For once, a non-embarrassing interview with an Academy member, a good get by Tomris Laffly. You should read the whole thing (The Great Beauty seems destined to win Foreign), but here’s an interesting bit:
I am starting to think this “anywhere’s between 5 to 10 best picture nominees” is proving to be a pointless exercise. This is the third year in a row that we end up with 9 nominees.
I didn’t vote for 9 (voted for 10). And I like the 5 still. I really do. I also think we should just pick ONE winner. I like the idea that, after the nominations come out, people just pick one movie as their favorite film. And that’s that.
So no preferential ranking.
I would just say put your favorite movie down and that’s it. Make a decision without thinking “if I vote for this, more people will vote for that.” You just need to vote with your heart, on what works for you. And that’s basically what happens when I vote. I vote on a movie that I really really really like.
Passion comes before anything else.
Absolutely. I worked on Academy movies at studios. And when I got my ballot, sometimes I personally didn’t think [what I was working on] was the best movie. So I didn’t vote for it.
Well, my favorite movie is Her. If that wins [Best Picture], it would make me so happy. But it doesn’t have a shot although I think it should win. Everybody I talk to is all over the map for this one. It could be 12 Years A Slave. It could be Gravity. It could beAmerican Hustle. Although — I don’t know about American Hustle.
Hi! Just jumping in here. This Academy member I spoke to didn’t advocate “voting without thinking”. His/her point was voting without thinking how your vote/ranking might fit in the overall picture of preferential ranking. Some of the comments above got it, some didn’t. So just clarifying. Cheers! 🙂
All those AMPAS voters self-selecting to reveal their cranky contrarian views and votes under the shield of anonymity – so “brave” of them. And kudos to those who are all too willing (sycophantically even) to give them a microphone.
“Someone save these people from themselves.”
Scott Feinberg at Hollywood Reporter talked to a ”cranky” Oscar voter.
This voter was very high on ”American Hustle” and abstained on many categories.
If this is typical of how Oscar voters think, it’s pretty scary:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscar-voter-reveals-brutally-honest-682957
Here’s how I feel about Feinberg buttonholing random Academy assholes and thinking it’s newsworthy. It’s a bottom-feeder mentality that demeans Feinberg and and anybody who talks to him. It’s the Oscar equivalent of Jay-walking, finding the stupidest people off the street and watching them give dumbass answers to basic US History questions.
To Gail Withers thanks for posting this.
@Ryan: Oh sweetheart, you don’t know? The center woman is the famous Holly Bakerson (she won’t reveal her true name on air). She’s famous for her milkdud pies and also her reasoning for celebrities paying too much for botox surgery. Her prediction record isn’t that strong though. So I wouldn’t take the Amy Adams mention too seriously.
OSCAR VOTERS REVEAL THEIR PICKS!!!!
Just checked into my Beverly Hills suite with friend Carol Chambers. We had a dinner meeting with some Oscar voters (very elderly) and here’s what we got out of them. They would not confess their picks until the after dinner drinks were served. This is a poll of about eight (8) voters:
BEST PICTURE
Five (5) voting for 12 Years a Slave
Two (2) for Gravity
One (1)- the oldest, she is 90- is saying Philomena
Mind you- this is based on preferential ballots, but they all agree that the way they weighted their picks, their favorite wins out.
BEST DIRECTOR
Seven (7) are voting for Steve McQueen. They claim that most likely this is where the big shock of the night is happening. And that they all love and adore Sasha Stone so much and know she will cry with joy when this happens. “She’s been wanting Steve to have this honor all season. She deserves to be mentioned in his speech, for her beautiful writing and homage to his work and to African Americans across the nation.”
One (1) for Alfonso Cuaron.
BEST ACTOR
Five (5) for Chiwetel Ejiofor. Most say his BAFTA win sealed their decision and that he left the biggest impression.
One (1) for Matthew McConaughey.
One (1) for Robert Redford- and then we had to gently remind him that Redford wasn’t nominated. The older gentleman choked on his bacardi and coke, and then said “Damn it, then I must have voted for Christian Bale.” We all groaned.
