Best of 2011 - Theater (Better Late Than Never)

The Book of Mormon

Down below you'll find my top 10s of 2011 in Theater. Some names/titles have links to YouTube videos of performances and clips. Enjoy even though it's 6 months late!

Top 10 in Theater of 2011

1. THE BOOK OF MORMON – Broadway, NYC*
2. UNCLE VANYA – Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
3. VENUS IN FUR – Broadway, NYC**
4. OTHER DESERT CITIES – Broadway, NYC**
5. SONS OF THE PROPHET - Off-Broadway, NYC
6. HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING – Broadway, NYC**
7. FOLLIES - Broadway, NYC**
8. NEWSIES - Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ**
9. JERUSALEM – Broadway, NYC**
10. BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO – Broadway, NYC**

Best Performances by an Actor of 2011

Mark Rylance in
JERUSALEM

1. Mark Rylance as Johnny "Rooster" Bryon in JERUSALEM*
2. Andrew Rannells as Elder Price in THE BOOK OF MORMON**
3. Josh Gad as Elder Cunningham in THE BOOK OF MORMON**
4. John Larroquette as J.B. Biggley in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING*
5. Arian Moayed as Musa in BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO**
6. Bobby Canavale as Jackie in THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT**
7. Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierrepont Finch in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING
8. Thomas Sadowski as Trip Wyeth in OTHER DESERT CITIES
9. Hugo Weaving as Astrov in UNCLE VANYA
10. Stacy Keach as Lyman Wyeth in OTHER DESERT CITIES

Best Performances by an Actress of 2011

Nina Arianda in
VENUS IN FUR

1. Nina Arianda as Vanda in VENUS IN FUR*
2. Cate Blanchett as Yelena in UNCLE VANYA
3. Judith Light as Silda Grauman in OTHER DESERT CITIES*
4. Stockard Channing as Polly Wyeth in OTHER DESERT CITIES**
5. Sutton Foster as Reno Sweeney in ANYTHING GOES*
6. Jan Maxwell as Phyllis in FOLLIES**
7. Nikki M. James as Nabulungi in THE BOOK OF MORMON*
8. Elizabeth Rodriguez as Veronica in THE MOTHERFUCKER WITH THE HAT**
9. Rachel Griffiths as Brooke Wyeth in OTHER DESERT CITIES
10. Tammy Blanchard as Hedy LaRue in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING**

Worst of 2011

1. WILD ANIMALS YOU SHOULD KNOW – Off-Broadway, NYC
2. ALL NEW PEOPLE – Off-Broadway, NYC
3. SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK 1.5 – Broadway, NYC
4. A CHRISTMAS STORY – National Tour, Hershey Theatre, Hershey, PA
5. SPIDER-MAN: TURN OFF THE DARK 2.0 – Broadway, NYC**

* Tony Winner

** Tony Nominee

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress

The women of 2008 have been so incredible that many great performances couldn't even make the top ten. The biggest names in Hollywood strut their stuff on the screen and the red carpet this year, and rightfully so.

Most of the acting I enjoy in the lead categories are of dramatic roles, however, two funny ladies made the cut. Rebecca Hall in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" was superbly sly and cunning opposite Scarlett Johansson. Hall played the woman with a wall blocking Javier's attempts and eventual triumph of woo, and turned her character into the more interesting one of the title roles. The other comedian, Sally Hawkins in "Happy-Go-Lucky," provides the funniest, soulful, and deeply hilarious performance of the year. She completely sparkles in the film and was terribly snubbed by SAG and the Oscars. Thank God she won a Golden Globe.

Then, there's the dramatic. The diva. The immaculate and untouchable. In three of the "simply complicated" roles, Melissa Leo, an actress I've never heard of, stars in "Frozen River" and delivers a punch as the desperate, surviving mom of two who will stop at nothing for the safety and health of her children - even transporting illegals over the frozen river on Canada's border. In "Rachel Getting Married," the abstruse relationships with everyone and Kym is what makes Anne Hathaway simmer. With enough teenage angst to create a "Catcher in the Rye" handbook, she is one of the five ladies I highly recommend to win. She's so damn empathetic, I can't even retell it. Finally, Michelle Williams' performance in "Wendy and Lucy" doesn't impale you with campaigning urgency right away. She sits in your stomach, working her way to your heart. An unforgettable role in the most simple of films, that, like her performance, blossoms into a complicated was with an unforgiving society. She's exceptional.

