Up & Coming Weekly

MARCH 3-9, 2010 UCW 13 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Ah, the glamour of the Academy Awards ... does anything compare to the sparkle, so- phistication and pomp and circumstance of the Oscars? While most of us aren't going to make it to this much-anticipated Hollywood event, several local venues are pulling together to provide an equally high-end, sparkly experience for Fayetteville including paparazzi, frenzied fans and red carpet interviews. The Arts Council is rolling out the red carpet for a fabulous pre-Oscar party at 7 p.m. on Sunday March 7. "We have paparazzi and screaming fans ... and then we have some ac- tors from the Cape Fear Regional Theater," said Maureen McKeon, com- munications manager for Partnership for Children of Cumberland County, Inc. "They are going to be interviewing people on the red carpet, so you walk the red carpet into the party and then we'll have heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks inside." Just like the Academy's event, come dressed to impress. It is the red carpet after all, and you never know who is watching. "There is also a costume contest," said McKeon."We are encouraging people to come dressed as their favorite movie char- acter, favorite actor or actress or in their Hollywood finest — however they feel they want to come." Once inside, plan to bid on any of the several items that will be featured in the silent auction. There will be ev- erything from a trip for four to Disney World to a night- on-the-town pack- age, lunch with the mayor, a teeth whit- ening package, lawn services and more. Inside the Arts Council there will be a big screen featur- ing Hollywood's pre- Oscar party as well. The Academy Awards begin at 8 p.m. (feel free to hang out at the pre-party until 9 p.m. if you like). The Cameo Art House Theatre will be showing the awards in their entirety, so it will be just a few steps down the block to catch the ceremony. "It is really fun," said McKeon. "We are going to have dessert and cof- fee available at the Cameo Theatre, too. Last year we had some impromptu things during the commercials — one of our guests (who played Gomer Pyle's girlfriend on TV)Elizabeth McRae, she got up and sang during one of the commercials. I'm not sure if she is going to do that this year. You just never know what is going to happen." The funds raised will benefit the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County, Inc. "We have some programs for military fami- lies, and it also benefits the partnership's Kids Stuff — the children's area at the Dogwood Festival," said McKeon. "It allows us to bring in some really great stuff for children and families. We have some really awesome programs — we pretty much touch every child from birth to five-years-old in Cumberland County in some way." Tickets cost $60 per person, $40 for Cameo members, and $100 per couple. Call 867-9700 for reservations. Visit the Web site at www.ccpfc. org for more information. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 106 or Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Evening with the Stars Benefits Partnership by STEPHANIE CRIDER The 2010 Oscar nominees are not surprising anyone. I admit to glancing over the nominees every year and adding the occasional movie to my Netfl ix queue, but this year I didn't even need to do that. Does anyone have a doubt that Avatar is going to take home the big prize? If you are one of the doubters, keep the following in mind. The Blind Side is the movie you can take your mom to, District 9 is the cerebral science fi ction pick. An Education is the classy little art house pick, The Hurt Locker is the war picture. Inglourius Basterds is the violent action movie, Precious is the literary adaptation, Up is the family-friendly pick. A Serious Man is the one nobody saw and Up in the Air is the one nobody liked. Process of elimination. Now, why Star Trek isn't on the list is another argument altogether. As for Best Director the most interesting possible outcome would be for James Cameron to lose to ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow (again). She has a history of worthwhile fi lms to her credit, and it might be her year. On the other hand, Inglourious Basterds represents a mainstream success for Quentin Tarantino. So call him the longshot. No doubt Lee Daniels has earned a nod for the work on Precious, but it's just not likely. As much as I expect to like Colin Firth in A Single Man, I haven't seen it yet. Expect a close race between Firth and Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart (which I also haven't seen), the same kind of role that brought Mickey Rourke's career back from the dead. The rest of the Best Actor nominees just don't seem likely, although it would be pretty darn cool to see Morgan Freeman get some accolades after his years of shamefully overlooked work playing second fi ddle to lesser actors (Kevin Costner, for example). As for Best Actress, at this point, Meryl Streep could get nominated for playing a dead body, so her inclusion doesn't signify much. The Academy must get tired of seeing her work, so she even if she was watchable in Julie and Julia, she probably won't get the prize this year. It sure would be neat if Gabourey Sidibe won for Precious, but it is more far more likely that the nod will go to Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. Without a doubt Christoph Waltz distinguished himself as the articulate, but ultimately banal, face of evil in Inglourious Basterds and no one can argue that he doesn't deserve the Supporting Actor award. Even so, he is in excellent company. I had no desire to see The Lovely Bones since I heard that the movie murder was subtly changed from the novel murder, but Stanley Tucci is generally reliable in supporting roles (check out his work, I kid you not, in America's Sweetheart's). The Best Supporting Actress is pretty much a no-brainer, seeing as how Mo'Nique has already (deservedly) won the SAG award and the Golden Globe. There are no other serious contenders, just assume she's sweeping the awards for her role in Precious and call it a day. Although, if anybody else wins we can all (A) laugh at their apologetic thank you speeches or (B) criticize them for their entitled thank you speeches. Another category with only one real contender is Best Animated Feature fi lm. I would be shocked if anyone could dethrone Pixar's Up, although Disney put their best foot forward with The Princess and the Frog. I am not sure if anybody in American (other than me) actually pays attention to the Best Documentary category, suffi ce to say that Food, Inc. is the most interesting of the lot, and the most relevant. Think of it as a better version of the docu-drama Fast Food Nation and you'll have no problem seeing it take home the prize. Although I'm still wondering why Star Trek didn't earn a Best Picture Nomination. Is There a Category for Second Best Picture? by HEATHER GRIFFITH

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