The modern Oscar Campaign is a thing of beauty. Much more than “For Your Consideration” ads and glad-handing at Academy screenings, the modern Oscar campaign is about image, press resources, personal narratives, who’s “turn” it is and oh, yeah, the best performance. The past half-dozen years of Oscar campaigning have elicited enough gossip to keep the tabloids in business for a decade. There was the rumor that Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon’s marriage only stayed together in 2005-6 for sake of her 2006 Walk the Line Oscar campaign. Oscar firmly in Reese’s hand, the marriage died. Also, in 2006, Geroge Clooney found campaigning for Good Night and Good Luck and Syriana so unseemly that as soon as an Oscar was resting in Casa de Clooney, George began advocating for Darfur as way to improve his “karma”.
It is into this public relations muck that Brad and Angelina will try to get their duel Oscar nominations this awards season – him for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, her for Changeling. This is actually not the first time (in their history together) that Brangelina has run an Oscar campaign. In the past two awards seasons, they ran stealth campaigns – him for 2007 Best Supporting Actor for Babel, her for 2008 Best Actress for A Mighty Heart. Both failed to get the Oscar nominations, but it wasn’t a total loss. Brad garnered 2007 Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Golden Globes and SAG Awards while Babel got a nomination for the Best Picture Oscar. Angelina was nominated this year for a Globe, a SAG, a Critic’s Choice and an Independent Spirit Award.
So what has changed? Does The Academy hate Brangelina? Did “badass” girl pilots, African orphans, French chateaus and the whiff of ZOMG Homewrecking destroy their chances of ever receiving another Oscar nomination? Or does a campaign of beautiful twin babies, hit movies, a happy mother-in-law and the stamp of approval from Oscar-approved living-legend Clint Eastwood change the Academy’s minds?
Damn. The Brange is campaigning HARD for this one.
…LA premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Big grins on the red carpet, lots of family love, finally dismissing rumours of a rift between the parent Pitts and the Jolie, all in service of Brad’s Oscar hopeful…Benjamin Button needs momentum.
So the Brange, they did their best to deliver.
Angelina was downright exuberant at the premiere. Happy, giddy even, and beautiful yes, even with that weird waxy sheen she’s been rockin’ on her face lately, and that dress that made her bulgy in awkward places.
Am told the two were very loving and affectionate, lots of little giggles in between poses, long meaningful glances, he’d rub the small of her back now and again like a habit, they’d both make sure everyone was watching.
Turn up the sales pitch, it’s time to sell.
[From Lainey Gossip]
Another factor in the Oscar campaign that often goes unspoken is ratings. The past two Oscar ceremonies have been two of the lowest-rated shows in the history of televised awards ceremonies. No surprise, because there was a distinct lack of both big-name celebrities nominated and of big-tent hit films vying for Best Picture. Perhaps if the Academy nominates the late Heath Ledger, Brad, Angelina, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr. and/or Anne Hathaway (all of whom had hit films this year) the audience will come.
Oscar nominations will be announced in January.
Photos are from the Benjamin Button premiere on 12/8/08. Credit: WENN
Oh, god forbid these two were just having a good time getting dressed up and enjoying the evening. 🙄
What are they supposed to do, stare woodenly at the camera and not touch?
I suppose they made sure to get Brad’s parents secret acting lessons too, so they could “act” like they were enjoying the evening.
You’re just jumping on the “contrary” bandwagon on this one, I think.
I really think that only the best ones get an oscar, with ou without any campain! Look at Brokeback Montain… Everyone thought it would get an oscar (for the best movie), but Crash did…
I do think Angelina will get an oscar. I saw her movie and it was one of the Best of 2008 (if not THE best). I am pretty sure The Changeling will get oscar for Best actress and for Best movie… Clint Eastwood ALWAYS get awards for his work (million dollar baby, mystic river, letters of Iwo Jima)
As for Brad Pitt, I do hope he will get an oscar… It’s like when Martin Scorese had an oscar for The Aviator: he gets nominated and you realize that, despite all his brilliant movies, he never got an oscar. Brad has a career that deserve an oscar and I am pretty sure Benjamin Buttons is good enough to get him this Oscar…
I really hope they will both have their oscars this year, because they are brilliant actors and I don’t think of any other personn that could get oscar this year 😉
I reached the saturation point with these two a while ago. So I will NOT be watching the awards because I don’t want to see any more of them.
oh it’s from Lainey no wonder, She think everything the JPs do is for some award or something.. LAMEY don’t know anything.
