Take On Them

Brillant send-up, funny as hell. Click Here To Read More

There's nothing to it... Vote

This is sheer genius. Click Here To Read More

McCain gets McAble

A new episode on the McCain political saga.

Tom Gosinski Surfaces to Retell Cindy McCain Drug Story
Thu Sep 11, 2008 at 10:48:22 AM
By Amy Silverman

Tom Gosinski has surfaced. The guy who blew the whistle to New Times on Cindy McCain's prescription drug theft surfaced this week at a Holiday Inn in the Washington, D.C. area, telling his story again.

Full story here

On Cindy's defense we can say a few things:

- There's no other way to put up with John McCain than being high.

- Developing a drug habit it's the best way to create a selfless charity.

- You know she's a true Republican because she didn't use tax-payers money!

A great woman indeed... Click Here To Read More

From Russia With Love

Here's to the future of Madonna's touring deal...

Click Here To Read More

Not Quite Kettle-Call

And here is the rest of it. Click Here To Read More

Güey Awards: Lifetime A-cheatin' Award

Here are the nominees to the Award for achievement in non-acting one's age, bravely represented by the following (b)old performances:

- Harrison Ford, for not thinking he was too old to once again take on the role of Indiana Jones.

Out-of-the-ark stuff?

- Sarah Jessica Parker for not thinking she was too old to once again take on the role of Carrie Bradshaw.

Is that vintage?

- Madonna for not thinking he was too old to once again take on the role of femme-fatale in her new album and tour.

Senior-ita mas fina

Who will take home the prize? Stay tuned... Click Here To Read More

On Patrick Süskind's iPod:

This song is nothing to sniff at.
Click Here To Read More

ProcrasTV: And now, a word from our sponsor.

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Hairism: Exile On No-Mane Street?

A new social phenomenon has taken over the watercooler conversations of sociologist all around the world. (Bear in mind that in the workspaces of sociologists, watercoolers are not a casual meeting point, but they're kept under glass and mantained under strict observation, given the significant social barometer they constitute.) This new phenomenon is that of hairism, which is a form of discrimination against those of individuals who enjoy less hair density (if any) than other people.


Studies have shown McDreamy's magnetic appeal drops dramatically when his hair does.

First symptom was the emergence of an organization called Brothers Against Lack-of-hairers Difamation (B.A.L.D.) This society was formed to stop negative portrayal of hair-impaired people (PC term) in the media. Shorn Blunt, the (hairless) head of this organization points out: "The mainstream media portrayal of follicularly impaired people is always negative. We saw this earlier with action film villains like Lex Luthor and Darth Vader. But now it's even worse. You watch Ironman and you can tell who the bad guys are just because they have no hair." According to Blunt: "They overlook the fact that our people has given so much to the arts and sciences, people like William Shakespeare and Mr. Clean." Recent Britney Spears' bald head episode didn't help matters.

Whether this social trend will take off will remain to be seen but, just in case, John McCain is already looking for a way to incorporate this into his political strategy, claiming "Democrats are not the only ones who can play the minority card."

Side effects: dramatic increase on the research for hair-loss prevention on animals has lead to questionable results.

For more info and moral support visit Balds R US.com

... Click Here To Read More

Madonna and Tina Turner: Dinosaurs or American Idols?

From the Ticketmaster official site.



Tina Turner... Madonna... Dinosaurs! Click Here To Read More

Australians demand to have their country relocated.

Australians have taken to the streets, in a massive plea to have their country change its geographical location.

For ages, Australians haven't been very happy with their situation, occupying a spot on the globe which is scientifically referred to as 'the armpit of Earth.' "It sucks not to have a neighboring country" says one unhappy citizen "You see how Venezuela and Colombia, or Iraq and Afghanistan, how much fun they have with each other, and we have been deprived of that experience." Situation only became worse recently after the Spice Girls decided to cancel their concert dates Down Under altogether,but the straw that broke the camel's back was when Madonna announced that she would also skip the country in her upcoming tour. "We're missing all these great concerts, nobody wants to play here because it's too f*cking far!" says one concerned Aussie. As to where they want to be placed, Australians will soon launch a referendum to decide on a new location. "I don't think it will be in North America because, you know, they already have Canada. But it will surely be somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere because there's something so wrong about putting up a Christmas tree in the summer. It has to come to an end." claims a person knowledgeable in the subject. Recent polls say public opinion leans toward 'a nice spot in the Mediterranean or near Africa,' with most people rooting for a spot near Gaza strip , since they've heard it seems to be quite a hot spot. Click Here To Read More

Good On Paper

Here at The Güey Watcher are proud to present you with our initiative to expand our business to the publishing world. That's right, coming soon to a bookstore near you The Güey Watcher Books. Right now we're busy working on building our author roster, but I think it's safe to present you with a preliminary list of the titles we'll be happy to bring you soon enough.

- How To Kill Yourself Or Die Trying, by Owen Wilson

- The Thin Red Line (Or Flashing For Dummies), by Britney Spears

- State Of Denial, by Clay Aiken

- A Body for Life, by Mo'Nique (we went with this title since we figured A Never-ending Ass might have turned off some readers.)

- The Purpose Driven Life, by Anna Nicole Smith

Hope you enjoy our selection and if you have any suggestion as to the authors and titles you'd like to see in our list, you're more than welcome to post in the comment section below.

* Click Here To Read More

News Roundup, April 22

- US families claim to be forced to pick between gas and food. Thank God there's still Taco Bell which gives you both in one.

- Sony comes up with wafer-thin TV. It's designed to make Vh1's programming look more substantial.

- Michael Bolton, Celine Dion make it to list of top ten most annoying singers. Showbiz moguls from Vegas are ready to contact the rest of winners who don't have a show deal already.

- Hillary connected to Angelina, Madonna by DNA. Sources rushed to clarify they were not talking about Bill's, but her own.

- Former Bush press secretary becomes TV pundit. People thought he was brilliant until they realized they weren't watching Stephen Colbert Click Here To Read More

Now, this would make a great T-Mobile ad.

