Rent films gets award nominations

[broadway86]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 9:59am

Not sure which board this belongs on...

The International Press Academy (a group comprised of hundreds of film critics from all over the world) has released its annual nominees, and Rent has been nominated for four awards:

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
Best Director
Best Supporting Actress (Rosario Dawson)
and Best Sound

For a full list of nominees, go to PressAcademy.com
Updated On: 12/2/05 at 09:59 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:09am

Glad to hear it. And I'm not surprised. It's the beginning of "Awards Season" out here, and I think you're going to see "Rent" show up, from time to time, on critical award lists. I think Rosario is going to end up on many lists for nominations, as well. And possibly Jessie Martin too.

Updated On: 12/2/05 at 10:09 AM

[meagan9848]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:12am

Shouldn't Rosario be considered leading?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:16am

It probably depends on the award?

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:17am

When I was watching the movie, I realized the focus of the characters on screen changes so much between the stories, that I would agree, Rosario is supporting. It's an ensemble movie.

But I would also bet she'll show up in some leading categories as well... kinda like Catherine Zeta-Jones did in Chicago. They never knew quite where to put her.

NOTE: Remember that categories are determined by the voters. They are not set in stone. I can speak directly about the Oscars in particular. The Actors' Branch of the Academy (which is NOT a critics award, by the way) receives a BLANK ballot with five blank lines for each category on it. They can put an actor down wherever they decide. It's not pre-determined. The studios do their best with ads to convince people how and where to nominate and vote, but that's only for the ads. Members can write a person's name down as they see fit, individually.

Updated On: 12/2/05 at 10:17 AM

[pab]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:36am

I don't think that I would classify any of the so called "lead" characters as real leads. I agree that it's an ensemble movie and they are probably all, or should be considered, supporting.

[meagan9848]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 10:39am

Oh, thanks for clearing that up B12B.

I was thinking of the "for your consideration..." poster, where they suggest Rosario for Best Lead Actress.

It makes so much more sense now.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 11:20am

There are a couple of major reasons why studios and artists representatives push actors in specific categories:

1) Vanity... Sometimes actors DEMAND to be placed in leading categories, because they somehow feel that "supporting" lowers their status on the food chain. I honestly haven't seen too much of that in recent years, but back in the '40s and '50s it was pretty common. Rosalind Russell should have won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in "Picnic," but refused to have her name promoted for a "supporting" award. As a result, she ended up with no nomination in either category... and no Oscar win. Eric Von Stroheim made quite a stink when he was nominated as "supporting" for Sunset Blvd., and let loose with a slew of insulting comments directed at the Academy.

2) Questionable placement... as with Roz Russell, Zeta-Jones in "Chicago," Dawson in "Rent," it is sometimes a big question as to where to place an actor. Are they playing a smaller leading role? Or a larger supporting role? Because there have been several classic examples (Roz in "Picnic" being one of them) where a celebrated performance has ended up with NO nomination, the studios do their best to persuade voters exactly where to place the actor. That's why you see the ads come out with a specific category attached. It isn't mandatory... it can't be enforced... and it doesn't always work. I can remember Susan Sarandon being touted in ads everywhere for a supporting nomination for "Atlantic City," but when the Academy nominations came out, she received one for Leading Actress. The persuasive ads are done in the hope that a performance at least be recognized SOMEWHERE in some category, and the people who liked the performance can be funneled into one category to place their vote. If the voters who are nominating split enough into two categories, there often ends up not being enough in either category to get them into the top 5.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 11:22am

For Oscar consideration, the leads will be Adam, Anthony and Rosario.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 11:27am

That is weird that she's placed in supporting. I'm just wondering who they would consider to be the leading actress in Rent if it's not Rosario. Usually, when you have the biggest part of your gender, you're considered to be the lead.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 11:32am

Not in an "ensemble" piece (movie or play).

There are no leads, male or female. I can think of several examples where this MIGHT apply (again this is all a matter of opinion, which is why the Academy is given five blank lines)...

Here's a few RANDOM choices that come to mind right away...

The Big Chill
A Chorus Line (Donna was pushed into the leading category, which caused quite a stink in its day)
Murder By Death (why I thought of this, I'll never know)

[broadway86]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 11:33am

I'd consider Dawson supporting, and (as far as Oscar's go) she would have been better served in that category.

PS - I was beyond thrilled to find Mickey Rourke (Sin City) nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

PPS - Munk, Julianne Moore was nominated. Whoo-hoo!!!

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 12:40pm

RENT is not getting nominated for any Oscars.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 1:45pm

I would definitely consider all of the roles to be supporting.

There is already another thread about this, somewhere, also.

Posted: 12/2/05 at 2:24pm

i think jesse l martin should be nominated for SOMETHING! my god, he was amazing. even my mom said he stood out the most.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 2:28pm

timesuckage, are you an Oscar insider?

[dmb_rent]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 2:35pm

For Oscar consideration, the leads will be Adam, Anthony and Rosario.

I would love to see all of them get awards, but I really wish to see Anthony get the attention he so very much deserves. Rent has become such a big part of his life over the past 10+ years, as you all know of course....and he needs to get some real recognition for that from people who aren't us or talk show hosts with cards of information in front of their face.

<3

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 2:36pm

Yes, RENT has been a big part of lots of people's lives - particularly the cast's, but that's no reason for Oscars.

Don't look for RENT to get any acting nominations - it just will not happen.

[lavieboheme72]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 3:15pm

its good to see that its already starting to get nominations. personally I think its probably more apt to get golden globe noms than oscars but you never know.

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 3:59pm

I'm no Oscar insider. But the Academy is pretty easy to predict. Rent's reviews were not strong enough and it's not enough of a moneymaker to edge out other nominees. Even the aspects of the movie everyone can agree are top notch, like cinematography, won't get nominated because too many other movies that are shoe-ins for that category (King Kong, Memoirs of a Geisha, The New World, Revenge of the Sith, Good Night and Good Luck, etc.) will edge it out. There's nothing about Rent the movie that gives it any kind of edge with voters - no unanimously praised performance (like PS Hoffman in Capote), no unanimously praised directing (like George Clooney for GNAGL), and there's nothing political or sexy or controversial about the subject matter (like GNAGL and Syriana).

I think it has a very good chance of Golden Globe nominations but that's because they have separate musical/comedy categories, and because the Foreign Press vote very differently than the Academy. The GGs are basically given to everyone who asskissed the Foreign Press, which is why they are not as prestigious as the Oscars.

[EvelynNesbit1906]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 4:03pm

"Even the aspects of the movie everyone can agree are top notch, like cinematography..."

This is probably third after direction and writing as far as things that people can't agree on...

Editing is fourth. Updated On: 12/2/05 at 04:03 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 4:42pm

The Oscars are different than any other awards out there, with the exception of the various Guild honors, because they are voted on by peers.

All the other "pre-Oscar" kudos are given out by critics... not peers. This includes the Golden Globes.

It's a totally different ball game.

[incendiary_wit]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 4:53pm

*dancey dance* YAY! I knew Rent would get some noms. It was an amazing film!

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 5:05pm

I loved Rosario, but Jesse should have got nominated, not her.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 12/2/05 at 5:06pm

Wow, sexy and political is exactly what I think of when it comnes to RENT...I really feel that it'll get SOMETHING because other movies so far this year have been pretty dissapointing.