Almost There: Lana Turner in "The Bad and the Beautiful"

This week The Film Experience will be celebrating Lana Turner for her Centennial. Here's Cláudio Alves

According to legend, Lana Turner was discovered in 1936, when she happened to be spotted by the publisher of The Hollywood Report while drinking a Coke at Schwab's Pharmacy. As with most myths of the cinematic Olympus, the story is unlikely to be true, though that doesn't take away from the allure of the actress. Whatever her origin story, Turner appeared in her first film the following year and quickly became one of Hollywood's most beloved sirens, an icon of glamor and sensuality, a megawatt star the likes of which we haven't seen in decades. 

Despite it all, stardom doesn't necessarily equal prestige. Turner was often seen as little more than a pretty face and her acting craft was underappreciated. In 1957, a conflagration of many scandals, personal and literary, secured her a single Oscar nomination for Peyton Place. That wasn't the first time she was in the running for awards, however...

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Almost There Extra: Tilda in "We Need to Talk About Kevin"

A bonus episode of "Almost There" (Claudio's Monday afternoon series) this week. Here's Eric Blume on a 2011 race...

There was a sad surprise when the 2011 Oscar nominations were read:  Tilda Swinton did not make the Best Actress slate, despite checking every precursor box along the way.  She had nominations from SAG, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes, but Oscar overlooked her magnificent performance.

Three of the nominees for the Oscar that year were considered locks:  Meryl (who won, of course) for The Iron Lady; Viola Davis for The Help; and Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn.  But the final two to make the list were Glenn Close for Albert Nobbs and Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...

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Almost There: Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

by Cláudio Alves

History repeats itself, especially when it comes to the Academy Awards. Throughout its 92 years, very few Asian actors have been recognized, even when their films were otherwise embraced. This year, the victim of the insidious trend was Parasite, which won the SAG for Best Ensemble but couldn't muster enough support for a single acting nomination at the Oscars. Thinking back to the last non-English speaking Asian production to score a Best Picture nomination, we see the same phenomenon.

In 2000, Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon conquered a remarkable 10 nominations, including for Picture and Director but none of the nods were for acting. In the end, the blockbuster won four of its categories. Despite the acting branch's oversight, Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi received many nominations elsewhere, including the BAFTAs. The younger actress even conquered the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress…

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Almost There: Jennifer Lopez in "Hustlers"

"Almost There" is a new series about actors who were obviously close to an Oscar nomination but somehow missed. Here's Cláudio Alves...

Regarding this year's Oscar nominations, no snub hurt quite as much as Jennifer Lopez's absence in the Best Supporting Actress line-up. The long-time actress turned pop diva earned herself a small mountain of critic's honor for her performance in Hustlers, including the LAFCA trophy, as well as crucial precursor nominations like the Critics Choice Award, the Golden Globes, and the SAG. Still, when it was all said and done, the Academy preferred five other actresses over Lopez. If we consider Dern, Pugh, and Robbie as near locks, then her spot was either taken by Scarlett Johansson or Kathy Bates. While neither work is meritless, they've got nothing on JLo's sterling achievement.

Still, we're not here to lambast the Oscar's chosen nominees, but to celebrate one hell of an awards-worthy performance. So, join us as we explore the wonders and sing the praises of Jennifer Lopez's Ramona…

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Almost There: Kate Winslet in "Revolutionary Road"

Here's Cláudio Alves with a new series on performances that got lots of precursor love but no Oscar nomination. Previously we discussed Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks...

January 11th, 2009 was Kate Winslet's night. After years of scoring endless nominations and very few victories, her effortful Oscar campaign was finally kicking into high gear. She had not one, but two triumphant victories on the Golden Globes' stage. In Best Supporting Actress, she won for her (leading) role inThe Reader and secured her frontrunner status. In Best Actress - Drama, she won for Revolutionary Road. After such a merry evening, many were expecting a double citation come Oscar morning. One thing was for sure – one way or the other, Kate Winslet would end the Awards Season with a little golden man in her hands.

Still, the campaign manipulations that worked hard to secure her two nominations failed at the last minute, when the Academy showed rare lucidity against the folly of category fraud...

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