Life is all good for E! Entertainment's resident film critic Ben Lyons as he found himself hob-knobbing with the stars on Sunday night at he Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.
And after all the excitement of British success had died done and we had all got over that awful acceptance speech from Kate Winslet I caught up with Ben to get his opinion on the awards and his Oscar predictions.
You were on the red carpet on Sunday night at the Golden Globes how was it?
You know the after parties are always tough places to get interviews because the stars have done tons of interviews all day, they have gone to the awards show and had a few glasses of champagne so the last thing that they want to do is stop and talk on the red carpet however when they see that E! microphone, for whatever reason, they gravitate towards it and we did so many interviews on Sunday night.
I was lucky enough to talk to Aaron Eckhart and I asked him about the rumours of Eddie Murphy playing The Riddler and he told me that he hadn't heard those but he had heard that Johnny Depp was maybe up for the role, which would be pretty cool. I spoke with Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Connolly who said that he and his buddy Leo are always losers and he wanted to remind me that Leo is a seven time loser at the Globes.
We spoke to Gerard Butler who was enamoured by all the beautiful women at the parties, Michael C Hall from Dexter, who has just got married, Amanda Bynes and Brittany Snow, so a lot of young Hollywood was out and about, so we got to talk to a lot of cool people at the afterparties.
And what did you think of the winners and losers?
I was pretty happy with everything, the Hollywood Foreign Press are a wacky bunch you never know what there motivations are for voting for a particular actor or performance, but it seems like this year they got it right with Mickey Rourke, they got it right with Kate Winslet, she did deserve both of her awards; sometimes when you are a double nominee your votes can cancel each other out but it was great to see her win twice.
This is somebody who has never won before, I think that we really take Kate Winslet's work for granted which is unfair, and she really is good in both movies. But I still feel that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, my favourite film of the year, is still not getting the recognition that it deserves, yes it's getting nomination; five at the Globes and eight at the Critics Choice Awards, but it isn't winning anything and it's one thing to be nominated but it's another to win.
But I do think that it will win Best Picture at the Oscars because if you look back in years past the Globes winners and the Oscars winners never really pair up and I think that this year will be another year where they don't match up; Vicky Cristina Barcelona won't be nominated for an Oscar but Slumdog Millionaire will be but it won't win The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will as you have to make a lot of money at the box office to win Best Picture you just have to look back at The Departed, Titanic and Lord of the Rings they all made huge box office and I think Benjamin Button has got that going for it but I'm disappointed that it's not getting the wins that it deserves.
How likely is it now that Kate Winslet will, at last, get her hands on the Oscar?
She will defiantly win for The Reader, that is locked and loaded you can take it to the bank and I'm saying it on FemaleFirst.co.uk, it it's going to happen for her. Now will she win two Oscars? That's another story and I will be surprised if she does as I do think that Anne Hathaway has a strong chance at the Oscars this year in the Best Actress category and Kate will win Best Supporting Actress for The Reader no question.
I don't think Revolutionary Road was as accepted and loved by the American journalists and members of the Academy as it was by the eighty or so members of the Hollywood Foreign Press, the Hollywood Foreign Press is a small group of journalist not like the Academy that has six thousand of voters.
But I also think that Mickey Rourke will win the Oscar and Heath Ledger is locked too you know Christopher Nolan speaks so well when he gets asked to come up on behalf of ledger it must be such an emotional experience for him but he never cracks he just speaks from his heart. And it's such a beautiful testament to Ledger's life the reception he gets everytime he wins and he will sadly win an Oscar as well.
You have mentioned this already but the likes of Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were all snubbed what did you think of that?
Sometimes a movie comes along, as Slumdog Millionaire has, that wraps everybody up and it's a movie that is really hard to find things wrong with, I don't vote of the Golden Globes or the Oscars but I do vote for the Broadcast Film Critics Awards and I found it really hard to not vote for Slumdog in certain categories such as screenplay and soundtrack, it's a great film and it's one of those films that you want to stand up and cheer for and that's why a lot of the other films are being shut out. Milk won the ensemble cast award at the Critics Choice but it was not nominated at the Globes, which is ridiculous, I think it will get a Best Picture nomination.