From Gizmodo

The life of 20-year-old Emine, and her 24-year-old husband Ramazan Çalçoban was pretty much the normal life of any couple in a separation process. After deciding to split up, the two kept having bitter arguments over the cellphone, sending text messages to each other until one day Ramazan wrote "you change the topic every time you run out of arguments." That day, the lack of a single dot over a letter—product of a faulty localization of the cellphone's typing system—caused a chain of events that ended in a violent blood bath (Warning: offensive language ahead.)

To find out more on the story...
The surreal mistake happened because the ex-husband's cellphone didn't have an specific character from the Turkish alphabet: the letter "ı" or closed i. While "i" is available in all phones in Turkey—where this happened—the closed i apparently doesn't exist in most of the terminals in that country.

The use of "i" resulted in an SMS with a completely twisted meaning: instead of writing the word "sıkısınca" he wrote "sikisince." Ramazan wanted to write "You change the topic every time you run out of arguments" (sounds familiar enough) but what Emine read was, "You change the topic every time they are fucking you" (sounds familiar too.)

Emine then showed the message to her father, who—enraged—called Ramazan, accusing him of treating his daughter as a prostitute. Ramazan went to the family's home to apologize and was greeted by the father, two sisters and a lot of very sharp knives.

Injured and bleeding, Ramazan found Emine and killed her with another knife. He later killed himself in jail.

Apparently it's not the first incident of this kind caused by the damned dot on top of the letter i. The local press has pointed out that the faulty localization of cellphones in Turkey is causing "serious problems" when it comes to certain "delicate words" in Turkish, and they are calling to enhance localization of technology to avoid these mistakes.

Alternatively, the press could ask for banning knives from the homes of demonstrably stupid people. Click Here To Read More

Stuck

Maybe you have hear that joke about the guy that got stuck in an elevator for 41 hours... only it's not a joke. It happened to a poor fella, who was entrapped inside his office's elevator while the surveillance camera passively watched.



This video accompanies the story in the New Yorker.
... Click Here To Read More

ProcrasTV: A Minuteman Of A Different Kind

It was a matter of time time before a cheaper Chinese version of this song came around.


Now, Madonna says she only has four minutes to save the world... but from what? Maybe this hilarious fan made video will give you a hint.
Click Here To Read More

Juz Make Sure They Don't Find Out Mariah Has A New Album Out

America’s Global Image Stops Sinking in a Poll
By MIKE NIZZA
The image of America abroad, which has been battered in recent years by an unpopular war and other policies, appears to have stopped deteriorating, judging by a worldwide survey by the BBC and GlobeScan:

While views of U.S. influence in the world are still predominantly negative, they have improved in 11 of the 23 countries the BBC polled a year ago, while worsening in just three countries.

The average percentage saying that the U.S. is having a positive influence has increased from 31 percent a year ago to 35 percent today, while the view that it is having a negative influence has declined from 52 per cent to 47 percent.

Looking just at the countries that have been polled in each of the last four years, positive views of the U.S. eroded from 2005 (38% on average), to 2006 (32%), and to 2007 (28%); recovering for the first time this year to 32 percent.

Israel, Iran and Pakistan were even more unpopular abroad than the United States, rated negatively by more than 50 percent of respondents.

Russia, which has begun an image burnishing campaign of its own, showed the greatest rebound in the poll, with 37 percent of respondents viewing the country positively, up from 29 percent a year earlier.

A total of 17,457 people were interviewed in 34 countries between October and January, the BBC said; the margin of sampling error varied from 3.4 to 4.6 percentage points, depending on the country.

Last June, the Pew Research Center’s survey of attitudes towards the United States showed a deepening of distrust in the Muslim world, a trend somewhat reflected in the BBC-GlobeScan survey released today. Negative views have grown in Egypt and Lebanon, but positive views have grown in Turkey and Indonesia; even so, the figures in those countries remain more negative than average.

Kurt Volker, a State Department official who has been nominated for NATO ambassador, told the BBC that the American gains are “a lagging indicator of what we are doing, working together with European governments and other elites.”

Steven Kull, a polling expert the University of Maryland, had a different take, saying that the upcoming presidential election may be playing a role. “Views of the U.S. are being mitigated by hope that a new administration will move away from the foreign policies that have been so unpopular in the world,” Mr. Kull said.

TO CONTINUE READING...
But that theory was doubted by Nikolas Gvosdev of The National Interest back in January, when The Christian Science Monitor covered the presidential candidates’ plans for addressing the issue. “People have bought into a narrative that all this negativity is the result of one man, or maybe two men in the White House, the president and vice president,” he said. “But to suggest that on Jan. 20, 2009, everything will change to the world’s liking doesn’t take into account how the world has changed.”

Other experts have suggested that American policies regarding the Middle East, national security and Iraq would have to drastically change before hearts and minds would follow. Otherwise, it’s “Mission: Impossible,” as one observer termed Karen Hughes’s effort to address the problem as the State Department’s chief of public diplomacy.

She stepped down in November without many concrete signs of progress, while another diplomat was left disenchanted after trying hard to reverse the trend, as a Times article on her resignation summarized:

“This is the conundrum that I faced every day,” Price Floyd, a former State Department public affairs official, wrote in an op-ed article in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in May, after he left the department. “I tried through the traditional domestic media, and, for the first time, through the pan-Arab TV and print media — Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Al Hayat — to reach people in the U.S. and abroad and to convince them that we should not be judged by our actions, only by our words.”

Is a full recovery even possible? Not according to Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner of France. “It will never be as it was before,” he said in an interview with The International Herald Tribune last month. “The magic is over.” Click Here To Read More

ProcrasTV: Amy Winhouse's low blow

I know our modern lifestyle calls for a smaller, more compact packaging of our favorite products... but this is too much.

Amy Winehouse catches a short buzz Click Here To Read More

Madonna Leaks! (UPDATE)

For the sake of accuracy it is our duty to present you with the actual artwork to Madonna's upcoming album Hard Candy (as a follow-up to our previous report) along with the official album version of the lead single 4 Minutes and a sneak preview of her album track Miles Away as presented by (who else?) a Japanese cooking show.

