Did Murphy bolt?
I’m all for rubbing salt in wounds, but I’m not entirely trusting that story about Eddie Murphy allegedly leaving the Kodak auditorium last night after he didn’t win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. A reader named Michelle wrote about 100 minutes ago that she had heard KTLA movie guy Sam Rubin report about Murphy’s abrupt departure this morning, but I talked to Rubin about 40 minutes ago and he said, “I didn’t talk about that.”
I spoke to a Paramount publicist who was working at the Kodak last night, but said he was doing something else when the Best Supporting Actor Oscar was given to Alan Arkin and that he didn’t notice if Murphy had left the auditorium early or not.
I called Murphy’s publicist, Arnold Robinson of Rogers and Cowan, for a confirmation or denial,. Robinson’s reply (passed along by an office assistant) was, “We don’t know when Murphy left the auditorium” and “We have no comment.” An hour later I spoke to another Paramount publicist who told me it’s not unusual for a star’s publicist to leave the Kodak early if their client hasn’t won, and to therefore not be aware when the client left.
It sounds like Murphy might have left the auditorium early and that no one near him wants to confirm or deny, but it hasn’t been confirmed that Murphy bolted so this is neither here nor there. (Wasn’t Bill Murrray on the verge of leaving when he didn’t win Best Actor for Lost in Translation?)
Fox 411‘s Roger Friedman went with the Murphy-bolted story this morning. No stated sources, no quotes — he just says it happened.
Well, admitting that you have a problem (“I’m all for…”) is the first step on the road to recovery.
But seriously, just stop it. You’re a troll on your own site.
I heard he was seen eating babies outside the Kodak.
Breedlove: Remember that Wells said Snakes on a Plane would have been better had one of the reptiles eaten one of the infants on board.
I don’t know. I suspect that he might’ve left as well. Anyone else notice that there weren’t any shots of Murphy in the telecast after Arkin won. They didn’t even show him when Hudson won or after the onstage performance. During the first half-hour or so, the cameras couldn’t get enough of Murphy.
I believe Bill Murray was joking about leaving when Billy Crystal singled him out from the stage.
Eddie was probably in the bathroom reading the script for Goodmamas.
I wonder if Eddie ran into Lee Tamahori after the show?
Eddie has left the building…
If Murphy was still there, I would’ve thought they would have cut to him during the “Dreamgirls” 3-song medley. But I don’t remember them doing so. Also, given the complete unoriginality of the show’s typical technical direction, I also would’ve thought they would cut to him when Whitaker won (“cue the other black dude!”). But I don’t remember them doing that either.
I believe the story.
Keep these Murphy stories coming in! Jeff–these are the spoils of war…enjoy it. After all, you WERE correct. The reports of Eddie M. being a wretched person to work with and an all around asshole would be verified in spades if he bolted the Kodak Theatre after losing to Arkin. If jeffmcm is so annoyed by these Eddie Murphy postings, STOP READING THEM–don’t waste time out of your busy day to respond. Go read Dave Poland–there has to be some solice for you over there.
Enough about Eddie Murphy, please. The Best Supporting Actor loss I somewhat surprisingly haven’t heard anyone talking about is Peter O’Toole’s.
It’s not that anyone really expected or thought he deserved on the merits to win for such a trivial film. But O’Toole’s face when Arkin’s name was announced was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen on live TV. You could see the sorrow overtaking his frail body, his soul draining out, as if he was now truly at the absolute precipice of his own mortality.
O’Toole worked the awards circuit more than anyone had humanly expected, most certainly at a great deal of physical pain. It didn’t pay off, and no one (probably including O’Toole himself) thought it would. But his Oscar defeat – almost certainly his last from an industry that owes him so much – ought to be viewed as much more of a literal “upset” than what happened to a one-shot, underappreciative nominee like Eddie Murphy.
