Dixie Carter Dies

Actress Dixie Carter, best known for her role as Julia Sugarbaker on the TV show “Designing Women,” has died of cancer at the age of 70.

From CNN:

Carter was drawn to roles portraying steely Southern women. One of her more recent roles included a guest appearance on the show “Desperate Housewives,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy in 2007.

“This has been a terrible blow to our family,” her husband, the actor Hal Holbrook, told “Entertainment Tonight.” “We would appreciate everyone understanding that this is a private family tragedy.”

Carter and Holbrook met while filming the CBS-TV movie, “The Killing of Randy Webster.”

Oscars Handed out at 82nd Academy Awards

A big night in Hollywood tonight with the much anticipated 82 Annual Academy Awards.

Unfortunately, I missed most of the show but thankfully, as always, the Oscars ran long so I was able to watch the final four award presentations.

I heard that the show itself was good, with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin hosting, but I also heard that for some reason, Farrah Fawcett was left off the tribute of those who have passed in the last year. Strange.

I’ll have to catch up on my movies since I’ve only seen one of the ten movies that was up for Best Picture, and that was UP.

From the New York Daily News:

“The Hurt Locker” dominated the Oscars on Sunday night, winning six awards – including Best Picture and Best Director.

Kathryn Bigelow took home the Best Director Oscar, beating out “Avatar” director James Cameron.

Jeff Bridges won the Best Actor award Sunday night, taking him the trophy for his performance in “Crazy Heart.”

Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for “The Blind Side.” For both Bridges and Bullock, it was their first Oscars.

Mo’Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her turn as a monstrous mother in “Precious.”‘

Austrian Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a smooth and scary Nazi in “Inglourious Basterds.”

Casey Anthony: “Tot Mom” Play Set to Open in Australia

Now I’ve seen EVERYTHING!

It looks like the Casey Anthony case has been turned into a play entitled “Tot Mom”. The play was created by Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and is scheduled to open on December 18 and run through approximately January 31. The play will be featured at the Sydney Theatre Company in Australia.

It looks like the case will feature all of the players involved, including Nancy Grace.

I can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts on this one! Let the discussion begin!

From the Associated Press:

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has written a play about the case of slain Florida toddler Caylee Anthony, whose mother Casey is charged with killing her.

Australia’s Sydney Theatre Company plans to stage “Tot Mom” in December. Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and her husband are artistic directors of the prestigious group.

Soderbergh based the play on court documents and excerpts from the CNN show “Nancy Grace,” which highlighted the investigation.

Grace is being played by Essie Davis, who appeared in “Australia” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”

From Central Florida News:

Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh has reportedly created a play based on the case, called “Tot Mom,” the Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday.

The play, based on the tragic events surrounding the death of Casey’s 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, is said to open in mid-December at the Sydney Theater Company in Australia.

From the Orlando Sentinel:

According to the company’s Web site, Soderbergh uses “excerpts from transcripts of Nancy Grace’s show, court documents and police reports” to create “a compelling drama for our sensation-hungry times.”

By going that route, Soderbergh would not have to compensate anyone for the material.

Anthony is charged with the first-degree murder of her daughter, Caylee.

Essie Davis plays Grace.

The company’s Web site notes that Grace’s “public crusade for justice for little Caylee transformed the case from a tragic story to a 24-hour news spectacle.”

Karl Malden Dies at Age 97

Karl Malden, who won an Academy Award for his supporting role in “Streetcar Named Desire” and became a fixture in American Express  commercials, has died today at the age of 97.

A really rough week for celebrity deaths with Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays and Michael Jackson also passing over the past 7 days.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Malden starred in the 1970s TV series “The Streets of San Francisco” and was the longtime American Express traveler’s-check spokesman, warning travelers to not leave home without it. He died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, said his daughter Mila Doerner.

With his unglamorous mug — he broke his bulbous nose twice playing sports as a teenager — the former Indiana steel-mill worker realized early on the course his acting career would take.