UPDATE: Madonna's new album HARD CANDY has been leaked in full. Click Here To Read More

ProcrasTV: The Porn Ultimatum

Forget The Bourne Ultimatum, this is the pinnacle of Matt Damon's career. In case you haven't seen this alredy, there it goes...

Even funnier is Kimmel's response. Watch for the A-list cameos.
Click Here To Read More

Things That Won't Let Me Sleep At Night

Issue: MICROSOFT billionaire Bill Gates has had to delete his Facebook account after being hassled by thousands of fans.

My Concern: How's a poor little computer nerd like him going to meet people now?

Issue: Spring brings new releases by pop-divas such as Madonna, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Kylie Minogue.

My Concern: Is this a secret plan to reactivate the economy, via gay fund reserve?

Issue: Bill O'Reilly asks: "Is waterboarding torture?"

Bush answers: "I don't want to talk about techniques. But I do assure the American people that we were within the law and we don't torture. I have said all along to the American people we won't torture. But we need to be in a position where we can interrogate these people."

My Concern: If even O'Reilly has to question the sanity of one of the Bush administration's decision... what's going to happen if indeed Americans elect "a Republican president who will keep up the fight in Iraq" as Bush told donors at the Republican Governors Association annual dinner? (which raised a record $10.6 million for GOP gubernatorial candidates.)

"And I don't want the next Republican president to be lonely," Bush said. "And that is why we got to take the House, retake the Senate, and make sure our states are governed by Republican governors."

It's 3 AM... a phone is ringing in the White House... Click Here To Read More

Madonna Leaks!

It had to be the French... here's the link to a radio leak of Madonna's new single '4 Minutes' (someone took the announcer's voice off, thank them), from her upcoming album Hard Candy. I digs.

UPDATE: Madonna's latest album HARD CANDY has been leaked in full.



Image from Boy Culture. Click Here To Read More

Look The Other Way

At approximately 8:15 a.m., an eighth grade 15-year-old boy, identified as Lawrence Fobes King (“Larry”) was shot in the head by another student in a computer lab classroom. King was transported to St. John's Regional Medical Center and was listed in serious condition. Examiners had declared King brain dead. King was kept on life support until February 15, 2008, so his organs could be donated. It was reported that King was shot because he was openly gay and sometimes dressed in a "feminine" manner. Prosecutors have discussed charging the shooter with premeditated murder with enhancements for the use of a firearm and commission of a hate crime.

On that regard, you better watch this:



From JustJared:

CNN host Anderson Cooper just blogged about a shooting at a junior high school computer lab in California that happened two weeks ago. Consequently, as a result of a hate crime, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot to death.

Anderson, 40, posed the question, “When does bullying become a hate crime?” Here’s his entry:

“We are focusing on a story that hasn’t received the attention it deserves. The story is about a young man named Lawrence King. He was 15 years old. On the morning of Feb 12, a classmate of Lawrence’s allegedly walked into the computer lab in front of some two dozen other students and shot Lawrence in the head. He was declared brain dead later at the hospital. According to authorities, this was not a random killing, it was a hate crime. Lawrence had recently told people he was gay, and apparently wore clothing that was viewed as effeminate. According to many accounts he had been bullied repeatedly, and some parents have even claimed students knew of threats to Lawrence’s life. At this point it doesn’t seem clear how much school officials knew of the bullying, but a full investigation needs to be done. If this had been an African-American student bullied by a teenage skinhead would it have received more attention? Would school officials have taken it more seriously if it had been a Christian campus leader attacked by another student because of his/her religious beliefs? I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I do think they are worth asking. Bullying is a problem in schools across the country. We’ve seen this time and time again. Is enough being done to stop it?”

In response to this hate crime, both Democratic presidential candidates released statements regarding this tragic event:

Click on the following link

Said Hillary Clinton, “I was deeply saddened by the recent death of 15-year-old Lawrence King who was killed at his school in Oxnard, CA. No one should face intimidation or violence, particularly at school, because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender identity.We must finally enact a federal hate crimes law to ensure that gay, lesbian and transgender Americans are protected against violent, bias-motivated crimes. We must send a unified message that hate-based crime will not be tolerated.”

Barack Obama is on the same page, adding, “It was heartbreaking to learn about Lawrence King’s death, and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. King’s senseless death is a tragic example of the corrosive effect that bigotry and fear can have in our society. It’s also an urgent reminder that we need to do more in our schools to foster tolerance and an acceptance of diversity; that we must enact a federal hate crimes law that protects all LGBT Americans; and that we must recommit ourselves to becoming active and engaged parents, citizens and neighbors, so that bias and bigotry cannot take hold in the first place. We all have a responsibility to help this nation live up to its founding promise of equality for all.”

The L.A. Times also has a write-up of last week’s memorial service for King: “At a memorial attended by more than 500 people in Port Hueneme, Lawrence “Larry” King was remembered Friday as a sensitive child who liked to draw, paint and crochet. One Christmas, he helped his mother crochet hundreds of scarves so that U.S. troops in Afghanistan wouldn’t be without a holiday gift.”

You can also visit the website that King’s family set up: RememberLarry.com.

Click Here To Read More

Phat Music

Mariah is now saving time by making her music video and its spoof all in one shot. So hence this quite interesting clip from her new single "Touch My Body", featuring 30Rock's resident nerd Jack Ryan. Mariah is often hailed as one of the biggest singers on Earth and when you look at her waistline is easy to see how that might be true.



Now, if you want to see one of Mariah's naughtiest photos ever, click on the link below. But I have to warn you... it ain't kosher.



Mariah's new cut... hot or cold?
Click Here To Read More

Exclusiva: Ker-ching of Pop

According toReuters:

"Michael Jackson's famed Neverland Valley Ranch in California will be foreclosed and sold on March 19 unless the pop star pays a balance of nearly $25 million, property records showed on Tuesday."

Surprisingly, as it happens everytime he's in financial trouble, the singer is resorting to yet another rehash of his repertoire of hits, via an album called Thriller 25. So if you didn't have the chance to buy Billie Jean in the original Thriller, or in HIStory, Blood On The Dancefloor, and Number Ones, here's your chance!

