EXCLUSIVE

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the American rights to “All Good Things,” the first dramatic feature from Andrew Jarecki, director of the award-winning documentary “Capturing the Friedmans” (2003).

The independent distributor plans to release the fact-based murder mystery/love story in December, and says it will push the film for Oscar consideration.

Jarecki and financier Groundswell Productions initially had planned to release “All Good Things” through the Weinstein Co., but Jarecki and the cash-strapped distributor disagreed about the film’s domestic release strategy. Earlier this year, Jarecki bought the domestic “All Good Things” rights back from the Weinstein Co., which will still handle the film internationally and is currently selling foreign territories.

Starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, the film is loosely adapted from the real life story of real estate heir Robert Durst, who was linked to the disappearances and deaths of three people, including an elderly Texas neighbor whose body he admitted hacking up.

“Because it is impossible to know exactly what happened, we have not tried to replicate the history of the case, but to capture the emotion and complexity of this unsolved mystery that has for years been kept hidden from public view," Jarecki said.

Among those interested in buying the film were Roadside Attractions and Focus Features.

“It’s an absolutely fascinating story and the performances are tremendous as well,” says Magnolia’s Eammon Bowles. He said like “Capturing the Friedmans,” about a child molestation case, “All Good Things” is much more complex than a simple synopsis would suggest.

“The real focus is on the relationship” between the fictionalized Durst (Gosling) and his wife (Dunst), who vanished without a trace, Bowles said. “That’s the core of the story.”

To make sure that the film would be eligible for the Academy Awards, “All Good Things” was given a token (and not publicized) theatrical release in July, so that it wouldn’t be disqualified if it were otherwise to premiere in some overseas territory.

— John Horn

Photo of Kirsten Dunst and Ryan Gosling in "All Good Things": Magnolia Pictures. 

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Studios these days are so eager to get a jump on awards season that it certainly won't be long before consultants start the campaign for one season's movies before the previous season ends.

Over the last few years, the race to be first has crept earlier; the first screeners, for instance, now frequently go out as early as September. It hasn't always worked -- in 2007, Fox Searchlight sent out a September package with  "The Namesake," "Once" and "Waitress," and generated exactly one Oscar nomination -- but the perception is that getting out first can establish a film, especially if that film is something of an underdog. And so awards creep continues.

We've been blissfully free of 2011 Oscar talk so far. But with agenda-setting festivals in Telluride, Toronto and Venice just a few weeks away, that won't be the case for long. And although mid-August is still far too early to start seriously handicapping the race, it's not too early, apparently, for rumblings to start from a campaign itself.

Or at least so believe the consultants working on "Get Low," the Robert Duvall-Bill Murray black comedy about a living man's funeral, who have begun putting out the word they will be handling the movie during awards season. "I'm surely not looking to scare anyone," went the beginning of an e-mail we received earlier this week, before going on to do just that. (Well, telling us they'd be working on the film. But it was a little scary).

In a sense there's little that a quirky underdog like "Get Low" has to lose with an early flier. The movie hasn't been high on most pundits' radars, so trying to establish it as an awards candidate with an e-mail like this can only get the film more attention, especially as the Sony Pictures Classics title  widens its release.  (The movie went from four to 26 theaters last weekend, its second in release, grossing about $8,000 per screen.) Campaigning for the heavier awards-season favorites -- movies such as "The Social Network" "Miral" and "Never Let Me Go" -- can begin later, when pundits are paying closer attention.

But though there's a logic to studios getting people to notice the smaller movies now, before they're too tired to notice, there's a downside for the rest of us. If we're starting to feel the effects of studio strategizing now, we can only wonder how fatigued we'll feel when the real campaigning starts.

--Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Oscar statuettes. Credit: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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New Oscar producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer are, as we type, combing through a wide range of candidates to host this year's telecast. But after last night's ESPYs, there is a new high standard to live up to.

The ESPYs? High standards?

If you're one of the 308.9 million Americans who didn't watch the annual ESPN self-congratulatory highlight reel awards show Wednesday night, you actually missed something funny. Well, at least a few funny things.

