Chicago has a rich history of film criticism: the late Gene Siskel, the Chicago Sun Times’ Richard Roeper and, of course, the brilliant and iconic Roger Ebert. For it’s first-ever Oscar picks post, Your Industry Insider turned to our own favorite Chicago-area critic, Danny King of The King Bulletin. When Danny is not busy in his high school classes, he sees every movie that comes out and his blog is equal parts enthusiasm and appreciation for the art form overall and critical assessment of each individual film. We think his Oscar picks reflect both those sides of him and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Best Cinematography

Will Win: Barry Ackroyd, THE HURT LOCKER

Should Win: Christian Berger, THE WHITE RIBBON

This category is a tough one to predict, and by no means is Barry Ackroyd the clear favorite. Mauro Fiore (for AVATAR) is most-likely his strongest adversary, although I just think more people will prefer the gritty, mockumentary style of Ackroyd’s work. Although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Michael Haneke’s THE WHITE RIBBON, I will be the first to admit that Berger’s use of black and white cinematography is a remarkable achievement and is, in fact, the main reason to see the film. I don’t think any other nominee had as much of an impact of their film’s final product than Berger did, and for that reason, he’s the most deserving in the category, in my opinion.

Best Original Screenplay

Will Win: Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Should Win: Quentin Tarantino, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Many are sure to disagree with me, but I truly believe that this is Quentin Tarantino’s most complete screenplay to date. It has a much better all-around story than PULP FICTION and, although it didn’t quite feature the same amount of his signature run-on dialogue, it still had more than enough to please me. Featuring handfuls of languages and subplots, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is a complex, ultimately masterful piece of storytelling. It’s far and away my favorite in the category, and even though Mark Boal has won the lion’s share of this year’s awards for THE HURT LOCKER, I think there’s enough Tarantino love out there to secure him a win.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Will Win: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, UP IN THE AIR

Should Win: Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner, UP IN THE AIR

Nobody writes dialogue as pure and as smooth as Jason Reitman, and his talent is on full-display with UP IN THE AIR. Along with co-writer Sheldon Turner, Reitman continued his unmatched success in creating engaging, multi-layered characters. This fantastic duo has steamrolled through the awards season without any sign of slowing down. Reitman is far too respected and liked to be upset by any of his fellow nominees. He is simply a guy that a lot of people (including me) want to see on that stage.

Best Supporting Actor

Will Win: Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Should Win: Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Christoph Waltz is an unknown Austrian actor (or was, before this breakout performance) who is responsible for creating one of Quentin Tarantino’s most memorable characters to date. He could have won this thing for the film’s opening scene alone, but fortunately for us, he appears throughout the entire movie in the same irresistible form. I can’t think of many actors who could create so many believable layers while playing a Nazi soldier. A lot of credit is obviously due to Tarantino’s screenplay, as the words Waltz is assigned to say are magic in their own right, but I’m not sure anyone else could have brought this character to life with the same effectiveness. Woody Harrelson’s career-best performance in THE MESSENGER is a deserving runner-up in my book. 

Best Supporting Actress

Will Win: Mo’Nique, PRECIOUS

Should Win: Mo’Nique, PRECIOUS

A category with five impressive nominees is nevertheless the one with the biggest standout. Mo’Nique’s revelatory, pulverizing work as the disturbed mother in PRECIOUS is a work of art. Rarely do we see supporting female characters with such intensity and conviction. Over the course of this tremendous film, she delivers two monologues that could rival some of the decade’s best work. The first one is a screaming, barking rant directed towards her daughter, and the second is an intimate, vulnerable confession directed towards the same woman (as well as Mariah Carey’s social worker). For these two scenes alone, Mo’Nique has put herself on the map as a powerful dramatic performer. The UP IN THE AIR ladies — Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga — deserve a mention here, as does Maggie Gyllenhaal for her admirable work alongside Jeff Bridges in CRAZY HEART.

Best Actor

Will Win: Jeff Bridges, CRAZY HEART

Should Win: Colin Firth, A SINGLE MAN

Jeff Bridges’ inevitable Oscar win for his portrayal of “Bad” Blake will be seen as a lifetime achievement award by many, but his work in CRAZY HEART is truly deserving of all of the praise. It may not be his best work ever, but it remains a dazzling, Oscar-worthy performance in every sense of the word. I still think that Colin Firth gave the year’s most impressive all-around performance in A SINGLE MAN, but this is a rare occasion in which I have no problem seeing my personal favorite take a step back. I will be beaming with joy when Bridges finally has that gold statue in his hand. 

Best Actress

Will Win: Sandra Bullock, THE BLIND SIDE

Should Win: Gabourey Sidibe, PRECIOUS

Sandra Bullock is a fine actress, perhaps even an Oscar-worthy one, but to label her work in THE BLIND SIDE as the “Best Actress” of 2009 is stretching it quite a bit. Among the five nominees, only Carey Mulligan can come close to matching the raw power of Gabourey Sidibe’s debut performance in PRECIOUS. The actress does a stunning job conveying the character’s physical attitude, such as the slouched posture and grumbling voice, and she also manages to affect the audience on an emotional level that is unmatched by any other nominee. It is, in my opinion, one of the standout female portrayals of the decade, but for some reason, it is just Bullock’s year.

Best Director

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow, THE HURT LOCKER

Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow, THE HURT LOCKER

I’m not sure I could put it better than fellow nominee Jason Reitman, when he said of Kathryn Bigelow, “The amount of directorial control in THE HURT LOCKER is second to none. She’s going to win, and she deserves to win.” Bigelow created a war film that was unlike any experience I’ve ever had in that genre before. It doesn’t have a single cliché to speak of, and the director’s ability to create suspense is something that few directors can match. Her ex-husband, James Cameron, warrants a mention here (who else really could have made AVATAR?), but Bigelow simply succeeded in creating a more effective and memorable dramatic experience. One must also not forget that Bigelow did in fact with the Directors Guild Award, which is a rock-solid precursor for predicting who will take home Oscar gold. 

Best Picture

Will Win: THE HURT LOCKER

Should Win: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

Best Picture is one of the trickiest categories of the night because it could go to one of three films. Anyone could make a solid, fact-based case for either AVATAR, THE HURT LOCKER, or INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. The reason I’m going with THE HURT LOCKER is simply because the historical facts are on its side, while they are against a film like AVATAR. Without a screenplay or acting nomination — and without an SAG ensemble nod — the chances of AVATAR winning drop drastically. THE HURT LOCKER also won the Producers Guild of America Award which, although not a perfect indicator, is still another sign pointing in the direction of Kathryn Bigelow’s film. Personally, I think INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS is the most complete motion picture of 2009, but THE HURT LOCKER was #2 on my Top Ten list, so you’ll see no complaints from me if THE HURT LOCKER does in fact take home a well-deserved Oscar.

Thanks, Danny. Readers, how do you feel about Danny’s picks? Did he miss the boat on something? Let us know in the comments.

Your Industry Insider originally profiled TV producer Herb Ankrom in mid-2009. He had recently left “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to work with one of the other producers, Denise Cramsey, as she launched a production company. They had just gotten a second season pickup for their first project, “True Beauty.” We wanted to check back in to see what Herb was now up to.

Current Position: I am Executive VP, Production/Senior Producer at DC/TV.

Current Projects: We have four or five series in development being pitched to networks and larger cable channels in the coming weeks and are finishing a feature documentary on breast cancer called “Expedition Inspiration,” which will be making the film festival rounds next year for distribution. We’re also venturing into scripted television, docu-reality (scripted reality), and also feature films. With regard to the last one, we’re finalizing financing on a feature project about a straight man who finds himself married to his gay best friend a week prior to his wedding to a conservative judge’s daughter.

The second season of “True Beauty” will air on ABC this summer. (Editor’s note: It’s a television series in which contestants are competing to see who is truly the most beautiful. They think they are only being tested on outer beauty, though.) This season, Beth Ostrosky Stern and Carson Kressley were part of our judging panel. We’re very excited about how it turned out.

We have also just had an order from NBC for a two-hour pilot for a project called “School Pride” which will be shot in April. The show, which is like “Extreme Home Makeover” for schools, is being produced by Denise Cramsey, Cheryl Hines, and myself, and features us facilitating a community rallying around a school to make it over in whatever ways it needs most, whether it be a new roof and carpeting, a science lab, a library, outfitting the music program, etc. It was inspired by a principal in South Central Los Angeles who got a tennis court donated to her school, among other things. Six months later, when the students were tested, the scholastic scores were up 50 to 60%. It seems that when attention is paid and the school is respected as a valuable commodity in the community, the students pay more attention to their studies. So we’re going to go back to the school we help several months after our makeovers and test the students and see what other changes have resulted.

Several of the questions submitted were from people outside of Los Angeles who wanted to know if it was possible to get a jump on starting their entertainment career before moving to L.A. (”Yes!”) and, if so, how to do it.

My advice included ways to volunteer or get paid in entertainment no matter where you happen to be. (One tip I gave was to contact the local film board where you are – most states and metropolitan areas have them – and either get leads to work on upcoming productions shooting in the area or find out about volunteer or paid opportunities at the film board itself.) I also urged those who aspired to be writers or directors to actually write and shoot shorts or features now, to determine if they really like doing those things and (assuming yes) to have good samples of their work for when they do move here.

Another tip I gave those who are starting their career remotely (which I also give to people in L.A.) is to “find your people.” Outside of LA, this means going to – or creating – meet-ups (through MeetUp.com) related to film, television, music or new media, whatever area in entertainment you are interested in. Your people can also be found by taking a class – improv, singing, writing, etc. You want to be around people with similar aspirations so you can support each other and pursue creative projects together.

I also gave specific guidance to participants about breaking in as a writer, an editor, and an actor, respectively, and covered generally how to build your reel, both for a budding editor outside L.A. and for an experienced cameraman in L.A. who wants to transition into the industry after many years working for the military and the federal governemt.

All in all, I gotta say, it was a lot of ME. I had had the questions submitted in advance so I could make notes on what I was going to say and do any additional industry research, if needed, and decided not to have the call be interactive so I could cover as much ground as possible. But I think for future calls like this, I will have the person who submitted the question read it on the call and be available for follow-up from me and any related questions they might have.

The feedback I have received thus far has reflected the desire for more interaction, but also has been very positive, which is gratifying. One participant emailed me after the call to say he had already found his local film board on line and left a message to get more information. Some of the people who submitted questions also mentioned in emails that they’d gotten a lot out of the answers to other people’s questions in addition to their own.

I am looking forward to doing another one of these calls in March. For those who are interested, see below how you can get a jump on signing up when the time comes!

*Space was limited and offered to Mogul Mindset eBlast subscribers first, then YII blog subscribers, then the general readership, aka “those who can’t commit.” If you’re interested in participating in the next one (in March), might want to sign up for MMs or subscribe to YII so you can be sure to secure your place and get your burning entertainment career questions answered.

The MediaShift blog bills itself as “Your Guide to the Digital Media Revolution” and, I have to say, no matter who you are, it most likely will live up to the name. Created and maintained by PBS, MediaShift does an extremely thorough job of tracking new media’s effect on society and culture.

There are sections devoted to “Legacy Media” (newspapers, radio, TV, books), “Business” (content related to how business models, advertising, marketing, and PR are evolving), “Social Media,” “Global View,” “Culture,” “Education,” and “Embeds” (“first hand reports from newspapers, TV, radio, and journalism schools”).

Within each of these sections, a wide variety of writers with backgrounds in the educational field and in the “real world” report on their areas of expertise. Included in this impressive lineup (within the “Culture” section) ’s YII Inside Scoop profile subject Jason Feinberg (click here to read that post) covering “MusicShift,” most recently with this insightful post, “The Year in Digital Music and Predictions for 2010.”

My only complaint with MediaShift is that, even with it’s individual sections, it’s cumbersome to try and keep up with. I guess that’s the trouble with covering a ‘revolution’ – there are a lot of threads to follow. My advice (which I have to follow myself) is to pick a few particularly interesting writers and/or relevant areas to keep up with and leave all the rest to sort out when things calm down in the digital media world. Whenever that might be.

From IndyMogul.com…

(Okay, to clarify, this isn’t technically a contest, it’s an open audition, which is pretty cool considering the opportunity being given.)

Erik Beck, the cool and kooky host of IndyMogul’s signature low budget special effects show, Backyard FX, is vacating his role there and they are looking for a new host.

It’s a great opportunity for someone with a ton of personality and know-how to inherit an immediate following, be seen, network, and, of course, further develop and then demonstrate their low budget filmmaking chops. Plus, you can be ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD to do this job! Details here.

(And here is our original post on the IndyMogul site.)

From MassAnimation.com…

This is a bonafide contest but this one is actually for filmmakers with animation skills. It’s an opportunity to work with the iconic DC Comics characters, some of the coolest heroes and villians in the history of comics, such as Batman and The Joker, to create trailers for the DC Universe Online currently in development at Sony Online Entertainment.

Click here to go to the video explaining how the contest works. (They also need people to vote on the submissions so animation fans who are not artists can participate, too.)

We here at Your Industry Insider HQ took some time over the holidays to reflect on 2009- our first year in business, as it were. How well did we deliver on our core objective? What worked and what didn’t? What do we want to do differently in 2010?

2009: The Year in Review

Our tagline is “Your Guide to Breaking In, Moving Up, and Making It in Entertainment” and our core objective is to educate and inspire (and entertain!) people interested in (or just starting out) working in entertainment.

Toward that end, we provided profiles of successful professionals working in all areas of the industry and stories of people working toward success in their area. We highlighted resources (written and otherwise, online and off), pointed out opportunities for aspiring entertainment superstars to break in/impress, taught pop culture lessons and real-world lessons to help our readers avoid some rookie mistakes on their own path.

During 2009, we also realized the blog alone wasn’t enough. There were readers who wanted more. More contact, more direction. (And, in truth, we wanted more contact with our core readers, too!) Thus, the Mogul Mindset eBlasts were born. Two or three times a week, subscribers to the MM eBlasts get short emails designed to convey bite-sized entertainment industry lessons/food for thought (pun intended) and provide a related call to action. Also included is a feature called “Don’t Be That Person” about actual missteps made by people climbing the ladder (so the savvy MM reader can avoid making the same mistakes), and the opportunity for subscribers to ask and get answers to their entertainment career questions.

The MM eBlasts got a great response and more people are subscribing daily. (To be one of them, go to the top right corner of our homepage. Enter your name and email address and consider yourself IN! You also get a free Mogul Mindset e-course!)

What’s New In 2010?

One thing we started part of the way through 2009 that will not continue is theme months. We focused on the music business one month, actors and acting during another. Though people interested in those areas liked the concentration of information, those NOT interested in those areas were left out in the cold. So, we are on permanent shuffle from now on. You never know what you’re going to get from one post to the next. (The only possible exception is if we profile several people working in different positions on the same TV program or film- such as an actor, a writer, a script supervisor, and a production designer- we are working on some very exciting possibilities in that area.) 

This year, we are doing our first FREE “entertainment career strategy” teleseminar. Participants are getting their career questions answers. (It’s January 26th. There are still a few spots left. Get more info here.)

Later in the year, look for the launch of YII products, the first of which will be an ebook entitled, “Dream Jobs, Day Jobs, & Career Jobs: YII’s Roadmap to Working in Entertainment.” (Preorder is coming soon for subscribers to the Mogul Mindset eBlasts. Earlybirds will get free bonuses!)

In the meantime, we have recently added writing and career consulting services to our offerings. If this sounds like something you want more information about, visit the “Events & Programs” and “Writing Services” pages, which can be accessed along the top of the YII site. (Note: Jenny has been doing these through a separate company for several years now- this is just bringing them over and offering them to YII readers.)

Your time in valuable. If you are a student, you have classes to take, studying for tests, texting, Facebooking, Twittering… and dare I say it, a social life. If you are a recent or not-so-recent grad, you either have a job or are diligently looking for a job, and texting, Facebooking, Twittering… the aforementioned social life, perhaps.

