What is Oscar buzz? Where does it come from? Who is to decide who gets it and who doesn’t? Every summer there is inevitably a summer blockbuster movie that garners Oscar buzz even though it is far from the typical Oscar fare. People thought Christopher Nolan would get nominated for Best Director, or that Wall-E would get nominated for Best Picture. But these nominations didn’t happen. Oh yes, some of the blockbusters manage to get a token nomination. Heath Ledger had Oscar buzz even before he passed away and The Dark Knight came out in theaters. But these incidences are few and far between.
So far, none of the Summer movies this year have generated any false hope Oscar buzz. Well maybe Up, but it’s pretty much a given that it won’t be nominated for Best Picture, but will win Best Animated Feature. I mean, how could Wolverine not be generating Best Picture buzz? It’s a travesty! I kid, I kid. But let’s face it, Oscar buzz comes out of nowhere. It’s like this made up thing that the studios create to collect even more buzz for their movie. But they don’t really care about the nomination itself, they just want the buzz to boost ticket sales.
Well screw them!
I say we should grab the bull by the horns and create some buzz ourselves. The person I elect to generate Oscar buzz for is Leonard Nimoy. Did you hear they’re already talking about nominating him for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Spock in Star Trek? No? That’s because they’re not. I’ve searched the internet high and low and nowhere has anyone even dared mention that he should get nominated for an Oscar. Is it because he’s undeserving? Or is it because the Hollywood media hasn’t told us there was buzz for him?
So what we need to do is start putting this idea out into the world. If you have a blog, do a post about it. If you’re talking about movies with your friends, throw in the possibility of Leonard Nimoy getting an Oscar nomination. If people don’t believe you, you can tell them you heard about it on a big time Hollywood website. I mean, if Hollywood says it’s buzz, it’s buzz, right?
But I’m not just doing this to make some statement against Hollywood or the buzz creating machine. I really do think Leonard Nimoy should get nominated and if we build up enough buzz, the thought may enter the social atmosphere and the minds of those ridiculous Academy voters. Here are some reasons why I think an Oscar nomination is not only deserving, but possible:
Leonard Nimoy IS Star Trek: He may never have had first billing, but Leonard Nimoy is the epitome of Star Trek. The hand salute that he devised himself has become a symbol of the franchise to the point where the entire cast of Star Trek gives the salute at red carpet events, regardless of never playing Spock themselves:
Shouldn’t the man responsible for creating and carrying the franchise trademark all these years get the most Academy recognition when it comes roaring back to life on the big screen? Everyone I talked to is ecstatic about Leonard’s involvement and performance in the latest Star Trek movie. Of anyone they could have brought back, Leonard Nimoy was the man for the job. And who’s favorite line isn’t: “Since my customary farewell would appear oddly self-serving, I shall simply say good luck.”
A Short and Sweet Performance: The Academy loves these types of performances! The shortest performance time to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar was for Anthony Quinn for about nine minutes as Paul Gaugin in Lust for Life. Judi Dench won an Academy Award for about ten minutes of screen time as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love. Hell, Anthony Hopkins won Best (NOT SUPPORTING) Actor for his role as Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs with a mere sixteen minutes on screen. And you can’t tell me Leonard Nimoy’s performance wasn’t as good as Alan Arkin’s in Little Miss Sunshine. I mean, did Alan win just because grandpa was a heroin addict and that’s supposedly edgy? Come on! Just like these previous winners, Leonard Nimoy made the most out his limited screen time and gave us all the wise Vulcan we’ve known and loved all these years, but in a way that is relevant and exciting in this new generation.
You may just say that those nominations only happened because these people were highly regarded in Hollywood and in the Academy. So that’s why I present the following point:
Street Credibility: Everyone knows the Academy likes to stick with the same usual suspects. James Spader, anyone? How about anything directed by Clint Eastwood? Well did you know that Leonard Nimoy was nominated for an Emmy every season of the original Star Trek series? The Academy loves him! They just haven’t had enough reason to nominate him for something lately. Now’s their chance!
The Sentimental Nomination: And lastly, I pull out my final card. It’s a bit of a last resort sucker punch, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Was The Departed really Martin Scorsese’s best job directing? Or was it just because the poor man was let down so many times in the past? Let’s face it, Leonard Nimoy is 78 years old. How incredible would it be to give him his first Oscar nomination so far into his career? It’s exactly the type of stories Hollywood loves! I know I’d need a tissue box on Oscar night!
So what do you think? It can totally happen, right? Well I can’t make this buzz strong enough on my own though. I need your help to put the word out there. Start blogging about the possibility and get the word out there, and together we can make this happen.
Tam: You should come south to Michelle M. and I. It’s not as sweltering as Canada.
