Chris Marquette Message Board

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
Warner Bros and Paramount Pictures
FROST/NIXON
Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Studio Canal; Universal Pictures
THE READER
Mirage Enterprises; The Weinstein Company
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
An Evamere Entertainment BBC Films Neal Street Production; DreamWorks with BBC Films and Paramount Vantage
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.; Fox Searchlight Pictures and Warner Bros.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
ANNE HATHAWAY, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED
ANGELINA JOLIE, CHANGELING
MERYL STREEP, DOUBT
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS, I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME)
KATE WINSLET, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
LEONARDO DICAPRIO, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
FRANK LANGELLA, FROST/NIXON
SEAN PENN, MILK
BRAD PITT, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
MICKEY ROURKE, THE WRESTLER

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
BURN AFTER READING
Working Title/Releasing Company; Focus Features in association with Studio Canal
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
Summit Entertainment, Film4, Ingenious Film Partners, Miramax Films; Miramax Films
IN BRUGES
Blueprint Pictures; Focus Features
MAMMA MIA!
Relativity Media, Playtone, Littlestar; Universal Pictures
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Mediapro; The Weinstein Company

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
REBECCA HALL, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
SALLY HAWKINS, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
FRANCES MCDORMAND, BURN AFTER READING
MERYL STREEP, MAMMA MIA!
EMMA THOMPSON, LAST CHANCE HARVEY

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JAVIER BARDEM, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
COLIN FARRELL, IN BRUGES
JAMES FRANCO, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS
BRENDAN GLEESON, IN BRUGES
DUSTIN HOFFMAN, LAST CHANCE HARVEY

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BOLT
Walt Disney Pictures; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
KUNG FU PANDA
DreamWorks Animation SKG; Paramount Pictures
WALL-E
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX (GERMANY)
(DER BADDER MEINHOF KOMPLEX)
Constantin Film Produktion GmbH; Summit Entertainment, LLC
EVERLASTING MOMENTS (SWEDEN/DENMARK)
(MARIA LARSSONS EVIGA ÖGONBLICK)
Final Cut Productions Aps; IFC Films
GOMORRAH (ITALY)
(GOMORRA)
Fandango; IFC Films
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (FRANCE)
(IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME)
UGC YM/UGC Images/France 3 Cinema/Integral Film; Sony Pictures Classics
WALTZ WITH BASHIR (ISRAEL)
Bridgit Folman Film Gang/Les Films D'Ici/Razor Films/Arte France/ITVS International; Sony Pictures Classics

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
AMY ADAMS            DOUBT
PENELOPE CRUZ             VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
VIOLA DAVIS    DOUBT
MARISA TOMEI            THE WRESTLER
KATE WINSLET            THE READER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
TOM CRUISE    TROPIC THUNDER
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.    TROPIC THUNDER
RALPH FIENNES    THE DUCHESS
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN    DOUBT
HEATH LEDGER    THE DARK KNIGHT

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
DANNY BOYLE            SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
STEPHEN DALDRY        THE READER
DAVID FINCHER            THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
RON HOWARD            FROST/NIXON
SAM MENDES            REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
SIMON BEAUFOY    SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
DAVID HARE            THE READER
PETER MORGAN            FROST/NIXON
ERIC ROTH                THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY    DOUBT

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT        THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
CLINT EASTWOOD        CHANGELING
JAMES NEWTON HOWARD    DEFIANCE
A. R. RAHMAN            SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
HANS ZIMMER    FROST/NIXON

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
"DOWN TO EARTH" — WALL-E
Music by:  Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman
Lyrics by:  Peter Gabriel
"GRAN TORINO" — GRAN TORINO
Music by:  Clint Eastwood, Jamie Cullum, Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
Lyrics by:  Kyle Eastwood, Michael Stevens
"I THOUGHT I LOST YOU" — BOLT
Music & Lyrics by:  Miley Cyrus, Jeffrey Steele
"ONCE IN A LIFETIME" — CADILLAC RECORDS
Music & Lyrics by:  Beyoncé Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Scott McFarnon, Ian Dench, James Dring, Jody Street
"THE WRESTLER" — THE WRESTLER
Music & Lyrics by:  Bruce Springsteen

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
Showtime/John Goldwyn Productions/The Colleton Company/Clyde Phillips Productions
HOUSE (FOX)
Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry Productions
IN TREATMENT (HBO)
Sheleg, Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
MAD MEN (AMC)
Lionsgate Television
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
Your Face Goes Here Productions in association with HBO Entertainment

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
SALLY FIELD            BROTHERS AND SISTERS
MARISKA HARGITAY        LAW AND ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
JANUARY JONES            MAD MEN
ANNA PAQUIN            TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK            THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
GABRIEL BYRNE            IN TREATMENT
MICHAEL C. HALL         DEXTER
JON HAMM                MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE            HOUSE
JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS     THE TUDORS

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 ROCK (NBC)
Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little
Stranger Inc.
CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
Showtime Presents in association with Aggressive Mediocrity, And Then...
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
THE OFFICE (NBC)
Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC, Universal Media Studios
WEEDS (SHOWTIME)
Lionsgate Television

