"Jai Ho!", the Oscar-winning best song from "Slumdog Millionaire" and 'slumdog', the term used to describe the boy from the slums of Mumbai who became a millionaire, have been named top 'HollyWORDs' of 2008.
"Jai Ho! - literally 'Let there be Victory' in Hindi" - and 'Slumdog' - "Definitely a politically incorrect term for young slum-dwellers in Bombay (Mumbai)", top the list of words from Hollywood that most influenced the English language in 2008, according to the 6th Annual Survey by the Global Language Monitor.
The language monitoring group, which uses an algorithm to track the frequency of words and phrases in the world's print and electronic media, noted Thursday it was the first time that two words from the same movie were ranked in the Top Ten.
"2008 was a remarkable year for words in films, with a Hindi phrase, the name of a Laotian tribe, a West African drum, and a modified quotation from Frederick Nietzsche all making the list," said Paul J.J. Payack, President and Chief Word Analyst of the Global Language Monitor.
Closely following were 'Hmong' from "Gran Torino", 'Nuke the Fridge' from "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull" and 'Twinkie defense', which followed the events depicted in "Milk".
Rounding out the Top Ten were: 'Djembe' (The Visitor), "There are no coincidences" (Kung Fu Panda), "What doesn't kill you makes you...stranger," (The Dark Knight), Posthumous (The Wrestler), and Katrina from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
This is how the group described the other Top Hollywords:
3. Nuke the Fridge (Indiana Jones and the...) - Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast in a lead-lined fridge is viewed as proof that the franchise has run its course.
4. Hmong (Gran Torino) - The name of the mountain-dwelling peoples of Laos who were US allies in the Indochinese Wars of the 1960-70s.
5. Twinkie Defense (Milk) - The apocryphal outcome of the 1979 trial of Dan White. The term was never actually used in the trial but was picked up in the media as a stand-in for 'diminished capacity'.
6. Djembe (The Visitor) - West African percussion instrument that Tarek teaches Walter.
7. There are no coincidences (Kung Fu Panda) - Oogway's solemn pronouncement to Master Shifu.
8. What doesn't kill you makes you...stranger (The Dark Knight) - The Joker's twist on the famous Nietzsche epigram.
9. Posthumous (The Wrestler) - Yes, that really was Mickey Rourke as a Best Actor nominee, well after he had been pronounced dead many a time.
10. Katrina (Benjamin Button) - The ominous and pervasive threat of Katrina framing the movie demonstrates the depth to which the hurricane has penetrated the American subconscious.
British filmmaker Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches Bollywood style musical “Slumdog Millionaire” has finally brought the elusive and coveted Oscar dream within grabbing distance of India - with music maestro A.R. Rahman nominated for three Oscars in the main category.
The film has got 10 nominations, of which three are for the film's music - one for best original score and two for the best original songs - “Jai ho” and “O saya”, for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. The lyrics of 'Jai ho' have been penned by noted lyricist Gulzar.
Other nominations include for best motion picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best film editing, best sound editing, best sound mixing and best cinematography. The winners will be announced Feb 22 at Kodak Theatre here.
“The nominations have given me a great feeling. My inspiration to compose the music was the movie, its thought and the message in the film," said an ecstatic Rahman after receiving news of the nominations in Chennai. He had won the Golden Globe for the best original score for the movie.
"Slumdog Millionaire", which is based on diplomat Vikas Swarup's novel "Q & A", is a moving tale of a slum boy's win at a TV reality show. Apart from Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan and Freida Pinto, the film stars British-Indian debutant Dev Patel.
Releasing Friday in India, the movie has already raked in $43 million at the US box office and jumped itself back to the US Top 10.
The movie ends in the trademark Bollywood musical style with a joyous song called “Jai ho”, which has won much applause from Western critics.
Renowned film critic Ty Burr from The Boston Globe raved about the end sequence.
“The Bollywood dance scene that explodes under the closing credits feels both incongruous and earned: Young India kicking up its heels. You may even feel like dancing in the aisles yourself,” he said.
Rahman's composition has appealed to other international critics as well.
Lauding 'Slumdog…”'s music, Mal Vincnet from The Virginian-Post had said: “A festive musical score by A.R. Rahman, complete with a best-song candidate in the lively 'Jai Ho' Bollywood finale, and you have a film that is as engaging to listen to as it is to watch.”
Michael Sragow from The Baltimore Sun said: "Boyle brings down the curtain with a musical number that registers as a gift from movie heaven. He breaks your heart, then heels it - and sends you out with a song."
The movie triumphed at various awards across the globe. Screen Actors Guild Awards, London Critics Circle Award, New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Satellite Awards, Toronto Film Festival, British Independent Film Award - to name a few.
The major win was at the Golden Globes, considered to be a precursor to the Oscars.
