Dear Gossips,
Perhaps to remind everybody that their award is the only award that matters, the Academy released a trailer this week with host Ellen DeGeneres to promote the upcoming Oscars. Ellen’s walking and dancing and lipsynching. This is the tone then that we should expect – happy, light, friendly, and safe. Even though that’s not necessarily how they’re playing behind the scenes on the campaign circuit? No, no, it hasn’t gotten ugly, not yet. But they’re definitely hustling.
Harvey Weinstein is hustling for August: Osage County. The film screened at TIFF and the reviews weren’t as awesome as people were expecting. Since then there’s been some tweaking and now both Weinstein and George Clooney are trying to put it out there that what will be released in theatres is a major contender for Best Picture:
Declared Weinstein, “When it comes to Oscars, I’ll take bets on this movie, it’s going to be a surprise and a sleeper, but it’s gonna be there. I’m never again going to rush to play a movie festival anymore, until the movie is locked. We rushed to get a version of August: Osage County because we wanted the heat of Toronto. It wasn’t finished and it has created a disconnect.”
What he’s saying here is that the movie is great, and that it was his fault, his misplay in strategy initially and that Oscar voters shouldn’t hold that against the film. Don’t hold it against Meryl, don’t hold it against Julia. August: Osage County opens next week, along with The Wolf Of Wall Street, also positioning itself for an Oscar run. That’s all I’m doing starting tomorrow and through the holiday break – seeing movies, studying. It’s a crowded year. There’s a lot of Oscar homework to do.
Have a great weekend!
Yours in gossip,
Lainey