Tam: I second Cuppers. But maybe you should wait until PR is over. I wouldn’t want you to have an unfortunate “accident.”
Michelle M.: While apparently choking on a cupcake, the victim appears to have fallen backwards onto a knitting needle. Despite the appearance of a freak accident, it was a suicide. The victim left a note written in frosting saying, “
TamI can’t bear the pressure of designing anymore.”Polt: I agree that Spock was more interwoven into the movie than McCoy was in Encounter at Farpoint. McCoy’s appearance just felt more genuine to me. Maybe because McCoy was the first of the original show to appear in anything outside the original Star Trek. Back in the day (showing my age and geekiness here), when going to Star Trek conventions, people would actually leave the room when the convention started talking about TNG–like it wasn’t really Star Trek.
Cupcake – Exactly.
Craiggers, I’m gonna SERIOUSLY hope that you pulled that conversation off the Internet somewhere and do NOT have it memorized in its entirely, cause if you do, that’s just freakish! Even for you.
But you made my point for me, that exchange had nothing to do with the episode at large. They just as well could have Scotty on there talking about how his engines were better than these new fangled ones, or Sulu talking about how it was when HE commanded a starship as compared to the Enterpise D or what have you.
But without Nimoy, the whole entire movie would have to have been totally rewritten or just scrapped.
And people used to walk OUT of trek conventions when they brought up TNG???? How weird, those fickle trekkies.
HUGS…
oooo, right as I hit submit, I realized I SHOULD have typed “How illogical those fickle trekkies!”
HUGS…
Michelle and Ryan: Oh, you guys are going DOWN!!!!
Tam – don’t worry about Ryan. Once you’re out of the way, he’s next.
I guess I need to watch move movies so I can better participate on these movie related posts.
Going back to worrying about my dress design as the clock ticks down!!!
I go a-walkin’ after midnight, out in the moonlight, just like we used to do. I go a-walkin’ after midnight searching for yooooooouuuuu.
josh: I walk for miles along the highway, Well, thats just my way
Of sayin I love you I’m always walkin after midnight, searchin for yoooooooouuu.
Lovez me some Patsy and that big fat tone of hers.
Ooo, I love Patsy too!!! How surprised am I that jozhcopterz knows her as well! I mean, I KNEW john would like her since I like her too, but jozhcopterz…nope, no idea!
HUGS…
I know what you mean Nicolle. The first time, I didn’t get the emotional connection to Nimoy’s role but I for me it was because I was kind of taken aback because he looked so frail. But the next four times, I was able to really appreciate his acting and how integral he was to the plot. His appearance affirmed that everything that we know and loved from the original series did occur, it was not un-done, just that a new separate timeline was now happening.
I also agree that DeForest Kelly’s appearance was extremely sentimental and just as important because as you said, he was the first and only member of the original cast to support the Next Generation which was having trouble being accepted by Trekkies. It took time for the other actors to get over their egos. It was a testiment to the kind of classy gentleman that DeForest was. Polt, I’m sure if you had been been as much a Trekkie as we were/are – you would have felt the same way.
Whose a Trekkie? I’m a Trekker thank you very much!
I agree totally about how classy DeForest Kelly was. I’m really glad we got to see him at a convention before he passed away. He was probably the sweetest of all the actors we saw.
Trekkie, Trekker. You say tomato..:)
I’m really glad we got to see him too. He and Mark Lenard, who played Sarek (as well as first Romulan) were classy, humble and very sweet.
I’ve been a HUGE trekkie/trekker since watching the reruns of the originial series in the 70s. But when TNG started, I was all hip to it. I wasn’t upset the original cast wasn’t in it, they had their movies after all. I was just excited that I was gonna get to see a brand new Star Trek every week. Although, to be fair, I don’t feel TNG hit it’s stride until about midway through the third season.
At any rate, what AM I gonna do today without a new Puntabulous post to refer back to time and time again? May I actually have to *GASP* work????
HUGS….
For Tim Burton fans, here are some pics from the upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Typical freaky Burton (with of course HBC in the cast *sigh*)
Alice in Wonderland
Tam: I was just reading about Alice in Wonderland, I was so excited to hear that Tim Burton was at the helm as I always felt that AiW should have a somewhat darker feel to it than the original Disney version.
And Disney was very miffed to find out that a big part of the original AiW audience were stoners delighting in the movie’s psychedelic colors and patterns while high.
2001-A Space Odysee’s relative success is also owed in part to people enjoying the trip while tripping….
We do love Tim Burton (no drugs needed to get that freaky feeling
and will go but he does seem to be getting in a bit of a rut with his actors, always the little woman, Johnny Depp (not that I don’t love him) but its becoming the TB Gang for every movie. Spread your wings Tim, there are actors out there who’d likely gnaw off their left leg to work with him.
