8 Reasons Why 'My Week With Marilyn' Can Be Considered a Musical or Comedy

One of the more head-scratching moments of the Golden Globe nominations on Thursday morning that didn't include Sofia Vergara butchering Martin Scorsese's name? The fact that 'My Week With Marilyn' -- an ostensible drama about Marilyn Monroe's clandestine maybe-affair with a third assistant director on the set of 'The Prince and the Showgirl' -- was nominated in the Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy category. How could this happen? Ahead, eight reasons why you could consider 'Marilyn' a musical or comedy should you be so inclined to do so. 1. Michelle Williams sings -- twice! You couldn't really call 'My Week With Marilyn' a musical with a straight face -- even 'The Muppets,' with its unending supply of songs doesn't actually seem to really qualify as a musical -- but Michelle Williams does sing two songs in the film, including 'Heat Wave' during the opening credits. That counts!? 2. Kenneth Branagh is really funny! Not to say that Kenneth Branagh is comic relief in 'My Week With Marilyn,' but he kinda is? As a foul-mouthed and exasperated Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Kenny (we're tight) lands many a punchline. There are laughs in this film -- which certainly allows it to be placed alongside 'The Artist' and '50/50' on the Best Feature Musical or Comedy list. 3. Michelle Williams smiles a lot! True story: despite playing the bummed out Marilyn Monroe for much of the film, Williams gets to flash her movie-star smile on more than one occasion; this is like the anti-'Blue Valentine'! 4. Eddie Redmayne smiles even more! As Colin Clark, rising star Eddie Redmayne affects a look of constant bemused glee on his expressive face. You would too if you were acting opposite a skinny-dipping Michelle Williams-as-Marilyn Monroe. 5. Toby Jones and Dominic Cooper have hilarious accents! What is going on with these two? As Monroe's American publicist and producer/ex-lover, respectively, Jones and Cooper sound like teamsters circa 1952. They coulda been contenders, ya galoot! 6. The Katy Perry 'My Week With Marilyn' video It's not in the movie, but that weird mash-up of 'Marilyn' and 'The One That Got Away' is both musical and comedy. Unintentional, perhaps, but still: funny! 7. 'The Prince and the Showgirl' The film within the film in 'My Week With Marilyn,' the much-discussed 'The Prince and the Showgirl,' was a comedy. By extension, doesn't that mean 'My Week With Marilyn' is a comedy? (Not really, but for the purposes of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, absolutely!) 8. Because Harvey Weinstein probably wanted 'My Week With Marilyn' to be a musical/comedy Whatever happens at the Oscars between Williams, Meryl Streep and Viola Davis, one thing is clear: on Jan. 15, it's likely that both Streep (for her work in 'The Iron Lady') and Williams will take home Golden Globes for The Weinstein Company. Who is gonna beat Williams in her Best Actress category? Certainly not Kate Winslet or Jodie Foster or Kristen Wiig or Charlize Theron, the bona fides of their performances aside. It's a two-for-one Weinstein night! If only the Academy Awards worked this way too. [Photo: TWC] 2012 Golden Globe Nominees Best Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actor in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actress in a DramaBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actor in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Actress in a Comedy/MusicalBest Supporting ActorBest Supporting ActorBest Supporting Actor'A Dangerous Method'Best Supporting ActorBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest Supporting ActressBest DirectorBest DirectorBest DirectorBest DirectorBest Director See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Steven Spielberg's Longtime Below-the-Line Collaborators Talk About the Legendary Director, Making 'War Horse' (Exclusive Video)

