Writes THR review Todd McCarthy: "An elegant, elemental, borderline corny boy-and-his-horse story magnified in significance by its battleground backdrop, 'War Horse' possesses a simplicity that is both its greatest strength and an ultimate liability."
Andrew Cooper/DreamWorksThe Producers Guild of America rounded up an eclectic group of films — ranging from the silent movie The Artist to the epic battle tale War Horse — as it announced its nominees Tuesday morning for its 23rd annual Producers Guild Awards.
The PGA nominated 10 movies for its top film prize, the Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. The lineup also includes two comedies, one gentle, one bawdy, Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids; the family drama The Descendants; the film adapatations of the novel The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and the politial drama The Ides of March; the racial drama The Help; Hugo, Martin Scorsese‘s look back at the origins of the movies; and the baseball tale Moneyball.
Although PGA noms suggest where the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s own Oscar choices may be headed, this year their predictive value is in question, since while the PGA is fielding 10 nominees, the Academy could nominate as few as five pictures and as many as 10.
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Movies that failed to make the PGA’s cut include The Tree of Life, J. Edgar, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, Drive and the final Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Steven Spielberg, who was one of the producers nominated for War Horse, was also nominated in the PGA’s animated film category, where The Adventures of Tintin will compete with Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rango.
The PGA’s feature documentary category includes Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest; Bill Cunningham New York; Project Nim; Senna and The Union. Of those five, only Cunningham and Nim are also on the shortlist for Oscar considerations.
The PGA Awards, which also cover TV and news categories, will be handed out Jan. 21 at the Beverly Hilton.
Darryl F. Zanuck Producer Of The Year Award In Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Artist
Producer: Thomas Langmann
Bridesmaids
Producers: Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel, Clayton Townsend
The Descendants
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Scott Rudin
The Help
Producers: Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus, Brunson Green
Hugo
Producers: Graham King, Martin Scorsese
The Ides Of March
Producers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
Midnight In Paris
Producers: Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum
Moneyball
Producers: Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz, Brad Pitt
War Horse
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
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The Producers Guild Of America Producer Of The Year Award In Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
The Adventures of Tintin
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
Cars 2
Producer: Denise Ream
Kung Fu Panda 2
Producer: Melissa Cobb
Puss In Boots
Producers: Joe M. Aguilar, Latifa Ouaou
Rango
Producers: John B. Carls, Gore Verbinski
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The David L. Wolper Producer Of The Year Award In Long-Form Television:
Cinema Verite (HBO)
Producers: Zanne Devine, Karyn Mccarthy
Downton Abbey (Masterpiece) (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame
The Kennedys (Reelzchannel)
Producers: Jon Cassar, Jonathan Koch, Stephen Kronish, Steve Michaels, Michael Prupas, Jamie Paul Rock, Joel Surnow
Mildred Pierce (HBO)
Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Ilene S. Landress, Christine Vachon
Too Big To Fail (HBO)
Producers: Carol Fenelon, Jeffrey Levine, Paula Weinstein
The Producers Guild Of America Producer Of The Year Award In Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures:
Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels Of A Tribe Called Quest
Producers: Michael Rapaport, Edward Parks (*Additional Producers Eligibility Pending Arbitration Completion)
Bill Cunningham New York
Producer: Philip Gefter
Project Nim
Producer: Simon Chinn
Senna
Producer: James Gay-Rees
The Union
Producers: Cameron Crowe, Michelle Panek
The Danny Thomas Award For Outstanding Producer Of Episodic Television, Comedy:
30 Rock (NBC)
Producers: Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, John Riggi, Don Scardino
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Producers: Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Faye Oshima, Bill Prady
Glee (Fox)
Producers: Ian Brennan, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Kenneth Silverstein
Modern Family (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
Parks And Recreation (NBC)
Producers: Greg Daniels, Dan Goor, Howard Klein, Amy Poehler, Morgan Sackett, Michael Schur
VIDEOS: THR’s Awards Season Roundtable Series 2011– The Producers
The Norman Felton Award For Outstanding Producer Of Episodic Television, Drama:
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter
Dexter (Showtime)
Producers: Sara Colleton, John Goldwyn, Chip Johannessen, Robert Lloyd Lewis
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Frank Doelger, Mark Huffam, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
The Good Wife (CBS)
Producers: Brooke Kennedy, Michelle King, Robert King, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David W. Zucker
Mad Men (AMC)
Producers: Jonathan Abrahams, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Blake Mccormick, Dwayne Shattuck, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner
The Award For Outstanding Producer Of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart (*Additional Producers Eligibility Pending Arbitration Completion)
The Ellen Degeneres Show (Syndicated)
Producers: Mary Connelly, Ellen Degeneres, Melissa Geiger Schrift, Ed Glavin, Andy Lassner,Kevin A. Leman Ii, Jonathan Norman, Derek Westervelt
Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Producers: Ken Aymong, Steve Higgins, Erik Kenward, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney
The 64th Annual Tony Awards (CBS)
Producers: Ricky Kirshner, Glenn Weiss
The Award For Outstanding Producer Of Competition Television:
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram Van Munster, Mark Vertullo
American Idol (Fox)
Producers: Charles Boyd, Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Simon Fuller, Patrick Lynn, Nigel Lythgoe, Megan Michaels, Ken Warwick
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur, Rob Wade
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Colleen Sands
Top Chef (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Nan Strait
The Award For Outstanding Producer Of Non-Fiction Television:
30 For 30 (ESPN)
Producers: John Dahl, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons
American Masters (PBS)
Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Travel Channel)
Producers: Christopher Collins, Julie Lei, Lydia Tenaglia, Tom Vitale
Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, John Gray, Sheila Mccormack, Ethan Prochnik, Bill Pruitt, Matt Renner
Undercover Boss (CBS)
Producers: Chris Carlson, Susan Hoenig, Eli Holzman, Sandi Johnson, Stephen Lambert, Allisonschermerhorn
