The News: The Last Oscar News I Will Ever Write Before Noon Today

"Man-distrusting tomboy"? Ellen Page at the Oscars (Photo: Getty Images)

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Some of today's movie news of note from around New York:

--I vow today will be my last compiling Oscar odds and ends from local observers. It's hard to stop, though, when a guy like Steven Zeitchik knocks out this kind of paean to all the NYCentric glory on Sunday night: "[I]n addition to this being the first time in four decades that all four acting prizes went to foreigners, it was also the first time in a long while that so many major prizes went to people (execs and talent) who call Gotham home. Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Doc, Best Foreign -- between all the distribs associated with the winning films and of course the Coens themselves, it was a pretty good showing for the city." Then he invokes the Jets and throws it all away. But it was interesting while it lasted.

--Michael Musto live-columns the Oscars in this week's Voice, with vital sexual-orientation second-guessing regarding nominees ("[I]s Oscar loser Ellen Page a lesbian or just one of them there man-distrusting tomboys?") and presenters (" 'The versatile Patrick Dempsey?' But I heard he was just a top, ba dum pum.") alike. Let him host the show next year. I'm serious.

--Evidently banished to bathroom attendant duties at Kodak Theater, gossiptard Roger Friedman craned his tin ear to eavesdrop on Julian Schnabel, Paul Dano and other Important Men Who Pissed.

--The Post's Adam Buckman gets real sassy, criticizing the fluke of good films winning Oscars. He also laughed at Jon Stewart's iPhone joke. Then the nurse turned off the TV, tightened his restraints, and just like that, it was bedtime.

--In other news, for what it's worth: First Look bought Brad Anderson's Sundance and Berlinale sensation Transsiberian as a lovely new shelf accessory, while Film Movement snatched the Argentinean hermaphrodite drama XXY -- screening next month at New Directors/New Films -- for a May release in New York.

Posted at February 27, 2008 10:17 AM