Several days ago, I had the privilege of moderating a Q&A in NY with seven incredibly talented people whose names and faces are not known to the general public, but whose contributions were essential to the making of many of our most cherished films over the past few decades -- including and especially those directed by Steven Spielberg, with whom all have closely collaborated on numerous cinematic ventures, most recently during the making of the epic Oscar contender War Horse.our editor recommends'The Artist,' 'War Horse' Among Contenders Nominated for Satellite Awards'War Horse': The Making of Steven Spielberg's WWI Epic'War Horse': Newest Trailer Heavy on Orchestration, Heartstring Pulling (Video) PHOTOS: Steven Spielberg on Set They were ... producer Kathleen Kennedy, who has produced or executive produced the vast majority of Spielberg's films since her first, E.T. (1982), and who has produced a grand total of six films that received best picture Oscar nominations: E.T., The Color Purple (1985), The Sixth Sense (1999), Seabiscuit (2003), Munich (2005), and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) production designer Rick Carter, who has worked on eight films that Spielberg has directed dating back to Empire of the Sun (1987), and who has twice been nominated for the best art direction Oscar, for Forrest Gump (1994) and Avatar (2010) -- he won for the latter first assistant director Adam Somner, who has served in that capacity on Spielberg's last five films, as well as Gladiator (2000), Black Hawk Down (2001), Seabiscuit (2003), There Will Be Blood (2007), and many other memorable films costume designer Joanna Johnston, who has worked on five Spielberg films since 1989, as well as Forrest Gump (1994), The Sixth Sense (1999), Cast Away (2000), and many other memorable films makeup artist Lois Burwell, who has worked on four films that Spielberg has directed dating back to Saving Private Ryan (1998), and who has twice been nominated for the best makeup Oscar, for Braveheart (1995) and Saving Private Ryan -- she won for the former cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, who has shot all of the films that Spielberg has directed dating back to Schindler's List (1993), and who has twice won the best cinematography Oscar, for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan (1998) -- he was also nominated but did not win for Amistad (1997) and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007) film editor Michael Kahn, who has worked on virtually all of Spielberg's films dating back to Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and who has garnered seven best film editing Oscar nominations, winning for three, all Spielberg films -- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Schindler's List (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998) I hope that you'll check out our conversation, through which I learned a great deal about each of these artists, Spielberg, and the making of many of the films on which they have collaborated, especially War Horse. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery The Making of Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' Steven Spielberg War Horse

Shame's Late Night Lovers Pile on David Denby

When it rains it pours. Ask David Denby, the embattled, embargo-flouting NYer critic who, over the course of one week, has drawn the wrath of both Scott Rudin and Shame’s unsung co-stars Calamity Chang and DeeDee Luxe — a.k.a. Late Night Lover #1 and #2. Tough crowd! Best known as veteran performers on the NYC burlesque scene, the ladies had already taken Twitter swings at Denby’s NYer colleague (and Shame hater) Anthony Lane a couple weeks ago. This morning, a few days after Denby blogged his own disapproval of the McQueen, the duo returned to their respective Twitter pages for their latest arousing tag-team effort. It all went something like this: .bbpBox{background:url(http://a0.twimg.com/profile_background_images/55790865/Twitter_BG_Final_final.jpg) #9AE4E8;padding:20px;}Denby on “Shame”: The film “is borderline absurd, and I’m amazed that so many people seem to be taking it seriously” http://t.co/yaYOfRDASat Dec 10 22:50:04 via HootSuiteThe NYerNewYorker .bbpBox{background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/profile_background_images/274936185/wallpaper2.jpg) #F2A973;padding:20px;}He’s even grouchier! Lol @DeeDeeLuxe @NewYorker http://t.co/2gLmdc4FMon Dec 12 17:43:19 via Twitter for iPhoneCalamity ChangCalamityChang .bbpBox{background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/images/themes/theme11/bg.gif) #FF6699;padding:20px;}@CalamityChang @NewYorker More like hes working out his own religious issues than critiquing the film. Seems he had a cathartic journey…Tue Dec 13 09:36:32 via webDeeDee LuxeDeeDeeLuxe .bbpBox{background:url(http://a1.twimg.com/images/themes/theme11/bg.gif) #FF6699;padding:20px;}@CalamityChang Hilariously dramatic-Fasbndr lies naked spread-eagled on his bed, nailed to his cross. Brandon Sullivan screws for your sins.Tue Dec 13 10:14:22 via webDeeDee LuxeDeeDeeLuxe Amazing! I cannot wait to see what fallout comes of Denby’s inevitable “We Bought the Zoo, or whatever it’s called” takedown. Does Crystal the Monkey tweet? Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Terrific pix, period