And now for the screamers - and I'm not including Jamie Lee Curtis. Meryl Streep proves that one can be happy in the sunshine and dancing on the beach during the summertime, and shift as winter grows colder, the leaves lie dead under the snow, and nothing can escape the chill. Her interpretation of "Doubt's" Sister Aloysius is phenomenal. She brings on the intensity, she gives us the accent, and she is so intimate with compassion. On paper, Aloysius is a complete bitch. Streep gave her humility, ambition, and weaknesses. I loved that. In "Revolutionary Road," Leo did most of the screaming, but Kate Winslet balanced with utter, eerie silence and blood-curdling blowouts. Her character was the most stimulating, escaping the housewife commonality into a world of dreams and hope. She fought as hard as she could to live a life they could love. She was painful and beautifully depressing. Last of the screamers is Angelina Jolie in "Changeling."

Finally, the two women who played the adult life of their characters, Hanna Schmitz for Kate Winslet (appearing for the second time on this list) and Daisy for Cate Blanchett. The two K(C)ate's take the art of acting to new levels, creating new stages with each scene, allowing their characters to flex and mold as age sets in and wrinkles cross their brow. Winslet, in a performance that nearly tops herself as Clementine in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," strips herself nude (literally and figuratively) to play a role destined for her in "The Reader." Blanchett surpasses beautiful, entering the realm of the insanely celestial. The brilliant cinematography of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" captured the royalty that is Blanchett.

So, I'd like to present the 2008 Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actress:

10. Cate Blanchett as Daisy in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

9. Rebecca Hall as Vicky in VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

8. Angelina Jolie as Christine Collins in CHANGELING

7. Melissa Leo as Ray Eddy in FROZEN RIVER

6. Michelle Williams as Wendy in WENDY AND LUCY

5. Kate Winslet as April Wheeler in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

4. Anne Hathaway as Kym in RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

3. Sally Hawkins as Poppy in HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

2. Meryl Streep as Sister Aloysius Beauvier in DOUBT

1. Kate Winslet as Hanna Schmitz in THE READER

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, Taraji P. Henson, Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris & Mahershalalhashbaz Ali

David Fincher's epic masterwork known as "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," allows life and death, love and wrinkles, to stretch across the screen in a timeless tale of an unusual boy turning man turning boy. Universality in the unique - this is what sticks you in your seat, what makes a near three hours feel like ten minutes.

It's astonishing how you know exactly what will come, what will pass, but how you yearn to know how. Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) ages backwards, but is as ordinary as a person of a different color, religion, sexuality, or even someone who can't see. It's just how he was made. His heart aches, he's determined, he wants to see the world, and he realizes that everything doesn't matter if you don't love. That's where Cate Blanchet's Daisy comes into the picture. Daisy, about six years younger than Benjamin, ages normally, which causes a disturbance in their relationship, but no more than someone nervous saying "I love you". Time goes on, he's younger looking, she's older looking, and more time passes. History plays its mesmerizing role as backdrop as we follow Benjamin's disappearing gray hair.

Pitt excels his acting credibility as Button. With an oxymoronic exterior, he thrusts his appropriate age with subtlety. Blanchett delivers a lively performance of various degrees of a life, just as smooth as Pitt's, though not as surprising. The supporting cast does just what the name calls for. Tilda Swinton and Jared Harris are the most profound characters Benjamin meets on his bildungsroman travels, introducing him to sex and alcohol, however Taraji P. Henson as Queenie, Benjamin's mother, and Julia Ormond as Caroline, Daisy's daughter, showcase themselves with scenes full of affection and feeling.

Life, as taught by "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," isn't about the oddities and obstacles; it's about how you grow and how you jump. The opportunites that pass on by and the ones that you take. The moments. The love. The memory.

Grade: A

Screen Actors Guild Awards Preditions

My picks are big and bold:

14th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS®NOMINATIONS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

GEORGE CLOONEY / Michael Clayton – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS / Daniel Plainview – “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage)

RYAN GOSLING / Lars Lindstrom – “Lars And The Real Girl” (Sidney Kimmel Entertainment)

EMILE HIRSCH / Christopher McCandless– “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)

VIGGO MORTENSEN / Nikolai – “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Queen Elizabeth I – “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal Pictures)

JULIE CHRISTIE / Fiona – “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)

MARION COTILLARD / Edith Piaf – “La Vie En Rose” (Picturehouse)

ANGELINA JOLIE / Mariane Pearl – “A Mighty Heart” (Paramount Vantage)

ELLEN PAGE / Juno MacGuff – “Juno” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

CASEY AFFLECK / Robert Ford – “The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

