Daily Variety articles from February 2008

Daily Variety archives from February 2008

Monster prices create PR pickle for tuner.
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Robert F.X. Sillerman wants the legit community to know that he agrees with them: That $450 ticket was a mistake. Sillerman has stepped forward to claim sole responsibility for a string of biz decisions that caused...

Vidgames buoy Sony's biz.
February 1, 2008... Strong sales in vidgames and electronics made up for a weak movie and TV perf at Sony, which reported a 10% rise in sales and a 25%jump in net income for the fiscal third quarter ended Dec. 31. Sony Pictures revenue plunged 25% to just...

Fatigue factor? Strike weariness turns up the pressure.(WGA STRIKE)
February 1, 2008... A tacit deadline is looming for WGA leaders--within the next week and possibly within the next few days--to make progress on the key issues in their informal talks with studio brass or run the risk that the CEOs will end the sessions out of...

Thesp feeling 'Healing' spirit.
February 1, 2008... James Gandolfini will join Jesse L. Martin in the indie feature "Sexual Healing," which chronicles the last years of singer Marvin Gaye's life. Lauren Goodman will helm from a screenplay she based loosely on Steven Turner's book "Trouble...

Will Hannah sock 'Eye'?
February 1, 2008... Some Super Bowl fans will end up missing parts of the game on Sunday to drive their daughters to see Disney's "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" in digital 3-D, as the pic plays in theaters for just one week. ...

Hipster vibe.(Only at Variety.com)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With characters straight out of a Wes Anderson or Quentin Tarantino film, "No More Heroes" is the first great hipster videogame.

Expecting too much? Google boost not enough for investors.(Financial report)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Shares of Google took a hit Thursday after fourth-quarter earnings for the Internet giant didn't meet Wall Street's high expectations. While profits rose 17% to $1.2 billion during the final three months of 2007 from $1.03 billion a year...

'Hall' pass for indie.
February 1, 2008... Indie feature "Across the Hall," helmed by tyro Alex Merkin, will begin lensing Feb. 6. Mike Vogel ("Cloverfield"), Brittany Murphy and Danny Pino (CBS' "Cold Case") star. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The noir thriller centers on a love...

Helmer climbs 'Heights'.
February 1, 2008... John Maybury will direct a feature adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic gothic romance "Wuthering Heights." Robert Bernstein and Douglas Rae of Ecosse Films are producing the project, which HanWay Films will sell internationally. ...

Doc tix to aid injury org.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The American Film Foundation will donate 10% of each ticket sold to Terry Sanders' documentary "Fighting for Life" to the Bob Woodruff Family Fund. Pic will bow at select theaters March 7. Sanders' doc was initially to be a story about...

S'dance sets legit retreat.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The Sundance Institute theater program has announced the selection of five playwrights and one composer for its 2008 retreat at the Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. "Jack Goes Boating" playwright Bob Glaudini; lyricist and D.C. legit mainstay Mark...

TiVo's stock soars on Dish case ruling.
February 1, 2008... TiVo stock got a 29% boost on Thursday after a federal appeals court ruled in its favor in an ongoing patent dispute with Dish Network. If it holds up, the ruling could be a major boost for TiVo as it seeks licensing deals with cable and...

Jaime Pressly.(Tenpercenteries)
February 1, 2008... CAA has signed thesp Jaime Pressly. Pressly stars on NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and recently provided voice work for the upcoming Fox animated feature "Horton Hears a Who!" She is managed by Luber Roklin Entertainment. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Mike Gunther.(Tenpercenteries)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Action scribe-helmer Mike Gunit her has signed with Insomnia Media Group for management representation. Gunther recently wrapped his first feature, "6th and Santa Fe," starring Will Yun Lee. He's also written,...

Sterling Knight.(Tenpercenteries)
February 1, 2008... Sterling Knight has signed with 1 Management. Knight is currently lensing a lead role in Burr Steers' "17" alongside Zac Efron and Leslie Mann. He also recently wrapped a lead role in the Disney Channel pilot "Sketchpad" and appeared on TNT's...