In a movie career that flourished in the 1950s and ’60s, Malden played a variety of roles in more than 50 films, including the sympathetic priest in “On the Waterfront,” the resentful husband in “Baby Doll,” the warden in “Birdman of Alcatraz,” the outlaw-turned-sheriff in “One-Eyed Jacks,” the pioneer patriarch in “How the West Was Won,” Madame Rose’s suitor in “Gypsy,” the card dealerin “The Cincinnati Kid” and Gen. Omar Bradley in “Patton.”

Heath Ledger’s Oscar to Go to Daughter Matilda

As anticipated, Heath Ledger has won the Oscar for best supporting actor of 2008 for his incredible role of The Joker.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

His posthumous award for his fiercely psychotic performance as the Joker in “The Dark Knight” was accepted by his father, mother and sister. “This award tonight would have humbly validated Heath’s quiet determination to be truly accepted by your here, his peers, in an industry he so loved,” his father, Kim, said.

His mother, Sally Bell, added, “Tonight we are choosing to celebrate and be happy for what he has achieved,” while his sister completed the thought by saying, “we proudly accept this award on behalf of your beautiful (daughter) Matilda.”

Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose on Jan. 22, 2008, became only the second performer to win an Oscar posthumously as he was remembered for his work as the psychotic Joker in “The Dark Knight.”

Ledger follows in the steps of Peter Finch, who was posthumously named best actor more than 30 years ago for his performance in 1976’s “Network.”

Ledger was nominated three years ago as best actor for “Brokeback Mountain,” but lost that race to Philip Seymour Hoffman, who took home the Oscar for “Capote.”

This year, Ledger’s victory had become something of a foregone conclusion as his riveting performance racked up a whole series of awards before the Oscars at the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards and the BAFTAs.

The Academy earlier said that should Ledger win, his Oscar will go to his 3-year-old daughter, Matilda. However, Ledger’s daughter is underage and so cannot sign the legal agreement that the Academy requires all winners or their heirs, promising to sell their Oscar back to the Academy should they decide they no longer want it.

So until Matilda Ledger turns 18, the trophy will be held in trust for her by her mother, actress Michelle Williams.

Oscar Nominations Announced

The nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards were announced early this morning, with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” nabbing 13 nods to lead all films.

From CNN:

The movie, about a man who ages in reverse, is a big film (almost three hours long) with big themes (death and love) and earned nominations for best picture, best director (David Fincher), best actor (Brad Pitt), best supporting actress (Taraji P. Henson) and best adapted screenplay along with eight nominations in other categories.

“This is a great honor for the movie, and I’m especially happy for David Fincher, for without him there would be no Ben Button,” said Pitt in a statement. The film, based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, has been a project of Fincher’s for years.

However, despite eight Oscar nominations, “The Dark Knight” — 2008’s box-office king — only picked up one in a major category, that for Heath Ledger’s performance as the villainous Joker. The late actor, who died exactly one year ago Thursday, is nominated for best supporting actor, the same award he won posthumously at the Golden Globes almost two weeks ago.

“The Dark Knight” had made the short lists for the producers’, directors’ and writers’ guilds, but those honors weren’t enough to qualify it for a best picture Oscar nomination.

“Slumdog Millionaire,” the sleeper hit about a Mumbai orphan who seeks fame and love through the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”, earned 10 nominations, including best picture, best director (Danny Boyle) and best adapted screenplay. The film, which struggled to find a U.S. theatrical distributor after its initial studio folded, has dominated the awards season thus far and is considered the front-runner for best picture.

In a mild surprise, “The Reader,” based on the best-selling novel about a postwar German boy who has an affair with an older woman with a secret, took home nominations for best picture, best actress (Kate Winslet) and best director (Stephen Daldry). “The Reader” comes from the Weinstein Co. — the studio headed by producer and master Oscar player Harvey Weinstein.

“I’m extremely happy to have been nominated. And very fortunate. Playing Hanna Schmitz will always remain one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever been blessed with,” Winslet said in a statement.

The other best picture nominees are “Frost/Nixon” and “Milk.”