JAVIER BARDEM / Anton Chigurh – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)

HAL HOLBROOK / Ron Franz – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)

TOMMY LEE JONES / Ed Tom Bell – “No Country For Old Men” (Miramax Films)

TOM WILKINSON / Arthur Edens – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

CATE BLANCHETT / Jude – “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)

RUBY DEE / Mama Lucas – “American Gangster” (Universal Pictures)

CATHERINE KEENER / Jan Burres – “Into The Wild” (Paramount Vantage)

AMY RYAN / Helene McCready – “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax Films)

TILDA SWINTON / Karen Crowder – “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 TO YUMA (Lionsgate)

AMERICAN GANGSTER (Universal Pictures)

HAIRSPRAY (New Line Cinema)

INTO THE WILD (Paramount Vantage)

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Miramax Films)

PRIMETIME TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

MICHAEL KEATON / James Jesus Angleton – “The Company (TNT)

KEVIN KLINE / Jacques – “As You Like It” (HBO)

OLIVER PLATT / George Steinbrenner – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)

SAM SHEPARD / Frank Whiteley – “Ruffian” (ABC)

JOHN TURTURRO / Billy Martin – “The Bronx is Burning” (ESPN)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

ELLEN BURSTYN / Posey Benetto – “Mitch Albom’s For One More Day” (ABC)
DEBRA MESSING / Molly Kagan – “The Starter Wife” (USA)

ANNA PAQUIN / Elaine Goodale – “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” (HBO)

QUEEN LATIFAH / Ana – “Life Support “ (HBO)

VANESSA REDGRAVE / Woman – “The Fever” (HBO)

GENA ROWLANDS / Melissa Eisenbloom – “What If God Were the Sun?” (Lifetime)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

JAMES GANDOLFINI / Tony Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)

MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – “Dexter” (Showtime)

JON HAMM / Don Draper – “Mad Men” (AMC)

HUGH LAURIE / Dr. Gregory House – “House” (FOX)

JAMES SPADER / Alan Shore – “Boston Legal” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

GLENN CLOSE / Patty Hewes – “Damages” (FX)

EDIE FALCO / Carmela Soprano – “The Sopranos” (HBO)

SALLY FIELD / Nora Walker – “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)

HOLLY HUNTER / Grace Hanadarko – “Saving Grace” (TNT)

KYRA SEDGWICK / Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson – “The Closer” (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 Rock” (NBC)

STEVE CARELL / Michael Scott – “The Office” (NBC)

RICKY GERVAIS / Andy Millman – “Extras” (HBO)

JEREMY PIVEN / Ari Gold – “Entourage” (HBO)

TONY SHALHOUB / Adrian Monk – “Monk” (USA)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE / Samantha Newly – “Samantha Who?” (ABC)

AMERICA FERRERA / Betty Suarez – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 Rock” (NBC)

MARY-LOUISE PARKER / Nancy Botwin – “Weeds” (Showtime)

VANESSA WILLIAMS / Wilhelmina Slater – “Ugly Betty” (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

BOSTON LEGAL (ABC)

THE CLOSER (TNT)

GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)

MAD MEN (AMC)

THE SOPRANOS (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 ROCK (NBC)

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (ABC)

ENTOURAGE (HBO)

THE OFFICE (NBC)

UGLY BETTY (ABC)

SAG HONORS FOR STUNT ENSEMBLES

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

300 (Warner Bros.)

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Universal)

I AM LEGEND (Warner Bros.)

THE KINGDOM (Universal)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

24 (FOX)

HEROES (NBC)

LOST (ABC)

ROME (HBO)

THE UNIT (CBS)

Best Performanes of 2007

20 Best Movies of 2007 (Alphabetical order - Top 10 announced tomorrow)

• Alpha Dog
• Atonement
• Bug
• Charlie Wilson's War
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Eastern Promises
• Grindhouse
• I'm Not There
• In the Valley of Elah
• Into the Wild
• Juno
• Knocked Up
• The Lives of Others
• Michael Clayton
• No Country for Old Men
• Once
• Ratatouille
• Superbad
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
• Waitress

Top 10 Performances by a Supporting Actress
10. Vanessa Redgrave in ATONEMENT
9. Jennifer Gardner in JUNO
8. Romola Garai in ATONEMENT
7. Susan Surandon in IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
6. Catherin Keener in INTO THE WILD
5. Marcia Gay Harden in THE MIST
4. Kelly McDonald in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
3. Tilda Swinton in MICHAEL CLAYTON
2. Saiorse Ronan in ATONEMENT

