R.I.P. Barbara Harris (1935-2018)

Barbara Harris in Nashville

Actress of stage and screen Barbara Harris died on August 21, 2018 at the age of 83 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Among the accomplishments of her career were several Tony and Golden Globe-nominated performances as well as prominent work in films like Nashville, Peggy Sue Got Married, and Grosse Pointe Blank. With a rich career that spanned several decades, she leaves behind an impressive legacy of quality performances and Broadway shows that were inspired by her charisma. Her work continues to live on in the students that she taught after retiring from acting as well as the great work that she did on camera. She had an exciting, unique career that's hard to match, and it makes her all the more fascinating as a result.

The Oscar Buzz is Celebrating its Fourth Anniversary!

Today marks the fourth anniversary of The Oscar Buzz's launch. Back in 2012, it started as a blog to discuss all things Oscars, but mostly as it related to director Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In 2016, it has evolved into its own impressive mixture of commentary on the award's history and its various awards. I hope that in that time you the reader have not only come to better understand the Oscars, but get a better understanding of me as a cinephile. So, how do you celebrate four years? It only seems right to go with the crowning achievement: The E.G.O.T.. For those who don't know, this is specifically for artists who have won awards in the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony fields: all of which are considered the heights of their fields. I am going to rank my 10 favorite winners, who for the sake of posterity I will only judge based on their Oscar wins and not their subsequent nominations. Thanks again for reading, and as they say in politics, here's to "Four more years! Four more years!"

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Remains a Vital Look at Changing Ideals After 50 Years

Left to right: Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor

On paper, the concept of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? shouldn't have lead to its huge success with 13 Oscar nominations (5 wins) that also marked it as one of the few films to be nominated in every eligible category. Considering that casting real life couple Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as the tensest party MC's in film history could make it seem at times autobiographical, it's a miracle that director Mike Nichols' debut works as well as it does. While credit largely should go to the playwright Edward Albee (adapted to film by Ernest Lehman) for making such a captivating story, it's a rich story full of brilliant subtext not only about how relationships and lies can corrupt the psyche, but of the conflicting tides of the post-John F. Kennedy era of America where uncertainty and desperation seemed to run rampant. It's not a masterpiece solely because of its powerhouse dynamic. It's a masterpiece because of its ability to capture something personal about the era that has frankly never gone away after 50 years.

R.I.P. Alice Arlen (1940-2016)

Alice Arlen

On March 29, 2016, screenwriter Alice Arlen died in New York, New York at the age of 75. She is best remembered for her work with director Nora Ephron, specifically on the Meryl Streep vehicle Silkwood, which earned Arlen an Oscar nomination. Her career spanned many decades and featured many films starring strong female protagonists. Her dramas were provocative and captured an empowering change in the societal climate. Over her career spanning 24 years, she wrote 6 screenplays that helped to shape and influence women in cinema going forward.

R.I.P.Mike Nichols - 1931-2014

Left to right: Leslie Caron and Mike Nichols

There's a lot that can be said about director Mike Nichols' influence on cinema. For starters, his films combined racked up a total of 42 nominations and 7 total wins. Beyond the numbers, his influence is still felt today in a lot of his films, notably The Graduate, which he won Best Director for. That film is important for a lot of reasons, including the Simon & Grafunkel soundtrack which when set to footage of a brooding Dustin Hoffman created the most iconic symbolism of 60's wayward youth. It also helps that the film itself featured bold, risque subject matter that paved the way for 70's New Hollywood movement and redefined the movie soundtrack simultaneously. Even if this is all that he is known for, he would have left an important stamp on film history. However, he was so much more. He was an auteur.