Subversive hasn't been a trait one associates with ESPN's ode to sports and itself, but host Seth Meyers came out firing at this year's show, in which the telecast returned to a live format. In his opening monologue, the "Saturday Night Live" personality and chief writer took aim at more than a few sacred cows, mocking one of ESPN's most profitable sports franchises ("give it up for Tiger Woods -- if you haven't already") in a way you rarely see anyone do on the network.

And Meyers ripped off some generally good lines. ("This is where sports and entertainment come together. It's like a Kardashian sister's bedroom," he said even as the camera cut to one of said sisters' exes, Reggie Bush.) And most notably, Meyers took aim at the network for its choice to air  "a super-boring hour of television" with the LeBron James decision special. ("Did it really need to be an hour? Look, somebody time me. Ready? 'Miami.' What was that, a second?")

Tweaking the institution you're there to celebrate doesn't always play well at an awards show -- see: Jon Stewart's Oscar hosting in 2006 -- but Meyers' bits worked because he punctured the self-seriousness that can afflict programs such as the ESPYs and the Oscars.

Meyers also brought in many of his own writers from "SNL" (the ratio of house writers and host ones on the ESPYs can vary; this one tilted more toward the host), a variable that will hopefully be a consideration when Mischer and Cohen make their hiring choice. There are plenty of well-known comedic personalities out there, but the ones who come with a strong writing team are fewer and further between. As for the host, it doesn't necessarily have to be Meyers -- though, come to think of it, you could do worse than a comedian with the ability to pull off some pretty sharp topical jokes and carry a large room in the process. (And yes, he'd do better than Betty White).

Speaking of the ESPYs and the movies, one of the more inspired bits of the night came when Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, stars of this month's "Dinner for Schmucks,' riffed on the James decision with an extended off-stage interview in which Carell deadpanned to Rudd that he had come to his own decision (that he was leaving Chili's for Outback Steakhouse).

Paramount didn't pay for the piece -- and the movie, consequently, wasn't really flogged -- but the sketch did get audiences to see the pair's chemistry and at least subliminally think about the two of them together. And compared to the shameless promos at the MTV Movie Awards, the ESPYs bit was downright subtle. There are, it tuns out, puffy awards shows that the Oscars can take its cues from.

-- Steven Zeitchik
http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Seth Meyers during his ESPYs opening monologue. Credit: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

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It may still be early for newly anointed Oscars director-producer Don Mischer to know exactly what kind of show he and fellow producer Bruce Cohen will stage.

But one thing Mischer knows for certain -- contrary to reports, the Oscars definitely will not move from Feb. 27 to January this year. And Betty White likely will be involved in the telecast (but perhaps not as host).

Earlier today, we caught up with Mischer, who as a producer of a live television event has a job akin to rustling a giant herd of unpredictable cattle (while 20 or 30 million people watch your every lasso).

You've produced so many big events that in some ways this must just feel like another assignment. Does it feel different to you?

When you work overseas, as I have sometimes, you understand how the Oscars are a world event, and that increases the expectations. The Oscars is one of the few shows that are appointment television. It’s also a marriage of film and television, so the expectations are higher because of that. And there’s a lot to consider. First and foremost we have to honor the standards of the academy. We also have to do something that expands the interest of viewers, but without jeopardizing the first thing. There’s a tradition you need to uphold. A show like the Oscars cannot be entirely ratings-driven.

There’s always talk about how the formula can be changed. What kind of changes are you looking at?

It’s still a little early for that. I’m taking a stack of shows home this weekend. I’m going to do a content analysis of what’s worked and what hasn’t the past 10 years, how you can expand and make it all more appealing. There are a lot of things you hear from the people in the business. You hear things like "ratings fall off when songs are sung." We hear the same about dance numbers. But we want to see if that’s true. And we have the benefit of going back and studying minute-by-minute ratings, which we’re going to do.

Oscar producers are usually treated as the primary factor in a show's popularity. But so many things are out of your control. How much do you feel you can do to influence ratings?

The two things that make a show successful is how familiar your nominees are, and what people say if they're fortunate enough to win. And neither of those things you can control. But there are things we can control. We can broaden the motion pictures and include the work of films that haven't been nominated. And when you do a show like this you have historical elements, and so you have the opportunity to do great things with the films from the past.

