Finally! Lansbury to get special Oscar; Steve Martin & Angelina Jolie, too!

[jakeem]

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to present special Oscars to Angela Lansbury and Steve Martin for their contributions to film. Also, Angelina Jolie will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her benevolent efforts worldwide. They will be honored along with Italian costume designer Piero Tosi at a November 16th ceremony in Hollywood. The event will not be televised, but the honorees are sure to be recognized at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 2, 2014.

 

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-film-academy-humanitarian-angelina-jolie-20130903,0,169884.story

[Hibi]

AT LONG LAST! FInally someone gets a life achievement Oscar who deserves one! (Lansbury) I'm only half kidding. I cant say the same about Martin (considering they continue to ignore Doris Day...) though I do like him. I'm VERY happy for her. Too bad they dont include those awards in the show anymore

[jakeem]

I believe I read that the Academy's Board of Governors has leaned toward honoring Doris Day, but she apparently is ultra reclusive these days and hasn't been receptive about accepting the award in public.

I remember that the LA Film Critics Association voted to give her its Career Achievement Award a couple of years ago, but I never found out if she showed up to accept it.

 

Edited by: jakeem on Sep 6, 2013 3:09 PM

[Hibi]

Yes, I've heard that "she wont show up story" before, but it doesnt hold water with me. They honored Godard a few years back who not only didnt show up, they had a hard time even finding out where he was to inform him of the award. There have been other cases where due to infirmity (Mary Pickford) or even death (Eddie G) where people didnt attend. If they really wanted to, they would.............

 

I hadnt heard about the LA Critics, but I'm sure she didnt attend......

[hamradio]

I think Steve Martin should have received a special Grammy for "King Tut."

 

 

[jakeem]

Actually, Martin won the Best Comedy Album Grammy for "A Wild and Crazy Guy" in 1979. The LP features the song "King Tut."

He has won four Grammys overall, the last one in 2009 in the category of Best Bluegrass Album for "The Crow: New Songs for The Five-String Banjo."

 

Martin also has a 1969 Emmy from his days as a writer for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Once he receives his honorary Oscar in November, he'll be technically a Tony Award shy of EGOT status.

 

Edited by: jakeem on Sep 6, 2013 1:03 PM

[Sepiatone]

Just WHAT did Martin contribute to film?

 

He made some funny movies, but others have, too. Even FUNNIER. He did show some range as far as going from funny to dramatic, but so have others, and BETTER.

 

They CAN'T be referring to his LAME-O remakes like "Cheaper By The Dozen" and "The Pink Panther, can they?

 

Sepiatone

[jakeem]

What has Steve Martin contributed to film? Well, he's had a good run as a writer and actor (and not always for comedic roles). Critics loved "Shopgirl" (2005), which was based on his 2000 novella. It was a poignant romance between the title character (Claire Danes) and an older man, a millionaire played by Martin.

 

Martin also has excelled in movies that are the antithesis of comedies, for instance the surrealistic Depression-era musical "Pennies from Heaven" (1981) and Lawrence Kasdan's life-affirming drama "Grand Canyon" (1991).

 

But the Academy Awards have long been criticized for a lack of appreciation for comedies. I suppose that Martin has been designated for an honorary award because comic geniuses haven't received many of them.

 

So let's look at a couple of Martin's best comic roles before he re-invented himself in the 21st century as the latest incarnation of Inspector Clouseau and the kid-friendly patriarch in the "Cheaper By the Dozen" remakes.

 

I remember there was some major buzz in 1984 about Martin's performance in Carl Reiner's comedy "All of Me." Martin played an attorney who somehow becomes mystically united with an unlikable millionaire played by Lily Tomlin. The beauty of his performance was that he had to play his character while pretending that part of his body had been taken over by Tomlin's character.

 

In his print review of "All of Me," the late Roger Ebert noted that he wasn't a big Martin fan, but admitted that the movie's off-the-wall premise worked. "The moment it starts to work," Ebert wrote, "is the first time Martin has to deal with this alien female entity inside his brain. He retains control of the left side of his body. She controls the right. They are trying to cross the sidewalk together, each in their own way, and this sets up a manic tug-of-war that is one of the funniest scenes I've seen in a long time."

 

Critics praised the movie and Martin's tour de force. The New York Film Critics Circle even named him the year's best actor over the great Albert Finney from "Under the Volcano." But Martin did not earn an Oscar nomination. Perhaps the Academy's Board of Governors remembered his work in the film, and the 2013 honorary award is its way of paying its respects.

 

Three years after the release of "All of Me," Ebert gave three-and-a-half stars to "Roxanne," Martin's contemporary updating of Edmond Rostand's 19th-century classic play "Cyrano de Bergerac." In the 1987 film version, Cyrano (played by Martin) is a fire chief with a big nose and a gigantic wit. Because of his gift for words, he becomes a literary go-between for a fellow firefighter (played by Rick Rossovich) and a comely astronomer named Roxanne (Daryl Hannah). Of course, the fire chief falls for Roxanne himself.

