Posts Tagged ‘nomination’
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Well, I’m back. I promised more news, and I’ve got more news. Ironically, this won’t be a mega-post like I originally envisioned.
I just wanted to make it public that Theater Hopper has been nominated for a couple of awards by the good folks sponsoring the Webcomic Choice Awards. We’re nominated in the categories of Best Hand-Drawn Comic and Best Webdesign.
Of course I couldn’t be more thrilled. I’m just happy for the recognition, so many thanks to those who filled in my name on the nomination ballot.
Voting for the general public won’t begin until all the nominees have been contacted and they verify the honor. I’m imagining it’ll be near the end of the month before things get into full-swing.
I’m not going to vote-whore, but I intend on promoting the WCA during the voting period. Once things get rolling, please think of us when casting your ballot. It would make me feel all warm and fuzzy.
Things are really shaping up for the big five-oh milestone on Friday. Geeze. 50 comics. I can’t believe it. I just started this up to see if I could do it. And now it looks like I’ve got an average of a couple hundred readers telling me to keep it up. You guys are the best. Seriously. If it weren’t for you, I’d quit. There’s no reason to throw all this creative effort into a void. I’m glad there is someone on the other side to provide a soft pillow for it to land on.
To celebrate this chapter of Theater Hopper history, I’ve made some plans for next week. There are going to be a few changes around the site. I’m going to be deleting a few things, adding some more cool things to replace them and… well… something big is planned for next week, so you gotta be sure to come back and check it out.
Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Butah over at Hot Buttered Funk. He was kind enough to add me to his ever-growing cam-pic army. You can find me on page 8. Do some scrolling. You’ll find me at the bottom.
Butah was also cool enough to hook Theater Hopper up with a permanent link on his links page. I’m returning the favor by slapping this big ass banner here.
I strongly suggest you visit the site and sign up for the forums. They’ve got a great crew of regulars over there and some of the most intelligent and inventive topics I’ve seen on the Internet in a long time.
Hmm… I guess this post ended up being longer than I thought. Nuthin’ wrong with that!
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Hey, gang! To pile good news onto MORE good news, it looks like Theater Hopper has been nominated for “Outstanding Environment” by the good people sponsoring the buzzAwards. According to them “[Theater Hopper was] deemed to have clean and organized webpages, easily navigated archives, involved and engaging authors, punctuality, and clever and intriguing bonus items.”
Can’t argue with them there. Who WOULDN’T be involved or engaged with an audience as awesome as this one?
Voting has been turned over to those that know best – the readers! So if you feel like supporting Theater Hopper, click here to enter the voting booth.
Votes are tabulated by what looks like a special forum. So in order to cast your ballot, you’ll probably need to register first.
Thanks again to everyone who supports Theater Hopper! I can’t do this without you!
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Tom was totally prepared to spring of the line. He did stretches and everything. Drank a Gatorade, too!
I’m not entirely sure what headbands and tank tops have to do with watching movies, but the fact that Cami and I have only seen one of the four nominated films this year if a distinct reflection of our slack attitude this year.
Much has been made about Hollywood’s lackluster output in 2005 and I think by this point you would know that my stance is one of total agreement. You would assume in a year so rife with mediocrity, it would prompt one to search harder for the good stuff – the creamy nougat, as it were. Instead, like kryptonite, 2005’s abysmal line up drained my will to live.
But yesterday the Oscar nominations were announce and I feel reenvigorated! As has become our tradition, Cami and I make it a point to see all 5 films nominated in the Best Picture category. If nothing else than to be totally pompous after the fact when one of them walks away with the little gold man – "Oh, I knew they would win all along. That olther film wuz robbed!"
I was a bit surprised to see Good Night and Good Luck up there, but it’s a welcome change of pace. I haven’t seen Munich – and I know some people swear by it. But my question is, how could Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix be nominated in their respective acting categories and Walk the Line not be represented with a nomination? It seems as though it would be more deserving than Munich. But then again, I haven’t seen Munich. So maybe I’m totally talking out my ass. A situation I intend to remedey in the coming weeks!
