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Oscar Themes, Past and Present
ABCNews.com
February 2009
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2006: Politics as Unusual
Hollywood’s heavy hand played out at the 2006 Academy Awards, the year of the message movie.
Best picture winner “Crash” — which took three Oscars — tackled race relations and police brutality. The gay cowboy weeper “Brokeback Mountain” preached tolerance while taking three trophies (out of eight nominations), including best director and best adapted screenplay.
The war-torn “Syriana” — which earned George Clooney a best actor award — was all about foreign politics, while Clooney’s government witch-hunting-themed Edward R. …

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Oscar Themes, Past and Present
ABCNews.com
February 2009
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2008: Female Screenwriters Have Their Day
Another 2008 shocker? Four nods for female writers in the best screenplay and best adapted screenplay categories. Who could forget Diablo Cody’s irreverent acceptance for her winning “Juno”?
“That’s very rare — that was certainly a breakthrough last year,” O’Neil said. “Like directing, screenwriting is still a closed category that seems to shut out women. Very few women get nominations at all. But I don’t see things changing anytime soon. Everyone thought that this year, Mandy …

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Oscar Themes, Past and Present
ABCNews.com
February 2009
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By all accounts, “Slumdog Millionaire,” with its 10 nominations, is set to sweep the Oscars this year. In fact, it’s the front-runner to win best picture, which would make it the first film with a significant foreign language component to take the title.
“This year definitely has a more global, more international flavor,” Entertainment Weekly Oscar expert Dave Karger said. “But it’s also a very upbeat film. Both those elements are sort of a sign of the times, I think, with …

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Reality Bites
ABCNews.com
February 2009
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Workplace romances can be inelegant, at best. But what happens when you still have to work with the person after your split?
Just ask actor Justin Long (you might remember him as your friendly, neighborhood Mac guy ), who hooked up with co-star Drew Barrymore on the set of their new movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You.”
“We all rationalize and analyze to a certain extent,” said Long, who plays cynical advice-monger Alex in the film. “But when you’re with somebody, you’ve just got to …

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Twilight Poised to Thrive in Tough Times
ABCNews.com
November 2008
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The fact that the film’s soundtrack topped the Billboard record sales chart with $165,000 in its first week also proves promising for the film’s success.
“It’s not that unusual for a movie soundtrack to be No. 1,” said Blender magazine editor in chief Joe Levy. “What is unusual is for a soundtrack to open at No. 1 two weeks before the movie even comes out.”
“Usually people hear the music when they watch the film, then go buy …

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Twilight Poised to Thrive in Tough Times
ABCNews.com
November 2008
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Hoping to catch the movie “Twilight” at a theater near you when it opens next weekend? It might be wise to buy those tickets now.
Hundreds of showings nationwide have already sold out, according to online tickets sales site Fandango.com. The demand is setting box office expectations sky high for the adaptation of the first book in Stephenie Meyer’s teen vampire romance series. The series has already sold more than 10 million copies, according to Bookscan.
“Twilight’s” solid pre-opening sales, coupled …

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eBay the 2008 Election ABCNews.com
November 2008
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And Action!
She might not be Wonder Woman, but looks like this pint-sized Palin action figure can hold her own. Standing tall at 12 inches, this special edition figurine comes factory-sealed, complete with her own pistol and holster. But Alaskans be forewarned, the free shipping is limited to the 48 contiguous states. Bidding starts at $49.
“Dolls do have crossover collectability,” said Rinker. “Once the political nostalgia fades, doll collectors may still be interested.”
Hungry?
After coughing up a minimum of $65 for a …

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eBay the 2008 Election ABCNews.com
November 2008
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Who says the economy’s down? If the staggering price tags on most of the more than 83,000-plus election goodies up for grabs on eBay — everything from Nov. 5 morning after newspapers to presidential action figures — are to be considered, it seems Americans have plenty to spend. In fact, sales of Obama-related merchandise have increased by 140 percent in the past five days, according to an eBay rep, with items like a signed first edition of his memoir, Dreams From …

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Old School Rules: Hollywood Loves Gen X ABCNews.com
September 2008
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Thompson cites last year’s “Transformers” remake as a perfect example. “That essentially had to be a Michael Bay film for it to work,” he said. “It had to look that good, that slick, to work for today.”
Added Blender’s Goodman: “Sure, there was a built-in audience, but Bay had to make sure there were the guns, the hot girls, the special effects to make it appealing to today’s audiences. Then he could sit back and count his money.”
But as much …

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Old School Rules: Hollywood Loves Gen X
ABCNews.com
September 2008
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Sept. 2 is shaping up to be quite the nostalgia-trip for Gen Xers. Not only can you download the new NKOTB album from iTunes today, you can also set your DVR to tape the first episode of the CW’s hotly anticipated “90210″ revamp, which premieres tonight.
And it’s highly likely Hollywood bigwigs are doing the same. After all, you’re not the only one who’s dusting off your “Hangin’ Tough” CD.
“I think Hollywood definitely loves the ’80s,” said “90210″ executive producer …