Funny write up Kaiser 😀 I hope they get the coveted Oscar nominations.
I enjoyed seeing the pictures, they all look great. Brad is beaming.
Although the elder Mr. Pitt’s hand seems to be resting a bit close to Angie’s breast 🙄
Aren’t the Globes’ noms usually a good indicator of the Os noms? Pitt’s up for Best Actor for BB and AJ’s up for Best Actress for Changeling. Honestly, I don’t really care if they win or not but if their performances stand up against the competition, I guess they have as much of a chance as anyone else. And I think AJ could definitely get one this time round.
I hate these PR campaigns though. Either the film has already provided enough justification all by itself for a nom or an award, or it hasn’t. PR campaigns shouldn’t have any place in the decision.
Sorry, just me on the side of quality and talent!
AJ should not wear her hair that way. It accentuates her unattractive (receding?) hairline.
If it’s going to be “the brangalina suck up show” then I bet the ratings don’t improve.
On acting quality neither one of them are good enuf to win over the others in the catagory. That PR whoring shouldn’t have anything to do with it.
The GG’s are second rate anyway, right up there with the teen choice. It’s the Oscars that is the real award.
Heavens NO! I watched this movie due to the producer being Clint Eastwood. As usual, Angie way over acted, even worse than that accent in AMH. She just tries way too hard, and it’s so over the top you want to slap her and tell her to get a grip. She’s been trying to buy an Oscar since AMH, but this one will also not warrant that award….
Do you think those tattoos on her arms are to hide needle marks?
The awards shows are a dying breed, much like other types of TV (local news, sitcoms, etc.) As we head towards new media, look for new ways for these to be presented. I could give a crap less.
And to be honest, I think this whole campaigning thing is what’s killing the awards shows. Who cares who wins what when it no longer has anything to do with their performance?
A bunch of self-congratulating blow-hards!! (And I’m talking about ALL actors, not just the Brange). LOL @ Lainey, though.
Am I the only one who thinks this is NOT a nice eye contact between Angelina Jolie and Jane Pitt? But maybe I am just biased because I remember reading Pitt’s parents didn’t like her.
Jane has alot of kissin’ to do 😉
Geronimo, traditionally the SAG Award nominations are a better barometer of who the Academy will nominate. But, like I said, Angie and Brad both got SAG noms but no Oscar noms the past two years.
I don’t really think either Brad or Angie will *win* an Oscar this year, but I hope they’ll both be nominated.
I think a better question is ‘Will Jennifer Aniston’s Oscar campaign work for MARLEY & ME?’
I don’t understand why either one of these actors wins awards. They are passable actors at best. These awards aren’t a gauge of talent but just a popularity contest.
baaahahah i think aniston probably knows that ‘Marley & Me’ isnt quite oscar material…
I think that bp might get a nom for Ben Button, but I don’t see aj getting any nods… I predict the academy will rely on bp’s nom to bring the pitt porn ratings to the oscar carpet.
i don’t either one of them will win.
i think meryl streep was amazing in doubt and she or anne hathaway will probably get it.
What is Angie laughing at? Did one of the kids pee on Brad’s suit again?
I think Brad has a slight chance..but not AJ..
I haven’t seen ‘Changling’, nor will I because I don’t like to watch Angie acting when she is called to emote by screaming, even when it is appropriate.
Waging campaigns to win a nomination is a certain kind of grovelling that only makes me laugh. If you can’t stand alone on the directing or acting you are left looking like a baffoon, of course understanding that winning means butts in the seats, which means more money, easier green lighting going forward, access to more star power, etc., etc.,. WhatEver!!