Sketch of the inner sanctum at Britain's intelligence service in 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.'Costumes from 'Anonymous.'Costumes from 'Anonymous.'Madonna's 'W.E.' meticulously re-created the garments worn by Britains high society in the '30s and '40s.Oscar loves period dramas, especially if they're set across the pond, and this year Blighty rules the waves again with four films that together span some 400 years of glorious (and less-than-glorious) English history -- "Anonymous," "W.E.," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "The Iron Lady."Four teams of artists met the challenge of using art direction, costumes and makeup to depict the various eras, and three of the four directors of these films aren't even British: Roland Emmerich, a German, tackled Shakespeare in "Anonymous"; Michigan-born Madonna examined Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson; and Swede Tomas Alfredson re-created Cold War England. Only "Iron Lady" helmer Phyllida Lloyd is a Brit.There's little left of 16th century London, so after extensive research in museums, "Anonymous" production designer Sebastian Krawinkel and his team decided to design and build everything at Babelsberg studios outside Berlin, including the Globe and Rose theaters and "a London street with 14 houses and a muddy road on the backlot, which gave us a lot of control."Costume designer Lisy Christl made 300 costumes for the film. Like Krawinkel, she visited museums, archives and galleries, and talked to historians. When she returned to Babelsberg and began designing, "it was a bit like a puzzle, as I'd take a color from one source, and maybe a sleeve from another, and build something from the different elements." Her biggest hurdle: re-creating the rich embroidery of the Elizabethan era. "You can't do it today, so our workshops in London and Berlin came up with this faux-embroidery, which worked well."For "Spy" production designer Maria Djurkovic, family roots offered a window into the murky world of espionage. "I'm British-born but my mother is Czech, my father half-Russian, half-Montenegrin, so I have very powerful memories of childhood holidays behind the Iron Curtain," she says. To re-create the world of the Cold War, "Tomas and I looked at photographs, visited Churchill's War Rooms and made our own version of '70s mess and clutter." It also helped that she inherited an extensive library of period books and magazines from her grandmother.Her greatest resource was access to "Spy" author David Cornwall (who wrote as John le Carre). He gave detailed descriptions of the practical workings of MI6. "At night all desk drawers were left empty, glass sheets used to write on so that no imprints were left," she says. As for the use of sound-proofing foam in the conference room, "it was a bold visual of my own conceit," she admits, "but made logical sense for the most secret heart of MI6, and the idea got David's full support."To research the glamorous life of the duke and duchess, "W.E." costume designer Arianne Phillips immersed herself in the '30s and '40s, reading "as much as I could about the British monarchy and London society, as well as the haute couture world of Paris," she says. She also studied film clips, visited museums and sought out collectors of vintage clothing and jewelry. "Sotheby's helped us liaise with some of the private owners of pieces famously sold at the auction," she adds, "and talking to Sotheby's employees was extremely helpful for the 1997 story line."After the research, Phillips focused on sourcing vintage fabrics, trims and notions. "It's very important to understand the feel and touch of the real fabric from the time," she says. "Often we're limited to using contemporary fabrics since the vintage ones don't always stand the test of time. We were lucky to be able to see and examine some of the real garments owned by the duke and duchess."Jenny Shircore, makeup and hair on "W.E.," did research by looking at documentaries and contemporary magazines. To get the authentic 1940s look, she had the actors' hair "barbered into the short-back-and-sides style of the day. A light dressing such as Brylcreem was then worked into the hair. It was then parted into a high side or middle break and combed into a neat, controlled ultra-groomed finish."The men were clean-shaven, and Shircore "occasionally applied a moustache or two in the style of Ronald Coleman to accentuate the '40s look." The ladies' make-up was, "a flat powdered look," she says. "Hair was always dressed close to the head, keeping a neat head shape, and either softly curled or shaped into crisp waves along the hairline."Although "The Iron Lady" is set in the more recent past, it still presented challenges for production designer Simon Elliott. "We were blessed with the fact that there's so much archive footage of Margaret Thatcher during her time in office, but as the scope of the film took us from the 1940s through to the 1990s -- with some of the decades only with us for a couple of scenes, it was essential that the audience very quickly have a sense of period," he says.Shooting in central London locations became, "a logistical problem of permission, road closure, and the sheer scale of set dressing," adds Elliott. For one scene illustrating the stranglehold of the unions during a rubbish strike in the '70s, "the only solution was a huge overnight dress with enormous amounts of artificial refuse delivered though the night for a dawn shoot."Eye on the Oscars: Art Direction, Costume Design & Makeup:Terrific pix, period | Paris' palette competes with L.A. duotone | Makeup magic turns Streep to Thatcher | Older crafts rise to the challenge of 3D Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Box Office Report: 'New Year's Eve,' 'The Sitter' Lead Another Soft Weekend