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –COMEDY OR MUSICAL
CHRISTINA APPLEGATE        SAMANTHA WHO?
AMERICA FERRERA        UGLY BETTY
TINA FEY                30 ROCK
DEBRA MESSING            THE STARTER WIFE
MARY-LOUISE PARKER        WEEDS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN            30 ROCK   
STEVE CARELL            THE OFFICE
KEVIN CONNOLLY        ENTOURAGE
DAVID DUCHOVNY        CALIFORNICATION
TONY SHALHOUB            MONK

BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
A RAISIN IN THE SUN (ABC)
Sony Pictures Television
BERNARD AND DORIS (HBO)
Trigger Street Independent Productions in association with Little Bird and Chicago Films and HBO Films
CRANFORD (PBS)
A Co-Production of BBC and WGBH Boston.
JOHN ADAMS (HBO)
Playtone in association with HBO Films
RECOUNT (HBO)
Spring Creek/Mirage Productions in association with Trigger Street Productions, Everyman Pictures and HBO Films

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JUDI DENCH            CRANFORD
CATHERINE KEENER        AN AMERICAN CRIME
LAURA LINNEY            JOHN ADAMS
SHIRLEY MACLAINE        COCO CHANEL
SUSAN SARANDON         BERNARD AND DORIS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
RALPH FIENNES            BERNARD AND DORIS
PAUL GIAMATTI            JOHN ADAMS
KEVIN SPACEY            RECOUNT
KIEFER SUTHERLAND        24: REDEMPTION
TOM WILKINSON            RECOUNT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV
EILEEN ATKINS            CRANFORD
LAURA DERN            RECOUNT
MELISSA GEORGE        IN TREATMENT
RACHEL GRIFFITHS        BROTHERS AND SISTERS
DIANNE WIEST            IN TREATMENT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS        HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
DENIS LEARY            RECOUNT
JEREMY PIVEN            ENTOURAGE
BLAIR UNDERWOOD        IN TREATMENT
TOM WILKINSON            JOHN ADAMS

Paramount Drops 3 Major Producer Deals

EXCLUSIVE: I'm told that so far Double Feature Films, Scott Aversano and Kevin Misher won't have their production deals renewed at Paramount because of the draconian cost-cutting there. "The studio will no longer be providing overhead on a continuing basis on these," an insider tells me. Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher started Double Feature when they left DeVito's Jersey Films at Universal. So these were the people that made Erin Brockovich, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty. For Paramount, they did Freedom Writers and World Trade Center. ("They have amazing taste. They deserve protection," one of my sources noted.) Double Feature had been exploring equity financing for movies that the studios don't want to make or fund fully, yet Shamberg recently acknowledged that "a strong studio relationship just makes life easier for movies we like to do. [But] nobody can survive just using a studio deal these days."

Scott Aversano made an overall producing deal with Paramount after exiting as president of the Nickelodeon and MTV Films labels. (Where he decided not to purchase Twilight when no studio picked it up after Brad Weston put it in turnaround in January 2006. Aversano was Paramount's one last shot at it in mid-2007 when the rights were going to expire... But I think both guys weren't wrong: this was a 1 1/2 quadrant pic about a tired subject based on a popular book series that's still no guarantee of a hit movie. Whereas a start-up mini-major would roll the dice.) Aversano has had a long relationship with Paramount since before that he worked for Scott Rudin on the lot for seven years including as president of production at Scott Rudin Prods.

Kevin Misher made his 3-year, first-look producing deal in 2005 just four months after Brad Grey took over as Paramount's chairman so it was about to expire. "I am tremendously excited about working with Paramount's dynamic new management team during this important evolution in the studio's history," Misher said at the time.

True, it may only seem as if Paramount's production deals will soon consist of only Brad Pitt's Plan B and J.J. Abrams/Bryan Burk's Bad Robot. But still being carried, for now, are Blue Shirt (Karey Kirkpatrick), Di Bonaventura (Lorenzo di Bonaventura), Dickhouse (Spike Jonze, Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine), Evans (Robert Evans, only because he's a longtime pal of Sumner Redstone's), Gary Sanchez (Will Ferrell, Adam McKay), Important (Matt Stone, Trey Parker), Michaels/Goldwyn (Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn), Christine Peters (a longtime galpal of Redstone's), Rat (Brett Ratner), Ripcord (Mike White), and Sikelia (Marty Scorsese).

Universal Won't Renew Kennedy/Marshall

This comes as something of a surprise since Kathleen Kennedy's and Frank Marshall's production company has been a fixture at Universal and they're marquee names. But that was before all the cost-cutting with studios under pressure to reshape their term deals. I'm hearing Kennedy/Marshall may land at DreamWorks 2.0 before too long. Makes sense because of their long relationship with Steven Spielberg. Universal also isn't renewing director Darren Aronfsky, even though The Wrestler is Oscar touted. Then again, he's not exactly a commercial helmer.

