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Five Juicy Bits Of Oscar Night Gossip


Five Juicy Bits Of Oscar Night Gossip. We’re one day away from the Oscars – all the dresses, all the crying, all the gloating and the Awesome that is the Academy Awards. But the best part of the shiny golden guy that everyone in Hollywood craves is all the mix-ups and flubs behind the scenes. Shall we?

Five Juicy Bits Of Oscar Night Gossip

Marisa Tomei -Toronto Int. Film Festival 2011 1559

1. Did Marissa Tomei REALLY win her Oscar? This one must make the poor actress want to stick her head in the over. Admittedly, it was a little weird, Marissa won for My Cousin Vinny. The category’s four other nominated actors—Judy Davis, Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave, and Miranda Richardson—all had more experience and critical respect. The rumor stemmed from wild-card presenter Jack Palance, who threw himself on the floor onstage to do one-handed push-ups before announcing the award.

pulp

(photo credit: Abraxis 3d)

 2. Pulp Fiction was supposed to win Best Picture and Director, not Forrest Gump. The rumor is that Academy insiders freaked when the bulk of votes came in for Quentin Tarantino’s bloody Pulp Fiction during the 1994 voting process. Rumor has it that even presenters from the accounting firm that counts the votes was visibly startled when family-friendly Forrest Gump was announced instead.

dark knight

(photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kmar/)

3. The “Dark Knight Rule.” Everyone from film-goers to critics to journalists were questioning the Academy’s sanity when Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight ended up with zip in terms of major nominations in 2009. True, the movie was clouded with the accidental overdose death of Heath Ledger (and he was granted a posthumous Oscar as Best Supporting Actor.) But the absence of The Dark Knight from the Best Picture and Best Director nominations was glaring. Thus was born the “Dark Knight Rule:” this was the year the Academy suddenly changed the Best Film field to ten movies, instead of five. This is supposed to lessen the scrutiny on voting when obvious contenders don’t even show up.

goodfellas

(photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benedikte/)

4. The “No Gangster” Rule. After mob-based films like The Godfather trilogy failed to make much of a dent on Oscar night, voters began to complain about a secret “No Gangster” rule. By the time Goodfellas was nominated for Best Picture in 1991, it looked like a sweep: every major awards system from the BAFTAs to the Cannes Film Festival showered the gangster film with awards. On the big night, Dance With Wolves walked away with the Best Picture award and Best Director for Kevin Costner.

2001

(photo credit: Graham)

5. Stanley Kubrick shut out for lifeWeird as many of his films are, Stanley Kubrick is widely considered one of the 10 best directors in cinematic history. But rumor has it the reason the man was never nominated for a Best Director award is his unfortunate – and successful – wooing of the Academy Awards President’s (underage) daughter. The presidents may come and go, but it’s a forever no-go for Kubrick, even with films like Dr. Stangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Clockwork Orange.

(Cover photo credit: Lincoln Blues)

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