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Oakland putting the film, its heart throb star Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and seasoned writers Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin in play.
Spielberg's epic War Horse for DreamWorks came thundering down the pike with a huge premiere back at Alice Tully Hall, with posters of Lincoln Center's Tony winning theatrical version and their indelible puppets in the background. Steven paid homage to legends John Ford and David Lean and the country fell in love with a horse named Joey and his 14 stand-ins.
Studios worked their stars to the bone. Ironically, Harvey Weinstein's independent French talent who lived in Paris were not as available as their competitors, therefore Uggie became a superstar igniting a pet war.
Christopher Plummer, who had Best Supporting Actor in the bag promoted his Jack Russell, Cosmo. Diminutive Scorsese was seen on TV on a small couch with his large Doberman, Blackie, drooling on his suit. Spielberg never got a chance to trot out his lead horse Joey, previously seen in Seabiscuit because his ravishing reddish coat was now darkened for another role.
By December, as film critics bestowed their own awards upon many films, Stephen Daldry struggled to finish Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close with a new score. There was buzz Daldry could be editing the winner. Producer Scott Rudin juggled his astounding three films in one year from Daldry, Miller and David Fincher directing Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Daldry has received three consecutive directing nominations. In January, for his fourth film, he received a Best Picture nomination, for a boy's emotional journey dealing with 9/11, and the nine films were officially off and running. Forty-five film and media groups handed out awards leading up to Oscar night.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
My airplane seatmate to LAX was Sony Classics Michael Barker. The night before Woody Allen had shown Michael To Rome With Love, his new film shot in Rome and rumored to be his best. When Woody won the Oscar Sunday night, for a record breaking 23rd overall nomination, he had just finished pasta at Sette Mezzo on Lexington Avenue with art dealer Lorinda Ash and Soon-Yi. He went home and watched the N.B.A. All-Star game. Soon-Yi watched the awards show on a TiVo delay in another room.

[Captions]
Martin Scorcese
Meryl Streep
Lily Collins
Berenice Bejo and Michel Hazanaviciu
Michelle Williams
Princess Charlene and Prince Albert II of Monaco
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie
David and Victoria Beckham

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