Forums: Oscar Martinez

An American boy based in Indonesia has been selected to play the role of Barack Obama in the upcoming movie about the US president’s childhood in Jakarta. “Obama Anak Menteng” (“Obama The Menteng Kid”) is expected to begin filming this week and rushed into Indonesian cinemas by June 17. The film is based on the novel of the same name, which author Damien Dematra claims to be a true account of “Barry’s” childhood in the Jakarta suburb. He reportedly wrote the novel in just five days after five days of research. Hasan Faruq Ali, selected for the role, told a...

It was an Oscar shocker as Karthryn Bigelow won the 2010 Academy Award for Best Director over James Cameron, and the military film she directed, The Hurt Locker, won the Academy Award for Best Picture instead of Avatar. Not only is this the first time that a woman has won the academy award for Best Director, but this woman beat James Cameron - the man whose last two films, Avatar and Titanic, have grossed more money than any other two films in history. And to top it all off, Kathryn Bigelow happens to be James Cameron's ex-wife ...

Picture Kathryn Bigelow's “The Hurt Locker,” with Jeremy Renner as a bomb-disposal expert in Iraq, opened in July to great praise but was considered a dark horse because of its low budget, lower profile and earlier release date... (cut) The crucial factors may be “The Hurt Locker's” recent victories in two guild awards: It has been honored for best direction and best production. In many years, the Directors Guild winner is a predictor of the best picture Oscar. Of these three, I'm predicting “The Hurt Locker.” If one of the other seven wins, let's say I'll be very surprised. Actor...

The air was crisp with excitement as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of nominees for 2010’s big Oscar Show. We all look forward with inexplicable excitement to that magical night when somewhere between deep probing questions like, “Who are you wearing” and the monotony of watching celebs congratulate themselves over and over and over for their own greatness and earth-changing achievement we (the unwashed masses) are allowed to see who Hollywood thinks is the best of their best.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The scientist in Dr. David Dosa was skeptical when first told that Oscar, an aloof cat kept by a nursing home, regularly predicted patients' deaths by snuggling alongside them in their final hours. Dosa's doubts eroded after he and his colleagues tallied about 50 correct calls made by Oscar over five years, a process he explains in a book released this week, "Making Rounds With Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat." (Hyperion, $23.99) The feline's bizarre talent astounds Dosa, but he finds Oscar's real worth in his fierce insistence on being present when others turn...