BEST ACTRESS
Six (6) for Blanchett. “This gal really deserves it”, said one voter. “Who cares about that Woody Allen scandal? It’s yesterday’s news- and honestly I would still have voted for Cate even if she defended the bastard.”
Two (2) for Dench. “That woman broke my heart- I can’t stop crying”. Now dessert has been served.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Five (5) for Barkhad Abdi. “That was a performance that sent chills down my spine. I thought he wasn’t even an actor until I saw how innocent he appeared in London.”
Two (2) for Leto. “A Drag Queen will be a nice winner here”, said one of the older ones. We had to remind him that Leto is not a drag queen, but he hushed us.
One (1) for Cooper. “That man is hot.”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Seven (7) for Sally Hawkins. All the group agreed she was the most delicious of her competition and will be the surprise victor in a wide open race.
One (1) for Lupita Nyong’o. “I hope that whipping scene didn’t scar her too much- how horrible to have to act that out.”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Four (4) for 12 Years a Slave
Three (3) for Philomena
One (1) for Before Midnight.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Zero (0) for American Hustle- just thought we’d add that.
Three (3) for Blue Jasmine.
Three (3) for Her.
One (1) for Nebraska.
Good luck everyone. And I’ll be posting my final predictions an hour before the ceremony.
Fascinating as always, Gail.
hey, a couple of days ago I was flipping through channels and landed on these ladies making Oscar predictions with Queen Latifah. I tuned in too late to find out who they were.
Since I’m ordinarily never surfing channels that time of day, I figured it was probably you sending me some sort of telepathic impulse to turn on the TV. Can you confirm?
Oh, and you can also vote with your heart on the preferential ballot, that you overthink it, that’s your problem.
Simone et al — when the guy says we members should vote “without thinking”, he is simply saying that you should simply rank films as you like them, and not second guess the system by strategically thinking about how to rank movies to try to reach a certain outcome.
I’m sorry but the preferential ballot is a more democratic and fair system, some people might be bitter of the results, but deal with it.
“I appreciate what they’re trying to say, but thinking is essential. You cannot vote blindly. Would you vote in the Presidential election without ‘thinking’? Sadly, a LOT goes into placing one’s vote. This shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
I see what you mean, but I personally feel that too much time is spent talking about how the Academy will look in 25 or 50 years. Most people – dare I say, even most film lovers – don’t remember (or particularly care) what movie was named the Best Picture of 1988 or 1963. The movies that stand the test of time do so regardless of Oscar success or failure. The Academy Awards remain focused not on their history (which is rich and interesting, no doubt) but on the movies of today, and the opportunity to foster new audiences for all different types of films. Often, this simply means making money for movies that are still in theaters.
By that same token, I’ve always appreciated the Academy winners of the past not because AMPAS is the arbiter of good taste, but because the previous winners speak to the industry at a particular time in its history. The fact that “Tom Jones” won, for example, is interesting in that it shows the Academy embracing a new wave of British filmmaking and style a few years before it would become commonplace in Hollywood. It also indicates a shift towards more youth-centered films, and ones that don’t shy away from sexuality, which would again become more mainstream as the Code breaks down in the mid-’60s. And the Academy valued this in early 1964, after Kennedy’s death, during the crucial stages of serious Civil Rights legislation, during the Cold War. This is the value of Oscar history.
Does this mean “Tom Jones” is a great movie? No. The value of a particular film goes up and down through the years, and that’s quite apart from personal taste or even artistry. The Best Picture canon is fascinating historically, but not necessarily artistically. And that’s okay. With that in mind, however, we don’t know how “12 Years a Slave” or “Gravity” or “Philomena” will hold up in 25 or 50 years’ time. And I don’t think it should matter. Because again, most people won’t remember which film won and which films lost. But the Academy’s thoughts about its own industry at this moment in time will remain in the history books, and it shouldn’t take a voter a lot of deep thinking to suss that out.
