The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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Oscar Nominees in Photos
 Oscar 
 Nominees 
 in Photos 

SLIDESHOW

Oscar Nominees in Photos

Slumdog , Benjamin Button , Milk join Reader and Frost/Nixon in best-picture fight

(Newser) - The countdown begins to Hollywood's night of nights, with big guns that "are easier to admire and respect than to love" competing for top honors, writes David Gritten in the Daily Mail. No doubt the tabloids are hoping for a Brangelina sweep of the Best Actor and Best Actress...

Oscar-Nom Films Still Slumping; Here's Why
Oscar-Nom Films Still Slumping; Here's Why
OPINION

Oscar-Nom Films Still Slumping; Here's Why

(Newser) - Is the so-called "Oscar bump" fading? Academy favorites like Slumdog Millionaire and Frost/Nixon are stalled at the box office this year; only The Reader has filled more seats since being nominated. Yes, a stream of bona fide Hollywood hits has held them back, but it's more than that,...

RIP: Obits for Our Culture
 RIP: Obits for Our Culture 

RIP: Obits for Our Culture

(Newser) - Dying is a bit of a buzzkill, but all things must come to an end. AJ Jacobs of Esquire  writes obituaries for music, his manhood, and various other cultural remnants:
  • Romantic Comedy, age 81: On life support long ago—finally dead after someone pitched Kate Hudson a film about a
...

'Benjamin Button' Jellyfish Are Immortal

Can revert to younger form and reproduce

(Newser) - For some aging jellyfish, their best years may still be ahead: Faced with a threat, one species can essentially turn itself younger again, National Geographic reports. Turritopsis dohrnii reverts its cells to a “younger state,” says a researcher, and becomes a blob; from there, it develops into a...

Sans Blockbusters, Oscar Scrambles to Build Buzz

Broadcast's ratings decline isn't helped by snub to Dark Knight

(Newser) - Producers of the Academy Awards are scrambling to add twists to a broadcast whose ratings decline won’t be helped by the lack of a blockbuster among the best-picture nominees, the New York Times reports. With the five nominees totaling less than half the box office of snubbed Dark Knight,...

Brangelina and Brood Do Japan

 Brangelina 
 and Brood 
 Do Japan 
SLIDESHOW

Brangelina and Brood Do Japan

(Newser) - Hollywood's golden clan touched down in Japan today for a family holiday, mixed with a little business. Brad, carrying 6-month-old Knox, is in Asia to promote his Oscar-nominated film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Click the image icon to view a slideshow of Brad, Angelina, Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh,...

Brangelina Just Happy to (Both) Be Nominated

Pitt's Benjamin Button scores 13 Oscar nods; Jolie scores for Changeling

(Newser) - Oscar was kind to Brangelina today, with both halves of the power couple landing nominations, People reports. Brad Pitt received a best actor nod for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, while Angelina Jolie is in the best actress running for Changeling. “I’m especially happy for David Fincher,...

Ledger, Rourke Nab Oscar Nods
 Ledger, Rourke Nab Oscar Nods 

Ledger, Rourke Nab Oscar Nods

Benjamin Button, Slumdog lead the pack

(Newser) - Exactly a year after his death, Heath Ledger has been nominated for an Academy Award, AP reports. Ledger's Supporting Actor nod was the only nom for The Dark Knight, while The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire rose to the top with 13 and 10 nominations respectively. Other...

Gran Torino Blows Away Box Office

(Newser) - Clint Eastwood’s vigilante flick Gran Torino smashed box office competition and his career record this weekend, earning $29 million, Variety reports. The film has grossed $40.1 million total after a prior monthlong limited run. Wedding comedy Bride Wars placed second with $21.5 million, followed by The Unborn,...