Now, ever the selfless souls, here at Güey Watcher we have come up with other entrepreneurial ventures that might be more profitable for the financially challenged chanteur.

Here's the list of products we could see Michael launching to great success:

- Jesus Juice. Instant booze! Turns wine into water in no time! This ish is biblical, man! Ideal for frat parties but, hey, be careful not to leave it around unsuspecting underage people (wink, wink.)

- Mr. Potato Head: Michael Jackson Edition. Have as much fun redoing his face as many times as you want! It's no skin off his nose! (...Or is it?)

- Inflatable Liz Taylor sidekick doll. Have endless fun trying to blow her up in full! Get all your family in on the good times! Your gay soirees have never been this classy.

- Yo-yo Baby. Extra-expandable baby leash. Dangle your favorite infant off the highest balcony. Comes with a full 'how-to' manual, so you can learn to perform tricks as 'the pyramid' and 'the human gazpacho.'

If these products don't do the trick, Michael, you can always try one of the following tactics: you can sell the Beatles' catalogue in parts, I'm sure a lot of guys would like to own that catchy 'number nine' from the White Album. Or you can charge royalties to all those comedy writers whose job you've made so much easer over the years.

Whatchu waitin' for, Jacko? Don't let the deprive you from your God-given right to be black-mailed. To paraphrase South Park: "there's no point in taking another poor black man to court."


Michael's finances take a nose dive. Click Here To Read More

Irish Luck

I can't endorse this movie/soundtrack enough, that's why I found this Glen Hansard quote quite funny:

With "Once" having exceeded everyone's expectations, could another film be in the works? "John's talking about making another one at some point, called 'Twice,' " Hansard says. "Then the third one would be called 'Three Times a Lady.'"

Hansard and Irglova will be on hand at the Academy Awards ceremony to perform "Falling Slowly."

From Billboard.com Click Here To Read More

Strike Watch: Final Days

From Creative Screenwriting Magazine:

WGA Strike Timeline, Part 3: The Final Days

By Peter Clines

Creative Screenwriting presents a summary of the last third of the 14-week work stoppage that all but crippled Hollywood. Included are a few incidents that weren't linked to the strike when they happened, but probably should've been.

Monday, Jan. 7-With the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers still refusing to negotiate, the WGA signs an independent deal with United Artists, to the reported displeasure of UA's parent company, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

The same day, the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas. Attending are digital media executives from Disney, Paramount, Fox, and Warner Bros., who take part in a panel discussing the strategies with which Hollywood studios are approaching digital media. Also attending the conference is Beth Comstock of NBC Universal, who goes on record saying her company plans to make one billion dollars in online revenue in 2008.

Jan. 8-Faced with picketing writers and a boycott from actors, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announces that the Golden Globes ceremony has been cancelled and will be replaced with a formal news conference

Jan. 9-Citigroup and Prudential withdraw advertisements from the Golden Globes night press conference. A Wall Street Journal article discusses advertisers' worries that a similar fate awaits the Oscars.

Jan. 10-NBC is criticized on several fronts for turning the Golden Globes news conference into a thinly disguised Access Hollywood special.

Actor Tom Hanks goes on record in support of the WGA, asking the AMPTP to resume talks and "get down to honest bargaining."

Jan. 11-ABC and iTunes offer free downloads of Lost "recaps," four- and eight-minute clip shows that let viewers get caught up on the show. And while ABC cancels almost three dozen writer and director contracts under force majeure clauses, a Securities and Exchange Commission filing from Disney announces that CEO Robert Iger will receive an 11% increase in compensation (for a 2007 total of $27.7 million). Under the terms of the financial plan put forward by the WGA (and rejected by the AMPTP negotiators), Disney would only pay writers an additional $6.25 million per year.

With the AMPTP still refusing to negotiate, the WGA announces it has signed an independent deal with the Weinstein Company.

To keep reading...

Jan. 12-At a Citigroup conference, CBS chief Les Moonves says he has been trying to restart talks between the AMPTP and the WGA. He also says the strike will not have a negative effect on his network, since any loss in ratings or ad revenue will be offset by the savings of not producing original programming at this time.

Jan. 13-The Golden Globes press conference takes place. No writers or actors attend. Below-the-line crew members protest outside the event, demanding that talks resume and the strike be ended.

Tuesday, Jan. 15-More television studios invoke force majeure clauses, though none sever as many contracts as ABC did the previous week. Several directly blame the ongoing strike. Altogether, more than five dozen contracts with writers and directors are cancelled in less than a week.

At the Mac World Expo, Steve Jobs announces the new iTunes online movie rentals service, having secured deals with numerous studios, including 20th Century, Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal, and Sony. The service will allow customers to download or stream movies directly to their iPhones, iPods, or the upgraded Apple TV.

Jan. 16-Warner Bros. places its big-budget film Justice League on "indefinite hold," citing an inability to do further work on the script or get certain tax breaks for filming in Australia.

Jan. 17-After six days of official negotiations, the Directors Guild of America announces a tentative deal with the AMPTP. The WGA assures its members that the negotiating committee, WGAW Board of Directors, and the WGAE Council will examine and evaluate the deal in the hopes that it will serve as a foundation for their own deal when and if the studios agree to resume talks.

Interpret LLC, a media consulting firm, announces the results of a national survey showing that 94% of Americans are aware of the WGA strike, 27% are watching less television because of it, and only 7% support the studios.

Jan. 18-Singer-actress Beyonce Knowles announces she will cross WGA picket lines to perform at the Grammy Awards if the show is not granted a waiver. In contrast, several other singer-actors, including Jon Bon Jovi and Justin Timberlake, say they would not attend the event if it is picketed.

Monday, Jan. 21-The WGA informs strike captains that informal talks will resume this week after a series of phone calls with Peter Chernin, president of News Corp, who helped broker the DGA deal.

Jan. 22-The WGA releases a point-by-point analysis of the DGA deal, which exceeds the AMPTP's offer to the WGA by $9 million over three years. The deal still falls well below the terms sought by the WGA.

