At the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, that is. The Academy Women’s Luncheon was yesterday, held at the Academy’s own museum in Los Angeles—the Academy WILL make that museum worth it if it kills them! Which it might!—and as has been the case all of this very competitive awards season, it brought out some A-listers, top Oscar contenders, and some longshot hopefuls.
Take, for instance, Ryan Destiny, star of Rachel Morrison’s feature directorial debut, The Fire Inside. Amazon MGM has been pushing it hard since TIFF, and the film looks like the kind of stirring sports drama that can connect with audiences, but this is SUCH a crowded year, with entirely too much stuff coming out between December 20 and 25 (I have seven reviews coming in the next week and a half, and that’s not even everything coming out). But Ryan Destiny hasn’t missed a beat all season, trying to get her name and her film in front of enough eyeballs to build some momentum.
In a similar position are Amy Adams, as Nightbitch hasn’t really caught on—it opened in less than 100 theaters last weekend and distributor Searchlight elected not to release its box office tally, which is not a good sign—Joan Chen, who is an increasingly long shot in a very competitive supporting actress category; Pamela Anderson, who recently got a little boost from the Golden Globes; and June Squibb, also a long shot for Thelma. She’s the best actress in my heart! Thelma is one of my favorite films of the year, and Squibb’s performance is delightful.
And then there are the ones who need no help, like Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, top contenders for Best Supporting Actress. I wonder if any conversations were had? I always wonder if the past winners and contenders talk strategy at events like this. We’re probably supposed to assume no, that they’re too classy and busy to concern themselves with the horse race, but everyone in that room would know who has a shot and who doesn’t. And a lot of the crowd is made up of people who aren’t involved in the Oscar race at all, like Olivia Wilde, Gal Gadot, and Kristen Bell, which only increases the gossip potential, as they have no stake and thus, nothing to lose. Whether they admit it or not, a lot of actors do follow awards season. Do we really think they’re NOT talking about it?
