taken from books and real life stories, most of which will see Aniston take the lead role. Confirming the move in a statement, Aniston and Hahn say: "We're drawn to stories about people finding their voice and finding their way because they help us as listeners and viewers do what we feel we're all trying to do, which is making sense of our lives through the stories of others. That's why we chose the name Echo, to echo back an idea, a challenge, something that resonates through all of us."

Hong Kong Director Lau Criticizes Spielberg's Olympics Stance
25 February 2008 (StudioBriefing)
Hong Kong director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, whose hit film Infernal Affairs was recreated as the U.S. blockbuster The Departed by Martin Scorsese, has criticized Steven Spielberg's decision to pull out of the Chinese Olympic Games as artistic adviser. At a news conference, Lau, who is making a short with British director Daryl Goodrich about China's preparations for the Olympics, said that he was "shocked and surprised" by Spielberg's withdrawal. "It's clear that the Olympics is all about sport and nothing to do with politics," he said. Goodrich said, "I was invited to make a film about sports, about children and to celebrate the Olympic Games. That's what I do, and that's why I came to Beijing." Spielberg withdrew as artistic adviser to the Games on Feb. 12, criticizing China's policies regarding the Darfur conflict in the Sudan. Over the weekend IOC president Jacques Rogge warned against using the Games for political demonstrations. Rogge said that while he "respected" Spielberg's decision, "The games are bigger than any one person."

Nicholson Misquoted on Ledger Warning
5 February 2008 (WENN)
Hollywood veteran Jack Nicholson insists stories claiming he warned Heath Ledger about the dangers of sleeping pills are not true - stating he never even met the tragic star. The Departed legend was asked how he felt about the Brokeback Mountain actor's death last month by photographers in London and he was quoted as saying, "I told him so." However, the 70-year-old star, whose role as the Joker in Batman was reprised by Ledger in The Dark Knight just before his death, states he was misquoted and was simply warning everyone against using that brand of pills. He says, "What I actually said was, 'I warned them.' I had a bad experience with those sleeping pills (that Ledger apparently took). I took one of these pills and had just gone to sleep when I had a phone call to go to an emergency at a friend's house. I jumped up, went outside and some time later woke up on the driveway. It sounds amusing but I live in the mountains and it could of been worse. I didn't know Heath Ledger, but I know those pills." Ledger was found dead in his New York apartment last month at the age of 28. An autopsy failed to reveal the cause of death, and police are still awaiting the results of a toxicology test to asses if sleeping pills found in his apartment played a part in his death.

Winstone To Take a Break From Movies
23 November 2007 (WENN)
British actor Ray Winstone is to take a break from making films, because his heavy workload has left him exhausted. The 50-year-old has starred in variety of recent blockbusters including The Departed, Beowulf and the forthcoming Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - and his raised profile has led to a number of offers pouring in. But Winstone is determined to keep his work schedule clear for the foreseeable future - no matter how lucrative - so he can enjoy some well-earned time off. He says, "I just turned one down. It was a biggie, and good and all. But I thought, 'I've had enough for a while. I'm knackered. I need to recharge my batteries'."

Wahlberg Signs Up As Gosling's Replacement
23 October 2007 (WENN)
Mark Wahlberg has replaced Ryan Gosling in director Peter Jackson's new film - one day before shooting began. Gosling pulled out of The Lovely Bones on Friday, despite the fact he had gained 20 pounds and grown a beard for his role. The Half Nelson actor quit over creative differences, according to industry paper Daily Variety. The Departed star Wahlberg signed up to play the part, a grieving father of a murdered girl, on Sunday. The Lovely Bones, the movie adaptation of Alice Sebold's bestseller, also stars Rachel Weisz. Filming began in Pennsylvania on Monday.

Depp Breathes Life Into 'The Rum Diary'
31 July 2007 (WENN)
Actor Johnny Depp is bringing Hunter S. Thompson's autobiographical novel The Rum Diary to the silver screen - seven years after he was announced as the leading man. Depp was cast to play the role of Thompson in 2000, co-starring with Nick Nolte in the tale of a journalist's adventures as he moves from New York to a San Juan newspaper in Puerto Rico. Benicio Del Toro and Josh Hartnett were also appointed to star in the movie in 2002, but the actors, including Nolte, are no longer involved in the film. The revived project will now be produced by Depp and The Departed filmmaker Graham King - who has acquired the full rights to the book. The Rum Diary will be penned and directed by Withnail And I writer Bruce Robinson, with shooting expected to begin after Depp finishes filming his current movie, Shantaram, with Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Baldwin Warns Fans Off Film
11 July 2007 (WENN)
The Departed star Alec Baldwin is begging fans to boycott a movie he made six years ago that has been re-edited, re-named and is being released. Baldwin directed, produced and acted in The Devil And Daniel Webster in 2001. Despite a cast including Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Dan Aykroyd, the movie was dismissed by studio bosses and was never released. The film has been re-edited, renamed Shortcut To Happiness, and Baldwin's name has been removed from the directing credits - replaced by pseudonym Harry Kirkpatrick. It will be released in six cities in the U.S. on July 13. And Baldwin is advising fans not to watch the film - describing it as unrecognizable. A friend tells PageSix, "Alec doesn't recommend unrecognizable films to his fans. This is not an Alec Baldwin film. He's in the movie but he has nothing to do with it. His name was taken off as producer and director six years ago, but he couldn't get it taken off as an actor."

Crowe & DiCaprio To Star in Scott Film
29 June 2007 (WENN)
Academy Award-winning actor Russell Crowe will team up with director Ridley Scott for the fifth time in a movie thriller with an Al Qaeda plot. Leonardo DiCaprio will also star in Body Of Lies which has been written by The Departed's William Monahan and will be directed by Scott. The Gladiator star will play a CIA boss who teams up with DiCaprio as an operative trying to trap an Al Qaeda leader. According to Moviehole.net, producers have been desperate to cast Crowe for months, and although he is on board, he wants to read "a polished rewrite" before committing to a contract. DiCaprio is currently shooting the literary drama Revolutionary Road alongside Titanic co-star Kate Winslet, while Crowe will appear later this year with fellow Oscar winner Denzel Washington in American Gangster.

Baldwin Custody Hearing "A Waste of Time"
18 June 2007 (WENN)
Actor Alec Baldwin and his ex-wife Kim Basinger are no closer to resolving their bitter custody battle, after The Departed star branded Thursday's court appearance "a waste of time". The former couple have been locked in a legal fight to determine custody of their 11-year-old daughter Ireland since their divorce in 2002, but five years later, there is still no resolution in sight. The proceedings have also been hampered by the leaking of an angry voicemail message Baldwin left for his daughter on his ex's answering machine earlier this year, in which the actor verbally chastises Ireland and calls his Basinger "a thoughtless pain in the ass." He has since apologised for the "improper" message. Appearing at the closed hearing at Los Angeles Superior court on Friday, Baldwin and Basinger sat far apart from one another, leaving their lawyers to battle it out. Baldwin was seen leaving the courtroom on two occasions during the four-hour hearing, and later emerged saying, "This is a waste of my f**king time." Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Maren Nelson had previously expressed her determination to discover who released the answer phone rant to the media, but no further light was shed on the matter on Thursday. Baldwin and Basinger are due back in court for another hearing on June 25.

'Dead Man's Chest' Big Winner at MTV Movie Awards
4 June 2007 (WENN)
Summer blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was the big winner at Sunday's MTV Movie Awards, taking home two awards for Best Movie and Best Performance for star Johnny Depp. Also winning big was Sacha Baron Cohen, who earned the Best Comedic Performance award for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and nabbed Best Kiss honors with Will Ferrell for Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby. Other winners at the awards, which were hosted by Sarah Silverman, included Jack Nicholson as Best Villain for The Departed, Gerard Butler of 300 for Best Fight (against the "Uber Immortal"), Jaden Smith for Breakthrough Performance for The Pursuit Of Happyness and Transformers for Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen. Shrek comedian Mike Myers was also honored with the MTV Generation Award.