Over Her Dead Body.(Movie review)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A New Line Cinema release of a New Line and Gold Circle Films presentation of a Safran Co. production. Produced by Paul Brooks, Peter Safran. Executive producers, Scott Niemeyer, Norm Waitt. Directed, written by...

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert.(Movie review)
February 1, 2008... (Docu) A Walt Disney Pictures release and presentation. Produced by Art Repola. Executive producers, Doug Merrifield, Vince Pace. Directed by Bruce Hendricks. Hannah Montana character based on the series created by Michael Poryes, Rich...

Deathbed.(Theater review)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (McGinn/Cazale Theater; 99 seats; $45 top) An Apparition Prods. presentation of a play in one act by Mark Schultz. Directed by Wendy C. Goldberg. Sets, Alexander Dodge; costumes, Anne Kennedy; lighting, Josh...

Offending the Audience.(Theater review)
February 1, 2008... (Flea Theater; 40 seats; $10 top) A Flea Theater presentation of a play in one act by Peter Handke. Directed by Jim Simpson. Production stage manager, Joanna Leigh Congalton. Opened, Jan. 31, 2008. Reviewed, Jan. 29. Running time: 1 HOUR,...

Showbiz stocks: Thursday, January 31, 2008.
February 1, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Thursday, January 31, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 3.26 +.07 -27.1 AcmeCm ACME...

Filming in the future.(Film Production Chart)
February 1, 2008... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP-Executive producer; PROD-Producer; COP-Co-producer; DIR-Director; ADFirst assistant director; 2DIR-Second-unit director; SCR-Screenwriter; DP-Cinematographer; ED-Editor; PD-Production designer;...

Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
February 1, 2008... APPALOOSA Ed Harris,Viggo Mortensen, Renee Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Lance Henriksen,Adam Nelson, Scott Wannberg, Gabriel Marantz EXP, Michael London, Cotty Chubb; PROD, Ed Harris, Robert Knott, Ginger Sledge; DIR, Harris; SCR, Harris,...

Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... THE ARRANGEMENT EXP, Jon Overend; D1R, Ari Taub; SCR, Chuck McMahoo, Mario Radosta, John Ramaine; DR Caio Ribiero, lan Dudley; CAST, Donna McKenna The Arrangement (65 Roebling St., Brooklyn, NY 11211, 718-782-8381, Fax: 718 782-8388) 1/1,...

Filming outside the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
February 1, 2008... THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connelly, Kathy Bates, Jaden Smith EXP, Erwin Staff, Gregory Goodman, Paul Boarchnan; DIR, Scott Derrickson; AD, PeteWhute; 2DIR, Jeff Habberstad; SCR, David Scarpa; DP, David...

Missions possible for guild: despite troubles, PGA stays neutral in the strike culture.(KEY ISSUES)
February 1, 2008... At a time when labor troubles have dominated Hollywood, the Producers Guild of America has gone out of its way to stay neutral. "We've got a lot of very unhappy members right now," admits PGA exec director Vance Van Petten. "It's the...

Boutique clique: the arthouse crowd brings its specialty angle to the PGA Awards.(THE NOMINEES)
February 1, 2008... This year's PGA award nominees boast equal measures of studio movie and indie cred--a blend of smartness and scope suggesting the traditional "Chinese Wall" separating majors from boutique divisions may be a Berlin Wall in the process of coming...

More in hopper for WB topper.(MILESTONE AWARD)
February 1, 2008... The Producer Guild has bestowed its Milestone Award on many larger-than-life showbiz characters over the years. Alan Horn is not one of them. Before arriving in Hollywood some 35 years ago, Horn worked at Procter & Gamble, and it shows....

The hit parade as soap opera.(VISIONARY AWARD)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] The Producers Guild is honoring Simon Fuller with its Visionary Award, but why stop there? If the org drummed up kudos for Instinct and Confidence, they could also have Fuller's name on them. "I think I've...