This was a while back, but I read an interesting thought over at Hollywood Elsewhere in advance of the awards season. Another reader had written to the column pointing out that the field of (then) potental nominees appeared to be thinning out to what we essentially ended up with. Pointing out that the Oscars were originally created to celebrate the films of the major studios, has Hollywood painted itself into a corner with bottom-line thinking? In other words, has their reliance on blockbusters and sequels totally written them out of the awards ceremony they helped to create. Has quality been turned over to the independent filmmaker? In what way are the Oscars now different than, say… The Independent Film Awards?
It was an interesting thought – and I was kind of paraphrasing it – but is this a representation of either a more definative rift between art and commerce. Or does it represent the overall integration of "independent" movies into the American mainstream? Is the word "independent" being revised to mean something else? Used to be "independent" meant you sold off all your comic books and maxed out your credit cards to get your film made. Now it means that the "independent arm" of Warner Bros. or Sony has picked up your film, but the content is too obtuse for general audiences looking for popcorn entertainment. Still, they’ll finance your film essentially for the accolades.
Food for thought.
Switching gears.
Wanted to point out to you the little mailing list sign up form directly above this blog and directly below the comic. I encourage you to sign up for it. I’m going to be making some announcements soon and I like to keep the people on the mailing list informed early. It’s just a means for me to communicate more directly with you guys.
What’s some of the stuff I’m working on? Well, the Theater Hopper: Year One book, for starters. Plus, I might have some new t-shirt designs in the works. If so, you’d be tipped off to their sale early if you were a mailing list subscriber! Tease, tease, tease!
Another little something I want you to check out…
Remember last year when I designed a shirt for Threadless.com? Well, I have another design for sale over there that you should check out. Here’s a preview:
It’s called "Squirrels Are Nature’s Ninjas" and it’s on sale now. I didn’t come up with the title. Actually, someone else submitted it to OMG Clothing – also owned by the fine people at Threadless. Much like my previous design, the slogan was handed off to me and I went at it with a visual representation. I’m really happy with how this one turned out.
At any rate, I don’t get anything if the shirt sells except for the feeling of pride if it sells out an they later reprint it.
However, I *DO* get referral bonus points if I send you to the site and you buy something – anything! – in inventory. So, if you’re combing through the site and find another design you like, please follow this link before you make your purchse:
http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=Tom%20Brazelton
That way, the referral points come back to me.
Many thanks.
Not much else to write about. Well, we’re having a little trouble in the THorum right now. We’re not sure what’s causing it. But I’ve gotten a few e-mails from people who are trying to create accounts and are getting errors. For now, the best advice I can give is to keep trying. If it doesn’t register you the first time, try again or even a third time. Eventually, it will go through. We’re working on resolving the problem soon. Thanks for your patience.
Here’s to everyone having a great Wednesday!
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I kind of cheated a little bit on the backgrounds for today’s comic. They’re screen captures from Tony’s garage in Iron Man. I had a hard time grabbing them. I would scan the frames for the shots I needed, but then go back and start watching scenes from the movie. Total time suck!
As you may or may not know, the 2009 Oscar nominations were announced yesterday and Robert Downey Jr. being nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Tropic Thunder stuck out the most to me across a field of otherwise safe choices.
Obviously RDJ won’t win, citing the Academy’s aversion to comedic performances. If anything, it’s a tip of the hat to the comeback year Downey Jr. has had and they certainly couldn’t nominate him for Iron Man for fear of losing complete credibility.
I was a little surprised that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button racked up 13 nominations and even more surprised that it earned nominations in the Big 5 – Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Adapted Screenplay. Seriously – I thought interest had wained on this thing. Everyone I’ve talked to says it’s an exhaustive slog to get through and nothing much happens.