Scorsese Reveals Controversial Film Set in Japan
25 May 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Martin Scorsese has disclosed that he is planning to direct a movie, set in 17th-century Japan, that may have implications related to the war in Iraq. In an interview with the Associated Press at the Cannes film festival, Scorsese said that his film, Silence, presumably based on the novel of the same name by Shusaku Endo and William Johnston about Portuguese Christian missionaries who arrived in Japan in feudal times, has parallels to America's role in Iraq. The Oscar-winning director (The Departed) said that he hopes to shoot the film in Japan, at least partially, beginning next summer. "It raises a lot of questions about foreign cultures coming in and imposing their way of thinking on another culture they know nothing about," Scorsese told the A.P.

'The Departed' Producer Robbed
25 May 2007 (WENN)
The Departed producer Graham King is recovering after being assaulted and robbed at the Hotel Du Cap during the Cannes Film Festival. King returned to his private villa on the hotel's estate to find a gang of thieves rifling through his belongings. The intruders then turned to the filmmaker and reportedly sprayed him with CS gas. The robbers made off with King's passport, money and other personal items. A host of celebrities, including Martin Scorsese, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Harvey Weinstein, are staying at the exclusive hotel during the annual movie event.

Warner Bros. Claims Record High-Def DVD Sales for 'The Departed'
24 May 2007 (StudioBriefing)
While Sony had boasted last March that its Blu-ray high-definition edition of Casino Royale was the first to ship more than 100,000 units, Warner Home Entertainment trumped that announcement today (Thursday) with an announcement of its own that it had actually sold more than 100,000 high-definition copies of its The Departed. "It's no accident that Warner is the first studio to reach this benchmark," the company said in a news release. "We owe this success to a combination of great content and our decision to support both high definition formats," Blu-ray and HD DVD. Sony Home Entertainment releases high-definition product only on Blu-ray, which was developed by Sony and Philips.

Seinfeld Jumps From Cannes Hotel Roof
18 May 2007 (WENN)
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld took a huge leap of faith to promote his new film Bee Movie at the Cannes Film Festival in France yesterday - by jumping from a hotel roof, dressed as an insect. The Seinfeld star, dressed in a yellow-and-black bee suit, dived from a hotel and swung out over the Carlton Hotel Pier as photographers took shots way below him. The comedian joked, "They tell me Scorsese did the same thing last year for The Departed." Bee Movie, set to be released this fall by DreamWorks, features the voices of Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Matthew Broderick and Chris Rock, among others.

DiCaprio Sued Over Basketball Court "Damage"
14 May 2007 (WENN)
Movie star Leonardo DiCaprio is being sued for more than $250,000 by his neighbors for allegedly damaging their property by building a basketball court. Ronald and Joan Linclau claim the recreation area has caused damage to their Los Angeles property since 2004. In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, the Linclaus accuse The Departed actor of "maliciously" cutting and removing hedges while crossing onto their property. They also claim he excavated "earth, granite and bedrock," destabilizing their deck and swimming pool, and ignore their repeated requests to halt construction.

'300' & 'Dead Man's Chest' Lead MTV Movie Award Nominations
1 May 2007 (WENN)
War epic 300 and sequel Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest are leading the nominations for the 2007 MTV Movie Awards with five and four nods apiece. Both films have been nominated for the Best Movie award, alongside Blades Of Glory, Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan and Little Miss Sunshine. 300 star Gerard Butler is up for Best Performance and Best Fight, while Lena Headey and Rodrigo Santoro have been nominated for Breakthrough Performance and Best Villain respectively. Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest actors Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley have also both picked up nods for Best Performance, while Bill Nighy is up for Best Villain. The nominations are:

Best Movie: 300, Blades of Glory, Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan, Little Miss Sunshine, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Best Performance: Gerard Butler - 300; Johnny Depp - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; Keira Knightley - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls; Beyonce Knowles - Dreamgirls; Will Smith - The Pursuit Of Happyness

Breakthrough Performance: Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada; Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine; Lena Headey - 300; Columbus Short - Stomp The Yard; Jaden Smith, The Pursuit Of Happyness; Justin Timberlake - Alpha Dog

Best Comedic Performance: Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada; Sacha Baron Cohen - Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan; Will Ferrell - Blades Of Glory; Adam Sandler - Click; Ben Stiller - Night At The Museum

Best Kiss: Cameron Diaz & Jude Law - The Holiday; Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen - Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby; Columbus Short & Meagan Good - Stomp The Yard; Mark Wahlberg & Elizabeth Banks - Invincible Marlon Wayans & Brittany Daniel - Little Man

Best Villain: Tobin Bell - Saw III; Jack Nicholson - The Departed; Bill Nighy - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; Rodrigo Santoro - 300; Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada

Best Fight: Jack Black & Hector Jimenez vs. Los Duendes (Wrestling Match) - Nacho Libre; Gerard Butler vs. 'The Uber Immortal' (The Spartan/Persian Battle) - 300; Sacha Baron Cohen vs. Ken Davitian (Naked Wrestle Fight) - Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan; Will Ferrell vs. Jon Heder (Ice Rink Fight) - Blades of Glory; Uma Thurman vs. Anna Faris (Super Girl Fight) - My Super Ex-Girlfriend

Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet: Evan Almighty ; Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer ; Hairspray; Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix ; Rush Hour 3 ; Transformers

Some Hi-Def DVD Discs Selling in the Hundreds
10 April 2007 (StudioBriefing)
While much has been made of the strong high-definition DVD sales of such films as Casino Royale, The Departed, Batman Begins and Superman Returns, sales charts show a steep drop-off below the top level, with some films selling fewer than 200 copies since they were released, according to the website HighDefDigest.com. Citing figures from VideoScan, the website noted that during the week ending March 18, when Casino Royale topped the sales charts with 28,233 units sold, the "top-ten" list included one title that sold just over 3,000 units, while all the rest sold fewer than 2,000, including three that sold fewer than 1,000. The website concluded that the sales figures are "a sobering reminder" that the HD DVD and Blu-ray formats "have a long way to go in their shared quest to supplant standard-def DVD."

Scorsese To Depart for Cannes
5 April 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Martin Scorsese will have a full slate of activities laid out for him at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Scorsese, who finally won an Oscar this year (for The Departed) will present a lecture to film students on May 24; present the Camera d'Or prize for best film by a first-time director; announce the creation of the World Cinema Foundation for preserving and restoring classic films; and participate in the odd press conference and media interview to promote Shine a Light, his documentary on The Rolling Stones, which will be seeking a buyer at the Cannes Market.

Baldwin Offers College Funding to Soldier
2 April 2007 (WENN)
Alec Baldwin is proving he has a heart of gold - by offering to finance a US Army soldier's college education after she leaves the military. The Departed star was so moved by an article in a New York newspaper about 18-year-old Private Resha Kane earlier last month, because she reminded him of his own 11-year-old daughter, Ireland. And Baldwin took the trouble to personally track Kane down to her home in Fort Hood, Texas, to make his generous offer. She says of the meeting, "I didn't know what to say. And then I asked him if he could send me his autograph. I've never met a star, let alone talked to one on the phone. It's very generous. Actors have all this money, and it's a good thing to see them do something other than for themselves and show some character and use their money wisely." Baldwin's spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik, said it was important to the star to do his bit to support the armed forces, despite being a critic of the war in Iraq. He adds, "(Baldwin) himself tried to find the family, and he was very happy he was able to connect with them. It's a great example that people of different backgrounds can agree on the importance of supporting our troops."