Garry Marshall's star-packed ensemble pic New Year's Eve finished Friday with a tepid $5.1 million, diminishing chances that the movie will open to $20 million. Instead, the movie is looking a $15 million debut.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: 'New Year's Eve' Ringing in the Holiday EarlyBox Office Preview: 'New Year's Eve,' 'The Sitter' Open in Advance of Holiday CrushNew Movie Reviews: 'New Year's Eve,' 'Young Adult,' Madonna's 'W.E.' Hitting Theaters 'Young Adult': What the Critics Are Saying The Warner Bros. and New Line film still came in No. 1 for the day, followed by 20th Century Fox's new R-rated comedy The Sitter with $3.7 million. Headlining Jonah Hill in his first starring role, Sitter is eyeing a $10 million weekend. PHOTOS: 'New Year's Eve' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals New Year's Eve and The Sitter are leading another soft weekend at the domestic box office, which could be down from last year by as much as 8 percent. Heading into the weekend, New Year's Eve had been projected to gross $20 million or higher in its debut. While that's far less than the $72 million bow of Marshall's Valentine's Day over the four-day Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend in 2010, Warner Bros. expects the film to have an especially strong multiple and play through New Year's Day since it's the only holiday romantic comedy. New Year's Eve, which cost $26 million to make, includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Lea Michele, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Hilary Swank and Seth Meyers. PHOTOS: 'Young Adult' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals New Year's Eve received a B+ CinemaScore, while The Sitter, which cost under $25 million to make, received a C+. The two new films knocked The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 1 from its top perch after ruling the box office for three weekends. On Friday, Breaking Dawn placed No. 3, grossing $2.5 million for a domestic cume of $259.3. Disney's The Muppets came in No. 4, grossing an estimated $1.7 million for a North American cume of $60.4 million. Martin Scorsese's Hugo placed No. 5 as it expanded into a total of 2,600 theaters, grossing $1.6 million for a total $28.9 million. Paramount is distributing the film. Sony's holiday day film Arthur Christmas enjoyed a stellar hold, falling only 13 percent on Friday to $1.4 million for a cume of $28.3 million. Fox Searchlight's The Descendants followed with $1.3 million as it upped its theater count to 876 for cume of $20.6 million. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Biggest Box Office Bombs Related Topics Box Office New Year's Eve The Sitter