Fox and the CW announce they are abandoning plans for several television pilots, while Jeff Zucker announces plans to cancel the majority of proposed pilots for NBC Universal. Zucker cites the writers strike, as well as the economic climate.

Jan. 23-The WGA begins informal talks with the studios. At this point, AMPTP negotiator Nick Counter, long judged by the Guild as one of the major impediments in the meetings, has been effectively marginalized by Peter Chernin and Robert Iger. Both sides agree to a media blackout as negotiations continue.

Jan. 24-With official negotiations still not underway, the WGA announces independent deals with both Marvel Studios and Lionsgate. Lionsgate is the first distributor to sign an interim agreement with the Guild. At this point, 10 companies have signed such deals.

Jan. 25-The WGA announces an independent deal with RKO Productions.

Monday, Jan.28-A Unity Day rally held at Fox studios is attended by over 1,000 members of the WGA, SAG, and Teamsters.

The WGA grants a waiver to the Grammy Awards, allowing writers to work on the show.

Jan. 29-SAG leaders send an email to members cautioning them that the DGA deal with the AMPTP may not be the "solution" many news sources are referring to it as. The DGA responds almost immediately, accusing SAG of interfering with the WGA's current talks with the studio moguls.

Jan. 30-In a show of good faith toward the resumed talks, the WGA cancels a Wall Street event that had been intended to showcase for investors the Guild's analysis of the strike's financial impact (specifically on the CBS network), in hopes research analysts would lower investment ratings for network stock.

Jan. 31-The WGA announces independent deals with Overture Films, Intermedia Film, and The Film Department. United Artists, taking advantage of its interim contract with the WGA, signs Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Haggis (Crash) to produce two films a year.

ABC begins airing the new season of Lost. The first episode is available for viewing on the network's website the same night.

Feb. 1-WGA members present Bandaid, a musical benefit for the Industry Support Fund, created by guild members to help non-writers financially affected by the strike.

Feb. 3-The WGA announces independent deals with a number of New York-based indie film studios, including GreeneStreet Films, Killer Films, Open City Films, and This is that.

Monday, Feb. 4-The WGA negotiating committee announces to members that progress has been made, but several key points still need to be addressed in the ongoing negotiations. Meetings are set for the upcoming weekend to discuss the state of the talks with the membership.

Feb. 5-The WGA announces that a deal has been brokered with the AMPTP. The proposed contract will be presented to the membership and discussed at the weekend meetings. The negotiating committee will take no further action without feedback from the writers.

Jon Stewart steps down as Master of Ceremonies for a February 7 event to honor Viacom chief executive Sumner Redstone. Stewart gives no reason for the sudden change of heart. Bloomberg reports that Disney first-quarter profits beat estimates, with cable revenues increasing by 13% and sales rising 9.1%.

Feb. 6-Vanity Fair magazine announces it will cancel its annual post-Oscar party as a show of solidarity with writers. Editor Graydon Carter says, "Whether the strike is over or not, there are a lot of bruised feelings. I don't think it's appropriate for a big magazine from the East to come in and pretend nothing happened."

United Artists, taking advantage of its interim contract with the WGA, signs a first-look deal with screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects).

Feb. 7-The WGA holds a mass picket at Disney studios. On CNBC's Fast Money, former Disney CEO and failed internet entrepreneur Michael Eisner voices his opinion that the strike is over.

Feb. 8-The New York Times publishes an article by Michael Cieply explaining many of the behind-the-scenes negotiations that supposedly took place to speed along the WGA talks. Mentioned prominently is United Hollywood founder Laeta Kalogridis. Kalogridas refuses Cieply's request for an interview, denies her importance, and later cites many of the inaccuracies in Cieply's article.

Feb. 9-With a possible end in sight, WGA members meet on both coasts to discuss the deal currently on the table. Several pros and cons are brought up, chief among them the 17-day "promotional" window for studios to stream material online without paying writers. Overall, both meetings go positively, and the consensus is that the deal is worth taking. A 48-hour vote is announced to decide if the strike will be lifted.

Feb. 12-By an overwhelming 92.5%, the Writers Guild East and West members vote to end the strike. President Patric Verrone announces the end of the 100-day labor action and declares it a success.

While the gains and losses of the strike are still being debated, it's hard to argue with the impact it had on the Hollywood landscape. The WGA labor action provided crucial leverage for the DGA and SAG negotiations, forced studios to reconsider business practices that had been accepted for decades, and proved that writers still have a surprising degree of power in the industry-enough to bring it to a virtual standstill. We can only hope these lessons will be brought to bear three years from now, when the next contract is negotiated.

Click Here To Read More

Pop History Repeating

How is it possible that in this day and age Paula can once again out-Janet Janet?
Click Here To Read More

Election Day Lexicon

From Daily Candy:

It’s Elected! Boogie-Woogie-Oogie
Election Day Lexicon

Faster than a speeding ballot. Sweeping primaries in a single bound. Look up in the sky: It’s a gimmick; it’s a cliffhanger; it’s punditocracy.

20/20 vision
n. the media’s tendency to blow small issues totally out of proportion for the sake of news show fodder.

between Barack and a hard place
n. the sphere in which undecided democrats linger to contemplate the electability of candidates.

I heart Huckabee
n. a bad movie and campaign.

it takes a village idiot
phr. a Washington proverb.

meet Romneys
n. The persistent desire to poke Mitt’s handsome sons on Facebook.

mock the vote
n. when people too embarrassed to admit they’re clueless about the voting process make awkward jokes to remain elusive.

over the Hillary
n. undecided voter syndrome wherein the desire to see a woman in the White House is overrun by one’s dislike for Hillary.

pundIt girl
n. the token female analyst who sits at the table with Wolf Blitzer and co.

scamdidate
n. an unviable aspirant who just confuses the public (see: Ron Paul).

super delegetsome
n. when powerful insiders use their influence to score dates with campaign managers and candidates’ daughters.