Wahlberg: "I Had Problems with Scorsese"
26 March 2007 (WENN)
Mark Wahlberg found it difficult working alongside Martin Scorsese on The Departed as the pair were "constantly struggling" with one another. The actor admits it was a harrowing experience behind the scenes of the Oscar-winning movie, because he had different creative ideas from the director. He says, "Marty and I were constantly in this struggle. I had problems with Marty. He was 'I'm Martin Scorsese... da-dee-da.' He was pushing me in different ways." And the star admits playing the role of foul-mouthed cop Sergeant Dignam - which earned him a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination - caused him to take his frustration out on the rest of the cast. Wahlberg adds, "But it wasn't just Marty. The whole time I was in the character so I was mad at everybody. It was Leo (DiCaprio), Matt (Damon) and Jack (Nicholson). F**k Jack too. We were able to laugh about it afterwards and we have a great relationship now and we're going to do other stuff in the future."

The Departed Cashes In On Oscar Win
8 March 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Oscar gave The Departed a big boost at the video store last week. The winner of the Academy Award for best picture of 2006 and best director (Martin Scorsese) took the top spot on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, bumping the previous week's winner, Paramount/DreamWorks' Flushed Away, to second place. The Departed did not hold sway among video renters, however, as the Will Ferrell comedy Stranger Than Fiction nabbed the first-place spot on Home Media Retail magazine's rental chart with an estimated $6.8 million, edging out The Departed's $6.2 million.

It May Be a Royal Flush, After All
1 March 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Just one day after saying that it had taken a big write-down on its Flushed Away feature, DreamWorks Animation got word Wednesday that the movie debuted on DVD as the No. 1 film of the week in sales. The film bumped Oscar winner The Departed from the top spot -- although a surge in sales for the gangland movie was reported on Monday, following the awards telecast. Current results were tracked through February 25. On Home Media Retail magazine's rental chart, best-picture nominee Babel debuted in first place with $8.7 million, edging out The Departed, with $8.6 million.

Scorsese Grateful for Belated Oscar Recognition
27 February 2007 (WENN)
Director Martin Scorsese is glad he didn't receive an Academy Award for directing earlier in his career, because it might have changed the way he made movies. Scorsese had received six nominations for directing and eight nominations overall in his 40-year career, before winning for The Departed on Sunday night. He explains, "I've just been used to not winning. It's about getting the pictures made. But when you win something, you appreciate it." After making The Aviator, Scorsese says he decided, "To just relax and make the best film we can." He adds, "Good thing I didn't get (the Oscar) before, because maybe it would have changed the kind of movies I would have made. I don't know if I was strong enough. I'm glad it's taken this long. It's been worth it."

Scorsese Finally Scores an Oscar
26 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
After being nominated six times for a best director Oscar, Martin Scorsese finally held the award in his hands Sunday night. Moreover, The Departed, the film that he won it for, also was awarded the top prize as best picture, which was accepted by producer Graham King. "So many people have been wishing this for me and my family," Scorsese told the audience at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and a worldwide TV audience. "People walking down the street, every time I go to the doctor's office, when I go in for an X-ray, everyone has been telling me I deserve it and they want me to win it." The movie also won for best adapted screenplay (William Monahan) and for best editing (Thelma Schoonmaker). There were no surprises among the other major awards. Helen Mirren received the best actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen; Forest Whitaker, the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland; Jennifer Hudson, the best supporting actress Oscar for Dreamgirls; and Alan Arkin, the best supporting actor Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine.

The Departed Wins Big at the Oscars
26 February 2007 (IMDb News Flash)
The Departed was the big winner at this year's Academy Awards, taking home four awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese. The crime drama also won Best Screenplay and Editing, making it the narrow victor on a night that honored many films. Pan's Labyrinth was the second highest winner, taking home three awards, though surprisingly it lost Best Foreign Language Film to The Lives of Others. As expected, Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) were named Best Actor and Actress, while Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) nabbed Supporting Honors; each of their films picked up another award as well. Other winners for the night included An Inconvenient Truth (Best Documentary and Song) and Happy Feet (Best Animated Feature).

Get all the Academy Award winners and photos from the awards in our Road to the Oscars section.

The Departed Wins Big at the Oscars
25 February 2007 (IMDb News Flash)
The Departed was the big winner at this year's Academy Awards, taking home four awards including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese. The crime drama also won Best Screenplay and Editing, making it the narrow victor on a night that honored many films. Pan's Labyrinth was the second highest winner, taking home three awards, though surprisingly it lost Best Foreign Language Film to The Lives of Others. As expected, Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) were named Best Actor and Actress, while Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) nabbed Supporting Honors; each of their films picked up another award as well. Other winners for the night included An Inconvenient Truth (Best Documentary and Song) and Happy Feet (Best Animated Feature).

Get all the Academy Award winners and photos from the awards in our Road to the Oscars section.

'The Departed' Makes Impressive Arrival on DVD
22 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Martin Scorsese's The Departed , nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, became a big winner on the DVD sales charts as it debuted in first place for the week ended Feb. 18 in both sales and rentals. Last week's DVD sales winner, Disney's Cinderella III, slip to second place, while Paramount/DreamWorks' Flags of Our Fathers dropped to second place on the rental chart.

'The Departed' and 'Little Miss Sunshine' Win Top Writers Guild Awards
13 February 2007 (WENN)
Martin Scorsese's gangster movie The Departed and road comedy Little Miss Sunshine walked away with the top prizes at the Writers Guild Of America Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night. William Monahan won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for The Departed, while Michael Arndt collected Best Original Screenplay for Little Miss Sunshine. Best Documentary Screenplay went to Amy Berg for Deliver Us From Evil. Elsewhere, The Sopranos writers Mitchell Burgess, David Chase, Diane Frolov, Robin Green, Andrew Schneider, Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter won the Best Dramatic Television Series award. The Office writers Steve Carell, Jennifer Celotta, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Brent Forrester, Ricky Gervais, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Stephen Merchant, B.J. Novak, Michael Schur and Gene Stupnitsky won the Best Comedy Television Series award. Ugly Betty writers Veronica Becker, Oliver Goldstick, Silvio Horta, Sarah Kucserka, Sheila Lawrence, Cameron Litvack, Myra Jo Martino, Jim Parriott, Marco Pennette, Dailyn Rodriguez and Don Todd won Best New Television Series.

Awards, Awards, Awards
12 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
In the latest awards ceremonies prior to the Oscars, the Orange British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs) crowned The Queen best film of the year and its star, Helen Mirren, best actress. Forest Whitaker won the best actor trophy for his portrayal of Uganda's Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. British director Paul Greengrass took the director prize for United 93. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America agreed with most critics groups as it presented its top screenplay honors Sunday to Michael Arndt for Little Miss Sunshine in the original category and to William Monahan for The Departed in the adapted category. The decision lifts each film into frontrunner position for this year's Oscars competition. Finally, Pixar's Cars sped away with the top prize Sunday at the annual Annies animation awards.

Eastwood: "This Year Could Be Scorsese's Year"
12 February 2007 (WENN)
Clint Eastwood is tipping Martin Scorsese to fulfill his Academy Award ambitions this year and beat him to the Best Director prize. Eastwood is up against Scorsese for the award, two years after his Million Dollar Baby beat Scorsese's The Aviator. The movie hardman thinks Scorsese, nominated for The Departed, leads the race, ahead of Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima - but warns other directors could get in on the act. He says, "He (Scorsese) probably has a good chance, there is a lot of sympathy for him, but I have no control over any of that. I always feel sorry ... for the others, because there are other nominees and they've worked very hard on their projects, too. I don't think any two people should be singled out." Scorsese has been nominated seven times and has yet to win a Best Director Oscar.