My 2 cents on this is that she’s too popular, too everywhere, too stratospheric at this point to be given an Oscar. The Academy simply won’t give her one because she’s now the ‘most popular girl in school’ which equals ‘the girl everybody loves to hate.’ It’s all politics and so the use of ‘campaign’ is entirely appropriate and sadly, accurate.
Anyway. Her acting is solid but nothing out of this world. Like most actors too, it depends on the part that is written and the fit between the two. So, we’ll see, but my money is on AJ walking away empty-handed.
Oh, and most importantly: you can’t see past Angelina Jolie to see the character. That is her biggest flaw as an actress. I’m not criticising her on this, it just is what it is.
Nice write-up and analysis, Kaiser. I’m looking forward to seeing how this plays out. I think people are always surprised by how political Hollywood is.
🙄
OMFG. Take anything Lamey writes with two bushels of salt, never mind a grain.
Someone tell me about Brads facial hair growth?? I’m hoping hes in the middle of filming a movie??
Now I understand why Angelina shouts instead of act in Changeling.
When most of your facial muscles are stuck and you use so much Botox and other plastic surgeries, the only way to try to express emotions is by SHOUTING.
Too bad these awards have lost their meaning.
It used to be about good actors and excellent performances.
Angelina did a terrible work as an actress, but she is a tabloid – gossip manipulator, and she is really good in photo ops with children she collected and her nannies are raising.
She’s already won an oscar, not sure they’ll do it again so soon…
BTW: I don’t think she’s had ANY plastic surgery. Look at pics from when she was a teen, she looks exactly the same except her face has thinned as she matured. Nice try tho.
2 nosejobs, boob job, tummy tuck, botox, collagen, possibly something with cheekbones and breast enhancement as well as mini-facelift. You cannot at the very least miss the nosejob, botox and tummy tuck. Natural this woman is not.
what a crap article. It’s Hollywood for goodness sakes . . . so what. and actors are signed up for big promotional ceremonies, interviews, articles, features and comments.
(and NB., in case you didnt know it: the Jolie-Pitts are literally ‘hounded’ by the paps 24×7 – which is why there are so many photos of them.
And, do you know why they’re hounded?
because their photos sell for the highest bounties.
nope, don’t see any of that boob job, tummy tuck stuff on her.
If anything, she actually looks like she has a little post-baby tummy on her and a few wrinkles.
People always want to say she’s fake. It seems like wishful thinking to me. 😆
I thought AJ talked about her nose job ages ago.
The only shows I like her in are the action films.
She has DEFINITELY had a nose job. Compare two pictures and you’ll see. Her nose used to have more of a rounded tip, but now her nose is smaller & more refined.
I have no idea how you would tell if somebody has had a tummy tuck, but she is not natural and that’s not wishful thinking, I don’t actually find her all that attractive! Big lips gross me out. And veins popping out of foreheads, ughghhgh. She isn’t un-attractive, but I think she is overrated. She probably will get an Oscar… don’t know about Brad Pitt though.
she may have not talked about her nose job (although every plastic surgeon in the business thinks that she’s had at least one) but she does talk about being a ntural blonde, getting botox since the age of 29 and getting fillers in her lips. google it and you will see. she is definately not natural.
I agree with Cheyenne and FUG when it comes to Lainey – she’s full of crap and her writing style could not be more obnoxious.
I wonder how many academy voters were put off by A Mighty Heart being Angelina in freaking blackface? I still find it appalling she played that part instead of the many many many many beautiful and talented actress who, like Marianne Pearl, are women of color.
Great write up, Kaiser
I thought Lainey was a Brangeloonie 😯 .A while ago she used to kiss their ass. I guess like many she fell off the bandwagon and realised that these two are the fakest people on earth. I doubt their latest confessions of infidelity helped.
Mama Pitt is doing her part, poor woman she can’t love a woman that emansculated her son and has made him a laughing stock. That is what you pay for having a dumb son. I suspect Jen is less critical of Pitt because she still has a good relationship with his family who I am so sure hate Angelina. I can’t imagine anyone liking her, maybe her mother. She is so vile.
