March 2, 2012

Table of Contents

March 2, 2012
Cover

The Oscar Issue
Masthead
Features
1. The Path to the Oscars
  
  FROM THE EDITOR: Editorial director Janice Min looks back at THR's roundtable series, which featured many of this year's nominees.
  - Janice Min
2. Issue Contributors
  
  Meet some of the voices and vision featured in The Oscar Issue.
  - THR Staff
3. 5 Burning Questions
  
  OSCAR 2012: Forget about all that nonsense on the red carpet, there's an actual show taking place. Here's what sharp-eyed insiders should be looking for d...
  - Gregg Kilday
  - Matthew Belloni
4. Oscar's Secret Weapon: The Music
  
  OSCAR 2012: The unique soundscape of this year's Oscars is due to the unlikely pairing of Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams.
  - Shirley Halperin
5. Secrets of the Oscar Night Feast
  
  OSCAR 2012: The Austrian-born chef takes stock of his $400 million-a-year empire and reveals the one customer lie that made him change his ways.
  - Daniel Miller
6. Free Preview
  
  Oscars 2012: The High-Stakes Business Behind Red-Carpet Style
  
  It's a final assault to get gowns and merch on nominees and presenters, with fashion and jewelry houses flying in reps, collections and seamstresses.
  - Merle Ginsberg
7. And the Winner Is ...
  
  OSCAR 2012: Awards analyt Scott Feinberg declares who will win, and film critic Todd McCarthy says who should.
  - Scott Feinberg
  - Todd McCarthy
8. Oscar Diary with Bogdanovich
  
  OSCAR 2012: The "Last Picture Show" director recalls his big night in 1972, what Hitchcock told him and what he did wrong on TV.
  - Todd McCarthy
9. Oscar Party Weekend Guide
  
  OSCAR 2012: With two big-league annual bashes canceled, your tip sheet on where the movers and shakers will be celebrating.
  - Bill Higgins
10. Oscar's Tale of Two Offices
  
  OSCAR 2012: A look at the domestic environments where J.C. Chandor and John Logan penned their nominated screenplays.
  - Tim Appelo
11. Shirley MacLaine's Oscar Memories
  
  OSCAR 2012: She's won once and lost five times. She's teared up, fought with one of her dates and made an entrance onstage by stepping out of a spaceship.
  - Gregg Kilday
12. THR's Awards Season Awards
  
  OSCAR 2012: In recognition of extraordinary achievement in stunts, maneuvers and PR finesse, these honorees should take a bow.
  - THR Staff
13. Oscar Icons: The Legacy
  
  Being the son of one of the great screen icons is not without its challenges.
  - Stephen Galloway
14. Oscar Icons: The Crown Jewel
  
  With four nominations in all, she might not quite be British royalty, but she's a hell of a Dame.
  - Leslie Bruce
15. Oscar Icons: The War Buddies
  
  If war is hell, then making movies is a close second.
  - Stacey Wilson
16. Oscar Icons: The Underdogs
  
  "Rocky" was one of the great success stories in Hollywood history.
  - Stephen Galloway
17. Oscar Icons: The Green Team
  
  Until 2002, toons were something of a neglected stepchild at the Academy Awards.
  - Gregg Kilday
18. Oscar Icons: The Trailblazer
  
  This director knows firsthand what it's like to be caught off guard by an Oscar upset.
  - Georg Szalai
19. Oscar Icons: The Storytellers
  
  Only a screenwriter could carry with him a feeling of a regret after claiming gold on Oscar night.
  - Stacey Wilson
20. Where Oscar Movies Shot in L.A.
  
  OSCAR 2012: Film location hunters identify familiar scenes and reveal why they chose these certain spots in the City of Angels.
  - Tim Appelo
21. What Happened to These Oscar Alums?
  
  OSCAR 2012: These nominees and winners broke out, often from obscurity -- only to find varying degrees of success afterward.
  - Tim Appelo
22. Oscar Nominations After Death
  
  OSCAR 2012: A look at four famous performers who were honored posthumously.
  - THR Staff
Departments
1. Disney Fights to Save 'John Carter'
  
  THE REPORT: Low interest, bad buzz prompt a last-ditch marketing effort for the mega-budget epic.
  - Jay A. Fernandez
  - Borys Kit
2. THR Heat Index
  
  THE REPORT: Lachlan Murdoch attends the Sunday Sun launch (no sign of James), while Sean Combs sets up shop at Comcast.
  - THR Staff
3. 5 Big Surprises From Berlin
  
  THE REPORT: A solid festival lineup and unexpectedly brisk dealmaking overcame unusually cold temperatures.
  - Scott Roxborough
  - Pamela McClintock
4. Selling Soldiers on 'Act of Valor'
  
  THE REPORT: Relativity Media has launched a full-scale attack to generate interest in its military thriller.
  - Alex Ben Block
5. How 'Avatar' and Obama Changed China's Mind
  
  THE REPORT: Bob Iger, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Chris Dodd played a role in the backroom negotiation that will allow more 3D blockbusters into the country.
  - Tina Daunt
6. Screenwriting ... For Third-Graders?!
  
  THE REPORT: The Verve Talent Agency came up with a laudable way to celebrate its second anniversary.
  - Borys Kit
7. Will 'The Dictator' Invade Oscars?
  