Wahlberg Confirms Being Approached To Star in 'The Departed' Sequel
8 February 2007 (WENN)
Mark Wahlberg has confirmed reports he has been approached to star in a sequel and a prequel to the violent crime thriller and Oscar contender The Departed. The film's writer William Monahan has already started work on the sequel, which focuses on the rogue police officer played by Wahlberg. The 35-year-old, who is up for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the 2006 thriller, tells EmpireOnline, "They told me they wanted to try to do it and I said, 'Well, I enjoyed playing the character.' They're talking about bringing in Robert De Niro to play a senator or a congressman. You know, the corruption obviously going deeper and higher up the ranks - reaching up the political chain. So it'll be fun. And if it's a success, they're gonna do a prequel and bring everyone back…make it a trilogy."

Directors Guild Honors Scorsese
5 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Placing him into position as the frontrunner in this year's Oscar contest for best director, The Directors Guild of America on Saturday honored Martin Scorsese as filmmaker of the year. Although nominated seven times, this was Scorsese's first DGA win. Accepting the award, Scorsese observed that he realized that his film, The Departed, would become a hit when the studio showed him box-office sales graphs with huge spikes in certain key areas of the country. It was, he said, "like looking at a veritable map of the American underworld. ... Vegas, forget about it. It was amazing." The film is nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Mark Wahlberg.

Warner Bros. Reports Earnings Slide
1 February 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Warner Bros., which looked like it couldn't buy a hit for much of last year, saw its revenue drop more than 10 percent from 2005, according to Time Warner's SEC filing Wednesday. After such bombs as Poseidon, Lady in the Water, and the Ant Bully, not even hits like Happy Feet and The Departed late in the year could put the studio close to equaling its record earnings in 2005, when it released Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Batman Begins. Nevertheless Time Warner was able to report a 34-percent net gain for its fourth quarter due in large measure to the sale of AOL's businesses in France and the U.K.

Moviegoers Disregard Oscar Nods
30 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Films that landed Oscar nominations last week received wider releases over the weekend and, for the most part, saw a significant rise in ticket sales, but they failed to make a major impact on overall box-office earnings, which were down 8 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago. Of all the high-brow movies nominated for best picture, only Miramax's The Queen landed in the top ten (with $4 million). Warner Bros.' The Departed took in $3.4 million to place 12th, while Paramount Vantage's Babel earned $2.6 million to place 14th and Warner Bros.' Letters From Iwo Jima took in $1.9 million to place 17th. Little Miss Sunshine is already out on DVD. By contrast the low-brow Epic Movie spoof from Fox raked in $18.6 million (lower than the weekend estimate), while Universal's Smokin' Aces debuted with $14.6 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Media by Numbers (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Epic Movie, 20th Century Fox, $18,612,544, (New); 2. Smokin' Aces, Universal, $14,638,755, (New); 3. Night at the Museum, 20th Century Fox, $9,557,664, 6 Wks. ($216,845,623); 4. Stomp the Yard, Screen Gems, $7,685,565, 3 Wks. ($50,538,842); 5. Catch and Release, Sony, $7,658,898, (New); 6. Dreamgirls, Paramount, $6,741,985, 7 Wks. ($86,775,468); 7. The Pursuit of Happyness, Sony, $4,983,325, 8 Wks. ($152,929,867); 8. Pan's Labyrinth, Picture House, $4,774,578, 5 Wks. ($16,523,021); 9. The Queen, Miramax, $4,013,052, 18 Wks. ($41,254,080); 10. The Hitcher, Focus Features, $3,632,975, 2 Wks. ($13,433,020).

Academy Pares Down Producer Credits
30 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ruled Monday that Paramount Chairman Brad Grey will not receive credit for the Warner Bros. movie The Departed when it comes time to announce Oscar nominees at this year's Academy Awards ceremonies. Grey, who was originally involved in the film's development, had fought for such recognition despite the fact that he has since become the head of a rival studio. Brad Pitt, who is also listed as a producer of the film, will also not receive credit under Academy rules, leaving only Graham King to accept the Oscar if The Departed is chosen as best picture. AMPAS also narrowed the list of producers for Little Miss Sunshine to three, ruling that co-producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa did not fall under its guidelines for producer's credits. David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub will pick up the Oscar if the movie wins (and undoubtedly recognize Berger and Yerxa in their acceptance speeches).

Oscar Nods Lift Box Office for Classy Films
29 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Although only Dreamgirls, Pan's Labyrinth and The Queen made the top ten, several other independent films saw business rise following last week's announcement of Oscar nominees. Martin Scorsese's The Departed returned to theaters and added $3 million to its gross. Golden Globe winner Babel expanded to 1,090 theaters and took in $2.6 million. Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima upped its theater count to 415 and took in $1.7 million. Venus, which garnered a best-actor Oscar nomination for Peter O'Toole, saw its box-office jump 47 percent to $336,000 at just 59 theaters.

SAG Lets 'Sunshine' In
29 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Little Miss Sunshine was increasingly looking like the "little film that could" Sunday as it received the Screen Actors Guild's top trophy at the union's awards ceremonies in Los Angeles. The independent film, snatched up by Fox Searchlight at last year's Sundance Film Festival for $10 million, won the award for best ensemble performance, SAG's equivalent to the best film prize, beating out rival nominees Babel, Bobby, The Departed and Dreamgirls. Since SAG members make up the largest group of voters for the Oscars, their selection puts Sunshine in the pole position for best-picture honors at the Feb. 25 awards ceremony. A week earlier it received the best picture award from the Producers Guild of America. Forest Whitaker was honored by his peers as best leading actor for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, sharing honors with Helen Mirren, who was voted best leading actress for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. (Mirren also won the leading actress award in the TV movie or miniseries category for playing the first Queen Elizabeth in the HBO drama Elizabeth I.) Supporting actor/actress trophies went to Dreamgirls' Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson.

Paramount Chairman's Oscar Bid Fails
29 January 2007 (WENN)
Paramount movie boss Brad Grey has lost his bid to be credited at the Oscars for his work as a producer on Best Picture nominee The Departed. Grey's appeal was denied by a panel of 20 Hollywood filmmakers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday, upholding a previous decision by the Producers Guild of America. It means just one producer of the four listed on the film's credits - British-born Graham King - will be permitted to take the stage at the Kodak Theatre on February 25 should The Departed win the award, academy spokesman John Pavlik confirms. Ex-producer Grey worked on the film before taking his job at Paramount. In a statement, he says, "I loved working on The Departed and will always think of it as one of the best times of my career." Other Departed producers not allowed to take to the stage are Brad Pitt (whose film company Plan B Productions was involved in the movie) and the director Martin Scorsese.

How Golden Is Oscar?
26 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
The coming weekend will reveal how much an Oscar nomination is worth. Studios have stepped up advertising and promotions for nominated films still in release, and Warner Bros. has relaunched the Martin Scorsese drama The Departed, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon, in nearly 1,500 theaters. Paramount Vantage is expanding Babel, which received more nominations than any other film, into 1,090 theaters, a huge number for an R-rated film in mostly foreign languages that has taken in only $25 million since it debuted last October. Meanwhile, the studios are countering the high-gloss offerings with four "mainstream" flicks, two of which, Epic Movie and Blood and Chocolate, it decided not even to show to movie critics.

U.K. Bookmakers Favor 'The Departed'
24 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Ladbrokes, the British bookmaker, has given 10-to-11 odds that Martin Scorsese's The Departed will win the Oscar for best picture this year. Babel is close behind with 9-4 odds. Little Miss Sunshine follows at 4-1. Dark horses are The Queen with 8-1 odds and Letters from Iwo Jima at 12-1. In the acting category, the bookmaker has already stopped taking bets on Helen Mirren in the best actress category, who is regarded as a shoo-in.