I still haven’t recovered from Sweeney Todd (hated that movie! very disappointing–especially since it was one of my top 2 fave Sondheim musicals)
Nicolle: I’d say that’s one of the few I DIDN’T see, it really didn’t seem my type of movie and I’ve never seen the musical. But generally I think his vision is pretty amazing.
Bernd: Maybe if I’d been high I might have enjoyed 2001. I’ve never been so bored in my life. I’m not sure I even made it to the end. Sacrilege I know.
Tam: I haven’t watched 2001 since I was a kid, but I remember being bored as well.
2001 = Worst Movie Ever
Craig: You obviously did not have the misfortune to see Epic Movie.
Okay, I’m glad I’m not the only one who hated 2001. Seems because it was so out there that it immediately equalled genius. Umm. No. I am not sure it is the worst EVER, Chevy Chase’s Funny Farm is the only movie where I was this )( close to asking for my money back.
WHAT?! Funny Farm is great!
And since when does Epic Movie count as a movie and not a piece of trash?
Craig, you must have been 10 when Funny Farm came out. To a 10 year old it was hilarious, to anyone over the age of 12 it was crap.
I think you just insulted the whole McAnally family. Unless I’m mistaken I’m pretty sure we all loved it. We even owned it.
At least you didn’t make fun of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles…
Lately, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying Greek.
Tam: The only movie I have ever walked out on was Cool World now THAT was crap.
Craig: It has been a long time, but I remember Funny Farm as being very funny. I loved Yellow Dog, I swear they hired my uncle’s dog for that role.
“Fresh Horses” with Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. Worst. Movie. Ever. My girlfriend at the time said she wanted to see it and it was terrible. To this day, it is the only movie I have ever walked out of and I saw “The Punisher: War Zone”.
I love Yellow Dog!
I also love the end when they’re trying to make the house look perfect:
“Cue the deer!”
Planes, Trains and Automobiles? To mock that is to face my wrath. Just thinking about parts of it makes me snicker sitting here (driving the burned out car) and other parts make me cry (meeting the wife). LOVE that movie.
I’ve never seen Yellow Dog or Cool World or Fresh Horses. Seems I have better taste than most.
Ryan: Is that on TV or did you rent it? I’ve never heard of it before.
Sorry, you’re all wrong. Last year’s The Day The Earth Stood Still with Keanu Reaves. Worzt. Movie. Evah! Seriously. My review of it is http://poltspalace.blogspot.com/search?q=day+stood+still (again sorry I can’t do the compressed links thingee).
As I recall, I wasn’t overly impressed with Funny Farm. I enjoyed the parts of 2001 where they get to the space station with the Blue Danube playing in the backround. But everything before that, and everything else after they leave the space station is just too psychodleic for me (although now that I think of it, hearing HAL pleading in his emotionless voice for Dave NOT to do that…that’s kinda cool).
HUGS…
Tam: I’m watching season one right now. It is on ABC Family. It’s nice to have a gay tier one character.
polt: This is what I use:
<a href=”[insert link here without square brackets]” ref=”nofollow”<[insert text here without square brackets]</a<
Turn the second and fourth < around. I wrote it that way so that it wouldn’t turn into a link.
Ryan: We don’t get ABC Family. Too “American” for our cable companies probably. We don’t watch much TV regularly. Mostly cooking shows. How lame. Although if Glee makes it this fall we will tune in.
Like that? I was so going to call you show off, but then I read the instructions you posted.
Tam: We watch Food Network all the time. Love me some Ina and Giada.
Polt: No argument there, that remake was a travesty.
Anyone like Uncle Buck?
Clearly I did something wrong….(my Cupcakesque link didn’t work until Craig fixed it.)
john: Put the link between the quotation marks after href=. Put the text between the tags (where you put the link the first time).
Craig to the rescue!
Craig: Ironically, I was trying to reduce the amount of work that you have to do.
John: I don’t care for Ina. She’s a bit odd. I’m kind of getting sick of Guy Fieri, over-kill. We have some different shows up here with Canadian chefs that I’m not sure you get like Anna Olson. We like those cake-off shows with Kerry Vincent, the Simon Cowell of cake decorating. I’d kill to have little Jason make me a cake.
I’ve never seen all of Uncle Buck. Bits and pieces on TV but I love John Candy. Loved? Not sure the appropriate term.
Tam: Kerry is hard core! I picture her wearing a leather dominatrix outfit under her chef’s jacket.
Craig: My hero!
Cupcake: I’ll have to figure it out later, right now I’m in exempt vs. no-exempt hell.