Forget any hope of “The Help” winning best picture on Oscar night. The American Cinema Editors (ACE) nominations in nine categories in film, television and documentaries for the ACE Eddie Awards do not include the film. (Nominees are listed below. ) “The Descendants” now adds ACE to its near-perfect guild performance: SAG, PGA, DGA, WGA and ADG. With Oscar nomination ballots handed in, Sunday’s Golden Globes telecast just promotes eventual Oscar nominees, while this announcement provides tea leaves to read. With ten nominees in two categories, drama and comedy, ACE nominees “My Week with Marilyn” and “Young Adult” are unlikely best picture candidates on Oscar nominations morning. And how many nominations will “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “War Horse” and “Bridesmaids” get? Left off altogether are dramas “The Help,” “The Tree of Life,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” I never expected “The Help,” a likely best picture nominee, to score with the craft guilds. It’s an actors picture.
ACE winners will be revealed during their 62nd annual awards show on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, hosted by actor/comedian Patton Oswalt. The editors guild, with its high overlap with the Academy editing branch, is one of the most predictive precursors to the Oscars. No film has won the Oscar for Best Picture without an ACE nomination since “Ordinary People” in 1981. Final Ballots will be mailed on January 23 and voting ends on February 9. Blue Ribbon panels judge all TV categories and the doc film category, while more than 600 ACE members vote for the Eddie winners.
NOMINEES FOR 62nd ANNUAL ACE EDDIE AWARDS
BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
The Descendants
Kevin Tent, A.C.E.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Angus Wall, A.C.E. & Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.
Hugo
Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.
Moneyball
Christopher Tellefsen, A.C.E.
War Horse
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
The Artist
Anne-Sophie Bion & Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids
William Kerr & Michael L. Sale
Midnight in Paris
Alisa Lepselter
My Week with Marilyn
Adam Recht
Young Adult
Dana E. Glauberman, A.C.E.
BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
The Adventures of Tintin
Michael Kahn, A.C.E.
Puss in Boots
Eric Dapkewicz
Rango
Craig Wood, A.C.E.
BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Mister Softee”
Roger Nygard
Curb Your Enthusiasm: “Palestinian Chicken”
Steven Rasch, A.C.E.
Modern Family: “Express Christmas”
Steven Rasch, A.C.E.
BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Breaking Bad: “End Times”
Kelley Dixon
Breaking Bad: “Face Off”
Skip MacDonald
Friday Night Lights: “Always”
Angela M. Catanzaro
The Good Wife: “Real Deal”
Hibah Frisina, A.C.E.
The Walking Dead: “Save the Last One”
Hunter Via, A.C.E.
BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Boardwalk Empire: “To the Lost”
Tim Streeto
Game of Thrones: “Baelor”
Frances Parker, A.C.E.
Homeland: “Pilot”
Jordan Goldman, David Latham
BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
Cinema Verite
Sarah Flack, A.C.E. & Robert Pulcini
Downton Abbey, Episode 1.1
John Wilson, A.C.E.
Mildred Pierce, Part 1
Affonso Gonçalves & Camilla Toniolo
BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY:
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Joe Bini & Maya Hawke
Freedom Riders
Lewis Erskine & Aljernon Tunsil
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
David Tedeschi
BEST EDITED REALITY SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations: “Haiti”
Eric Lasby
Beyond Scared Straight : “Chowchilla”
Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Heather Abell, Audrey Capotosta, Maura Corey, Jeremy Gantz & Molly Shock
Whale Wars: “Race to Save Lives”
Eric Myerson, Pete Ritchie & Josh Crockett
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