# 2011 (2010) Academy Award nominations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919 "2011-01-25T14:16:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![sideshowkar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5e9695/32.png) [@sideshowkar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sideshowkar)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/41 "2011-01-25T20:06:22Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Why is Toy Story 3 being nominated for “adapted” screenplay? I know that someone already answered this question and there’s a link to an to an article, but I think the simplest answer is that the category isn’t best “adapted” screenplay, it’s “Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.” TS3 is based on the previously produced Toy Story films. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/42 "2011-01-25T21:07:24Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > I know this is kinda late since it’s been building for ever but still…The Social Network was not that great of a movie! > me. We really need a separate thread on that. I absolutely agree. It was highly over-rated. Good, but not great. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/43 "2011-01-25T21:39:03Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > YMMV, of course. I found it the same tired princess retread we’ve seen a million times from Disney. Not only are all 3 nominees better, but I thought _Despicable Me_ was, too. Is the category limited to three nominees? I haven’t seen Despicable Me or How to Train…, but I thought Tangled was delightful and it’s hard to imagine a total snub unless the category is limited to three, or the voters didn’t have time to see it. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/44 "2011-01-25T21:53:17Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > I haven’t seen the film. Could you explain why teachers hated it? I am not a teacher but I would direct you to: [http://www.thenation.com/article/154986/grading-waiting-superman](http://www.thenation.com/article/154986/grading-waiting-superman) or [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/11/myth-charter-schools/?pagination=false](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/11/myth-charter-schools/?pagination=false) Essentially, the movie distorts the true picture of how successful charter schools are and how bad traditional public schools have gotten. That is their contention, I have not seen the movie. But further discussion is for another thread. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/45 "2011-01-25T22:00:30Z")
Thanks, **howye**. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/46 "2011-01-25T22:04:37Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Is the category limited to three nominees? I haven’t seen Despicable Me or How to Train…, but I thought Tangled was delightful and it’s hard to imagine a total snub unless the category is limited to three, or the voters didn’t have time to see it. Any film that wants to be considered for this category needs to make a formal submission to the Academy. If the number of eligible entries meets a certain threshold (16?), then there are 5 nominees. If there are fewer than that, then it’s down to a final slate of 3. _Tangled_’s “snub” shouldn’t be too much of a mystery–the reviews were about even with its non-Pixar competitors, but it made a lot less money and that’s often enough to tip the difference for that last final slot. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/47 "2011-01-25T22:16:53Z")
I was thinking Mila Kunis would get a nod for Best Supporting Actress. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/48 "2011-01-25T22:21:26Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > I was thinking Mila Kunis would get a nod for Best Supporting Actress. Yeah, for me she was the most interesting thing about that movie. Natalie Portman’s performance is overrated, IMO. But then that whole movie sort of fell flat for me. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/49 "2011-01-25T23:53:07Z")
> [@howye](#): > > I am not a teacher but I would direct you to: > > [http://www.thenation.com/article/154986/grading-waiting-superman](http://www.thenation.com/article/154986/grading-waiting-superman) > > or > > [http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/11/myth-charter-schools/?pagination=false](http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/11/myth-charter-schools/?pagination=false) > > Essentially, the movie distorts the true picture of how successful charter schools are and how bad traditional public schools have gotten. That is their contention, I have not seen the movie. But further discussion is for another thread. And also it lays a lot of the blame for the current state of education specifically on teachers, in one way or another, whereas there’s really plenty of blame to go around. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/50 "2011-01-26T00:07:53Z")
