ScottFeinberg.com

By Joey Magidson
Film Contributor

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Anyone who’s been following the Oscar race this year, especially after the nominations were announced, is well aware that some very surprising Best Director snubs occurred. Ben Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow and Tom Hooper have top-tier Best Picture hopefuls, but all three were left out in the cold for director. The same can be said for Quentin Tarantino, who also saw his film cited but not his own directorial work.

People have been flipping out over those Oscar omissions, but when you think about it, they’re only the latest in a long line of fine directorial efforts not rewarded by the Academy. With only five slots for Best Director, there are always going to be a group of directors snubbed for the prize. It’s the nature of a shortlist.

What you’ll see below are 10 directors who saw their films nominated for Best Picture but were snubbed by Oscar in Best Director. In a pair of cases, I came close to cheating by citing two films for the filmmakers, but I don’t think anyone here will mind too much. Some of the filmmakers listed will surprise you. Others won’t, but one thing is certain: They all deserved the nominations they didn’t receive.

Keep this in mind as we begin this look at some of the impressive names that Affleck, Bigelow, Hooper and Tarantino have joined. Also, we’re only looking at the last 50 years — I needed to cut things off somewhere, so that seemed like as good a number as any.

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By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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Guys, we need to talk about Girls.

Ever since the HBO comedy premiered April 15, 2012, there’s been controversy following in its footsteps — and I’m a little sick of it.

Yes, the series is loved by most critics. The first season won rave reviews and nabbed Girls two Golden Globes, including Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, just a week ago.

But thanks to the Internet, viewers and some critics have nitpicked — at times reasonably, but mostly not — at several issues surrounding Girls.

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By Joey Magidson
Film Contributor

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For a filmmaker, it’s rare to make a real impact with your debut feature. Most of the time, you begin your career with a calling-card movie or a work that doesn’t fully express your true talent. There are, however, certain instances when a director is able to wow audiences and leave his or her mark on the film world right from the get-go.

This year, we’ve seen Benh Zeitlin make his debut with a film that many absolutely love in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Zeitlin’s freshman feature has been mentioned as one of the top debuts by a filmmaker in some time, so that got me thinking: What are the 10 best of all time?

Of course, there’s some level of subjectivity to this kind of a list. If I were strictly going off of my personal favorite debuts, people such as Judd Apatow, Darren Aronofsky, Mel Brooks and Kevin Smith would be high up on my own Top 10. For the purposes of this list, though, I’m putting as much of my individual preference aside as possible. Below you’ll find 10 of the great directorial debuts of all time.

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By Carson Blackwelder
Television Contributor

Every Friday, Rachel recaps the week’s major TV-related news, announcements and gossip! This week, Carson fills in.

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TOP STORIES

By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor and Columnist

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This week, Netflix Instant added a series I’ve heard about for a long time but have never seen: Fox’s Undeclared.

The 2001 comedy stars Jay Baruchel (Knocked Up), Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) and Charlie Hunnam (FX’s Sons of Anarchy) and was created by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin).

The series only lasted one season, but it’s always interested me because I’ve heard it’s a sequel of sorts to NBC’s Freaks and Geeks, another one-season wonder.

There have been numerous series to only receive one season when they deserved a lot more, and their cancellations result in a TV lover’s heartbreak. This week, in honor of their untimely conclusions, I give you the Top 10 One-Season TV Wonders:

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By Sean O’Connell
Hollywood News

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The Christmas Day void left by Baz Luhrmann’s dearly departed The Great Gatsby didn’t stay empty for long. Universal, today, opted to move the release date of Tom Hooper’s highly anticipated Les Miserables back from Dec. 14 to Dec. 25, positioning the musical for an Oscar battle with a handful of other contenders.

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By Scott Feinberg
The Hollywood Reporter

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The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively the names of the film industry professionals who will receive five prizes that will be presented at the 16th annual Hollywood Film Awards — the first awards show of the 2012 Oscar season — when its gala ceremony is held on Oct. 22 at the Beverly Hilton.

By Rachel Bennett
Television Editor & Columnist

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Movies used to be gold standard for actors, with George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio leaving the small screen for the big to achieve great professional and financial success.

However, times are changing, and many actors who left TV to work in movies are coming back, including Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox. Due to the addition of cable and subscription-based original programming, better roles are being created that will give actors a chance for the recognition, awards and job security that movies no longer  provide. Just look at Claire Danes, who returned to TV to star in Showtime’s Homeland, for which she’s nominated for an Emmy.

There are several actors who should return to TV, but not all of them will. Take a look at the top 10 TV stars who’ve left TV but should return:

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By Josh Abraham

Several new events at the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival were announced this morning including this year’s Festival Keynote Speaker, Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO of Cinedigm Entertainment group. On June 16, McGurk will speak on the art and business of independent films by addressing the Renaissance of Indie Films. The keynote speech will also open a full day of panels at the AFCI Locations Show. Also announced, is a new event on June 19 featuring comedian Marc Maron hosting his WTF podcast live with a to-be-announced guest in front of an intimate festival audience. Past WTF podcast guests include Judd Apatow, Louis CK, Jon Hamm, Patton Oswalt and Amy Poehler.

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Last night, thanks to a very kind gesture on the part of my editor, I was able to realize a lifelong dream and sit in the audience at the Academy Awards. I covered the Oscars from the backstage press room three years ago, which was a thrill in and of itself, but, as someone who has spent a huge chunk of my life researching, writing, and talking about the Oscars, you can imagine how much more excited I was to have the chance to watch the ceremony unfold with my own two eyes. And, I’m pleased to report, the experience did not disappoint.

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