There have been some reports that the board of governors is considering a move to January for this year. Is that something you’ve been apprised of?

When I read that in Nikki Finke’s column I was completely surprised. I do know that it would not be happening for the show we’re doing. If you want to make that kind of change you have to plan for that a year and a half in advance. I understand why the academy might want to consider it. But it’s not going to change anything this year.

Some people would look at this job and say it’s just too much pressure, and the only time anyone notices you is when something goes wrong. What’s the appeal for you?

There’s no question we feel the pressure, Some people say we’re addicted, or we’re stress junkies. Maybe we are. There’s nothing like that feeling that the clock is ticking down and you’re sitting in the truck, and then suddenly it’s time, and everybody gets quiet. That’s when I get calm. I’m much more uptight two weeks ahead of time when I feel we’re not on top of everything, when a major presenter can drop out or a piece of film isn’t ready.

Do you ever have nightmares about all the things that could go wrong at an event you’re producing?

Right before the Prince halftime show (at the 2009 Super Bowl) we were dreading rain, and I was terribly afraid. I had dreams the night before that it would rain, and his two dancers, called the Twinz, in their 8-inch-high heels would fall over. Would we cut to a wide shot? Bring out a stretcher? You worry about all that. You worry about everything. You worry about earthquakes.

Probably the most scrutiny Oscar producers get is over host. How much thought have you given to that aspect?

It's the No. 1 priority. We're going to start discussions on Monday. All options are open. And I'm sure we’ll get a big push for Betty White. I can feel it coming.

Would you take her?

"I think she'd be great in some capacity. [Laughs.] I don't know if she'd want to host the whole show."

-- Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Betty White at the MTV Movie Awards, with Bradley Cooper looking on. Credit: Christopher Polk / Getty Images

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The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is marrying two distinct strands of producer for this year's Oscar telecast: veteran film producer Bruce Cohen and live-event television guru Don Mischer.

The academy said today that the pair has been hired to produce the 83rd Oscars, which ABC will air on Feb. 27. The hiring marks the first time in recent memory that a TV producer will shape one of the country’s most-watched telecasts.

Mischer has produced numerous half-time events as well as a broadcast of the Barack Obama inauguration, and is regarded as one of the preeminent producers of live-event television.

In bringing on Cohen, meanwhile, the Academy continues its tradition of retaining a savvy veteran of both the film world and the Oscars – a move regarded as essential in placating the powerful and at times demanding constituencies that attend the awards show.

Cohen himself has also stood on the Oscar podium as a best picture winner (for “American Beauty,” in 2000), an experience he says he hopes to draw from as a producer. "The electricity that courses through your body when you sit in the room as a nominee, not to mention when you win, is one of the key things we want to convey to the audience at home," Cohen said in an interview.

In making the choice, the academy continues a relationship it had been developing with the pair, which it hired last year to produce the (far lower-profile) Governor Awards, which are held in November.

Producers for the Oscar generally dictate the tone of the telecast, although the pressure has been lifted somewhat since ratings bounced back at the 2009 show under producers Bill Condon and Laurence Mark.

[UPDATED -- 7:32 PM Still, many will look to Cohen and Mischer for clues as to how this year’s telecast will unfold. On Tuesday, Cohen said he expects to continue some of the recent traditions – such as using previous acting winners to present the new winners – and also doesn’t want to shy away from 82 years of Oscar history. “We want to work with that mythology and the treasure trove of the show,” he said.

But he also added that he and Mischer -- the latter of whom will also direct the telecast -- will  strive to satisfy many different types of film fans, which has been something of a battle cry among more populist critics of the Oscars. “The idea is to create a show that will appeal to movie lovers of all kinds – something for the drama people, something for the musical people, something for the tentpole people,” he said.

Fueled by the presence of hit movies like “Avatar” and “The Blind Side,” last year’s Oscars telecast was seen by an estimated 41.3 million people, the highest number in five years. Cohen said that he expects there to again be 10 best picture nominees this year, which he said will help notch high ratings. ““The more there is to celebrate, the more you can broaden the audience.”]

--Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT

Photo: Steve Martin, Kathryn Bigelow and Alec Baldwin at the 2009 Oscars. Credit: Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times

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