The Alien-Loving Producers Guild

The Producers Guild of America announced their motion picture nominations today and there’s something for everyone whether you like war films, science fiction, unimaginative triumph-of-the-spirit exercizes, comedies, contemporary dramas or toons. The award is named after Darryl F. Zanuck who himself could claim to have brought a little something for everyone to the screens over his seemingly everlasting career (all the way from the silent era to the early 70s)

the nominees
AVATAR James Cameron & Jon Landau
DISTRICT 9 Carolynne Cunningham & Peter Jackson
AN EDUCATION Finola Dwyer & Amanda Posey
THE HURT LOCKER tba
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS Lawrence Bender
INVICTUS Clint Eastwood, Rob Lorenz, Lori McCreary & Mace Neufeld
PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE Lee Daniels, Gary Magness & Sarah Siegel-Magness
STAR TREK J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
UP Jonas Rivera
UP IN THE AIR tba

The PGA has always swung more populist in their nominations than Oscar so, despite what you'll read elsewhere, don’t expect all three of their science fiction nominees to transfer to Oscar’s top ten. People are so excitable. You know they'll start saying it.

Though this guild may be making a devout effort to supress the Academy’s science fiction allergies history doesn't suggest that Oscar will budge much. Unless I've made an accounting error (possible) only 3 sci-fi films have ever been nominated for Best Picture: E.T. The Extra Terrestrial(1982) and Star Wars (1977) and A Clockwork Orange (1971). Nope... Close Encounters, Blade Runner, and 2001: A Space Odyssey (among other sci-fi classics) were passed over. Look it up! It's arguably the Academy's least favorite genre -- fantasy and even horror seem easier to find in their archives.

Even with their animated nominees the PGA tilted sci-fi embracing the otherwise shunned "9" (which hasn't been racking up the raves or the pre-season honors) in their field of five. The other nominees are expected Oscar favorites: Coraline, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog and Up.
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