Marc Shmuger and David Linde Break Bad News To Universal: 70 Layoffs Worldwide

I understand that NBC Universal will be making about 500 staff reductions overall, and Universal Pictures' 3% reduction amounts to 70 layoffs worldwide (including Focus Features). Affected personnel will be notified over the next few days:

Brad Grey Breaks Bad News At Paramount

PREVIOUS: Philippe Dauman and Tom Dooley Announce 7% Reduction At Viacom

    To: All Employees
    Date: December 4, 2008
    From: Brad Grey

    Dear Colleagues:

    By now, you all have seen the email from Philippe Dauman and Tom Dooley regarding Viacom's cost-saving initiatives, which are designed to better position the Company in this difficult economic climate. Like all other divisions of the Company, Paramount too is adapting to the changing conditions and, as a result, we will reduce our global workforce.

    These reductions are across the studio: accounting, business/legal affairs, corporate and government affairs, home entertainment, human resources, information technology, production, studio lot operations and Vantage. The vast majority of affected employees will be notified today in the United States and in the coming days internationally. We wish them the best, and thank them for their many contributions to Paramount.

    Without question, the changes we implement today required us to make difficult choices. We take these steps after a careful analysis of our overall business and as part of a broader strategy to overcome the challenges of this unusual time in the market and to chart a successful course for the future.

    As we look ahead, we are encouraged by the strength of our slate, the quality of our creative partners, the innovation we see on the lot every day and the projects we have in development. These assets, coupled with your talent and hard work, I believe will enable us to remain strong over the long term.

Philippe Dauman and Tom Dooley Announce 7% Reduction At Viacom

UPDATE: Brad Grey Breaks Bad News At Paramount

    Dear Colleagues:

    With less than a month until the close of 2008, our entire organization continues to do everything possible to anticipate and adapt to the unprecedented changes affecting all our businesses. We know it hasn't been easy and we couldn't be more proud or more appreciative of how you have risen to the challenge.

    Even in these tough economic times, Viacom has a strong hand to play. We have a broad stable of outstanding brands, diverse revenue streams and an impressive global footprint, backed up by exceptional financial strength. Added to that we have talented employees, extremely able leaders and a creative ingenuity that runs deep.

    Unfortunately, our advantages and best efforts can't completely protect Viacom from the very serious and broad-based challenges of this economic recession. Viacom's long-term health will depend on our shared commitment to adapt, to innovate and to make difficult choices. To compete and thrive, we need to create an organization and a cost structure that are in step with the evolving economic environment.

    Today, we are announcing a company-wide restructuring plan that includes staffing reductions in all divisions. This will result in a reduction of our worldwide workforce of approximately 7 percent, or about 850 positions. We are also suspending salary increases for the Company's senior level management in 2009. In addition, after a comprehensive review of our operations, we will write down certain programming and other assets. These three actions will bring us significant cost savings and other efficiencies.

    Top managers at every part of the company worked thoughtfully, carefully and compassionately to create a leaner, more focused organization. It was not an easy task, but it was an essential step that will keep Viacom at the competitive forefront today and tomorrow. Department heads and supervisors will provide you with more information about the changes that will be taking place in your division.

    Saying goodbye to friends and colleagues is always difficult, particularly when we have shared so much. Those of you who will be leaving should be proud of your contributions, which we will always respect and appreciate. We thank you and we wish you the best.

    The true measure of an organization is how it deals with change and overcomes challenges. We know that you are up to the task and that together we will push through the difficulties ahead and go on to even greater achievements.

    We truly appreciate your continued commitment and hard work and we thank you for everything you do each day.

NBC Universal Plans Hundreds Of Layoffs; Forcing Execs To Fly Coach To Super Bowl

UPDATE: I hear the layoff announcements could come as soon as Thursday...

Another hour, another source telling me about layoffs and cutbacks. I've already told you about Viacom's and CBS Inc's. And at Disney/ABC, don't dare include alcohol in your expense account meal. Now hundreds of layoffs are planned at NBC Universal. In the meantime, NBC has issued new draconian network and studio budget parameters, a second wave of cost-cutting following up on Jeff Zucker's promise a month ago to tighten belts across the board. Staff inside the company are outraged at these new measures, after already being told two weeks ago to cut their travel and entertainment spending as much as possible. "Staff under Zucker and Silverman feel like a hatchet was used when a scalpel was needed," one source tells me. As of today:

-- No staff is allowed to have personal printers. Printers in individual offices are being removed to save on toner and paper. All printing will be done from a central location for each department.

-- Each week Jeff Zucker in conjunction with Human Resources will be reviewing overtime charged by assistants, permanent and temporary.

-- Everyone including department and division heads must drop a class when traveling. No exceptions. For the Super Bowl in Tampa, all executives attending are to travel coach.

-- Six-month freeze on office supply spending.

-- Federal Express: No "priority" service or Saturday delivery permitted.

   1. Layoffs, Layoffs & More Viacom Layoffs
   2. ABC Joins NBC And CBS In Cutting Costs
   3. NBC And CBS Cut Staffing & Spending; Murdoch Says News Corp Prepared Well

Layoffs, Layoffs & More Viacom Layoffs

They're just around the corner, with 100 personnel at Paramount and 300 staffers at MTV to be fired. (See my previous, MTV Networks Hiding News Of Layoffs)