Cara Loften...Got the Part

Cara Loften...Got the Part Role: Celebrindal, an elf queen in 'Frigg's Oath,' a nonunion short film By Jesse Landberg December 10, 2011 When a role is described as "legendary," the word is often being used figuratively. Unless, of course, that role happens to be in a production steeped in Norse mythologysuch as "Frigg's Oath," a short film in which Cara Loften plays the elf queen Celebrindal."It's my dream to play strong, courageous, even mythical female characters, which is exactly what this film offered," explains an enthusiastic Loften. "I've always loved that big, boisterous character-acting vein, though given my look, I'm not often cast in that area."Loften, who is currently nonunion, submitted herself for the film's title role and was called in to audition shortly thereafter. Despite glowing feedback from the producers, who praised her non-native British accent in particular, she couldn't escape the feeling that she was slightly too young for the matriarchal Frigg. When it came down to a choice between her and one other actor for the role, Loften's suspicions were confirmed. This was not the end of her quest, however, but the start of a different journey."She was supposed to be playing a goddess who was a mother, so her age didn't really work out in the end, but we ended up casting her anyway because we loved her so much," says the film's writer-director, Alia Victor. Loften "is definitely one of those people who can command a lens, so we wrote a role just for her. It was a no-brainer; we just had to get her in the film somehow.""They asked, 'How would you feel if we wrote you your own role?' " says Loften. That character was Celebrindala name that's apparently an elvish approximation of Loften's own. "I was psyched, of course, because I'd wanted to be a part of the project anyway. I don't see how anyone could not want to be a part of it. You're creating your own mold for this character."Her elaborate costume of moss and feathers and intricate tribal face paintwhich will be digitally enhanced in postproductioncould not mask her commitment to the original creation entrusted to her. "Even when the camera was not on her, when we were just setting up or resting in between takes, she was so in character and so commanding," says Victor. "Only when she wrapped her scene did she snap out of it."Since moving to NY City, Loften has trained with Teatro Punto and SITI Company and has been fortunate to find consistent film work since graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2010. Nonetheless, she was surprised to learn that many of the dramatic settings for a nine-kingdom epic like "Frigg's Oath" could be found in the five boroughs. Says Loften, "Who knew there were catacombs in Harlem?"Has Back Stage helped you get cast in the past year? We'd love to tell your story. Be in the weekly column by emailing casting@backstage.com for NY or bswcasting@backstage.com for Los Angeles with "I Got the Part" in the subject line. Cara Loften...Got the Part Role: Celebrindal, an elf queen in 'Frigg's Oath,' a nonunion short film By Jesse Landberg December 10, 2011 When a role is described as "legendary," the word is often being used figuratively. Unless, of course, that role happens to be in a production steeped in Norse mythologysuch as "Frigg's Oath," a short film in which Cara Loften plays the elf queen Celebrindal."It's my dream to play strong, courageous, even mythical female characters, which is exactly what this film offered," explains an enthusiastic Loften. "I've always loved that big, boisterous character-acting vein, though given my look, I'm not often cast in that area."Loften, who is currently nonunion, submitted herself for the film's title role and was called in to audition shortly thereafter. Despite glowing feedback from the producers, who praised her non-native British accent in particular, she couldn't escape the feeling that she was slightly too young for the matriarchal Frigg. When it came down to a choice between her and one other actor for the role, Loften's suspicions were confirmed. This was not the end of her quest, however, but the start of a different journey."She was supposed to be playing a goddess who was a mother, so her age didn't really work out in the end, but we ended up casting her anyway because we loved her so much," says the film's writer-director, Alia Victor. Loften "is definitely one of those people who can command a lens, so we wrote a role just for her. It was a no-brainer; we just had to get her in the film somehow.""They asked, 'How would you feel if we wrote you your own role?' " says Loften. That character was Celebrindala name that's apparently an elvish approximation of Loften's own. "I was psyched, of course, because I'd wanted to be a part of the project anyway. I don't see how anyone could not want to be a part of it. You're creating your own mold for this character."Her elaborate costume of moss and feathers and intricate tribal face paintwhich will be digitally enhanced in postproductioncould not mask her commitment to the original creation entrusted to her. "Even when the camera was not on her, when we were just setting up or resting in between takes, she was so in character and so commanding," says Victor. "Only when she wrapped her scene did she snap out of it."Since moving to NY City, Loften has trained with Teatro Punto and SITI Company and has been fortunate to find consistent film work since graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 2010. Nonetheless, she was surprised to learn that many of the dramatic settings for a nine-kingdom epic like "Frigg's Oath" could be found in the five boroughs. Says Loften, "Who knew there were catacombs in Harlem?"Has Back Stage helped you get cast in the past year? We'd love to tell your story. Be in the weekly column by emailing casting@backstage.com for NY or bswcasting@backstage.com for Los Angeles with "I Got the Part" in the subject line.

Scott Rudin on 'Extremely Noisy and very Close' Waiting Game: 'It's a movie, Not just a Earthworm round the Finish from the Hook'

For Scott Rudin quote aficionados , this can be a banner five days. The brusque super producer began a couple of days by raging NYer film critic David Denby inside an email for damaging the 'Girl While using Dragon Tattoo' embargo. "The needs of playboy cannot trump your word," Rudin written inside an email. "The fact the review is great is immaterial, after i suspect you understand. You've very badly damaged the film that way, which i could not in good conscience invite you to definitely view another movie of mine again." Burn! But it is not only Denby who'll get wrath-y emails from Rudin -- it's the NY Occasions too. With an article about 'Extremely Noisy and very Close' -- the completely new Tom Hanks/Sandra Bullock film that Rudin produced, as well as the last remaining major Academy awards contender to screen for experts and tastemakers this year -- Rudin was asked for about his latest bit of "Oscar bait." "You are able to write what you look for, after i don't especially care," Rudin written inside an email to reporter Brooks Barnes. "It's a movie, not just a earthworm round the finish from the hook." Double burn! You just know Denby is reading through through this at this time around and sniggering to themselves. Whether 'Extremely Noisy and very Close' capitalizes on its positioning becoming an Oscar film is probably of minimal consequence to Rudin. Producer -- who won a Best Picture Oscar in 2007 for 'No Country for Old Men' -- also produced these 'Girl While using Dragon Tattoo' and 'Moneyball,' two other high-profile Academy Award competitors. 'Extremely Noisy and very Close' hits theaters in limited release later this month. [via NYT] [Photo: Warner Bros.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook