Oscar Buzz: Mickey Rourke's Dog Good Luck Charm, Kate Winslet and Slumdog Millionaire
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
Feb 20, 2009
Condolences to Mickey Rourke on the loss of his beloved dog, Loki, this week. The Best Actor Oscar nominee recently told us that he considered the chihuahua his good luck charm as well as his pal. "She'll be with me at the Academy Awards. At least her collar will," he said.
Kate a Favorite, Mickey Will Use His Dog's Collar for Luck (Image: WENN)
"It's got her name in diamonds, and I wear it on my wrist everywhere. It will always be there." Mickey, whose rollercoaster life has been well chronicled, also has talked about his dog being there for him when he felt all alone otherwise. He's often taken her along to parties and red carpet events.
THE BIG SCREEN SCENE: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" fans will probably recall that the title character in the romantic comedy, played by Kristen Bell, winds up doing a TV series at the end of the flick, and her costar in it is Jason Bateman in a cameo appearance. Now Bell and Bateman are playing a couple in the just-wrapped "Couples Retreat." Was that planned? "It was completely a coincidence," says Kristen. "I was so excited when they asked Jason to do the cameo and he accepted. It was the second time I'd met him. I thought doing the movie with him was going to be a blast, and it was. I was really looking forward to it. He's constantly quipping funny little bits in your ear. He also does his homework, and he's really good. He's amazing to work with."
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: With the Oscars coming up Sunday (3/22), "Slumdog Millionaire" is the favorite for Best Picture honors, but certainly continues to be the subject of debate. While some, quite surprisingly, are calling the Mumbai-set saga a "feel-good" movie, others are asking how a "feel-good" movie can include a scene of a child getting his eyes burned out. "'City of God' from Brazil about five years ago was a better film, to my mind," one voter who'll remain anonymous told us. "'Slumdog Millionaire' is 'City of God' with mayonnaise and a happy ending on it." Ouch.
Also, Kate Winslet is looking very good indeed for Best Actress, especially in light of her multiple unrequited nominations of the past, and her acclaimed performances in both "The Reader" and "Reservation Road." Academy rules allow only one nomination per performer in a single category, otherwise, many conjecture, Winslet could easily have been up for "Reservation Road" as well as "The Reader."
And though many believe it's a lock for the late Heath Ledger to be posthumously awarded the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his mind-boggling turn as The Joker in "The Dark Knight," we're hearing a lot of sentiment out there amongst Academy voters toward Robert Downey Jr. for his turn as a method actor to the extreme in "Tropic Thunder." As one Academy member put it, "I think Heath Ledger will get it, but I voted for Downey." We'll see.
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