'Dreamgirls': All Bets Are Off
23 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Leaving many Oscar handicappers scratching their heads, Dreamgirls failed to win a nomination for best picture of the year despite garnering more nominations -- eight -- than any other film. Several film critics had suggested that the movie would be the frontrunner for this year's top Oscar. (The movie had won the Golden Globe award as best picture in the musical/comedy category last week.) Those that did win nods for the top film included Babel (which won the Golden Globe for best dramatic picture), The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen. Babel received six additional nominations, including one for best director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, who will compete against Martin Scorsese (The Departed), Clint Eastwood (Letters From Iwo Jima), Stephen Frears (The Queen), and Paul Greengrass (United 93). Best actor nominations went to Leonardo DiCaprio (Blood Diamond), Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), Peter O'Toole (Venus), Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). Actress nominees are: Penélope Cruz (Volver), Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), Helen Mirren (The Queen), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), and Kate Winslet (Little Children).

PGA Lets 'Sunshine' In
22 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
In a surprise decision, the Producers Guild of America on Saturday voted the low-budget independent film Little Miss Sunshine its Darryl F. Zanuck award for best feature film of 2006. The film won out over Babel, The Departed, Dreamgirls, and The Queen. Sunshine, which cost only $12 million to make, was picked up by Fox Searchlight during the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Its five producers, Marc Turtletaub, David T. Friendly, Peter Saraf, Albert Berger, and Ron Yerxa, accepted the award. If it is nominated for a best picture Oscar on Tuesday, it will be required to limit the number of producer credits to three. But speaking to the crowd at the Century Plaza Hotel, Yerxa thanked the PGA for crediting all five. "We did different things at different times, and we had a great working relationship," he said.

'Titanic' Made DiCaprio Want To Quit
22 January 2007 (WENN)
Leonardo DiCaprio considered quitting acting after the success of Titanic, because he felt like people were only concerned with his looks. The Departed heartthrob became convinced he was considered nothing more than "another piece of cute meat" after starring alongside Kate Winslet in James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster. But he quickly came to realize that his newfound superstardom would allow him to take on more demanding roles in future, to prove his critics wrong. He says, "It was pretty disheartening to be objectified like that. I wanted to stop acting for a little bit. But it changed my life in a lot of ways, but at the same time, I can't say that it didn't give me opportunities. It made me, for the first time, in control of my career."

'Little Miss Sunshine' Wins Top PGA Honor
22 January 2007 (WENN)
Low-budget movie Little Miss Sunshine has beaten Babel, Dreamgirls, The Queen, and The Departed to be named Best Film at the Producers Guild Of America (PGA) awards Saturday night. The film, which stars Toni Collette and Greg Kinnear, is now a favorite to win the Academy Award for Best Picture next month - 11 movies voted for by the PGA in the last 17 years have gone on to win the Oscar. Elsewhere, Cars won Best Animated Film, while Grey's Anatomy was named Best Episodic Television Drama at the Los Angeles ceremony. The full list of winners at the 2007 PGA Awards is: Best Film - Little Miss Sunshine; Best Animated Film - Cars; Best Long-Form Television - Elizabeth I; Best Episodic Television Drama - Grey's Anatomy; Best Episodic Television Comedy - The Office; Best Variety Television - Real Time With Bill Maher; Best Non-Fiction Television - 60 Minutes.

DiCaprio Backs Scorsese Oscar Bid
19 January 2007 (WENN)
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio is backing director Martin Scorsese to win an Oscar for The Departed, and finds it ridiculous the film-maker has never won an Academy Award. Despite making acclaimed movies including Taxi Driver, Mean Streets and Raging Bull during his four-decade long career, Scorsese has never won an Oscar, and DiCaprio insists the snub is "almost a practical joke." The 32-year-old actor, who has starred in Scorsese movies Gangs Of New York, The Aviator and The Departed, says, "It would be wonderful if this film was rewarded, I think it very much deserves it. And I certainly think (Scorsese) does. It's quite long overdue, almost a practical joke at this point that that hasn't happened." However, Scorsese admits he doesn't expect to win the Oscar, saying, "I learned a long time ago, with Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, that you can't make a film to get the golden statue. And if you try it doesn't work."

China Shuns Scorsese's Latest Film
18 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
Martin Scorsese, who outraged the Chinese government in 1997 with his film Kundun, about the country's oppression of the Tibetan people, has done it again with The Departed. The movie, in which Chinese characters appear briefly as villains, has been rejected by the state-owned film distributor, China Film Group. No reason was given. In reporting on the government's rejection, the Associated Press commented that it was "unusual in that the importer appears to have rejected the movie before it was submitted to censors." In any case, A.P. noted, "film piracy is rampant in China, and residents will likely be able to find illegal DVD copies of the movie."

Globes for Everybody
16 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
A wide assortment of movies received recognition in the form of Golden Globes awards Monday, led by the drama Babel and the musical Dreamgirls as best picture in their respective categories. For the best-actor and -actress awards in drama, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association duly honored royalty, the performance of Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen and the performance of Forest Whitaker as Uganda's Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. In the comedy/musical category the awards went to Meryl Streep for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada and Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Dreamgirls snagged both the supporting-actor and -actress trophies, handed out to Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. Martin Scorsese departed with the best director award for The Departed.

Top Critics Choice Awards Go to 'The Departed'
15 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
In the run-up to the Golden Globe Awards, which air tonight (Monday) from Beverly Hills, the Broadcast Film Critics Association on Friday selected Martin Scorsese's The Departed to receive its best picture Critics Choice award. Scorsese won the best director award, while Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren won the top actor awards for their performances in The Last King of Scotland and The Queen, respectively. Little Miss Sunshine won for best acting ensemble. Meanwhile, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu's Babel has emerged as the favorite to pick up the best picture award at tonight's Golden Globes ceremony. It is competing against The Departed, The Queen, Bobby, and Little Children. The top award is due to be presented by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is still hobbling on crutches following his recent skiing accident.

'Borat' Nominated for WGA Award
15 January 2007 (WENN)
British funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen has garnered a surprise nomination from the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for his spoof documentary, Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Despite losing out at with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Friday, the controversial comedy has earned the show's star and co-creator recognition in the category of Adapted Screenplay, where it will compete against The Devil Wears Prada, Little Children, Thank You For Not Smoking and The Departed. The award for Original Screenplay sees nominations for Little Miss Sunshine, Stranger Than Fiction, United 93, and Brad Pitt's new movie Babel, as well as The Queen starring Dame Helen Mirren. The winners will be announced at awards ceremony on February 11 in New York and Los Angeles.

'The Queen' Leads BAFTA Nominations
15 January 2007 (WENN)
The Queen and Casino Royale look set to be the big winners at this year's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, after leading the nominations for next month's ceremony at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. The Queen has earned 10 nominations and will compete against The Departed and Babel for Best Film, while Dame Helen Mirren received a nomination for best Actress In A Leading Role for her part in the royal drama. Casino Royale is up for nine awards, with new 007 star Daniel Craig nominated for best Actor In A Leading Role. He faces competition from Leonardo DiCaprio in The Departed, Forest Whitaker for The Last King Of Scotland, Peter O'Toole in Venus and Richard Griffiths in The History Boys. Other actors up for awards include Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson, Little Miss Sunshine actor Alan Arkin, The Devil Wears Prada star Emily Blunt, and Spanish beauty Penelope Cruz for Volver.

Directors Nominated for DGA Prize
10 January 2007 (WENN)
Martin Scorsese and Bill Condon are among the five moviemakers who will fight for this year's Directors Guild of America top prize. The filmmakers, who shot The Departed and Dreamgirls respectively, join Babel director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris - the husband and wife team behind Little Miss Sunshine - on the newly-announced shortlist. The winner of the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2006 will be announced at the organization's 59th Annual Awards Dinner on February 3. Of the 58 times the DGA Award has been handed out, only six winners did not go on to pick up the Best Director Oscar.

