Organizers of the annual music-biz awards show originally announced that composer John Williams — nominated for the soundtracks to Munich and Memoirs of a Geisha — was up for five statuettes. Turns out, it's only four. (Obviously, they had Avril Lavigne doing their counting for them.) In addition, rapper Ludacris' name was left off the release that listed the contenders, even though he is, in fact, in the running.
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Question: What do you think are the most overrated Oscar nominees this year?
Answer: You know, almost any other year I could have come up with a list a foot long. But the 2005 Academy Award nominees are a really strong bunch — among the major categories I can honestly say that there isn't a single one I strongly feel doesn't belong in the running. That said, I don't think John Williams merits two nominations in the category for best original score — for Munich and Memoirs of a Geisha. But I'm consistently at odds with the prevailing opinion on him. I find the overwhelming majority of his compositions overblown and totally ordinary — just because he can orchestrate up the yin-yang doesn't mean he has to do it every single time. He has 36 prior music nominations (all but three for original score), many of which represent two films in a single year; he also has five wins t
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The Biggest Loser It's one thing to watch the full hour-and-a-half every Tuesday night when it's new material. After all, we're all waiting for the week Mo gets kicked off, right? On the other hand, anyone who seriously sat and watched a clip-show rehash of past episodes should already know who the biggest loser is. Get a freakin' life!
The Kennedy Center HonorsOK, so this annual festival of back-patting is a little bit cheeseball. Retired newsman Walter Cronkite passing the emcee baton to horsey Caroline Kennedy? I could've done without the hokey fanfare. But in spite of my cynicism, I couldn't help but get caught up in a few intriguing moments...1. Ruby Dee's jaw actually drops as Angela Bassett and husband Courtney B. Vance take the stage to do a special reading in tribute to her and Ossie Davis. Then, Ruby clasps her face in delighted surprise as Aud
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