Gunning down a big TV record.(NORMAN LEAR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN TELEVISION)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... It's a particularly intense time in Dick Wolf's career, as his flagship creation, NBC's "Law & Order," now in its 18th season, heads toward breaking the longevity record held by "Gunsmoke," which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975. The...

He gambled on auds' good taste.(V PLUS: PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 40th anniversary of Stanley Kramer's "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" was actually Dee 11. But no matter. The producer-director was always a pragmatist who knew how to get things done in an often inhospitable...

Denzel delivers a winner.(STANLEY KRAMER AWARD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Producer Todd Black is a patient man. But then he has to be to make movies like "The Great Debaters," which has been tapped for this year's Stanley Kramer Award from the PGA. Black, Oprah Winfrey and Kate Forte will share the film's honor. ...

Not much has changed since go den age.(SELZNICK AWARD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Kathleen Kennedy confesses it was the movies of her youth that inspired her, not the example of David O. Selznick, whose names graces the award she is receiving with her husband, Frank Marshall. With all due respect to the maker of "Gone...

YouTube provides a distrib-free zone.(VANGUARD AWARD)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Viral video creation didn't start with YouTube, but the paradigm changed the instant Chad Hurley and Steve Chen launched their visionary Flash-based video-sharing platform in early 2005. "They've made it something so easy everyone can...

Miss Austen Regrets.(Movie review)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Movie, PBS, Sun. Feb. 3, 9 p.m.) Filmed in the U.K. by WGBH and the BBC. Executive producers, Rebecca Eaton, David M. Thompson; producers, Anne Pivcevie, Jamie Laurenson; director, Jeremy Lovering; writer,...

Bridal Fever.(Television program review)
February 1, 2008... (Telepic; Hallmark Channel," Fri. Feb. 2, 9p.m.) Filmed in Toronto by Whizbang Films Prod. in association with Lee Distribution for Hallmark Channel. Executive producers, Orly Adelson, Jonathan Eskenas, Frank Siracusa; producer, Ian...

From the Army Archerd archive: Nov, 1, 1967.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... GOOD MORNING: George Segal sez he's completed his "Jewish Period," i.e. "Bye Bye Braverman" and "No Way to Treat a Lady" in which he's a Yiddish cop. Now readying to raise his indie banner, he's talking "A New Life" with Jerry Tukofsky at Col...

The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., has been awarded a two-year grant of $100,000 by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.(LEGIT BITS)
February 1, 2008... The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Conn., has been awarded a two-year grant of $100,000 by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation. The grant will go to support one of the O'Neill's flagship enterprises: its annual National Playwrights...

New Haven, Conn.--revivals of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," with Richard Chamberlain as George, and "Waiting for Godot," with Randy Harrison, plus two new works highlight the 80th summer season of the Berkshire Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Mass.(LEGIT BITS)
February 1, 2008... NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Revivals of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," with Richard Chamberlain as George, and "Waiting for Godot," with Randy Harrison, plus two new works highlight the 80th summer season of the Berkshire Theater Festival in...

Toronto--let's hear it for "The Boys.".(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... TORONTO -- Let's hear it for "The Boys." Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton are rewriting their 2000 soccer-themed musical "The Beautiful Game" under new title "The Boys in the Photograph." Revised version will open in Canada in spring 2009...

New Haven, Conn.--Shirley Jones returns to the fictional world of River City, Iowa, for a staged concert version of "The Music Man," produced as a one-week gig by Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts April 22-27.(LEGIT BITS)
February 1, 2008... NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Shirley Jones returns to the fictional world of River City, Iowa, for a staged concert version of "The Music Man," produced as a one-week gig by Hartford's Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts April 22-27. The...

Danes joins Linklater pic.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Claire Danes has joined Zac Efron in the cast ofhelmer Richard Linklater's "Me & Orson Welles." CinemaNX, the new production venture backed by the Isle of Man film fund, is producing and financing the project, which starts shooting later...