ROTC–you are correct regarding O’Toole. I wish Forrest Whitaker had made SOME jesture of recognition to O’Toole in his acceptance speech. This was most likely his last hurrah and it truly is sad that he never won (even if this would have been the right award for a wrong role–but hey, Scorsese has directed better movies than the DEPARTED and didn’t win for those).
Snackyx, I will stop complaining about Wells when he stops harping on Murphy. Same rules.
Geez, I’m now actually starting to feel sorry for the guy now! Salt in the wounds? Come on, isn’t that, like, Old Testament wrath! Can’t think of many supporting-actor nominees who’ve deserve that (except for Chill Wills, of course). And certainly not the guy who gave us “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood.”
I can’t be only one who thinks there’s some actual political/spreading-the-wealth-around logic behind Oscar voters’ decisions. THUS: Honor Arkin for his long career (plus, his film isn’t going to win the Big One), and honor Hudson for her stand-out performance in a likable film that isn’t even NOMINATED for the Big One (so how could two supporting Oscars go to THAT film?). Add to that Whitaker being a shoe-in as a black actor who’s going to win big and, well, you get: Hudson, Whitaker, the old white dude in a popular indie. Eddie was destined to lose. Q.E.D.
Plus Wells’ influence, of course.
jeffmcm—its a deal…but just remember–its his website.
Peter O’Toole. Deborah Kerr.
They are the immortals now– the all-time champs for losing the Oscar. (In acting categories, I mean.)
Better to be them than Estelle Parsons, Luise Rainer, Mira Sorvino, George Kennedy….
let eddie be … the AA were so boring that during the last hour I filed my income tax online while watching and didn’t miss anything
I don’t know exactly how the voting breaks down–who gets to vote in which categories– but I figure there can only be one major “sympathy” Oscar per year, and this was Marty’s year, not O’Toole’s. Marty being an also-ran so many times trumps O’toole’s status as same because: “Departed” was major B.O. hit (“Venus” wasn’t) and Marty is an American. I may quote O’Toole’s lines more frequently than I quote from Scorsese movies (“It’s not what he’s eating but what’s eating HIM that makes it… sort of interesting”), but most people I know in the real world have never heard of “The Stunt Man.”
ROTC–you are correct regarding O’Toole. I wish Forrest Whitaker had made SOME jesture of recognition to O’Toole in his acceptance speech. This was most likely his last hurrah and it truly is sad that he never won (even if this would have been the right award for a wrong role–but hey, Scorsese has directed better movies than the DEPARTED and didn’t win for those).
Posted by: snackyx at February 26, 2007 11:51 AM
I’m starting to get a little misty eyed.
We’ll probably be well into the next decade before Murphy makes another film that’s Award-worthy (much less worth discussing).
ROTC: “It’s not that anyone really expected or thought he deserved on the merits to win for such a trivial film.”
Not “anyone”? Speak for yourself. I thought “Venus” was a far less “trivial” film than “Last King of Scotland,” and that O’Toole deserved the win. Nothing against Whitaker, who was great, but playing a madman isn’t any more difficult than what O’Toole did.
Kate Winslet is coming after O’Toole. And what about the sound guy – 19 straight nominations without hardware. He’s probably going to be back next year with Spiderman 3.
Josh Mooney, I didn’t mean to imply that O’Toole deserved some kind of sympathy vote. I’m just saying that the sight of this film legend losing his (likely) final Oscar battle was profoundly sad – and far more worthy of discussion than Eddie Murphy’s no-big-deal loss in the same category.
Chris Willman, point taken and I stand corrected. Change “anyone” to “many people.”
ROTC, o’toole was nominated for best ACTOR, not supporting, so if he looked particularly upset during arkin’s speech, it was more infirmity and your confirmation bias than anything else. also, o’toole has already claimed the most prestigious oscar, and surely knew (as the bloggers and pundits did as well) that he had no shot this year.
David Ehrlich, WHOA! You nailed me. That’s a very unforgiveable brain fart by me as far as the Supporting Actor category is concerned. Great catch, and I stand very humbly corrected.
But the rest of my point I think still stands.