  THE REPORT: Sacha Baron Cohen wants to come (and maybe overshadow nominees) as his sex-crazed Gaddafi-meets-Hussein ruler.
  - Matthew Belloni
8. Indecision Plagues Pilot Season
  
  THE REPORT: Canceled or not? Actors suffer as networks increasingly refuse to pull the plug on low-rated series.
  - Lacey Rose
9. Who's Profiting From Linsanity
  
  THE REPORT: Jeremy Lin will make $762,195 this season, the NBA minimum. But he could soon earn much more.
  - Alex Ben Block
10. 7 Days of Deals
  
  THE REPORT: With "Homeland" collecting critical kudos, interest in TV formats from Israel has never been hotter.
  - Compiled by Lesley Goldberg and Daniel Miller
11. Yes, I Did Say That!
  
  THE REPORT: Reese Witherspoon discusses slang terms with her mother.
  - THR Staff
12. Next Roles for the Nominees
  
  THE REPORT: George heads to World War II, Meryl to Osage County: How the contenders plan to follow their big year.
  - Jay A. Fernandez
13. Directors Pick Their Projects
  
  THE REPORT: It's business as usual for Woody, back to France for Michel, a Midwest road trip for Alexander and overtime for a suddenly prolific Terrence.
  - Jay A. Fernandez
14. Next Year's Best Picture Nominees
  
  THE REPORT: No, it's never too early to predict which films will snag the Academy's spotlight in 2013.
  - Matthew Belloni
15. Rambling Reporter
  
  ABOUT TOWN: Former Universal publicity vp Sally Van Slyke reveals a run-in with Arnold Schwarzenegger over the Special Olympics.
  - Merle Ginsberg & Gary Baum
16. Hitched, Hatched, Hired
  
  ABOUT TOWN: Inside the industry's celebrations and news.
  - THR Staff
17. An Actress' AIDS Fight
  
  SOCIAL ACTION: "Smash's" Debra Messing saw it all spreading health education in Zimbabwe.
  - Margot Dougherty
18. Executive Suite
  
  THE BUSINESS: The Academy's Dawn Hudson & Ric Robertson break their silence to address critics, reveal the Brett Ratner backstory and tackle the white-mal...
  - Stephen Galloway
19. 5 Ways to Fix OWN
  
  THE BUSINESS: Now that Oprah Winfrey and Discovery have tried everything, it's time to follow a critic's prescription.
  - Tim Goodman
20. How Actors Get Real Power
  
  THE BUSINESS: Combining a merged SAG-AFTRA with musicians (yes, musicians) would create a superunion poised to dominate Hollywood.
  - Jonathan Handel
21. Book Rights? Thanks, I'll Keep Them
  
  THE BUSINESS: Two big publishers grab control of their own film and TV projects as Hollywood's pipeline to intellectual property gets reined in.
  - Andy Lewis
22. Hollywood's Green Car Malaise
  
  HOLLYWOOD CARS: With a scarcity of both sexy styles and industry support, carmakers are attempting to recharge interest in environmental autos.
  - Daniel Miller
23. Test Drive: Lake Bell
  
  HOLLYWOOD CARS: Driving the 2011 Audi Q7 TDI Quattro was a window into suburban domesticity.
  - Lake Bell
24. Pasadena's Rising Market
  
  HOLLYWOOD HIDEOUTS: The charming refuge 20 miles from Beverly Hills delivers unique architecture, climbing prices and escape from clamor.
  - Tina Daunt
25. The Costumes of 'Smash'
  
  HOLLYWOOD STYLE: How designer Molly Maginnis created screen-siren looks that can also shake and shimmy for the new NBC hit.
  - Elizabeth Snead
26. Fash Track
  
  HOLLYWOOD STYLE: Livia Firth challenges designers to produce environmentally friendly awards-season clothes.
  - Edited by Carol McColgin
27. Oscar Tux-Ology 101
  
  HOLLYWOOD STYLE: Hollywood's fashion gurus offer their best advice on how to dress the part for Oscar night.
  - Carol McColgin
28. Hollywood Oscarexia
  
  HOLLYWOOD STYLE: Inside the mad scramble to shed sizes as red carpet's ladies look to get rail thin -- no matter what.
  - Merle Ginsberg
29. Game Change
  
  TV REVIEW: Great performances probably won't help this film bridge the partisan divide.
  - Tim Goodman
30. Critics' Notebook: Berlinale 2012
  
  FILM REVIEWS: Those looking for this year's "A Separation" were disappointed, but there were still discoveries to be made.
  - Deborah Young
  - David Rooney
31. Free Preview
  
  Hollywood's Influence, Analyzed
  
  BOOK REVIEWS: The "Godfather" trilogy and Liz Taylor get the academic treatment in two books that impart deeper meaning to their subjects.
  - Andy Lewis
32. Walk of Fame: Jennifer Aniston
  
  BACKLOT: The "Wanderlust" star reveals what it would take to get her to return to TV.
  - Lesley Goldberg
33. Spirit Awards: Seth Rogen
  
  THE BACKLOT: First-timer Seth Rogen arms himself for emceeing the freewheeling Spirit Awards.
  - Jay A. Fernandez
34. 8 Decades of The Hollywood Reporter
  
  Roberto Benigni's wild energy electrified the audience at the 1999 Oscars.
  - Bill Higgins

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