Mirren, Whitaker Win National Society of Film Critics Awards
8 January 2007 (WENN)
Dame Helen Mirren has been named Best Actress by America's National Society of Film Critics for her role in The Queen, with Forest Whitaker taking the Best Actor prize for his turn in The Last King Of Scotland. Mark Wahlberg won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in crime drama The Departed, with Meryl Streep as Best Supporting Actress prize for two roles, as a formidable fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada and as a singer in A Prairie Home Companion. Spanish-language film Pan's Labyrinth, telling the story of a mother and daughter who come to live in an enchanted forest at the end of Spanish fascism, won the Best Picture prize at the 41st annual awards. Paul Greengrass took home the Best Director award for helming United 93, a film about passengers who rebelled against hijackers on the jet that crashed in rural Pennsylvania during the September 11 terrorist attacks.

SAG Bestows Double Laurels on Mirren, DiCaprio
5 January 2007 (StudioBriefing)
In their annual self-congratulations, the Screen Actors Guild selected Leonardo DiCaprio and Helen Mirren as nominees in two different categories of the 13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. DiCaprio received a best-actor nomination for his role in Blood Diamond and a best-supporting-actor nomination for The Departed. Mirren received the best-actress nod for her title-role performance in The Queen and another best-actress nod in the "TV Movie or Miniseries" category for playing an earlier queen in Elizabeth I. The decision to -- in effect -- demote DiCaprio for his The Departed role avoids his having to compete against himself for a best-actor award, as he will have to do for a Golden Globe. The best-actor category also included Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland, Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson, Peter O'Toole for Venus, and Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness. Surprisingly absent from the list was Sacha Baron Cohen of Borat fame, who has been included in most year-end nominee lists by critics' groups. Besides Mirren, best-actress nominees included Penélope Cruz for Volver, Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal, Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada and Kate Winslet for Little Children. Babel, Bobby, The Departed, Dreamgirls and Little Miss Sunshine were nominated for best performance by a cast.

DiCaprio and Mirren Lead SAG Nominations
5 January 2007 (WENN)
Babel, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dame Helen Mirren will lead the way at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards later this month. The three films each earned three nominations, while DiCaprio and Mirren won two acting nominations - DiCaprio in the Best Actor category for Blood Diamond and as Best Supporting Actor for The Departed. Mirren was nominated as Best actress in the movie category for The Queen and in the TV movie category for Elizabeth I. Other actors up for awards include Dreamgirls stars Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, Babel stars Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi and Little Miss Sunshine actors Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin. A Lifetime Achievement award will presented to Julie Andrews at the SAG Awards ceremony in Hollywood on January 28. SAG winners traditionally go on to scoop prizes at the Academy Awards, held a month later.

'Babel', 'Dreamgirls' & 'The Departed' Lead PGA Honors
4 January 2007 (WENN)
Babel, Dreamgirls and The Departed have all cemented their lead in the Oscars Best Movie race after being named among the nominees for The Producers Guild of America film awards yesterday. The big three join Little Miss Sunshine and The Queen on the PGA's 2007 hotlist. The Guild members also nominated the makers of Cars, Flushed Away, Happy Feet, Ice Age: The Meltdown and Monster House as their picks for Best Animated Movie. The Producers Guild names its winners in a ceremony in Los Angeles on January 20.

Chicago Critics Vote 'The Departed' Best Film of the Year
29 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Martin Scorsese's The Departed has received the best-picture award from the Chicago Film Critics Association. The film also received awards for best director and adapted screenplay (William Monahan). Helen Mirren received the best actress award for her performance as The Queen while Forest Whitaker drew the actor award for his performance as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

'Babel' Towers Over Rivals in Golden Globe Noms
15 December 2006 (WENN)
Ensemble drama Babel leads the nominations at next year's Golden Globe Awards, boasting seven nods including Best Dramatic Picture and an acting accolade for star Brad Pitt. The film, spanning several countries telling four inter-related stories, sees Pitt praised in the Best Actor In A Supporting Role category. He'll battle it out alongside Ben Affleck (Hollywoodland) and Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls), as well as The Departed co-stars Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. The mob thriller earned a total of six nominations yesterday. Babel's Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza also received supporting acting nods, along with Cate Blanchett for Notes On A Scandal, Emily Blunt for The Devil Wears Prada and Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls. But it's Leonardo DiCaprio who looks most likely to convert an acting nomination into a trophy after being named twice in the Best Actor category. His performances in The Departed and Blood Diamond are up against Peter O'Toole's in Venus, Will Smith's in The Pursuit Of Happyness and Forest Whitaker's portrayal of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. Actor-turned-director Clint Eastwood is another star with a double reason to celebrate - Flags Of Our Fathers competes against his other war film Letters From Iwo Jima in the Best Director category. Meanwhile, Dame Helen Mirren stands to win three awards at the star-studded Hollywood ceremony next month. Her role as monarch-in-crisis Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen pits her against another veteran British actress, Dame Judi Dench, for Notes On A Scandal. Penelope Cruz is also a strong contender for Best Actress in Volver, as well Maggie Gyllenhaal (SherryBaby) and Kate Winslet in the suburban drama Little Children. Mirren's other nods are for small screen work - her roles in Prime Suspect: The Final Act and period piece Elizabeth I could see her pick up a Best Actress In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television.

'Babel' Receives Seven Golden Globe Nods
14 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Among numerous surprises, Babel, the drama by director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu about the worldwide reverberations to families following a shooting in North Africa, dominated the Golden Globes nominations announced today. The film received seven nominations -- more than any other --including best drama, best director, and best supporting actor (Brad Pitt). The nominations were announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which also nominated Bobby, The Departed, Little Children, and The Queen for best picture in the drama category. In another surprise, Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan was nominated for best musical or comedy film, while Cohen himself got a best-actor nod in the category. The other films nominated for best musical or comedy: The Devil Wears Prada, Dreamgirls, Little Miss Sunshine and Thank You for Smoking. Two films made by Americans received nominations in the foreign-language category, Mel Gibson's Apocalypto and Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima. Leonardo DiCaprio, meanwhile, will by vying against himself after being nominated for best actor for performances in two different movies, The Departed and Blood Diamond. So will Clint Eastwood for best director -- for his bookend films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima (neither of which, oddly, was nominated for best film).

'The Last King' & 'The Queen' Reign at Washington Awards
12 December 2006 (WENN)
Forest Whitaker's portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland and Dame Helen Mirren's turn as The Queen have earned the two stars top honors from the fifth annual Washington, DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA). The US capital's top critics have also named 9/11 drama United 93 as the Best Film at their fifth annual awards. And Martin Scorsese has been honored with the Best Director prize for his hit film The Departed. The Washington critics also honored Dreamgirls star Jennifer Hudson (Best Supporting Actress and Breakthrough Performance of the Year) and Blood Diamond's Djimon Hounsou (Best Supporting Actor). Happy Feet claimed the critics' Animated Feature prize and Pan's Labyrinth was named Best Foreign Language Film.

Eastwood Film Wins Top Award From L.A. Film Critics
11 December 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Clint Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima, which presents the bloody World War II battle from a Japanese viewpoint (and is the companion film to his Flags of Our Fathers), has been named best picture of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Eastwood himself, however, did not win the best director prize, which instead went to Paul Greengrass for United 93. In a surprise, the group reported a tie in the best-actor category, handing out awards to Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat and Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland. Helen Mirren won for best actress for her performance in the title role of The Queen. Meanwhile, the Boston Society of Film Critics awarded Martin Scorsese The Departed (which coincidentally is set in Boston) its best-picture prize. The Boston critics also selected Whitaker and Mirren for the actors prizes.

