Thursday, February 17, 2011

Today's Oscar Trivia #17

How To Earn An Oscar Nomination? It seems that playing a prostitute gives women a leg up on earning a nomination or an Oscar as Best Actress. Name the 1960 film that brought Elizabeth Taylor the award for playing a semi-professional call girl.

Auspicious Debuts Some directorial debuts have been nominated in the Best Director and Best Picture categories. Name the 1981 Best Picture winner from debuting (and Oscar-nominated) director Hugh Hudson.

10 comments:

Ginger Ingenue said...

Hmm, I don't know the second one, but I'm sure the first one is BUTTERFIELD 8! It's one of the only Elizabeth Taylor movies I've ever sat through. :)

mister muleboy said...

wasn't '81 Chariots of Fire?

I ask because i watch it nightly. . . .

Mythical Monkey said...

Ginger Ingenue and Mister Muleboy team up today to provide the right answer. Kudos.

By the way, I posted this last night around 12:15 a.m., went to bed and woke up to find ten new comments spread out throughout the blog. Seems Ginger had a bout of insomnia and an interest in the Marx Brothers. Like that's never happened to me before.

Ginger, I promise to answer every one of them throughout the day (I'm waiting for Sony television's local rep to show up with a new flat-screen panel -- apparently this particular model blows up after a while. but if you call before March 31, Sony will replace it for free. Good for them. And me.)

Yvette said...

Butterfield 8 is the film Liz won for. But at the time it was rumored she really won because she cheated death. She went up to receive the Oscar with a scratchy voice and a scar on her throat. I remember watching it on tv.

Shirley Jones was another actress who won as Oscar for playing a prostitute - in ELMER GANTRY.

There have been SO many others. It's practically a guarantee of a nomination. Especially if you've otherwise played goody-two-shoes.

For man, its' this: play a boxer or a handler of a boxer. The picture usually gets nominated and so will you. (In this year's boxing film, Mark Wahlberg didn't get the nod, but his brother/handler played by Christian Bale, did.)

Blogging Common Team said...

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Mythical Monkey said...

Butterfield 8 is the film Liz won for. But at the time it was rumored she really won because she cheated death.

I've heard that, too. Personally, I think the best performance that year might have been one that wasn't nominated -- Jean Simmons in Elmer Gantry.

Yvette said...

Ah, Jean Simmons. As a kid growing up she and Glynnis Johns were my two favorite actresses. I just simply adored them. Jean was always underrated as an actress.
Remember HOME BEFORE DARK? I think that's the title. A film where she is called on to make herself ridiculous. I thought she was splendid.

I got to see Glynnis Johns on Broadway in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. Thank the gods.

Uncle Tom said...

notice the post from Blogging Common Team

oh sure, now Harvard is begging YOU

after your portrayal of "Tongo the King of the Jungle", I would have thought they realized you were obviously a Yale man.

Mythical Monkey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mythical Monkey said...

Boola boola!