Top Dog Marley Still Gnawing Competition
 Top Dog Marley 
 Still Gnawing 
 Competition 
BOX OFFICE ROUNDUP

Top Dog Marley Still Gnawing Competition

Bedtime Stories, Button close behind

(Newser) - Marley & Me continued its reign atop the box office dog pile this weekend, digging up $24 million, Variety reports. Bedtime Stories took in $20.3 million, while Benjamin Button aged gracefully to third place with $18.4 million. Valkyrie ($14.3 million) and Yes Man ($13.9 million) rounded...

Cate Off-Screen: She's No Diva, No Trophy

Actress discusses her private life

(Newser) - Cate Blanchett, the ethereal beauty whose penchant for risky film roles has won her a raft of awards, is as drama-free off the screen as she is compelling on it, writes Leslie Bennetts in Vanity Fair. The mother of three young boys talks about her newest film, The Curious Case ...

Marley Fetches Weekend Win
 Marley Fetches
 Weekend Win 
BOX OFFICE ROUNDUP

Marley Fetches Weekend Win

(Newser) - After breaking the box office record for best Christmas Day opener, Marley & Me stayed top dog with $51.7 million this weekend, Variety reports. Brad Pitt vehicle The Curious Case of Benjamin Button finished behind ex-wife Jennifer Aniston’s puppy flick, but still earned a surprising $39 million. Bedtime ...

Benjamin Button Writer Sues Over Madoff Losses

'I'm a sucker,' says Roth

(Newser) - The screenwriter who penned The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is suing his investment manager for losing his life savings in the Bernard Madoff fiasco, reports the New York Post. "I'm the biggest sucker that ever walked the face of the earth," said Eric Roth, 65, who also...

Moviegoer Shoots Man for Talking
Moviegoer
Shoots Man
for Talking

Moviegoer Shoots Man for Talking

He pulls gun while trying to watch Benjamin Button

(Newser) - A Philadelphia man attempting to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in peace resorted to violence, shooting the father of a family that was talking during the film, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The father survived the gunshot wound to his arm, while the attacker was charged with attempted murder,...

Older, Wiser Pitt Happy With Life's New Path

Relationship, kids with Jolie 'a natural direction'

(Newser) - Now 45 and the father of six, Brad Pitt appears ready to shed the image of clowning heartbreaker to tackle weightier matters in life and work, writes Reed Johnson in the Los Angeles Times. Pitt’s role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, in which his character ages backward,...

Button Looks Great, Less Filling
 Button Looks Great, Less Filling 
MOVIE REVIEW

Button Looks Great, Less Filling

Brad Pitt ages in reverse thanks to a special-effects miracle

(Newser) - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is enjoyable and visually striking, but many critics feel David Fincher and Brad Pitt fail to mine the story of a man who ages in reverse for moments of real emotional depth. Pitt “gives you no hint what his character makes of the...

Cash-Strapped Studios Spend Big on Oscars

Pricey ads run for contenders despite industry layoffs

(Newser) - America's financial crisis hasn't stopped studios from dropping big money in their quest for Oscars, Nikki Finke writes on Deadline Hollywood Daily. Amid layoffs and cutbacks, Paramount took out 7 full-page ads for Revolutionary Road in the New York Times, and Disney spent $675,000 for a Wall-E insert in...

Doubt Dominates SAG Noms
 Doubt Dominates 
 SAG Noms 

Doubt Dominates SAG Noms

Streep, Hoffman earn nods; Pitt, Jolie, Penn join them

(Newser) - The Screen Actors Guild released its award nominees today, and left no Doubt which flick had the most star power in 2008. As with the Golden Globes, all four Doubt leads earned nods, which, combined with a best ensemble nomination, gave it the most potential honors overall.  Brangelina again...

Brad Pitt Roughed Up by Own Guard

Security mistook the actor for a photog at LA movie event

(Newser) - Brad Pitt got to see how the other half lives when a bouncer at a promotional event for his latest movie failed to recognize the star and tried to pin him to a wall. The guard pulled Pitt out of a crowd of paparazzi that had infiltrated a secure area...

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