Bergeron's 'Club' host.(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... "Dancing With the Stars" and "America's Funniest Home Videos" host Tom Bergeron is vying for honors as the busiest man in TV, signing on to host the Planet Green skein "Supper Club." Show will follow Bergeron as he hosts a dinner party for...

Weekend B.O. preview.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Weekend B.O. Preview Variety. com/weekendopeners Pic (distrib) BOWING Engagements The Eye (Lionsgate-Par Vantage) 2,436 Over Her Dead Body (New Line) 1,977...

The screening room.
February 1, 2008... THE SCREENING ROOM The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Send schedules at least five days prior to the screening date to jeffrey.sneider@variety.com. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list, visit...

Hot 'Hannah' brings tween manna to B.O.
February 4, 2008... Disney 3-D pic "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" set off tween mania at the weekend box office, scoring the highest Super Bowl weekend gross of all time--$29 million--from only 683 screens, easily sinking previous...

Turning a corner: scribes, studios sync up on Web content ...(WGA STRIKE)
February 4, 2008... No one's breathing a final sigh of relief just yet, but the WGA and studio chiefs made a key breakthrough in their 3-month-old dispute on Friday, setting the stage for a possible strike resolution as early as this week. "It's not a done...

PGA rides with 'Country' herd.(Producers Guild Of America Inc.)(No Country for Old Men)
February 4, 2008... The Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" continues to stake its kudos territory. The nihilistic drama--produced by Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen--captured top honors at Saturday's Producers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton,...

Biz maven joins Harvey's stable.
February 4, 2008... In a strategic shift, the Weinstein Co. is hiring its first chief operating officer. Lee Solomon, a longtime entertainment finance and biz affairs vet who was most recently a partner at Grosvenor Park, is expected to become a key architect...

... As AFTRA plots solo path.(American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)
February 4, 2008... Taking the offensive in its brutal divorce battle with the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists aims to beat SAG to the negotiating table: It'll launch talks with the majors for primetime TV work by early...

Search for tomorrow: Microsoft wants Yahoo.
February 4, 2008... Microsoft is making a $45 billion bid to become the world's biggest Web media player. If last week's unsolicited offer is accepted by Yahoo's board, which most Wall Streeters and insiders at both companies say is likely, it would combine...

Lee tops IMG programming.(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... New IMG Global Media prexy Chris Albrecht has made one of his first major hires, bringing on Rob Lee to head up programming. Lee, who most recently ran his own shingle, Bayonne Entertainment (Bravo's "The Millionaire Matchmaker"), will...

'Shanghai' for Watanabe.
February 4, 2008... The Weinstein Co. has set Ken Watanabe to join John Cusack and Gong Li in "Shanghai," a period drama that will begin shooting in Shanghai next month. Mikael Hafstrom, who helmed Cusack in the Dimension hit "1408," will direct a script by...

Mouse eager for Iger: prexy-CEO reupped as profits boom.(Financial report)
February 4, 2008... Robert Iger will keep his Mouse ears on for another five years. Exec will continue as prexy-CEO of the Walt Disney Co. through 2013, extending an initial contract that would have expired Sept. 30, 2010. Spurring the move are the record...

NBC current unit will rule over daytime.
February 4, 2008... NBC's current programming department has taken over the Peacock's dwindling daytime division, which Bruce Evans will oversee. As part of the change, Evans has been upped to senior VP of current series. Annamarie Kostura, who had headed up...

Dillahunt turning 'Left'.(Garret Dillahunt will play the thug Krug in the remake of Craven's 1972 original)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... Busy character thesp Garret Dillahunt has joined the cast of Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left" redo for Rogue. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dillahunt, who has memorable roles in "No Country for Old Men" and "The Assassination of Jesse...

Bryan Cranston.(Players)(has signed on for Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch")(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") has signed on for Taylor Hackford's "Love Ranch." He'll play a conniving state senator in the pic, which is based on the story of the first legal brothel in Nevada. Lensing is set to...

