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Barbara Broccoli is perplexed as we grab a moment alone (well, not exactly alone alone; we were surrounded on all sides) at the swanky soirée Saturday for BAFTA Film Awards nominees at the National Gallery just off Trafalgar Square. Far classier than the clumsy awards show the following…

Judging by the results this weekend of the first major industry test of where the Oscar winds could be blowing, it was basically a draw. We now have results from both the DGA and BAFTA. Both these groups, as well as the upcoming SAG, PGA and, to a slightly…

Objective journalism was on trial Friday night on Bill Maher’s Real Time, with the New York Times as a focus for the discussion on whether opinion has buried news coverage. The panel discussing this important issue included Ari Melber, host of MSNBC's "The Beat With Ari Melber" and staff writer for T…

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. I don’t know about you, but I spent my Valentine’s Day evening onstage at the Arlington Theatre for the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s American Riviera Award tribute to Brendan Fraser…

From the outset, Sumner Redstone was a curiosity. A cluster of power players 50 years ago were suddenly bidding for control of Hollywood's revered movie studios. Competition was intense but most of the bidders were not even “movie” people. In fact…

So Howard Bragman has died. I will miss him–not because we were especially close, but because he had a gift for making every encounter kind of fun, and, often, more memorable than it was supposed to be. The last time I spoke with Howard was some months ago. He had called, apropos  of nothing…

A glimpse of stocking was once deemed shocking. But today, heaven knows…there are still limits on what you can say on certain broadcast outlets. Bill Maher found that out the hard way. Maher recently joined CNN with the segment Overtime, which uses the guests from his HBO show Real Time in an…

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. The gold season is in full swing as awards are being handed out on just about a nightly basis. The full report on Thursday night’s lively American Cinematheque Tribute to the Crafts…

The classic New York vs. Los Angeles tension is playing out on several fronts at the moment, much to the discomfort of those of us who align with both sides. The defection of Gustavo Dudamel from L.A. to conduct the New York Philharmonic reflects more…

Melanie Lynskey didn’t appreciate criticism that she was a bit too zaftig for the role of a post-apocalyptic warlord. Model Adrianne Curry made a tweeted observation (since deleted) on Feb. 8 that Lynskey wasn’t a great fit for The Last of Us role of Kathleen, a Kansas City warlord who apparently…

Joy Behar said something she shouldn’t have said on The View. This time, it was about one of her colleagues. As the show’s “Hot Topics” segment discussed the importance of workplace friendships, Behar talked about her one-time leave-taking from the show. She said that she was glad when she was…

Pondering last weekend's vibrant, three-day "Regeneration Summit" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures — it was a celebration keyed to the museum's Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 exhibit — I was struck by a wild fantasy. In the far future — I mean way down the line, even after my brand new…