BEST - Cate Blanchett in I'M NOT THERE

Top 10 Performances by a Supporting Actor
10. Heath Ledger in I'M NOT THERE
9. James Marsden in ENCHANTED
8. Hugh Dancy in EVENING
7. Ben Whishaw in I'M NOT THERE
6. Tommy Lee Jones in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
5. Marcus Carl Franklin in I'M NOT THERE
4. Hal Holbrook in INT THE WILD
3. Tom Wilkinson in MICHAEL CLAYTON
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman in CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

BEST - Javier Bardem in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN

Top 10 Performances by an Actress
10. Marketa Irglova in ONCE
9. Martina Gedeck in THE LIVES OF OTHERS
8. Keira Knighley in ATONEMENT
7. Keri Russell in WAITRESS
6. Ashley Judd in BUG
5. Helena Bonham Carter in SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
4. Julie Chistie in AWAY FROM HER
3. Amy Adams in ENCHANTED
2. Ellen Page in JUNO

BEST - Marion Cotillard in LA VIE EN ROSE

Top 10 Performances by a Actor
10. George Clooney in MICHAEL CLAYTON
9. Glen Hansard in ONCE
8. Michael Shannon in BUG
7. Josh Brolin in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
6. Tommy Lee Jones in IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
5. Ulrich Muhe in THE LIVES OF OTHERS
4. Johnny Depp in SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
3. James McAvoy in ATONEMENT
2. Emile Hirsch in INTO THE WILD

BEST - Viggo Mortensen in EASTERN PROMISES

Golden Globe Picks 2008

Here are my picks to win at the 2008 Golden Globes - even though the goddamned thing isn't on. Predicted winners are large and bold!

Best Motion Picture - Drama
American Gangster
Atonement
Eastern Promises

The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Jodie Foster – The Brave One
Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy – Atonement
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington – American Gangster

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson's War

Hairspray

Juno

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Amy Adams – Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky – Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Ellen Page – Juno

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
Tom Hanks – Charlie Wilson's War
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Savages
John C. Reilly – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There
Julia Roberts – Charlie Wilson's War
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Casey Affleck – The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War
John Travolta – Hairspray
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

Best Animated Feature Film
Bee Movie
Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

Best Foreign Language Film
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France, United States)
The Kite Runner (United States)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

Best Director - Motion Picture
Tim Burton – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen – No Country For Old Men
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Ridley Scott – American Gangster
Joe Wright – Atonement

Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
Atonement Written by Christopher Hampton
Charlie Wilson's War Written by Aaron Sorkin
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly Written by Ronald Harwood
Juno Written by Diablo Cody
No Country For Old Men Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Grace Is Gone Composed by Clint Eastwood
The Kite Runner Composed by Alberto Iglesias
Atonement Composed by Dario Marianelli
Eastern Promises Composed by Howard Shore
Into The Wild

Composed by Michael Brook, Kaki King and Eddie Vedder

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Despedida" – Love In The Time Of Cholera
"Grace Is Gone" – Grace Is Gone
"Guaranteed" – Into The Wild
"That's How You Know" – Enchanted
"Walk Hard" – Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Television Series - Drama
Big Love (HBO)
Damages (FX NETWORK)
Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
House (FOX)
Mad Men (AMC)
The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama
Patricia Arquette – Medium (NBC)
Glenn Close – Damages (FX NETWORK)
Minnie Driver – The Riches (FX NETWORK)
Edie Falco – The Sopranos (HBO)
Sally Field – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Holly Hunter – Saving Grace (TNT)
Kyra Sedgwick – The Closer (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Drama
Michael C. Hall – Dexter (SHOWTIME)
Jon Hamm – Mad Men (AMC)
Hugh Laurie – House (FOX)
Bill Paxton – Big Love (HBO)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers – The Tudors (SHOWTIME)

Best Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
30 Rock (NBC)
Californication (SHOWTIME)

Entourage (HBO)

Extras (HBO)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Christina Applegate – Samantha Who? (ABC)
America Ferrera – Ugly Betty (ABC)
Tina Fey – 30 Rock (NBC)
Anna Friel – Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Mary-Louise Parker – Weeds (SHOWTIME)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy
Alec Baldwin – 30 Rock (NBC)
Steve Carell – The Office (NBC)
David Duchovny – Californication (SHOWTIME)
Ricky Gervais – Extras (HBO)
Lee Pace – Pushing Daisies (ABC)

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO)
The Company (TNT)

Five Days (HBO)
Longford (HBO)

The State Within (BBC)