John Schneider and Kristen Kerr have booked lead roles in Justin Golding's "The Gods of Circumstance," lensing in the L.A. area and Las Vegas.(Players)
February 4, 2008... John Schneider and Kristen Kerr have booked lead roles in Justin Golding's "The Gods of Circumstance," lensing in the L.A. area and Las Vegas. Schneider's recent credits include "Sydney White" and "Nip/Tuck." Kerr appeared in David Lynch's...

Eden Riegel.(Players)
February 4, 2008... Eden Riegel has been cast in Harold Ramis' "The Year One" alongside Michael Cera and Jack Black. Pic is about two men wandering through civilization in biblical times. Riegel is a regular on "All My Children," and her credits include "American...

Vincent De Paul.(Players)
February 4, 2008... Vincent De Paul has just wrapped on "Oak Hill" opposite Sally Kirkland. He plays a homeless man sleeping in a shelter in the Peter LaVilla-helmed pic. De Paul's recent credits include "What Just Happened?" and "The Metrosexual."

Stars show their political stripes.
February 4, 2008... AS THE FIGHT for the presidency heats up, Hollywood's celebrities will be speaking their minds about the candidates and the issues--and studio chieftains already are cringing. Politics breeds controversy, and there are many who feel that stars...

CNN scores on Dem debate.
February 4, 2008... Thursday's CNN/L.A. Times Democratic debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton pulled in the highest cable debate numbers in history by a wide margin. Overnight reports put total viewers at 8.32 million--far ahead of CNN's South...

Return of 'Lost' maps big aud.(says American Broadcasting Companies Inc. ABC Broadcast Group)
February 4, 2008... Auds found ABC's "Lost" on its new night Thursday as the drama returned to action with strong numbers. The Alphabet dominated Thursday overall as a "Lost" clip show won its hour and new drama "Eli Stone" debuted to winning numbers in...

Cast gets 'Chorus' coin.(New agreement was reached between the dancers and "Chorus Line" creator-director-choreographer Michael Bennett)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... The performers whose lives provided the fodder for "A Chorus Line" will now have a financial participation in the current Broadway revival of the show and in future major productions of the tuner. New agreement was reached between the...

Fool's Gold.(Movie review)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Warner Bros. release of a De Line Pictures/Bernie Goldmann production. Produced by Donald De Line, Goldmann, Jon Klane. Executive producers, Wink Mordaunt, Jim Dyer. Co-producer, Stephen Jones. Directed by Andy...

The Eye.(Movie review)
February 4, 2008... A Lionsgate release presented with Paramount Vantage of a C/W Prods. and Lionsgate production in association with Vertigo Entertainment. Produced by Paula Wagner, Don Granger, Michelle Manning. Executive producers, Mike Elliott, Peter Chan, Roy...

Hunting and Gathering.(Theater review)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (59E59 Theaters, 195 seats, $60 top) A Primary Stages presentation of a play in one act by Brooke Berman. Directed by Leigh Silverman. Sets, David Korins; costumes, Miranda Hoffman; lighting, Ben Stanton;...

Firm turns VOD into DVD.
February 4, 2008... New company Popcorn Home Entertainment is allowing people to buy a DVD of "American Gangster" from home by switching to a video-on-demand channel and clicking on the title. Digital-cable subscribers not only get the DVD of the movie in the...

Showbiz stocks: Friday, February 1, 2008.
February 4, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Friday, February 1, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 3.33 +.08 -25.5 AcmeCm ...

Strange Wilderness.(Movie review)
February 4, 2008... A Paramount release of a Level I Entertainment presentation of a Happy Madison production. Produced by Peter Gaulke. Executive producers, Adam Sandier, Jack Giarraputo, Glenn S. Gainor, Bill Todman Jr., Edward Milstein, Paul Schwake. ...