Since when is an honorary award “the most prestigious Oscar”?
It’s true though that Venus is a better movie than Last King of Scotland.
ROTC,
RE: O’Toole. I was using “sympathy vote” in the most general sense, and I regret that now. He may have done better work in the past, but O’Toole also did better work than Whitaker this year, and in the better film. He should have won. “Last King” was massively inept and annoying storytelling (and I really don’t care how much the people of Uganda made it all possible), and for that matter, Whitaker was better in “Ghost Dog.” For starters.
PS– I assumed your “supporting actor” slip was a typo from the get-go. (sigh) It hardly matters now.
(Josh Mooney, I didn’t mean to imply that O’Toole deserved some kind of sympathy vote. I’m just saying that the sight of this film legend losing his (likely) final Oscar battle was profoundly sad – and far more worthy of discussion than Eddie Murphy’s no-big-deal loss in the same category…
Posted by: ROTC at February 26, 2007 12:34 PM)
Memo to those dudes at the la times who think the Acad Awards are “too elitist;” not being elitist enuf probably cost O’Toole the Oscar. Venus is terrific: tough, uncompromising, wrenchingly sad, unsparing in its portrait of ego and art unraveling at the hands of time. It’s no Grumpy Old Men comedy and it’s no May-December romance. The girl’s largely a shallow, manipulative tart and the old man’s only belief is to “give pleasure,” which he knows he’s too old to do. Brilliant, vulnerable, subtle performance. But Forest was histrionic and broad and menacing, rattling the walls with bombast. You could “see him acting.” That’s what is always rewarded. I’ll bet Forest wishes he could take back the moment he strode off the stage without a mention of one of the greatest screen actors of all time in his last Oscar appearance. Let THAT be a lesson…
ROTC, no worries about the brain fart, couldn’t be more insignifcant, but we know jeff (who lashes himself for posting a story a day late) would demand a hand for such a mistake. as far as the honorary award being the most prestigious… i think that it would be far more rewarding to be recognized for an entire body of work than to squeak out an individual trophy because homophobes didn’t watch the gay cowboy film (paul haggis) or because votes were split amongst the superior nominees (melissa etheridge).
jeffmcm wrote: “Since when is an honorary award ‘the most prestigious Oscar’?”
I think the Award that requires a full body of work and that utilizes the ability of hindsight is worth more than something that (theoretically) merely reflects a singular accomplishment.
Since 1990: Sophia Loren, Myrna Loy, Satyajit Ray, Federico Fellini, Deborah Kerr, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Kirk Douglas, Chuck Jones, Michael Kidd, Stanley Donen, Elia Kazan, Andrzej Wajda, Jack Cardiff, Ernest Lehman, Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Peter O’Toole, Blake Edwards, Sidney Lumet, Robert Altman, Ennio Morricone.
Seems like a pretty select list.
Yeah, what David said.
At least Monahan made a mention of O’ Toole when he won Best Adapted Screenplay … too bad he was out of his mind on Valium.
Ask Peter O’Toole which he would rather have: his Honorary Oscar from a couple of years ago or an Oscar won for a particular film and that would be your answer.
I’d rather have an award where I get to beat people in competition, because losing sucks. I think it’s more prestigious to receive a lifetime achievement award that recognizes one’s entire career in perspective.
Peter O’Toole. Deborah Kerr.
They are the immortals now– the all-time champs for losing the Oscar. (In acting categories, I mean.)
Better to be them than Estelle Parsons, Luise Rainer, Mira Sorvino, George Kennedy….
“Sidney Poitier, Robert Redford, Peter O’Toole,”
One of these things is not like the other…
One of these things does not belong…
So, seriously, how long until Lucas gets one of these lifetime acheivement awards, presented to him by Spielberg?
Lucas already has a Thalberg award.
“We’ll probably be well into the next decade before Murphy makes another film that’s Award-worthy (much less worth discussing).”
Don’t bet on it. After this snub, he’s probably gonna spend the rest of his career making more NORBITS.