 

"What makes 'Roxanne' so wonderful," Ebert wrote, "is not this fairly straightforward comedy, however, but the way the movie creates a certain ineffable spirit. Martin plays a man with a smile on his face and a broken heart inside - a man who laughs that he may not cry. He has learned to turn his handicap into comedy, and when a man insults him in a bar, he counterattacks with 20 more insults, all of them funnier than the original. He knows how to deal with his nose, but he has never learned how to feel about it."

 

It seems as if Ebert was beginning to like Steve Martin. But Martin was overlooked again at Oscar time for his performance in "Roxanne" and his adapted screenplay. Nevertheless, he did receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. And the Writers Guild of America presented him the award for Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

 

I'm sure the Academy's Board of Governors remembered "Roxanne," too, when it chose to honor Martin.

 

When he was an up-and-coming stand-up comedian in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Martin used to make me laugh hysterically simply by raising the microphone on the stand in front of him and then putting his nose on the mic. He has certainly come a long way since then, but he's still funny after all these years (my apologies to Paul Simon).

 

Edited by: jakeem on Sep 6, 2013 3:46 PM

[Terrence1]

Jakeem, I agree with you 100%. I've always felt that Steve Martin deserved an Oscar nomination for "All of Me." Just from the physical standpoint, I can't think of anyone else who could have done that role so brilliantly.

 

Terrence.

[Dargo2]

Martin's performance in 1989's "Parenthood" was a real eye-opener for me, especially his dramatic moments in the film and in particular his scenes where he expresses his resentment to his father played by Jason Robards.

 

Somehow this film always seems to be forgotten when talk of Martin's better roles in films come up.

[FlyBackTransformer]

Who cares? Stop the world because a bunch of rich narcissists hand each other metallic figurines on a pedestal? Wake me when Gravity opens.

[jakeem]

Are you referring to the same "Gravity" that could win metallic figurines on pedestals for Sandra Bullock and George Clooney?

 

Edited by: jakeem on Sep 7, 2013 12:26 PM

[Dargo2]

Oh c'mon now, Fly! Surely you still remember that feeling of exhilaration you got that time in the '70s they handed you that Bowling trophy for rolling that high scratch game of 279, dontcha?!

[hamradio]

If "Gravity" wins an Oscar, I will do this.

 

[fxreyman]

The problem I have with the Academy honoring certain creatives these days is the fact that they always seem to be giving these awards out to people who either have not had very long careers, or to me at least, seem to be giving them out to justify giving out the awards to people who have been known mainly for their popularity instead of for something substantial that they have done in their careers.

 

Steve Martin is a very funny guy. But in my opinion he has really "only" appeared in maybe ten films that I would even consider really well made. Not up to par at least to someone receiving an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement?

 

I will say one thing however. For a man who is 68, he is very well preserved.

 

In the case of actors, actresses and directors, I can name quite a few who were never nominated for AAs much less been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, but had very long and distinguished careers and who were for whatever reason never nominated for an Oscar.

 

Actors:

 

Dana Andrews

John Barrymore

Dirk Bogarde

Joseph Cotten

Noel Coward

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

W.C. Fields

Errol Flynn

Glenn Ford, died 2006

Louis Jourdan ( still living )

Boris Karloff

Alan Ladd

Peter Lorre

Bela Lugosi

Roddy McDowall

Fred MacMurray

Dean Martin

Joel McCrea

Tyrone Power

Vincent Price

Will Rogers

Donald Sutherland ( still living )

Robert Taylor

Robert Young

 

Actresses:

 

Lucille Ball

Tallulah Bankhead

Jacqueline Bisset ( still living )

Jean Harlow

Rita Hayworth

Ida Lupino

Marilyn Monroe

Kim Novak ( still living )

Maureen O'Hara ( still living )

 

Directors:

 

John Frankenheimer

Fritz Lang

Rouben Mamoulian

Paul Mazursky ( still living )

F.W. Murnau

Sam Peckinpah

Michael Powell

George Sidney

 

Obviously, the Academy has a finite number of creative people they could give Honorary Oscars to but in the case of creatives like Doris Day, they are going to be turned down from time to time.

 

I remember back in 2002, both Robert Redford and Sidney Poitier being given Honorary Oscars. Redford was given one for his contribution to young filmmakers with his establishing of his Sundance Institute. Poitier's was for his body of work. However the Academy could have bestowed it's Honorary Oscar on several actors who had never been nominated and yet were still living at the time.

 

The one who comes readily to mind was Glenn Ford. He was still living and even though many of the films he appeared in were close to being "B" type films, he did appear is quite a few good films over his long career. Another person who was still living at the time but who had been nominated once but also had a very distinguished career was Richard Widmark. Now one could easily have said at the time that someone of Robert Redford or even Sidney Poitier could have been passed over in favor of honoring someone who at that point was just a couple of years away from passing and an Honorary Oscar would have meant so much to someone like Ford and Widmark. The same could have been said about Louis Jourdan, Donald Sutherland, Jacqueline Bisset, Kim Novak, Maureen O'Hara, and Paul Mazursky.