LA Critics Pick 'Letter from Iwo Jima'; New York Favors 'United 93'
11 December 2006 (WENN)
Is there a favorite emerging? After picking up the National Board of Review's top honor, Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima was also named Best Picture by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Sunday. Though the Japanese-language World War II drama nabbed the group's biggest award (and Eastwood was the runner-up for director honors), overall the LA critics favored The Queen, which took home four awards, including Best Actress for Helen Mirren and Supporting Actor for Michael Sheen, as well as screenplay and score honors; the Queen Elizabeth II drama was also the runner-up for Best Picture. The Best Actor award was a split decision, going to both Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland and, in a bit of a surprise, Sasha Baron Cohen for the hit comedy Borat. Other major awards included United 93's Paul Greengrass for Best Director, Luminita Gheorghiu for Best Supporting Actress for The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The Lives of Others for Best Foreign Language Film, Happy Feet for Best Animated Film and An Inconvenient Truth for Best Documentary.

UPDATE: The New York Film Critics Circle voted on their awards Monday morning, giving their top honor to September 11th verite drama United 93 and Best Director to Martin Scorsese for The Departed. Racking up yet even more wins were the now-ubiquitous Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen), taking home their third Best Actor and Actress awards thus far; The Queen was also honored with the screenplay award. Supporting awards went to former child star Jackie Earle Haley for his role as a pedophile in Little Children, and star-in-the-making Jennifer Hudson for her scene-stealing turn in Dreamgirls. Other major awards included Army of Shadows for Foreign Language Film (the 1969 Jean-Pierre Melville film received its first US release just this year), Happy Feet for Animated Film, Deliver Us from Evil for Non-Fiction Film, Pan's Labyrinth for Cinematography, and Half Nelson for Best First Film. --Mark Englehart, IMDb staff

'Letters from Iwo Jima' Tops National Board of Review
6 December 2006 (WENN)
In firing the opening shot of this year's awards season, the National Board of Review went with a bit of a surprise, giving its Best Picture honor to Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, a Japanese-language release that was originally slated for early 2007 but bumped up just a few weeks ago. The movie's English-language companion piece, Flags of Our Fathers, was released in October to mixed reviews and middling box office, and had been expected to be a major Oscar contender this year. While it didn't rate a major award, Flags did receive a spot in the group's top ten films of 2006. Two other surprises were had in the supporting categories as well, with Djimon Hounsou winning for Blood Diamond and Catherine O'Hara named for her comedic turn in For Your Consideration. As for the other major categories, heavy hitters prevailed, with early Oscar faves Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen) taking lead honors, Martin Scorsese (The Departed) winning Best Director, Volver named as Best Foreign Film, and Cars and An Inconvenient Truth taking animated and documentary honors, respectively. In terms of omissions, the most notable was the absence of Dreamgirls from the group's top ten films of the year, a list that included The Devil Wears Prada, The History Boys, and Little Miss Sunshine, among others. Almost always the first group to hand out awards, the National Board of Review is made up of film professionals, teachers, students and historians.

The top ten films of the year as named by the National Board of Review: Letters from Iwo Jima, Babel, Blood Diamond, The Departed, The Devil Wears Prada, Flags of Our Fathers, The History Boys, Little Miss Sunshine, Notes on a Scandal and The Painted Veil.

'Half Nelson' Triumphs at Gotham Awards
1 December 2006 (WENN)
Budget drug-addiction drama Half Nelson was a triple winner at this year's Gotham Awards, scooping prizes for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director and Breakthrough Actor. Despite stiff competition from big studio-financed films including The Departed and Marie Antoinette, the $1 million movie dominated the New York ceremony on Wednesday night honoring independent film-making. Host David Cross slammed the inclusion of its big-budget rivals, insisting, "We're here to celebrate the films that show you don't need a big studio, films with an untested director and cast - films like The Departed. How that got greenlit I have no idea." Despite the scathing comments, the $25 million Brad Pitt-starring Babel won the Best Ensemble Cast award, and its star Rinko Kikuchi shared the Breakthrough Actor award with Shareeka Epps of Half Nelson. Oscar-short listed Iraq In Fragments took home the Best Documentary prize.

Penguins Cold-Shoulder Bond
21 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
The gap between the box-office totals for Sony/MGM's Casino Royale and Warner Bros.' Happy Feet narrowed Monday when Exhibitor Relations released the official count, but Happy Feet remained on top with $41.5 million, narrowly beating Casino with $40.8 million. The two films pushed Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which had held the lead the previous two weeks, into second place with $14.6 million. Another new film, Universal's Let's Go to Prison, flopped with $2.2 million, winding up in tenth place.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Happy Feet, Warner Bros., $41,533,432, (New); 2. Casino Royale, Sony, $40,833,156, (New); 3. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, 20th Century Fox, $14,602,874, 3 Wks. ($90,757,366); 4. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Disney, $8,302,661, 3 Wks. ($51,704,119); 5. Stranger Than Fiction, Sony, $6,605,197, 2 Wks. ($22,905,344); 6. Flushed Away, Paramount, $6,596,962, 3 Wks. ($48,588,533); 7. Saw III, Lionsgate, $2,916,062, 4 Wks. ($74,968,353); 8. Babel, Paramount, $2,904,642, 4 Wks. ($12,016,104); 9. The Departed, Warner Bros., $2,585,402, 7 Wks. ($113,841,430); 10. Let's Go to Prison, Universal, $2,220,050, (New).

March of the Penguins -- Over 007
20 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Box office analysts ought to have hedged their bets when it came to Casino Royale's chances over the weekend. Although the Sony/MGM movie was virtually their unanimous choice to outdistance the competition -- by far -- it ended up in second place, marched over by the animated penguins in Warner Bros.' Happy Feet. According to estimates released Sunday, the penguin movie earned $42.3 million, while the Bond flick raked in $40.6 million. Although the grosses for each film were regarded as solid, many analysts had predicted that they would be higher. Meanwhile, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which had topped the box office for the last two weekends, fell to third place with about $14.35 million, to bring its total to $90.5 million. The top three films fell just $2.75 million short of reaching $100 million, a box office rarity. Nevertheless, on the same weekend a year ago, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire brought in $102.3 million on its own. Universal's Let's Go to Prison, a third film to open in wide release (not screened for critics), flopped with just $2.1 million, failing even to crack the top 10.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Happy Feet, $42.3 million; 2. Casino Royale, $40.6 million; 3. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, $14.35 million; 4. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, $8.2 million; 5. Flushed Away, $6.8 million; 6. Stranger Than Fiction, $6.6 million; 7. Babel, $2.9 million; 8. Saw III, $2.8 million; 9. The Departed, $2.6 million; 10. The Queen, $2.3 million.

'Borat' Is Niiiiiice Overseas, Too
14 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
As it turned out, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan translated as well overseas as it did domestically. In the 20 countries where it was shown, it was No. 1 in all of them, taking in $15.4 million to bring its overseas total over two weeks to $43.2 million. In the U.S. and Canada, it raked in $28.3 million, bringing its two-week total to $67.1 million. That puts the film's worldwide gross to date at over $100 million -- $110.3 million to be more precise. Meanwhile, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause and Flushed Away continued to vie for second place at the North American box office, with Clause coming away with $16.9 million and Flushed with $16.6 million. Sony's Stranger Than Fiction, which many analysts had predicted would take top honors, settled for fourth place with $13.4 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, 20th Century Fox, $28,269,900, 2 Wks. ($67,111,765); 2. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Disney, $16,927,004, 2 Wks. ($41,086,409); 3. Flushed Away, Paramount, $16,606,526, 2 Wks. ($39,827,295); 4. Stranger Than Fiction, Sony, $13,411,093, (New); 5. Saw III, Lionsgate, $6,984,377, 3 Wks. ($70,263,820); 6. Babel, Paramount, $5,558,095, 3 Wks. ($7,395,357); 7. The Departed, Warner Bros., $5,164,480, 6 Wks. ($109,702,938); 8. The Prestige, Disney, $4,778,175, 4 Wks. ($46,185,205); 9. The Return, Focus Features, $4,479,621, (New); 10. A Good Year, 20th Century Fox, $3,721,526, (New).