And as far as a picture like Frost/Nixon goes it has come out more and more that the film is filled with numerous historical inaccuracies, and when you are doing a movie based on real life events that can hurt it's credibility and authenticity, but I still put it in my top ten. As someone who does the interviews I can relate to the experience of the night before getting you thoughts together and what goes through your mind.
Basically, for people who aren't familiar with the plot, David Frost is like the Ryan Seacrest of his day and he would get the first big interview with George Bush about the Iraq war that is what it was and everyone was like 'woah who is this guy and why is he getting to do this interview?' But he had a passion for television and he understood the power of television and he made history and is forever remembered for it. It's a cool movie and anyone who's interested in media and celebrity, television and politics should definitely see it.
And there was more award success for Sally Hawkins
I was so happy to see her win, I think she will get nominated for an Oscar but I don't think she will win, but she is so delightful I interviewed her on Thursday (8th Jan) night and I told her to get her speech ready because she was going to win a Globe and she said:'nah you are crazy you don't know what you are talking about.' But sure enough when we crossed paths on Sunday I said:'Sally let me refresh your memory I predicted you would win a Globe and that was nuts so who is crazier Sally Hawkins you or me?'
She was so happy and overcome with joy and Leonardo DiCaprio came over and congratulated her and she came over to me and said: 'Oh my god that was Leo I never thought I would meet him in my life'. It's really cool when someone like that who appreciates it so much, not saying that the other don't, but for her situation and she got a really special night it was good to see her win.
What is it about Happy Go Lucky that has struck a chord with American audiences, it has done much better over there than it ever did here in the UK?
It's an honest performance and a performance that exposes herself it's quirky, almost like something out of a Woody Allen movie, she really just encompasses the character. The award season like to anoint new stars and validate certain actors that you may have not heard of our have the connections of a Meryl Streep, it likes to honour the legends, but they also like great stories and she is a great story, as is Mickey Rourke.
But Sally Hawkins has come out of nowhere and out of the UK and here she is in a comedy, and you don't see many female leads in comedies, it seems to be tough for women, for whatever reason, to find comedic work as we always find comedy as a boys club with the likes of Will Farrel and Jim Carey and Seth Rogen. But to have funny leading ladies is a way to endear yourself to the award show voting bodies there has bee Diane Keaton over the years for example and Sally Field.
Finally it's time to put your money where your mouth is and predict who will win what at the Oscars
This is a prediction and if I get them all right I want you to send me a cheque in the mail it can be pounds or dollars or Hong Kong dollars, whatever works for you.
Best Picture - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Best Actor - Mickey Rourke
Best Actress - Anne Hathaway
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger
Best Supporting Actress - Kate Winslet
Best Director - Danny Boyle
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Catch Ben Lyons on Live from the Red Carpet: The 2009 Academy Awards on Sunday, 22nd February at 11pm only on E! Entertainment Television (Sky: 151/ Virgin Media: 156)
Life is all good for E! Entertainment's resident film critic Ben Lyons as he found himself hob-knobbing with the stars on Sunday night at he Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.
And after all the excitement of British success had died done and we had all got over that awful acceptance speech from Kate Winslet I caught up with Ben to get his opinion on the awards and his Oscar predictions.
You were on the red carpet on Sunday night at the Golden Globes how was it?
You know the after parties are always tough places to get interviews because the stars have done tons of interviews all day, they have gone to the awards show and had a few glasses of champagne so the last thing that they want to do is stop and talk on the red carpet however when they see that E! microphone, for whatever reason, they gravitate towards it and we did so many interviews on Sunday night.
I was lucky enough to talk to Aaron Eckhart and I asked him about the rumours of Eddie Murphy playing The Riddler and he told me that he hadn't heard those but he had heard that Johnny Depp was maybe up for the role, which would be pretty cool. I spoke with Elizabeth Banks and Kevin Connolly who said that he and his buddy Leo are always losers and he wanted to remind me that Leo is a seven time loser at the Globes.
We spoke to Gerard Butler who was enamoured by all the beautiful women at the parties, Michael C Hall from Dexter, who has just got married, Amanda Bynes and Brittany Snow, so a lot of young Hollywood was out and about, so we got to talk to a lot of cool people at the afterparties.
And what did you think of the winners and losers?