I’m pretty much in that voter brain, as in being john malkovich, because I’m totally on the HER bandwagon and Cuaron for director
And now for something completely different (and totally silly) from Food.com:
http://www.food.com/slideshow/movie-food-recipes-333/oscar-inspired-recipes-1
I’m just not sure about some of these, starting right off the bat w/the 12YAS Blackberry Iced Tea, and I’m pretty sure my Snickerdoodles recipe is better, but I do recall seeing recipes for casseroles like the AH MIcrowave Spaghetti back in the day. (And yes, there was some controversy over whether or not microwaved food was healthy, so that bit was spot on…)
I still think > 5 is the way to go. It is about celebrating film. There are always way more than 5 great films a year. There is still much in the way of cache in a Bp nominee. I don’t care how they vote for it, but honoring great cinema should be (could be) the raison detre as well as rewarding its own, as it was intended nearly 90 years ago.
Well, my favorite movie is Her
^^
Her isn’t getting much buzz — and awards. I don’t think WOW has a chance of winning director and best movie. So I’m sticking with Gravity and 12 Yrs a Slave to split.
“your” was funnier. still trying to work out what it might mean.
sorry that should’ve been with THEIR dicks
I guess he’s the only one who votes with heart because HER should win but won’t win because rest of the voters vote thinking with your dicks.
Or else Lawrence mishap would’ve never happened last year.
Gravity and Her are two films we’ll never see anything like in near future. There can be many films like 12 Years a Slave (that is if anyone wants to make a film on slavery) or perhaps better than 12 Years a Slave.
Whoever this is has got to be someone awesome. I’m guessing its Kathleen Kennedy.
I wish AMPAS would go back to the top 5 nominees.
And I agree with the interviewer: everybody just votes for their top choice – period.
I think the preferential system tends to create “vanilla” winners (Best Pictures which everybody likes, i.e., “Argo”, but few love.)
^When do we get to see Rob’s results, Ryan?
steve50
Rob is polishing up his deluxe spreadsheets. Tomorrow we could go ahead with his Best Picture results since he’s already done the demographic breakdown there.
But it might be wrong to announce BP first and then the other categories.
I tend to feel like the reason people are “all over the map” on Her is because of how boldly honest Spike Jonze is in his exploration of love and relationships – that topic is fine when it’s packaged into a rom-com, but this amount of “truth-telling” as Meryl Streep’s character would say in August: Osage County makes people feel uncomfortable. I think it’s too bad that discomfort can hold people back from introspection and growth.
In Rob’s Simulated Ballot project, voted on by AD readers, Her got 67% of the votes, American Hustle 13%.
But going by Marshall’s statsgasm projections, based on the math of precedents, it’s a dead heat, much closer. Her, 47.5%. American Hustle 48.8%
“Make a decision without thinking ‘if I vote for this, more people will vote for that.’”
You really need the entire quote for context, and understand the voter was probably talking about how voters try to game the preferential voting system, instead of voting for what they think is best.
“Make a decision without thinking…”
I appreciate what they’re trying to say, but thinking is essential. You cannot vote blindly. Would you vote in the Presidential election without “thinking”? Sadly, a LOT goes into placing one’s vote. This shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Sadly, I think a lot of people DO vote for President without thinking. There are 35% of people in both parties who’s thinking only goes this far: “I hate the other party, so my party’s candidate gets my vote no matter who the guy is, no matter what the issues or details.”
*(I’m estimating at least 35% of voters in each party are hardcore partisans. Of course the assumption is that some level of thinking must go into choosing your party affiliation.)
Spike Jonze should have already won 2 best director awards for Being John Malkovich & Adaptation, nominated for Where the Wild Things Are & in hot pursuit of a third Oscar for Her!
Finally. An interview with an anonymous AMPAS member who actually seems thoughtful and intelligent.
“Well, my favorite movie is Her. If that wins [Best Picture], it would make me so happy. But it doesn’t have a shot although I think it should win. Everybody I talk to is all over the map for this one.”
Yup, I couldn’t agree more. Team Her!