Disclaimer: I like Hillary and the Huckabees movie. I'm just reposting what they wrote 'cause I found it funny. Don't shoot this (anti-Microsoft) messenger. Click Here To Read More

Weekly News Roundup (Feb. 10-Feb 16)

- Paris Hilton in trouble due to pets' sex behavior. Hey, tinkerbell see, tinkerbell do.

- Polaroid cancels production of instant film. A chapter in the book of amateur porn is sadly closed.

- Amy Winehouse to give Grammy to her imprisoned husband. He politely turned it down, arguing he didn't need any more incentives for cell mates to find him attractive.

- Sex offender wins $10 milion lottery. He will now be referred to as 'a gentleman of eccentric sexual habits.'

- Authorities evacuate L.A. airport terminal due to suspicious comment from passenger. The suspect caused havoc after innocently remarking 'I have a wide stance' inside the airport's restroom. Click Here To Read More

ProcrasTV: Leccion De Español

...very funny. Click Here To Read More

Happy Valentine's Day!

I like the Mexican version of this day better. It's simply the day of Love and Friendship, so it doesn't make you feel bad about not having a date. There, I said it. Click Here To Read More

Apocalypse Now: The First Seal

From The Times Online, re: Madonna's directorial debut 'Filth And Wisdom':

...despite its many shortcomings and an ending so mushy and neat it would embarrass Richard Curtis, Madonna has done herself proud. Her film has an artistic ambition that has simply bypassed her husband, the film director Guy Ritchie. She captures that wonderfully accidental nature of luck when people’s lives intersect for a whole swathe of unlikely but cherishable reasons. Altmanesque would be stretching the compliment too far, but "Filth and Wisdom" shows Madonna has real potential as a film director.

Hell freezes over.

A clip from Filth And Wisdom:
Click Here To Read More

Zappy Endings

Although it seems that the writers' strike might be over soon, it might take a while for your favorite shows to pick up where they left. It might be weeks before we see new episodes. In the meantime, please enjoy this funny feature from NY magazine, where writers from hit shows take on other network series with their own spin. Writers from The Simpsons take on The Office and so on. My favorite one has to be the one where the writers from The Daily Show take on every other primetime show. Click Here To Read More

CUT TO: THE END....?

From The Chicago Tribune:

The WGA strike: It's nearly over, writers should pick up pencils by Wednesday

Deadline Hollywood Daily oracle Nikki Finke says the strike is essentially "over." She reports that at the Saturday WGA meeting in Los Angeles, the guild membership appeared to OK the deal that the leadership negotiated in the last few weeks. A vote is still to come, but the membership looks inclined to approve the deal. Writer Ken Levine called it "at least a start and livable" and influential screenwriter/blogger John August said he'd be voting yes (links to both pieces are below). Writers should be back at their desks by Wednesday, according to Finke. (And if you want to know whether your favorite show will return this season, check out this list.)

A roundup of strike updates from the usual suspects (and I'll keep updating this as I see additional posts):

Mark Evanier, whose News From Me blog has been an invaluable source of perspective during the strike: "A feeling of victory seemed to be the prevailing mood [at the Saturday WGA membership meeting in L.A.] ...You want to know why there was a writers strike? Because they didn't offer us in November the contract that they offered us [on Saturday]. And they could have. It's not that fabulous an offer. It won't hurt the profits at Disney, Paramount, Sony, et al, one bit. What it does mean is that the writers who don't make the megabucks (and that's the vast majority of the WGA) have a better shot at making a basic living. That's all this has ever been about."

The L.A. Times story on the strike's home stretch: "'The reason for this strike was to make sure we had coverage of the Internet, that it didn't become a guild-free zone, and I think we accomplished that,' said Warren Leight, executive producer of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent.'"

Variety's story delves the deal and into the contentious "17-day window," during which networks can stream shows without paying writers. Some writers were hoping for a shorter "free" window, but that didn't come to pass. (Variety's strike coverage is here.)

For the rest of the text...

Entertainment lawyer Jonathan Handel has a lengthy analysis of the deal points. His conclusion: "This deal is an enormous improvement over studio rollbacks of three months ago, and is also an incremental improvement over the DGA deal."
There are more updates and opinions at United Hollywood, including an account of the meeting in LA: "Overall, the atmosphere was very upbeat, more so than many had anticipated. At times it felt like a victory rally. In fact, as of 10:30pm, there was only one openly hostile question during the Q&A session. It focused on the 17-day window for ad-supported streaming. Interestingly, the man who posed the question (pointedly saying, "You guys blinked.") drew some applause at first, but then elicited groans as his anger rose and he refused to relinquish the microphone."

The deal looks OK to "Battlestar Galactica" writer Jane Espenson, who looks forward to picking up her pencil later this week.
Mark Verheiden, another "Battlestar Galactica" writer, said this on his blog: "Either way, tonight's L.A. membership meeting was not the rancorous session some anticipated, but instead the negotiating committee received a standing ovation, the first of several during the evening."

Writer/director Ken Levine's take on the deal: "The main points of the deal are that it gives writers jurisdiction over new media and a share of distributor’s gross, which is hugely significant since any other formula is just monkey points. By establishing precedents the guild believes it is now in position to share the revenue from emerging marketplaces such as the internet. The deal is hardly perfect. There are a number of holes (which the committee candidly acknowledged) but considering we were negotiating against mega conglomerates who would just as soon break the union, this deal is at least a start and livable."
Screenwriter John August wrote that he's voting yes on the deal. "And I suspect it’s a yes for most writers. Some would shout yes emphatically, with a victory dance around a giant picket bonfire. Others would mutter yes with a forlorn shrug of their shoulders, deeply dissatisfied yet not able to rationalize a no vote. I’m somewhere in-between. I don’t think it’s great — hell, it’s not even 'good' — but it’s honestly better than I thought we’d get."

Finally, the WGA Awards were given out over the weekend. On the TV side, "Mad Men," "The Wire," "The Sopranos," "30 Rock," "The Office" and "The Colbert Report" all won awards. The WGA press release on the awards follows.

Click Here To Read More

Weekly News Roundup (Feb. 3-Feb 9)

- Young@Heart, new documentary about senior citizens rocking the stage, opens nationwide. Martin Scorsese's upcoming Rolling Stones tour documentary no longer seems fresh.

