The Academy awards coming nearly a month earlier than usual this year (late February instead of late march) brought a certain "freudenschade" (Joy over other people's misery) to Western Europe and an air of gloom to Warsaw. The German newspapers were practically gloating over the fact that all four acting Oscars went to European rather than American performers (UK, France and Spain), whereas the Poles, placing high hopes on Andrzej Wajda's WW II Massacre epic "Katyn", recei...

The Academy awards brought a certain "freudenschade" (Joy over other people's misery) to Western Europe and an air of gloom to Warsaw. The German newspapers were practically gloating over the fact that all four acting Oscars went to European rather than American performers (UK, France and Spain), whereas the Poles, placing high hopes on Andrzej Wajda's WW II Massacre epic "Katyn", received a painful letdown when the Best Foreign film award went to a relatively minor Austrian concentration camp s...

80th Academy Awards Announced CategoriesPerformance by an actor in a leading roleGeorge Clooney in "Michael Clayton" (Warner Bros.)Daniel Day-Lewis in "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)Johnny Depp in "Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)Tommy Lee Jones in "In the Valley of Elah" (Warner Independent)Viggo Mortensen in "Eastern Promises" (Focus Features)Performance by an actor in a supporting roleCasey ...