Oscars in bag for Day-Lewis, Christie: critics
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LOS ANGELES  - If the opinions of the nation's critics are anything to go by, Daniel Day-Lewis can pretty much pick up his best actor Oscar right now.
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Films exploring an aviation visionary's flight into fame, a female boxer's long day's journey into night and two buddies bumbling through wine and romance are expected to dominate the Oscar nominations on Tuesday.
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LOS ANGELES  - If you wanted to take a few swipes at Sunday night's Oscar ceremony, it wouldn't be that hard.
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Lawyers will decide who gets these Academy Awards.
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Organizers on Thursday unveiled  details of this year's Academy Awards, including  Oscar-presenting roles for stars such as Tom Hanks and Nicole  Kidman whose presence was in doubt due to the Hollywood writers  strike.
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When it comes to getting Oscars, Martin Scorsese is one of the unluckiest men in Hollywood. As we approach the 79th Annual Academy Awards this Sunday, the big question is "will his luck change?" This year, he is heavily favored to take home the Best Director Oscar, but an upset isn't out of the question. Martin Scorsese has been down this road before and always lost. The real question is, does it matter?    Of course it doesn't. If Crash winning Best Picture last year hasn't dispelled the myth that the Academy Awards have anything to do cinematic merit, then you're likely the type of person who thought Pearl Harbor should have won Best Picture. Even if Scorsese loses once again, that only means he's in the same boat as Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, John Cassavetes, Orson Welles etc. Also, I don't know anyone who still adores Ordinary People, but Raging Bull gets a spin in the old DVD player at least once a year. And the Goodfellas disc (despite being one of those early crappy "flipper" discs that splits the movie onto both sides of the DVD) gets watched even more than that. Kevin Costner? Didn't he direct The Postman?
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The guessing game is almost over at the Venice film festival, where few clear frontrunners for the Golden Lion award for best picture have emerged ahead of the prize ceremony on Saturday evening. By the end of the annual 11-day marathon of movies, press conferences, interviews and parties, critics and journalists normally agree on a handful of films they think could win the top honor, although their predictions are not always correct.
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Hollywood is in a bleak mood this year, and the Oscar nominees announced Tuesday reflected that state of mind.
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The common complaint about Oscar fashion choices of the past few years is that stars played it too safe. Not so this year.
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The guessing game is almost over at the  Venice film festival, where few clear frontrunners for the  Golden Lion award for best picture have emerged ahead of the  prize ceremony on Saturday evening. By the end of the annual  11-day marathon of movies, press conferences, interviews and  parties, critics and journalists normally agree on a handful of  films they think could win the top honor, although their  predictions are not always correct.
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Daniel Day-Lewis gave his Oscar chances  a welcome boost on Sunday by landing a Best Actor BAFTA at the  British Academy Film Awards for his searing portrayal of a  driven oil prospector in "There Will be Blood."
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Daytime talk show host Ellen  DeGeneres drew a million more U.S. TV viewers to the Oscars  than last year's telecast, but some critics found her  easy-going style too low key for Hollywood's biggest night.
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Timing isn't everything when it comes to the Academy Awards &#151; but it helps.
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As Hollywood closes in on Oscar night with its attendant round of awards galas, politicians are popping up everywhere but the podium.
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Meryl Streep and Judi Dench got  nasty. Kate Winslet stripped and Penelope Cruz padded her rear.  But it is Helen Mirren and her prim silver curls who looks  likely to reign on Oscar night.
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This yearâs Academy Award nominations are being announced this morning. The list will be posted here.
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Better hurry. There's just 30 moviegoing days left till the Academy Awards. Studios behind the five best-picture Oscar nominees announced Tuesday are rushing their films out to more theaters this weekend, counting on the awards attention to pad the box-office haul on some of the movies by tens of millions of dollars.