The 2010 Oscar Nominations are in!

The nominations for the 2010 Oscars were announced this morning. I’ve been surprised that “The Hurt Locker” hasn’t snagged more awards so far this season. It’s a great film about the rigors of the people who deal with the explosives and road-side bombs in war zones. It’s nominated for several Oscars, but will it win?

“Avatar” for best film? Again, I’ve been surprised at the number of awards that film about blue people has picked up. It’s a great movie, but much different than “Up in the Air” or “The Hurt Locker” or some of the others nominees.

Here’s the complete list of nominees below. Thoughts?

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart” (Fox Searchlight)

George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (Paramount in assoc. with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios)

Colin Firth in “A Single Man” (The Weinstein Company)

Morgan Freeman in “Invictus” (Warner Bros.)

Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment)

More after the jump…

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Sneak Peek: ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ Clip

Here’s a sneak peek at “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (Part 1). It features a 56-second clip, including behind the scenes footage and an intro by director David Yates and producer David Heyman.

The final installment of the franchise will come to theaters in two parts, with the first scheduled for a release date of Nov. 19. 2010.

It’s really sad to think of this series coming to an end, but the good thing is we’ll always have all of the movies on DVD and Blu-ray and whatever other formats they come up with in the future. This clip is, in fact, off the DVD for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” on shelves Dec. 8, 2009 (buy it on Amazon).

And who knows? Maybe they’ll continue the story with the next generation of witches and wizards, starting with Ron and Hermione’s children! Just speculating here…

Watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with Daniel Radcliffe!

Here’s a fun event! People who buy the Blu-ray copy of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (read my review here) can actually watch the film with Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe, and director David Yates.

Well, sort of. Probably as close as we’ll ever get to the real thing anyway. It’s the first worldwide live community screening of the movie, and here’s how it works:

- Buy the Blu-ray disc of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” available on Dec. 8, 2009. Buy it on Amazon.com!

- Be one of the first 100,000 BD-Live community members (accessible through a BD-Live enabled Blu-ray Disc played on an Internet-connected Blu-ray player) to RSVP and secure a spot for the screening. 

- Log in on Dec. 12, 2009 at 12 PM PST (3 PM EST) and simultaneously watch the movie together with Daniel Radcliffe and director David Yates, and hear an interactive Q&A where fans can ask questions about the film to Daniel and David, directly from their home.

In addition, more features for Blu-ray owners:

• An exclusive introduction to the upcoming Harry Potter Ultimate Editions by Daniel Radcliffe
• My Commentary – Fans are able to post user-generated Picture-in-Picture commentary over the film and share it with their friends and other BD-Live community members
• Live Community Screenings – Allows users to send invitations and have a virtual screening with friends and family while chatting together through the BD-Live platform
• Facebook Connect – Allows users to interact with their Facebook friends, update their Facebook status while in BD-Live and invite their Facebook friends to Live Community screenings.

Image: TM and (c) 2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Michael Jackson continues to break records – even though he’s dead

No one can ever accuse Michael Jackson of doing anything small. Even from beyond the grave, the King of Pop is breaking records.

His forthcoming tour documentary, “This Is It,” has sold out worldwide. The movie has already sold out more than 1,000 showtimes on Fandango alone, and is currently the top-selling film on Fandango, representing 27% of weekly ticket sales on the site. Experts predict it’ll bring in nearly $250,000 million dollars.

Theater owners are adding extra showtimes to meet the demand, says Fandango’s Chief Operating Officer Rick Butler. “

"At this point in the film’s sales cycle, ‘This Is It’ is outpacing ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,’ and ‘Star Trek’ as one of our top pre-sellers this year.”

I’ll check out the movie when it hits theaters, but I can’t say I’m ultra-geeked over it or anything. I think people are just fascinated by this mysterious guy, especially now that he’s no longer with us. It’s set to open on Oct. 28, 2009, in select theaters.

Were you one of the manic ticket buyers? Looking forward to this documentary? Check out the trailer here.

Image: Sony Pictures Entertainment

2009 Teen Choice Awards – Complete List of Winners

Miley Cyrus and the "Twilight" gang picked up multiple awards at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. 