I am so totally psyched for this year’s slate of nominees, though I never watch the Oscars on tv. Starting 3 years ago – when I got a new computer – I began checking out all the Oscar movies of interest to me in late January/early February to feel more “plugged in” with the awards season. Each year I’d get a half-dozen or so DVDs, three or so of movies I really wanted to see and the rest being movies I figured would be watchable just to fill in some of the major categories. This year, however, is a spectacular one for me personally. I’ve been really excited to see ten of them, and now that nominations are out I added a couple more to the list. Starting last week I’ve been watching one per day, in order: Inception Black Swan The Social Network 127 Hours Winter’s Bone True Grit On deck I have: Blue Valentine The Town The Kids Are All Right The Fighter The King’s Speech Obviously I greatly over-estimated the Oscar potential of Blue Valentine and The Town, but in hindsight I’m glad I burned them because now I’m missing no more than one entry in any of the major categories. (Picture, Director, Original / Adapted Screenplay, (Supporting) Actor / Actress) I am genuinely excited to see ten of these, plus I’ll give The King’s Speech a try. Greatest Oscar year ever as far as I’m concerned. So far the two movies that have stayed with me the most are Winter’s Bone and True Grit. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/51 "2011-01-26T00:35:45Z")
As long as we’re talking about the Oscars, I’ll be conducting an Oscar Trivia contest (w/prizes!) on Twitter from now until the awards ceremony. Follow [my account](http://twitter.com/#!/Filmatelist) or check out the #OscarTrivia tag for updates. I’ll average 2-3 questions a day, and if you want to be eligible for a prize, you have to DM me the answer (I’ll do my best to return follows quickly). I’ll typically provide the answer within 48 hours of posting the question, though that will depend on how big (or small) a response comes for each question (since they will range in difficulty). I’ve already posted the first two Questions. Spread the word, RT your friends, and hope to see some of you playing! (p.s. We usually have a Doper Oscar Predict the Winners Contest here, and we’ll still do that this year, too) ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/52 "2011-01-26T01:19:23Z")
The Best Actor/Actress noms were such a given that in _Newsweek_’s article on the awards they had a panel of 6 of the nominees (and no non-nominees): Colin Firth, James Franco, Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman, Annette Benning and Nicole Kidman. I hate the Special Olympicization of the BEST PICTURE category ("You all get a nomination just for getting made [unless you star Ashton Kutcher or any other _Dude Where’s My Car?_ actor]). Everybody already knows which pictures don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of Best Picture so why not make it twice the honor to be nominated than it was last year and is this year? ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/53 "2011-01-26T03:06:21Z")
Who woulda believed that The Wolfman would get nominated for an oscar! I thought The Social Network was a perfect movie. It wasn’t too fast paced, you just need to break in Aaron Sorkin by watching a couple years of the West Wing first. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/54 "2011-01-26T03:39:10Z")
I love hearing nominee reactions. Some are pretty rote, but others are hilarious. I don’t know where all of these came from originally. I’m copying and pasting from [The Wrap](http://www.thewrap.com/awards/column-post/nominees-react-kidman-bening-bardem-firth-24205?page=0,0) and other forums. Banksy wins the reaction contest. > [@](#): > > **Banksy** (director of “Exit Through the Gift Shop”): > > “This is a big surprise,” he says of the nomination, “I don’t agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I’m prepared to make an exception for the ones I’m nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me.” > [@](#): > > Aaron Sorkin (writer of “The Social Network”): > > “My recommendation to anyone who wants to be nominated for an Academy Award is work with David Fincher. I’m thrilled to be nominated by the Academy and I’m especially pleased for everyone who worked so hard on the film – it is a triumph of teamwork. I’m honored to have our film nominated in such an incredible year for movies.” > [@](#): > > Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (directors of “True Grit”): > > “Ten [nominations] seems like an awful lot. We don’t want to take anyone else’s." > [@](#): > > Dean DeBlois (Canadian writer of How to Train Your Dragon): > > “What honor it is to be nominated for an Academy Award! I’m actually on my way to the Van Nuys immigration and naturalization office for a biometrics (fingerprinting) appointment. I’m looking at the Oscar nom as a good sign! Maybe they’ll let me stick around and become a citizen now!” > [@](#): > > David O. Russell (director of The Fighter): > > "I tried to say to myself, just remember that you’re fortunate to have worked on this film, and no one can take that way from you. And beyond that, I tried not to expect too much. So to get recognition in such a competitive year, especially when I’ve never been nominated, is just really f\_\_\_ing great. > > “I’ve been on the phone with the incredible cast this morning, because we’re a family. And I tried to call Micky [Ward], but his voicemail is full. Mark Wahlberg couldn’t get him, either. But we’re gonna get Micky and Dicky out here this weekend, and we’re going to party.” > [@](#): > > Helena Bonham-Carter (The King’s Speech): > > "I’ve got a menopausal nomination at age 44 and it feels marvelous. At my age you don’t expect an Oscar nomination. What’s exciting is that people are connecting to the film all over the country. People in Brixton (south London) and