But if you are interested in the entertainment industry, YII is where you can find out about the options available to you and get insider info to help you get where you want to go. Not just the aspiring directors, actors, writers, musicians, production or costume designers or other creative peole out there, though we have plenty for them.

The industry is vast and there are opportunities for people with all kinds of skills and passions. The CFO-in-the-making, the guy or gal who wants to get into the talent agency mailroom trainee program (and there are a shocking amount of people who want to work in the mailroom at a talent agency), those who dream of being a production executive at a film studio… There is information for everyone here.

And if you don’t see what you are looking for, just ask. After all, this is YOUR guide to breaking in, moving up, and making it in entertainment.

There are still a few spaces open for the FREE one-hour “Entertainment Career Strategy” teleseminar on January 26th at 8pm EST/5pm PST.  The call is limited to 20 participants and subscribers to YII’s Mogul Mind eblasts (who always get special opportunities and bonus offers from YII) were given first crack at signing up to get expert entertainment industry career advice.

Here’s how it will work: Participants will email questions about their entertainment career goals in advance and, during the call, they will be provided with concrete, proven strategies and career paths to achieve them. 

You might remember our favorite DJ/JD Erin Jacobson from this “Making It Happen” profile a few months ago. Well, Erin let us know recently that she passed the California State Bar Exam. Congratulations, Erin! You can visit her website to get the latest Electric Effect podcast or find out more about her budding legal career.

The Third Screen Festival which we profiled here in April is now accepting submissions for the 2009 – 2010 competition. To find out more, visit their website. (Also, please note that Stephan Fleet, the excellent VFX artist/supervisor we just profiled here, is one of the judges this year!)

Hollywood can be challenging for those who are just starting out when they have no connections and no insider information. Actors without representation or notable credits often turn to background acting to get connections, experience, and a little money. Others who want to be in the industry and on camera but without further acting aspirations pursue background acting as a profession.

The good news is that this path can actually turn into a valid way to make a living for those with the chops and the savvy to survive on a professional set. But because background work is so sought after and it can be difficult to break in, unscrupulous individuals have created various ways to make money preying on eager newbies who think they are getting a way in.

That’s why the Background Actors blogsite  is so valuable to the community. Creator and Managing Editor Lary Crews has created a place for those who are just starting out to get the dos and don’ts of background acting, as well as finding out about popular scams to avoid. Tips on breaking in, surviving, and even thirving as a background actor can be found on this site. Check it out!

As a rule, we here at YII trust whatever our readers tell us, but we find it hard to believe that Danny King of “The King Bulletin” is a high school student. The amount of effort he puts into his site, not to mention the maturity of his critical voice, bespeak an older person.

However, let’s be clear, we love that his viewpoint is untainted by film school or working in the biz. His writing is fresh, articulate, and sometimes surprising. He gives you an opportunity to experience the films he writes about in a new way, even if you have seen them several times and/or saw them long ago. He reminds you that film is forever and the great ones echo far into the future.

We reached out to Danny to ask him about what sparked in him the passion for film. He said, “For me it was THE DARK NIGHT. I saw it on opening night in IMAX and it was simply one of the best experiences of my life. Sitting in that packed theater with everyone mesmerized by the film, it was the coolest thing ever. I saw the film about 5 or 6 times in theaters and I just knew that was something special. I felt almost immediately that this is what I wanted to do, to make people feel exhilarated and mesmerized by a movie.”

He also told us that even before he subscribed to YII’s Mogul Mindset eBlasts, he was doing some of the  things we recommend for those of any age seeking or pursuing a career in the entertainment industry, such as reaching out to the people whose work he admires. (You can bet Christopher Nolan, director of THE DARK KNIGHT, is one of those he’s contacted. You’ll have to read The King Report to figure out who else is on that list.)

Our only complaint about Danny is that he hasn’t yet shot any of the short film scripts he’s been working on so we haven’t gotten a chance to hear his true voice when he is the one behind the camera. In the meantime, we’ll have to satisfy ourselves by reading The King Bulletin. And if you love movies, we recommend that you do, too!