I was pretty happy with everything, the Hollywood Foreign Press are a wacky bunch you never know what there motivations are for voting for a particular actor or performance, but it seems like this year they got it right with Mickey Rourke, they got it right with Kate Winslet, she did deserve both of her awards; sometimes when you are a double nominee your votes can cancel each other out but it was great to see her win twice.
This is somebody who has never won before, I think that we really take Kate Winslet's work for granted which is unfair, and she really is good in both movies. But I still feel that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, my favourite film of the year, is still not getting the recognition that it deserves, yes it's getting nomination; five at the Globes and eight at the Critics Choice Awards, but it isn't winning anything and it's one thing to be nominated but it's another to win.
But I do think that it will win Best Picture at the Oscars because if you look back in years past the Globes winners and the Oscars winners never really pair up and I think that this year will be another year where they don't match up; Vicky Cristina Barcelona won't be nominated for an Oscar but Slumdog Millionaire will be but it won't win The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will as you have to make a lot of money at the box office to win Best Picture you just have to look back at The Departed, Titanic and Lord of the Rings they all made huge box office and I think Benjamin Button has got that going for it but I'm disappointed that it's not getting the wins that it deserves.
How likely is it now that Kate Winslet will, at last, get her hands on the Oscar?
She will defiantly win for The Reader, that is locked and loaded you can take it to the bank and I'm saying it on FemaleFirst.co.uk, it it's going to happen for her. Now will she win two Oscars? That's another story and I will be surprised if she does as I do think that Anne Hathaway has a strong chance at the Oscars this year in the Best Actress category and Kate will win Best Supporting Actress for The Reader no question.
I don't think Revolutionary Road was as accepted and loved by the American journalists and members of the Academy as it was by the eighty or so members of the Hollywood Foreign Press, the Hollywood Foreign Press is a small group of journalist not like the Academy that has six thousand of voters.
But I also think that Mickey Rourke will win the Oscar and Heath Ledger is locked too you know Christopher Nolan speaks so well when he gets asked to come up on behalf of ledger it must be such an emotional experience for him but he never cracks he just speaks from his heart. And it's such a beautiful testament to Ledger's life the reception he gets everytime he wins and he will sadly win an Oscar as well.
You have mentioned this already but the likes of Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button were all snubbed what did you think of that?
Sometimes a movie comes along, as Slumdog Millionaire has, that wraps everybody up and it's a movie that is really hard to find things wrong with, I don't vote of the Golden Globes or the Oscars but I do vote for the Broadcast Film Critics Awards and I found it really hard to not vote for Slumdog in certain categories such as screenplay and soundtrack, it's a great film and it's one of those films that you want to stand up and cheer for and that's why a lot of the other films are being shut out. Milk won the ensemble cast award at the Critics Choice but it was not nominated at the Globes, which is ridiculous, I think it will get a Best Picture nomination.
And as far as a picture like Frost/Nixon goes it has come out more and more that the film is filled with numerous historical inaccuracies, and when you are doing a movie based on real life events that can hurt it's credibility and authenticity, but I still put it in my top ten. As someone who does the interviews I can relate to the experience of the night before getting you thoughts together and what goes through your mind.
Basically, for people who aren't familiar with the plot, David Frost is like the Ryan Seacrest of his day and he would get the first big interview with George Bush about the Iraq war that is what it was and everyone was like 'woah who is this guy and why is he getting to do this interview?' But he had a passion for television and he understood the power of television and he made history and is forever remembered for it. It's a cool movie and anyone who's interested in media and celebrity, television and politics should definitely see it.
And there was more award success for Sally Hawkins
I was so happy to see her win, I think she will get nominated for an Oscar but I don't think she will win, but she is so delightful I interviewed her on Thursday (8th Jan) night and I told her to get her speech ready because she was going to win a Globe and she said:'nah you are crazy you don't know what you are talking about.' But sure enough when we crossed paths on Sunday I said:'Sally let me refresh your memory I predicted you would win a Globe and that was nuts so who is crazier Sally Hawkins you or me?'
She was so happy and overcome with joy and Leonardo DiCaprio came over and congratulated her and she came over to me and said: 'Oh my god that was Leo I never thought I would meet him in my life'. It's really cool when someone like that who appreciates it so much, not saying that the other don't, but for her situation and she got a really special night it was good to see her win.