'Borat' Make Second Benefit
13 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan had another sensational weekend at the box office as 20th Century Fox tripled the number of theaters showing it. Borat wound up with an estimated $29 million, bringing its ten-day total to $67.8 million. Thanks to the Veterans Day holiday, the box office showed strong ticket sales for two other holdovers as well. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause dropped only 13 percent to around $16.9 million, while the animated Flushed Away remained close behind, declining 11 percent to $16.7 million. On the other hand, three newcomers failed to live up to analysts' predictions. The Russell Crowe starrer A Good Year tanked with just $3.7 million, while the critically praised Stranger than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, earned an estimated $14.1 million. The horror flick, The Return, which was not screened for critics, earned a dismal $4.8 million. Expanding after two weeks, Babel wound up in sixth place with $5.65 million.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, $29 million; 2. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, $16.9 million; 3. Flushed Away, $16.7 million; 4. Stranger Than Fiction, $14.1 million; 5. Saw III, $6.6 million; 6. Babel, $5.65 million; 7. The Departed, $5.2 million; 8. The Return, $4.8 million; 9. The Prestige, $4.6 million; 10. A Good Year, $3.8 million.

Paramount Scores with Scorsese
8 November 2006 (WENN)
Movie mogul Martin Scorsese has replaced Tom Cruise as the big man at Paramount after signing a four-year, first-look deal to develop projects with studio executives. Just days after Scorsese scored his biggest cinema hit by taking new film The Departed past the $100 million mark at the US box office, Paramount boss Brad Grey announced he's thrilled to welcome Scorsese. In a statement released yesterday, Scorsese says, "I have had a great personal relationship with Brad Grey for several years now and am looking forward to working with him at Paramount, a studio rich in cinematic history and responsible for making some of my favorite films." Under the terms of the new deal, Scorsese will direct and produce a number of projects from movies to TV dramas. Cruise was unceremoniously dumped from Paramount this summer by studio boss Sumner Redstone, who stated, "He was embarrassing the studio and he was costing us a lot of money." Scorsese isn't the only big name tied to Paramount following Cruise's departure - Grey's former partner Brad Pitt is the studio's movie star coup.

Will Borat's Glory Extend Through Week 2?
7 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Twentieth Century Fox film executives are insisting that they were justified in reducing the number of theaters showing Borat to 837 prior to last weekend's opening. The film took in $26.5 million, an unprecedented figure for a film opening in so few theaters. Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder claims that the decision to cut the number of theaters by nearly two thirds will work in favor of the movie next weekend because its initial success will increase awareness of it. Daily Variety reported today (Tuesday) that even now, only 57 percent of people surveyed at theaters are aware of the film versus 90 percent for The Santa Clause 3. However, other industry observers contend that the box-office results for Borat over the weekend exposed the shortcomings of tracking surveys and the risk of relying too heavily on them. Fox is planning to expand Borat to about 2,400 theaters next weekend. Meanwhile, The Santa Clause 3 turned out to be something of a disappointment. Earning $19.5 million on 3,458 screens, it was off 32.8 percent from the $29-million debut of 2002's The Santa Clause 2, which eventually earned $139 million. However, it was duly noted that this time around, the Disney film faced competition for the family audience from Aardman/DreamWorks Animation's Flushed Away, which exceeded analysts' expectations by opening in third place with $18.9 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Borat, 20th Century Fox, $26,455,463, (New); 2. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, Disney, $19,504,038, (New); 3. Flushed Away, Paramount, $18,814,323, (New);4. Saw III, Lionsgate, $14,805,871, 2 Wks. ($59,382,706); 5. The Departed, Warner Bros., $7,722,388, 5 Wks. ($102,004,054); 6. The Prestige, Disney, $7,505,268, 3 Wks. ($39,135,541); 7. Flags of Our Fathers, Paramount, $4,419,657, 3 Wks. ($26,550,769); 8. Man of the Year, Universal, $3,665,580, 4 Wks. ($33,848,800); 9. Open Season, Sony, $2,968,832, 6 Wks. ($81,254,598); 10. The Queen, Miramax, $2,909,966, 6 Wks. ($9,986,970).

'Borat' Make Benefit for Box Office
6 November 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Theater owners and 20th Century Fox discovered over the weekend that Santa Claus doesn't come from the North Pole but from Kazakhstan, that he doesn't wear a beard but a mustache, and that his name is not really Tim Allen but Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen's Borat rang up an estimated $26.1 million at the box office despite playing in just 837 theaters -- that's $31,500 in each theater. By contrast Allen's The Santa Clause 3, which finished in second place, took in $20 million on 3,458 screens -- or $5,780 per screen. Most analysts -- and tracking surveys -- had predicted that the Disney film would be the big winner at the box office. Some industry observers questioned the wisdom of Fox's decision to cut back on the number of theaters showing Borat following poor tracking surveys. In an interview with today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times, Borat producer Jay Roach commented, "It's amazing that tracking is so important to the industry when it's frequently way off." The movie faces weak competition next week when it is scheduled to expand. Meanwhile, the animated Flushed Away performed better than expected, placing third with about $19.1 million and giving Aardman Animation its biggest opening ever.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, $26.4 million; 2. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, $20 million; 3. Flushed Away, $19.1 million; 4. Saw III, $15.5 million; 5. The Departed, $8 million; 6. The Prestige, $7.8 million; 7. Flags of Our Fathers, $4.5 million; 8. Man of the Year, $3.8 million; 9. Open Season, $3.1 million; 10. The Queen, $3 million.

No Brainer: 'Saw IV' Set for Next Year
31 October 2006 (StudioBriefing)
It didn't take long for Lionsgate to announce that it plans to release yet another Saw sequel next Halloween weekend. Word came as final figures indicated that the latest one, Saw III, had earned $33.61 million during its three-day opening, Lionsgate's biggest opening ever. Other newcomers got lost in the shuffle, failing even to make the top ten. Focus Features' Catch a Fire opened in 12th place with a scant $2.08 million. Death of a President bombed as it earned just $281,778 at 143 theaters. On the other hand, Paramount Vantage's Babel proved to be a weekend sensation as it took in $389,351 on just seven screens for a per-screen average of $55,621. (By contrast, Saw III took in $10,621 per theater.)

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Saw III, Lionsgate, $33,610,391, (New); 2. The Departed, Warner Bros., $9,848,258, 4 Wks. ($91,098,431); 3. The Prestige, Disney, $9,573,215, 2 Wks. ($28,780,742); 4. Flags of Our Fathers, Paramount, $6,346,856, 2 Wks. ($19,923,069); 5. Open Season, Sony, $5,862,674, 5 Wks. ($7,7120,167); 6. Flicka, 20th Century Fox, $4,728,261, 2 Wks. ($13,891,482); 7. Man of the Year, Universal, $4,727,960, 3 Wks. ($28,884,500); 8. The Grudge 2, Sony, $3,264,336, 3 Wks. ($35,980,317); 9. Marie Antoinette, Sony, $2,845,815, 2 Wks. ($9,752,091); 10. Running With Scissors, Sony, $2,531,760, 2 Wks. ($2,865,340).

'Saw III': A Rip Tootin' $34.3 Million
30 October 2006 (StudioBriefing)
Taking in an estimated $34.3 million, Saw III helped build a huge box office over the weekend -- $89.3 million for the top 12 films -- some 2.4 percent more than the comparable weekend a year ago, when Saw II opened with $31.7 million. Meanwhile Martin Scorsese's The Departed continued to show strong legs as it remained in second place for the third straight week with $9.1 million to lift its total after four weeks to $91.1 million. Disney's The Presti