Welcome to the Captain.(Television program review)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Series; CBS, Mon. Feb. 4, 8:30 p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by CBS Paramount Network Television. Executive producers, John Hamburg, Andrew Reich, Ted Cohen; co-executive producers, Liz Astrof, Sherry Bilsing,...

Game for the gold: trying to navigate through a tumultuous Oscar season can feel like a roll of the dice.(V PLUS: EYE ON THE OSCARS: THE NOMINEES)
February 4, 2008... While some nominees landed on Oscar's doorstep after enduring smooth award season journeys, other contender reached the shortlist following several Wall Street-like wild swings. In the picture race, few would argue that "Michael Clayton,"...

Atonement.(BEST PICTURE)(Oscar nomination)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... Why it'll win: Having just won the top dramatic prize at the Golden Globes and leading BAFTA noms, "Atonement" has momentum going into Oscar night. With its penchant for period pieces, the Academy will have a tough time resisting this...

Juno.(BEST PICTURE)(Oscar nominations)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why it'll win: "Juno" elevated the teen pregnancy genre with a sharp script packed with wittily sardonic dialogue and created a young breakout star in Ellen Page. A surprise nom for director Jason Reitman could only...

Michael Clayton.(BEST PICTURE)(Oscar nominations)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why it'll win: Writer-turned-director Tony Gilroy has a lot of fans in Hollywood, helping to earn his complicated corporate thriller "Michael Clayton" seven Oscar noms. Plot forces us to examine how some of our...

There Will Be Blood.(BEST PICTURE)(Oscar nominations)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... Why it'll win: Director-writer Paul Thomas Anderson and star Daniel Day-Lewis have made a ferociously original film. For all the tentpoles and cookie-cutter pics that aim for nothing more than a huge opening-weekend gross, "Blood" succeeds in...

No Country For Old Men.(BEST PICTURE)(Oscar nominations)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Why it'll win: The Academy choose "The English Patient" over "Fargo" back in 1997, and a case could be made that the Coen brothers should be given their due for what some consider an oversight. "No Country" was one...

Julian Schnabel.(DIRECTOR)(The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Why he'll win: The critics have embraced the film, it has an exotic, indie, non-Hollywood pedigree, and the Academy appreciates artists such as Schnabel: those who have successfully crossed over from...

Joel and Ethan Coen.(DIRECTOR)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... "No Country for Old Men" Why they'll win: "No Country for Old Men" is one of their most accessible films, yet they still maintain their independent voices. Not only are they accomplished screenwriters, but it's a credit to their direction...

Jason Reitman.(DIRECTOR)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Juno" Why he'll win: Among the nominees, "Juno" is the light alternative to four films with somber tones, and the director might be swept up in the pic's momentum. Maybe not: The film skews toward a younger...

Tony Gilroy.(DIRECTOR)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... "Michael Clayton" Why he'll win: His screenplay skills are impressive, and it's rare when a top scribe can make a seamless transition to prestige helmet without missing a beat. Taking to directing as if he's a 20-year veteran, one would...

Paul Thomas Anderson.(DIRECTOR)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "There Will Be Blood" Why he'll win: There are many scenes of the film that stay with audiences long after they've left the theater--specifically, the first 20 minutes of the pic, when Daniel Day-Lewis is digging...

Diablo Cody.(ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Juno" Why she'll win: Everybody loves a stripper-turned-screenwriter, including the Golden Globes and Writers Guild, which both stumped for Cody's script with nods in respective categories. And with "Juno's"...

Brad Bird.(ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
February 4, 2008... "Ratatouille" (story by Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco) Why he'll win: The Academy has warmed to animated scripts in a category that was once a live-action stranglehold, and this time Bird could easily bowl over the competish with...

Nancy Oliver.(ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)(Brief article)
February 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Lars and the Real Girl" Why she'll win: The quirky film, whose delusional loner protagonist takes up with a mail-order sex doll, has already snagged screenwriter Oliver (whose previous credits includes "Six Feet...