But, statistically, it’s the front-runner. So I suppose I will have to check it out.
I guess I was also surprised that The Wrestler was no nominated for Best Picture. Almost everyone I talk to seems to love that movie. Meanwhile, The Reader made the cut despite critics taking it to task for being a bit of a mess (aside from Kate Winslet’s performance, of course).
Any while we’re talking about the Best Picture nominations, I’m personally disappointed that Wall-E couldn’t bust out of the Best Animated Feature Film ghetto and lock down a Best Picture nomination. One of the most critically adored and respected film’s in Pixar’s history and it’s been relegated second-class citizenship. If the Academy had not created the Best Animated Feature Film category, Wall-E would have been a contender for sure. If the Academy saw fit to nominate Beauty and The Beast for Best Picture nearly 20 years ago, surely Wall-E could compete.
Interesting that there was no gold watch nomination for Clint Eastwood and his contributions to Gran Torino. Going into nominations, I thought buzz was building on that one. I guess not.
Of course, everyone is talking about Heath Ledger being nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his revolutionary turn as The Joker in The Dark Knight. But I don’t think he’ll win. The Dark Knight was conspicuously shut out of any other major category. The highest grossing film of the year – one of the highest grossing since Titanic and no recognition with a Best Picture or Best Director nomination? Sure it cleaned up with 7 nominations in the technical categories, but c’mon!
Ultimately, I think Nathaniel R. from The Film Experience hit the nail on the head with his Oscar nominations talking points posted yesterday. I found this by way of Jeffery Wells over at Hollywood Elsewhere:
The Oscar’s will be broadcast February 22 on ABC. For your reference, here is a list of the most prominent 2009 Oscar nominations:
BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins–The Visitor
Frank Langella–Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn–Milk
Brad Pitt–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke–The Wrestler
BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin–Milk
Robert Downey Jr.–Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman–Doubt
Heath Ledger–The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon–Revolutionary Road
BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie–Changeling
Melissa Leo–Frozen River
Meryl Streep–Doubt
Kate Winslet–The Reader
BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams–Doubt
Penelope Cruz–Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis–Doubt
Taraji Henson–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei–The Wrestler
BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard–Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant–Milk
Stephen Daldry–The Reader
Danny Boyle–Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Frozen
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Milk
Wall-E
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley–Doubt
Peter Morgan–Frost/Nixon
David Hare–The Reader
Simon Beaufoy–Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
So, what’s your take? Is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button worthy of 13 nominations? Who films or performances do you think were ignored? What are your predictions for who will take home the little golden man?
Leave your comments below!
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On Tuesday, the governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to change the nomination process for the Best Picture category. For years, the field was limited to 5 nominees but was expanded to 10 a few years ago. For the 2012 Oscars, there will be anywhere from 5 to 10 nominees and we won’t know how many films have been nominated until they are announced in January of next year.
AMPAS claims that Academy members have historically shown passion for more than five movies during the nomination process, but on average, not more than 7 or 8. The no longer feel an obligation to “round up” the number of nominees to 10.
Films that receive at least 5% first place votes among Academy members are eligible for Best Picture nomination. That’s fine, I guess. But does anyone else see this as giving the studios a greater opportunity to jockey for a nomination? Like, if studios get a sense that their critical darling (but financial dud) is hovering around 4%, won’t they push harder for swing votes? I see this as opening the door for more marketing and more campaigning that gets in the way of honestly recognizing films based on merit.
I guess I’m skeptical of it because it feels so shapeless. Almost as if the Academy is indifferent to the number of films that are nominated. “5 films, 6 films, 9 films… Hey! Whatever you want!”
Or worse, it feels like a contrived maneuver that will cause a lot of second guessing among Oscar-watchers. Which will result in more print articles trying to make predictions and more ink spilled covering potential confusion and controversy.
What is your take on this rule change? Leave your comments below!
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