- Woman in small Mexican town murders daughters to keep them from losing their virginity. Trust me, when you in a small Mexican town, being on a sexual roll is not as much of a threat as it seems to be.

- Overhyped, overpaid Tom Brady Miserably Fails To Meet Fans' Expectations. And that's as close to an American David Beckham as we'll ever get.

- U.S. government acknowledges use of waterboarding. Justify their actions by claiming no other interrogation tactic has proven to be so successful when trying to get useful information out of perfectly innocent people.

- Nebraska Supreme Court outlaws use of the electric chair, labels it 'cruel and unusual punishment.' 'Cause we all know anything beyond waterboarding is distasteful. Click Here To Read More

Non-sloppy seconds.

What kind of ass-backwards world we live in where Madonna's new -possibly homophobic- song 4 Minutes To Save The World hasn't been fully leaked yet, but a HQ snippet of the first official mix already has?

Madonna and child. (Yes, I know it's been done to death but I couldn't come up with anything better at this hour) Click Here To Read More

Weekly News Roundup (Jan 28-Feb 3)

50Cent Boots Paris Hilton From Stage. Heaven forbid Fiddy tolerates some slutty-looking lady bringing down the quality of his act.

Cops Boot 50 Cent From Mall. Oh, yeah. That's what happens when you walk into a temple after dissing their highest prophet.

Hillary and Obama fight over Edwards' followers. That would make them the three most sough-after voters in the country.

Madonna to premier directorial debut. If Ben Affleck is any indication, some acting is best done quiet and behind the camera.

Rudy withdraws from Tuesday's primary. I guess he figured out the whole "Obama won't protect you from Cloverfield" angle wouldn't fly. Click Here To Read More

Mouth Wide Shut: Worst Movie Dialogue Ever

Entertainment Weekly has a new feature on the Worst Movie Dialogue Ever. IMO I think they skipped a very few good candidates. Here's my list of snubs in that category:

"It's turkey time. Gobble, gobble."
-Ricki (Jennifer Lopez) as she tries to seduce Larry (Ben Affleck) in Gigli.

"We ask ourselves, is she black? Is she white? We don't care. She's exotic. I want to see more of her breasts."
-A video director as he works the set for Billie's (Mariah Carey) video in Glitter.

"The glitter must not overpower the artist!" See movie above.

"Spartans! Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... For tonight, we dine in hell!"
-King Leonidas' motivational/nutrition-conscious speech in (Gerard Butler) in 300.

Dr. Sarah Taylor (Rebecca De Mornay): Mr. Ramirez, my mother taught me never to talk to strangers.
Tony Ramirez (Antonio Banderas): If you never talk to strangers, you'll never meet anyone new.
From Never Talk To Strangers.

"The Buddhist have a saying, 'If you meet your master on the road, kill him.' "
-Zen-like serial killer in the aforementioned movie.

"I am Ripper... Tearer... Slasher... I am the Teeth in the Darkness, the Talons in the Night. Mine is Strength... and Lust... and Power! I AM BEOWULF!"
-Frustrated Spartan Beowulf (Ray Winston) in Beowulf.

"Yes, I'd love to do this movie"
-Words spoken off-camera by Rob Scnheider before any of his movies.

What do you think, Güey Watchers? Do you have any additions you'd like to make to this list in the comments section? I know you do... Click Here To Read More

Weekly News Roundup (Jan 20-27)

- Study finds false statements led to Iraq war. C'mon, we all know it was all Jon Stewart's ploy to ensure a presidential term's worth of material.

- Bin Laden's son out to bring peace, wants to meet with President Bush. Request to skip metal detector raises suspicion.

- $20 dollar bill found next to Heath's Ledger's body. This is New York. Whatever you do, don't leave without tipping.

- Lenny Kraviz says he's been celibate for the last three years. Seriously, what does dating Nicole Kidman do to people?

- 'Cloverfield' making moviegoers feel sick. People had to watch it twice to make sure Mariah Carey's not in it. Click Here To Read More

No, Güey!

A little 'eye candy' for our bilingual readers.




From here. Click Here To Read More

Rat said what?

Thanks for Bob Andelman (a.k.a. Mr. Media) for pointing me in the direction of his very interesting interview with Güey Watcher's unofficial illustrator Stephan Pastis. Here's a bit I found interesting.

ANDELMAN: Stephan, Messieur LaChase in the chat room has a question that kind of fits with what you were just saying. Have you ever had to substitute a strip because of a taste issue or a news event?

PASTIS: It’s happened a lot of times. One time early on Rat ran for Senate or something against a guy who had died. And right in the middle of that storyline, a Senator from, I think, Minnesota died in a plane crash.

ANDELMAN: I think you’re right.

PASTIS: I can’t remember his name right now, and I think his name stayed on the ballot. And so, boy, that had to be pulled at the last minute because readers don’t understand that these are submitted weeks in advance. So that can create a bad situation. So, yeah, those were pulled. There was one where Pig was playing in the dryer once spinning around, and that week, I think some kids had been killed or shoved in a dryer or something like that, and so that was pulled for half the country. Yeah, that does happen. One really, really unfortunate one that, boy, had the timing been a little different would have just been horrible was I had a strip where the Crocs were rooting for the death of “The Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin, cause his voice drove them crazy, and then three months later he was killed. Man, if that had run that week, I think that would’ve been the end of me.

ANDELMAN: Oh my goodness.

PASTIS: Yeah, it happens quite a lot.

Click here for the rest of the interview.


Pastis' Family Circle Click Here To Read More

New York Post Mortem

The jury's still out on what caused Heath Ledger's death. However, I found this very interesting note on how Ambien, Ledger's sleeping pill of choice, has caused a lot of controversy in his native Australia. On the side effects brought on by this pill, the newspaper says:

Some 500 people described odd behaviours from walking, crashing cars, having sex and falling from balconies after popping a pill.

One patient gained 23 kilograms over seven months after unknowingly eating from the refrigerator while asleep. Another patient woke up with a paintbrush in her hand after painting the front door.