Cyrus won for comedy TV actress and comedy TV show for "Hannah Montana," music/dance movie actress and hissy fit for the "Hannah Montana" movie, music single for "The Climb" and summer song for "Before the Storm."

Cyrus also presented Britney Spears (pictured) with the Ultimate Choice Award. They showed a montage of Spears’ work leading up to this point, and she almost seemed like her old self when she accepted the award. Let’s hope all of her troubles are behind her. She really is a talented entertainer.

Not surprisingly, "Twilight" scored nine awards: choice drama, romance, liplock, rumble, drama actress for Kristen Stewart, drama actor for Robert Pattinson, villain for Cam Gigandet, fresh face female for Ashley Greene and fresh face male for Taylor Lautner, who will also appear in the upcoming sequel, "New Moon."

"We’ll see you guys in theaters Nov. 20," Lautner told the manic crowd. 

After the jump, the complete list of winners…

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No Surprise – Harry Potter scores at Box Office, July 17-19, 2009

It’s no surprise that "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" scored big at the box office this weekend, soaring high about all the other movies. Here’s the rundown from Box Office Mojo:

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, $77.83M
2. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, $17.56M
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, $13.69M
4. Bruno, $8.31M
5. The Proposal, $8.28M
6. The Hangover, $8.17M
7. Public Enemies, $7.74M
8. Up, $3.17M
9. My Sister’s Keeper, $2.82M
10. I Love You, Beth Cooper, $2.76M
11. The Taking of Pelham 123, $889,259
12. 500 Days of Summer, $834,501

Images: TM and (c) 2009 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson at the New York premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

If you haven’t seen "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" yet, go see it! I loved it, and highly recommend it for kids aged eight to eighty. Read my review here.

Here are a few pics from the North American premiere of the movie, held in New York on July 9, 2009. The young stars all look beautiful, don’t they? And Emma Watson is gorgeous! She says she wants to take a little break and focus on college in the States.

More pics after the jump!

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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Movie: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince * Trailer * Official Site	In Theaters: July 15, 2009
Runtime: 153 minutes	Directed by: David Yates
MPAA Rating: PG for scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality	Gecko Rating:

One thing I love about Harry Potter movies is that they appeal to all age groups. We saw "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" last night, and the people in the theater spanned at least eight decades, kids from 8 to 80. Aside from that, it’s just a really great production with beautiful cinematography, stunning locations, and thoughtful performances. And oh yeah, a fantastic storyline that hooks you from beginning to end, even if you’ve never read the books by J.K. Rowling. My only complaint is that at 153 minutes, it’s a little long. But I’ll forgive that one thing, and not even mark it down. 

We catch up with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his pals Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) well on their way to young adulthood. Along with the spells, wands, and broomsticks, we’ve got three kids dealing with hormones and young love (and lust!). It’s been fun watching them grow up on screen, and like seeing old friends again in this latest installment. 

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Harry Potter gets thumbs up from Vatican – should we care?

For anyone who’s paying attention, the Vatican has changed its tune on Harry Potter. Just a mere four years ago, the wizard movies were condemned by the Pope as a corrupter of children, ”a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity.” Harsh!

But his Holiness has softened a bit on the Hogwarts clan. Yesterday, the Vatican’s official newspaper praised the latest movie, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” noting that it makes clear that good must prevail over evil. It also gives a big thumbs up on the film’s treatment of adolescent passion.

The article in L’Osservatore Romano also notes that this is the best adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s novels. The paper once said Harry Potter was the "wrong model of a hero," and lumped the books in with two other British fantasies, C.S. Lewis’s “Chronicles of Narnia” and J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.”

What’s your take on this? Think the Vatican has it right? Or should we even care what they think?

Image: TM and (c) 2009 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc; Source: The Guardian

7 Clips of Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson talking Harry Potter, kissing on set, Robert Pattinson

It’s finally arrived! "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" flies into theaters this Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Click here for all of Film Gecko’s coverage of the movie, including trailers, clips, photos and previews.

Here are seven clips courtesy of MTV, with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson discussing the movie and other things, like Robert Pattinson and kissing a co-star on set! 

Daniel Radcliffe: Being Harry Potter isn’t good for my love life:

 

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