Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Doctor Dolittle" (1967)

Scene from Doctor Dolittle (1968)

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

The Oscar Buzz is Celebrating Its Sixth Anniversary!

Scene from Pygmalion (1938)

On this day six years ago, The Oscar Buzz launched as a place for me to discuss everything related to awards season. It was 2012 and it stemmed largely from an interest in discussing everything related to the Paul Thomas Anderson film The Master. Things have evolved since then and in 2018, the blog has covered a lot of ground both in Oscar history, as well as attempts to branch out into other subject matters ranging from the Tony Awards to chronicling the entire output of A24 studios. It's a daunting task that I love to put upon myself. But on these anniversary entries, I have one tough question: how do I open up? These entries are about discussing who I am as an individual more than just my opinions on film. It's easy some years, where variables can lead to cutesy lists (for instance, last year was about the year with the five Best Picture nominees that best represented me). But where do I go with six? It's difficult. However, I have decided to look at something that I don't discuss too often: the double-nominee. What film adaptation stands out as saying something integral about who I am? In this particular case, I am going back to the work of George Bernard Shaw and the adaptations Pygmalion and, in its musical form, My Fair Lady.

Best Song: "Talk to the Animals" (1967)

Scene from Doctor Dolittle

Welcome to Best Song, a new weekly column released on Sunday dedicated to chronicling the Best Original Song category over the course of its many decades. The goal is to listen to and critique every song that has ever been nominated in the category as well as find the Best Best Song and the Best Loser. By the end, we'll have a comprehensive list of this music category and will hopefully have a better understanding not only of the evolution, but what it takes to receive a nomination here. It may seem easy now, but wait until the bad years.

Check This Out: "My Fair Lady" to Return to the Big Screen Nationwide

Scene from My Fair Lady

There's a good chance that if you enjoy reading about Academy Awards news and history, you're just as interested in seeing the films on the big screen. Well, there's good news for those who are fans of the 1964 musical My Fair Lady, directed by George Cuckor and starring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins. Starting next week and running into November, you can have the opportunity to see the film on the big screen in select theaters with a new, fully restored version.

Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Cleopatra" (1963)

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.