This seems to be a pretty popular drug in the US, but no one seems to be making a fuss about its side effects. Could it be a greater PR muscle form the drug companies, or are these side effects just particular to Australians? Click Here To Read More

Ennis Has Left The Building.

Among the sad turnmoil surrounding Heath Ledger's demise, one thing calls my attention: this oh-so-New-Yorkish bit from the NYT:

The building at 421 Broome Street was sold for $4.8 million in 1999 by Ho Hwa Properties Inc. to Red Tulip, L.L.C. Calls to a phone number listed for Junia Hissa Neiva, a Brazilian painter who is listed as an owner of Red Tulip and of the building, went to an answering machine that was full and could not accept new messages.

It's as if Manhattanites had only waited the minimum necessary to start with real estate quandaries: "Yes, he's dead but, how much was his lease?," "Poor kid... so.. er... when's the open house?"

I mean, is it relevant to young thesp's death if the apartment was owned by Mary-Kate Olsen or not?

Ah, NY's obsession with realty. We wish we knew how to quit it.



Red pill, blue pill?

... Click Here To Read More

Complete List Of Academy Award Nominations

BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR

"Atonement" (Focus Features) A Working Title Production: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers

"Juno" (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production: Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers

"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production: Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production: JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* "Once" (Bórd Scannán na hÉireann, Radio Telefís Éireann (RTE) (in association with) Samson Films, Summit Entertainment)

ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Julian Schnabel *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Jason Reitman

"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Tony Gilroy

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Joel Coen and Ethan Coen

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Paul Thomas Anderson

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* "Once" James Carney


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

George Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)

Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)

Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)

Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* Mathieu Amalric in "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly"


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Casey Affleck in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.)

Javier Bardem in "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Charlie Wilson's War" (Universal)

Hal Holbrook in "Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)

Tom Wilkinson in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal)

Julie Christie in "Away from Her" (Lionsgate)

Marion Cotillard in "La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

Laura Linney in "The Savages" (Fox Searchlight)

Ellen Page in "Juno" (Fox Searchlight)

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE*Amy Adams in "Enchanted" (Disney)


PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Cate Blanchett in "I'm Not There" (The Weinstein Company)

Ruby Dee in "American Gangster" (Universal)

Saoirse Ronan in "Atonement" (Focus Features)

Amy Ryan in "Gone Baby Gone" (Miramax) *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

Tilda Swinton in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)


ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

"Atonement" (Focus Features), Screenplay by Christopher Hampton

"Away from Her" (Lionsgate), Written by Sarah Polley

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn), Screenplay by Ronald Harwood *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage), Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax), Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson


ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

"Juno" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Diablo Cody

"Lars and the Real Girl" (MGM), Written by Nancy Oliver

"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.), Written by Tony Gilroy *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Brad Bird; Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird

"The Savages" (Fox Searchlight), Written by Tamara Jenkins

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* "The Orphanage" Written by Sergio G. Sánchez


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR

"Persepolis" (Sony Pictures Classics): Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud

"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Brad Bird *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Surf's Up" (Sony Pictures Releasing): Ash Brannon and Chris Buck


ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION

"American Gangster" (Universal): Art Direction: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino

"Atonement" (Focus Features): Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Art Direction: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock

"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount): Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Art Direction: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson


ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (Warner Bros.): Roger Deakins

"Atonement" (Focus Features): Seamus McGarvey

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Janusz Kaminski *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Roger Deakins

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Robert Elswit

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* "The Orphanage" Óscar Faura


ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

"Across the Universe" (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky

"Atonement" (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (Universal) Alexandra Byrne

"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Marit Allen

"Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood *GUEYWATCHER PICK*


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

"No End in Sight" (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production: Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs

"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience" (The Documentary Group) A Documentary Group Production: Richard E. Robbins

"Sicko" (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production: Michael Moore and Meghan O'Hara *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Taxi to the Dark Side" (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production: Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

"War/Dance" (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production: Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine


BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

"Freeheld" A Lieutenant Films Production: Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth

"La Corona (The Crown)" A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production: Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega

"Salim Baba" A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production: Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello

"Sari's Mother" (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production: James Longley


ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING

"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Christopher Rouse *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" (Miramax/Pathé Renn): Juliette Welfling

"Into the Wild" (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment): Jay Cassidy

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Dylan Tichenor


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR

"Beaufort" Israel

"The Counterfeiters" Austria

"Katyn" Poland

"Mongol" Kazakhstan

"12" Russia

*GUEYWATCHER BONUS NOMINEE* "The Orphanage" Spain


ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP

"La Vie en Rose" (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald

"Norbit" (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount): Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)

"Atonement" (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli

"The Kite Runner" (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics): Alberto Iglesias

"Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard

"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami


ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)

"Falling Slowly" from "Once" (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and: Marketa Irglova *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

"Raise It Up" from "August Rush" (Warner Bros.): Nominees to be determined

"So Close" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted" (Walt Disney): Music by Alan Menken; Lyric by Stephen Schwartz


BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

"I Met the Walrus" A Kids & Explosions Production: Josh Raskin

"Madame Tutli-Putli" (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski

"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)" (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse

"My Love (Moya Lyubov)" (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov

"Peter & the Wolf" (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman


BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

"At Night" A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production: Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth

"Il Supplente (The Substitute)" (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production: Andrea Jublin

"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)" (Premium Films) A Karé Production: Philippe Pollet-Villard

"Tanghi Argentini" (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans

"The Tonto Woman" A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown


ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal): Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom and Michael Silvers

"There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax): Matthew Wood

"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

"The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis

"No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage): Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland *GUEYWATCHER PICK*

"Ratatouille" (Walt Disney): Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane

"3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate): Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe

"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin


ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

"The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners): Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (Walt Disney): John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier

"Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro): Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier *GUEYWATCHER PICK* Click Here To Read More

"This plane will indeed hit the White House."

Hill is out to prove that she can make things take off without a cock pit.


" Oh stewardess! I speak jive."

(*) The caption is a quote from the 1980 film Airplane! Any similarities to the current political landscape are unintentional and pure coincidence. Click Here To Read More