Best Performance by an Actress In A Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Bryce Dallas Howard – As You Like It (HBO)
Queen Latifah – Life Support (HBO)
Debra Messing – The Starter Wife (USA)
Sissy Spacek – Pictures Of Hollis Woods (CBS)
Ruth Wilson – Jane Eyre (PBS)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Adam Beach – Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO)
Ernest Borgnine – A Grandpa For Christmas
Jim Broadbent – Longford (HBO)
Jason Isaacs – The State Within (BBC)
James Nesbitt – Jekyll (BBC)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Rose Byrne – Damages (FX NETWORK)
Rachel Griffiths – Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Katherine Heigl – Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
Samantha Morton – Longford (HBO)
Anna Paquin – Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee (HBO)
Jaime Pressly – My Name Is Earl (NBC)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ted Danson – Damages (FX NETWORK)
Kevin Dillon – Entourage (HBO)
Jeremy Piven – Entourage (HBO)
Andy Serkis – Longford (HBO)
William Shatner – Boston Legal (ABC)
Donald Sutherland – Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)

I'm Not There

I'm Not There
Starring Cate Blancett, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Michelle Williams, and Bruce Greenwood

If anything can push itself closer to a masterpiece than what "I'm Not There" does, it's trying too hard. Through the eyes of director and writer Todd Haynes, we are given a collage of Bob Dylan, though he's never there (pun). With five, six or seven different interpretations of Dylan's life through five and up to seven fictionally true life characters, a near masterpiece - and the most original movie I have seen in years - forms.

There is Woody Guthrie, the lone wanderer, played masterfully by the young Marcus Carl Franklin. The casting is perfect for Woody, a version of Dylan. He is naive, adventurous, and running from or to something. Franklin's youth carries the character from place to place. Then we have Heath Ledger's Robbie Clark. This Dylan is washed-up and very persuasive in character. Love to anguish, Clark falls for Charlotte Gainsbourg's artsy Claire, and in the midst of the 60s, we see the evolution of couple. Probably my least favorite Dylan, Christian Bale is the epitome of folk music. He lives it. He is it. But Bale's character, Jack Rollins has the easy road compared to the other Dylans. (Bale also plays Pastor John, which may be the sixth Dylan). The final two definite Dylans are the most spectacular. Ben Whishaw's Arthur Rimbaud, outlaw, jailed up, delivers a picturesque interview monologues that trail throughout the film.

And finally, Cate. Cate Blanchett, in her most terrifically jaw-dropping role, is "I'm Not There." Her Dylan named Jude Quinn is the rock of Haynes film, and he knows it. She embodies Dylan more than any of the men playing him. She is the chameleon. She is perfect. She is, and I say this with all my knowledge of Hollywood, the best actress of our generation. Hand her the effing Oscar now.

Oh, yes - what about that seventh Dylan? Well, Richard Gere has a fun role near the end of the movie, playing Billy the Kid. Though he does cross paths with Franklin's Woody-Dylan, one may list Billy the Kid as a mirrored Dylan. I do. His scenes are bizarre and imaginative, giving us an alter-reality and something to ponder.

Todd Haynes delivered one of the best films of 2007, and one that really needs to be watched 50 times to grasp everything. I honestly can't wait to see it again.

Grade: A

2008 Golden Globe Nominee Predictions (The Movies)

Here are my predictions for the 2008 Golden Globe Nominations announced this Thursday, December 13th (probable front-runners are in bold and italics):

Best Motion Picture - Drama

• Atonement
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood
• American Gangster
• Michael Clayton

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy

• Juno
• Sweeney Todd
• Charlie Wilson's War (if it's considered a comedy???)
• The Savages
• Waitress

Best Actor - Drama

• Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
• Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
• James MacAvoy - Atonement
• George Clooney - Michael Clayton
• Denzel Washington - American Gangster

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

• Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
• Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson's War (where does this belong???)
• Philip Seymour Hoffan - The Savages
• Ryan Gosling - Lars and the Real Girl
• Jack Nicholson - The Bucket List

Best Actress - Drama

• Julie Christie - Away from Her
• Keira Knightley - Atonement
• Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
• Jodie Foster - The Brave One

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

• Ellen Page - Juno
• Amy Adams - Enchanted
• Marion Colltilard - La Vie en Rose
• Laura Linney - The Savages
• Keri Russell - Waitress

Best Supporting Actor - Drama, Musical or Comedy

• Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
• Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
• Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
• Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
• Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James

Best Supporting Actress - Drama, Musical or Comedy

• Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
• Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
• Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
• Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton
• Jennifer Jason Leigh - Margot at the Wedding