 

I just see an overriding feeling happening that somehow some of these people receiving Honorary Oscars just do not measure up to the level that one would think a person should receive such an award. Like a long and distinguished career. Something that Martin's career INMO does not fall into.

 

This year I think the Academy screwed up big time. They could have easily given a Lifetime Achievement Award to Maureen O'Hara. Surely she qualifies???

[twinkeee]

< Steve Martin is a very funny guy. But in my opinion he has really only appeared in maybe only ten films that I would even consider really well made. >

 

I agree, actually I don't agree about Steve Martin being all that funny however, aside from that, I cannot understand why they would even consider Steve Martin for a Special Oscar. As you mentioned, there are so many other Stars who are certainly more worthy and talented then Steve Martin.

 

THE THREE AMIGOS has to be the worst or one of the worst movies he ever made. When I rented that movie, I did not bother to watch all of it. Right from the start it was a 'dud' !

 

Twink

[mrroberts]

Steve Martin should have gotten an Oscar for his brilliant impersonation of Barbara "Double Indemnity" Stanwyck in the movie *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid*

 

Edited by: mrroberts on Sep 7, 2013 11:22 AM

[voranis]

>Dargo2 wrote:

>Martin's performance in 1989's "Parenthood" was a real eye-opener for me, especially his dramatic moments in the film and in particular his scenes where he expresses his resentment to his father played by Jason Robards.

>

>Somehow this film always seems to be forgotten when talk of Martin's better roles in films come up.

 

Of all the honorees, I think Lansbury is the most deserving; she deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award (or whatever they call it for the Oscars) as well as one for all the Emmys she was nominated for never won for Murder, She Wrote. At least she won an Emmy or two for hosting the Tonys.

 

I am not a big fan of Steve Martin's comedy, but I agree with Dargo2 that he gave a really fine performance in a dramatic turn in Parenthood. I also thought Jason Robards gave a really fine performance, especially when he comes to the realization that the other son is never really going to amount to anything--he conveyed that using only facial expressions, never saying a word. It reminded me of the dramatic turns Dan Aykroyd gave in Driving Miss Daisy and My Girl that gave me a new appreciation for him that I never had for most of his comedic performances.

 

Robbie

[Guest]

Odd choices indeed......

[Sepiatone]

While I agree, jakeem, that those Martin roles were exceptional( I too, really loved "All Of Me"), they were mostly exceptional for Martin. In the bigger picture of motion picture output, those performances are outshined by many others, and being "Oscar worthy" in some cases doesn't warrant a special award. Acadamy history is RIFE with the names of actors and directors who've always been overlooked or downright ignored for one reason or another, who went to their graves without ever getting a statuette. In view of this fact, I doubt the board of governors brought to mind two of Martin's movies as the catalyst for giving him a special Oscar. Until they give specific reason why, I'll just remain baffled.

 

I never cared much for Martin as a stand-up. I thought that act was banal and too sophmoric for a mature mind to find the least bit funny. But in movies, Martin found a way to stretch himself farther than one might imagine. And his frequent appearances on SNL were something to look forward to. His "I Believe" essay contained a line I thought was more profound and revealing than others I know did, "I believe a woman should be placed on a pedestal! Just high enough to look up her skirt!"

 

But for me, the same could be said of Robin Williams. Another stand-up act I never liked, but who made movies that were just wonderful. And who also proved to be a better actor than many would have assumed.

 

Sepiatone

[jakeem]

Ya gotta love a stand-up comic who invites an auditorium full of fans to go across the street with him to a local McDonald's, and then orders hundreds and hundreds of hamburgers and fries! That's what Steve Martin did in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the 1970s!

[Hibi]

Lansbury has never won an Emmy or a Life Achievement Emmy (I think she has been nominated close to 15 times in various categories) I think she was nominated for one of the Tony shows, but she did not win........

[Hibi]

I couldnt agree more (about honoring people who have already won Oscars for a Lifetime Achievement one). And, yes, Maureen is as deserving as many others who never have (or ever will ) receive one. I think politics and elitism play a big part in voting. (plus this is not an award voted by the general membership)..... I remember in her memoirs Maureen writing Roddy Mcdowall told her she would never win an Oscar, but never saying why (he died before she could talk to him about what he meant) She was going to mount a campaign for a nomination for that film she did with John Candy, but then decided not to after his comment. Very odd............

[Sepiatone]

While it was inspired, jakeem, it wasn't neccessarily funny. And STEVE ALLEN used to do that sort of thing on his late night( post "tonite") show.

 

Sepiatone

[jakeem]

It was inspired AND funny! We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Plus, who doesn't owe a debt of gratitude to Steve Allen for his influence on late-night talk show hosts (particularly David Letterman) and comedians?

 

Edited by: jakeem on Sep 9, 2013 1:38 PM