Long ago when Angelina run off with BBT, they had to kiss Laura Dern’s ass to keep everything hush hush for Angelina to get her oscar. BBT even made a pretend reconciliation with LD for a while and Angie kissed her brother at the time. Oscars tend to be harsh on bad manners, ask Russell Crowe. I suspect that is the reason why Angelina was not nominated last year even after the campain and many oscar nods from her syncophatic reviewers.
On the whole, her acting is not great unless she is doing her psychopath routine, which really is not acting. Whatever campaign she does had been ruined by the twin confessions from her and that jerk Pitt about falling in love on MAMS. They are now not only adulterers but also liars. Brad said emotions came later for a very long time. His confession in rollingstone has lost him many fans and sympathisers even in hollywood.
Over all , I get the vibe that most of hollywood cannot stand Angelina Jolie especially now. I will be shocked if she garnered a nomination especially since she was not even that good in changeling.
Monica, I don’t know what you are googling but you are dead wrong. She has never had lip filler. Look at her kids’ lips and her brother’s. They are all the same size and shape. I really question the other alleged “work”, too. Not saying that she won’t get work done as she gets older, but she’s only 33 now.
her upper lip is way smaller than her lower lips. google some pictures and you shall see.
you don’t have to believe but you can see it in pictures.
on a side note, they tried so hard to cinch AJ’s waist inconspicuously with this dress. too bad i already know she doesn’t have one.
i’ve also noticed a quite conservative stance of the Oscars. maybe this is the Oscar’s way of disciplining the celebs… i guess i’ll never know for sure.
also, the last two Oscars were the first ones to be televised over free tv here in the Philippines, so while ratings may be down in the US (which may also have had other reasons as to its low ratings i mean, who wants to see celebs dressed to their nines when you have a lot of problems in life?); viewership has definitey increased abroad.
Monica, when the upper lip is as big as the lower lip is when someone has usually had filler. Look at a picture of AJ as a toddler or young schoolgirl and you will see the very same lips. I think she is almost all natural. Never saw any pictures of her in/out of doctors’ offices as other celebs.
I love her dress. Also love that one pic, middle right. The two women staring at them crack me up.
When you look at her kids, her father and her father, they all have those trade mark lips. The only difference is Angelina’s appear bigger. Monica, I have noticed too, when she was younger, her lips were like Shilohs but now they seem like they have some collagen in addition to their natural plumpness. Personally, I find them a tad repulsive. Her body has to be one of the ugliest and her legs are like those of a chicken. As for her hands and the vein on her head, I have no comments. I can only imagine how ugly she looks sans make up. Her only redeeming feature is her eyes. But the way she is going, those will not help her either. She is starting to look more and more like her brother. He looks scary.
I agree, Yourself, she and her scary brother look so much alike that could be James Haven in drag on Brad Pitt’s arm in those pictures.
LOL anonymous. Now that you mention it. It just could be. There have been rumours about Brad Pitt’s sexuality for years.
In the above pictures, nothing galls me like the fact that he always adopts Angelina’s hair color. In the RS cover, you can see that he is goth black. Does that man ever have an independent mind? Some of Angelina’s phrases he has repeted.
-We will get married when gays can marry
-we will get married when our kids decide
-Our kids are the funniest people
-When I look at my children and realise they come from Cambodia, Namibia blah blah blah…
I fell in love on MAMS.
God he just morphs into whomever is on his arm. Even the idea of where they live NO and France and children’s names are all AJ.
He does seem more like a human accessory for the person who happens to be his partner of the moment.
It will be interesting to see what he morphs into when the Jolie-Pitt relationship sours. Maybe he’ll start dating Dita Von Teese and adopt a Marilyn Manson-esque look!
Or since there have been rumors about his sexuality, maybe he’ll start dating Marilyn Manson and adopt a Dita Von Teese look like Evan Rachel Wood did!
anonymous: 😆 at a Brad and Marilyn hookup.
i’m so over brangelina- the most over-rated couple ever! can’t wait for this couple to break-up. what goes around comes around.
Can she look more fake (her and her laughter) in the picture?
Even when Angelina poses for pictures she overacts.