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Your Oscar Questions Answered!

Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Peter Mountain/ DreamWorks Pictures

Ask FlickChick Oscar rules Oscar history Oscar procedures your questions answeredQuestion Debate about the Oscars why werent any of the songs of Sweeney Todd nominated Its Sondheim after all Could there be a reason like a regulation or something Dreamgirls was on Broadway first and had songs nominated didnt it We dont understand Love you all at TV Guide though Thanks LilaFlickChick None of Stephen Sondheims songs could be nominated because of rules In order for a song from Tim Burtons film version of Sweeney Todd to have been eligible for an Academy Award it would have to have been written specifically for the film Youre absolutely right Dreamgirls 2006 was a Broadway musical before it was filmed but the three count em three nominated songs Listen Love You I Do and Patience were all new And they all lost Thats also how Chicago 2002 picked up its best-song nomination John Kander and Fred Ebb who wrote a read more

Oscars Preview: Inside This Year's Governor's Ball

Governor's Ball preview by Mike Guastella/WireImage.com

With the Academy Awards celebrating its 80th year this Sunday, Feb. 24, it seems only fitting that the Governor’s Ball roll out the red carpet in grand fashion. Thus the occasion’s chosen color scheme: red-carpet red and the gold of an Oscar statuette. Inside the doors of Hollywood & Highland Center’s Grand Ballroom, the scene will be one of elegance and contemporary glamour with a multilevel layout featuring nine different sections, all with their own flair. Red roses with sprays of yellow gemstar will adorn the tables along with Kartell lamps. Whimsical glass bubbles set off by firefly lights will float from the ceiling. Taking the stage will be the 12-member orchestra Pink Martini. Further entertainment comes by way of music stylist and radio host Jason Bentley.Beyond celebrity attendees like George Clooney and Julia Roberts, the main attraction of the annual event is always cuisine created by the world-renowned chef Wolfgang Puck. "Simple and refined, that's w... read more

Tours of Booty: Concerts Hit an All-time High Note

Led by the road trips of the Rolling Stones ($138.5 million in gross receipts), Barbra Streisand ($92.5 mil) and the country combo of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ($88.8 mil), North American concert-ticket revenue hit an all-time high of $3.6 billion in 2006, besting the year prior by 16 percent. Noting that the average ticket price ($61.45) was only up eight percent from '05, the editor in chief of trade mag Pollstar tells the AP, "That's a good sign for business" — especially when you factor in all the K-Fed refunds. read more

Tony Bennett's Instant Classic

Consider this an unqualified rave. NBC is offering a deluxe sweeps and holiday treat in Tuesday’s prime-time special Tony Bennett: An American Classic (8/7c), which is as lustrously filmed as it is impeccably sung. For those of us who’ve been waiting for Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall (Chicago) to tackle a new musical project, here it is. Marshall has lovingly conceived and masterfully executed a shimmering, swinging hour of razzle-dazzle showmanship that redefines what a variety special can be.I’m tempted to say they don’t make ’em like this anymore, but the truth is, even back when they did, they didn’t make ’em this good very often. (What this special reminded me of most, especially in the elaborate and evocative production numbers, was Bob Fosse’s landmark Liza With a Z special that Showtime so magnificently resurrected and restored earlier this year.)This is the rare music special that looks as good as it sounds. And it sounds spec... read more

Musical Notes: Rock Hall of Fame Names New Nominees

This year's nominees for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are Van Halen, R.E.M., Chic, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Patti Smith, the Dave Clark Five, the Ronettes, Joe Tex, and the Stooges. The annual ceremony will be held March 12 in NYC.... On Monday night, for at least the third time during her 20-city tour, Barbra Streisand was targeted — this time in the form of a thrown drink — by a heckler unhappy with a skit in which she pokes fun at President Bush.... The Rolling Stones have pushed back four more concert dates and canceled one (in Honolulu), due to Mick Jagger's throat troubles. read more

ON STAGE: BARBARA, PACINO

Barbra Streisand is prepping a(nother) farewell tour to hit venues this fall, the New York Post reports. A source tells the Post that Babs is planning 20 shows performed "in the round," for which she will net $2 million per. As such, it's said the best tix will go for $1,500 a pop — serious (ever)green.... Al Pacino will star as King Herod in a monthlong Los Angeles staging of Salome, opening April 14 at the Wadsworth Theatre. Tickets go on sale March 26 for presumably less than $1,500 each. read more

My father and I were chatting ...

Question: My father and I were chatting about Clint Eastwood's talent for directing actors to Academy Awards, now I'm wondering which director has directed the most actors to Oscar victories. My father is thinking William Wyler. Is he right?  Answer: Yes, he is: It's William Wyler. He directed 31 actors and actresses in performances that earned them Academy Award nominations. Bette Davis (Jezebel), Fay Bainter (Jezebel), Greer Garson (Mrs. Min read more

LIFE'S LITTLE PLEASURES

Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb are reuniting for a duets CD that's being billed as a follow-up to their landmark 1980 album, Guilty. According to Billboard, Guilty Pleasures — in stores on Sept. 20 — is expected to include the Streisand-Gibb duets "Come Tomorrow" and "Above the Law." The album will also feature Streisand singing a number of new songs written for her by Gibb and heavily edited by Babs. read more

Bravo's back-to-back airing of...

Bravo's back-to-back airing of Kathy's new comedy special and the premiere of her reality series was almost too much of a laugh riot for one person to take. The first words out of her mouth in the special — where she proves that the things that happen in her life would clearly not happen to an A-lister like Nicole Kidman — are "I can't stand that a------ Ryan Seacrest, and here's why...." Turns out, she's actually got a pretty good reason. Her fast-moving rambles then hit upon Dick Clark, Anna Nicole, Oprah, Barbra Streisand and Clay Aiken, whom she dubs Gayken. I swear I almost peed my pants when she described Clay's very fab-u-lous pooch as so gay it was a "fog." Too much, and all I could think the whole time was how mad my mom, a Claymate, would be that I almost fell off the couch giggling about the description of Clay's sexual preferences, which my sweet naïve mom takes offense to — but that still didn't stop me fr read more

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Inside The Actors Studio - Icons (Paul Newman / Robert Redford / Barbra Streisand / Clint Eastwood)
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