all over are giving it a standing ovation and people come up to me and say, ‘You made me cry’.” > > Helena watched the nominations at home in London with her two children. “I was with the little ones on the sofa and they both went ‘yeah’! And that about sums it up”, she added. She said she was very surprised for herself but delighted for Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. “it’s their bromance, it’s about the two of them”, she said. > [@](#): > > Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit): > > “Its incredible! I’m in shock. It was an overall incredible experience to be a part of this film. I’m so proud of it all.” > > The young star found out about her Best Supporting Actress nomination in a way only a teenager would: ”I was asleep and my mom, and dad were screaming in the other room. They burst into my bedroom with flowers and they were cheering! It was very exciting.” It seems **127 Hours** is going into wide release now. It’s about time! I saw it last October. > [@](#): > > Christian Colson (producer of 127 Hours): > > "To be nominated for an Academy Award is a highlight in any career and I am delighted for each of our individual nominees and incredibly proud of them all. But more important than individual kudos, this haul of six nominations is a huge stamp of approval from the Academy for the film itself. \*\*The picture expands into wide release in North America this weekend - and is rolled out internationally over the coming weeks \*\* - and these nominations will encourage audiences all over the world to go and see the film - and in particular James Franco’s unmissable performance. > > This is an incredibly proud and happy day for all of us who worked on the film." ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/55 "2011-01-26T14:22:20Z")
James Franco was on The Daily Show last night and he talked about how the Today Show wanted him in NYC for the announcement of the nominations but he turned them down because he had class yesterday morning at Yale. So he saw the nominations, had an interview, then walked down the street into class, where his nomination was not mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a87d85/32.png) [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_Dodgy_Dude)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/56 "2011-01-26T15:16:26Z")
Colin Firth? Really? Did I miss something while watching The King’s Speech? Firth’s performance consisted of portraying a convincing stammer and being emotionally repressed. Is that all it takes to win Best Actor these days? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/57 "2011-01-26T15:57:11Z")
> [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](#): > > Colin Firth? Really? Did I miss something while watching The King’s Speech? Firth’s performance consisted of portraying a convincing stammer and being emotionally repressed. Is that all it takes to win Best Actor these days? Yes, I’d say you missed somthing. The pain, humiliation and courage he displayed in his face without speaking a word. The frustration and shame and dignity. It was a brilliant performance even when he wasn’t stammering. ETA: And I wasn’t particularly a Firth fan before this movie, having not seen his film last year. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/58 "2011-01-26T18:56:06Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > James Franco was on The Daily Show last night and he talked about how the Today Show wanted him in NYC for the announcement of the nominations but he turned them down because he had class yesterday morning at Yale. So he saw the nominations, had an interview, then walked down the street into class, where his nomination was not mentioned. There is no way on Earth I could concentrate on any subject if James Franco was in the class. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/59 "2011-01-26T19:06:19Z")
> [@A\_Dodgy\_Dude](#): > > Colin Firth? Really? Did I miss something while watching The King’s Speech? Firth’s performance consisted of portraying a convincing stammer and being emotionally repressed. Is that all it takes to win Best Actor these days? That’s like saying all Jeff Daniels did was ride a horse and act like John Wayne as played by Billy Bob Thornton, all Jesse Eisenberg did was pretend he was Freddy from I-Carly, and all James Franco did was lie on some rocks and say “ouch, that hurt”. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919/60 "2011-01-26T19:07:58Z")
You know, in another example of YMMV, I saw _The Kids Are All Right_ last night and I was underwhelmed. Annette Benning was great, and I also thought that Rufalo and Moore gave good performances. I don’t begrudge any of the acting nominations. But Best Picture? Why? Because it portrayed a lesbian couple so matter-of-factly? If Annette Benning’s character had been a man, I’m not sure how this movie would have been any different than a dozen other “spouse commits adultery but then regrets it” movies. Also, the sex scenes were jarring not to mention unnecessarily explicit. The scene with Moore & Benning under the covers was fine but Rufalo’s sex scenes with his girlfriend and with Moore were too much. And interesting that the film was so demure about the lesbian sex but not the hetero sex. It was a pretty good movie, but it didn’t strike me as Oscar-good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2011-2010-academy-award-nominations/568919.md?page=4)