"We were not expecting so much at all. We were hoping...but 10 nominations is so unreal! And A.R. Rahman has made a wonderful track record. He totally deserves the three nominations and has made the country proud. Without his music, 'Slumdog…' wouldn't have been the same," Freida told IANS.
In the Oscar run, Brad Pitt starrer reverse-ageing drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" leads the race with 13 nominations.
The runners-up are "Batman Begins" sequel "The Dark Knight" and Elliot Graham's biopic on San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk "Milk" - receiving eight nominations each.
While Sean Penn got nominated as best actor in a leading role category, Josh Brolin has received the best actor nomination in a supporting role for "Milk".
Late Australian actor Heath Ledger received the highly anticipated posthumous nomination for the best supporting actor for his performance as the iconic villain The Joker in "The Dark Knight".
Veteran actress Meryl Streep received her 15th nomination at the Oscars for "Doubt", alongside British actress Kate Winslet for best actress in Stephen Daldry's "The Reader".
"The Reader" and "Doubt" in all have received five nominations each.
FEATURE FILMS WITH TWO OR MORE NOMINATIONS -
| Picture | Distribution Company | Nominations |
|---|---|---|
| "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" | Paramount and Warner Bros. | 13 |
| "Slumdog Millionaire" | Fox Searchlight | 10 |
| "The Dark Knight" | Warner Bros. | 8 |
| "Milk" | Focus Features | 8 |
| "WALL-E" | Walt Disney | 6 |
| "Doubt" | Miramax | 5 |
| "Frost/Nixon" | Universal | 5 |
| "The Reader" | The Weinstein Company | 5 |
| "Changeling" | Universal | 3 |
| "Revolutionary Road" | DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage | 3 |
| "The Duchess" | Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films | 2 |
| "Frozen River" | Sony Pictures Classics | 2 |
| "Iron Man" | Paramount and Marvel Entertainment | 2 |
| "Wanted" | Universal | 2 |
| "The Wrestler" | Fox Searchlight | 2 |
OSCARS: 10 nominations for "Slumdog Millionaire"
"Slumdog Millionaire"
* Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
* Best Director: Danny Boyle
* Adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy
* Original score: A.R. Rahman
* Original song: "Jai Ho" - A.R. Rahman
* Original song: "O Saya" - A.R. Rahman and MIA (only three nominations in this category. "Down to Earth" from "Wall-E" was the third)
* Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle
* Film editing: Chris Dickens
* Sound editing: Tom Sayers
* Sound mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty
Oscars announced on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, 8 pm ET; 5 pm Hollywood time; 6:30 am Monday Bollywood time.
What makes the nominations even more significant is that the film was not recognized in any of the acting categories (I was really hoping Dev Patel would have received a nod along with Heath Ledger). This is a little film with no recognizable actors (at least for Hollywood) and yet the Academy chose to give the film 10 nods, including the major categories -- best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay, best editing and best score.
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," a drama in which Brad Pitt plays a man who ages backward, led the field of Oscar contenders with 13 nominations, organizers said on Thursday (January 22).
"Slumdog Millionaire," the tale of an impoverished orphan's improbable victory on an Indian television game show, followed with 10, while the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" and the gay-rights saga "Milk" each landed eight. "Benjamin Button," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Milk" will vie for best picture at the 81st annual Academy Awards on February 22, alongside "The Reader" and "Frost/Nixon."
The nominations for "Benjamin Button" included best actor for Pitt, best director for David Fincher, best supporting actress for Taraji P Henson and best adapted screenplay. As expected, late Australian actor Heath Ledger was nominated for his supporting role as the villainous Joker in "The Dark Knight."
Ledger died of an accidental prescription-pill overdose exactly a year ago, at the age of 28. The other nominations for "Dark Knight" were in technical categories. Meryl Streep, 59, already the all-time acting Oscar record holder with 14 nominations, landed her 15th with "Doubt," in which she plays a vindictive nun. Kate Winslet received one nomination, taking her career total to six. This time, the 33-year-old British actress was cited for her lead role as a former Nazi prison guard in "The Reader."
Slumdog Millionaire is all set for the Oscars. Stars across the world seem to be saying--Slumdog Millionaire--Jai ho. India's track record at the Oscars hasn't been good so far. Only three Indian films--Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan have ever been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category.
India's true claim to fame came with the movie Gandhi. Bhanu Athaiya won for Best Costume Design in 1982. Satyajit Ray later got the Oscar's Lifetime Achievement award. From the voices in Hollywood to those right here in India, expectations are running high. As it is said, every dog has its day. The question, however, is--will Slumdog have its day at the Oscars.
“Slumdog Millionaire'' emerged as the big winner with four prizes at Sunday's Golden Globes, best film, best director for Danny Boyle
along with screenplay and musical score.
``Golden Globes, or the GGs as we very affectionately refer to them - your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated. Really, deeply appreciated,'' Boyle said.
Also among its four nominations was the evening's top honor, best drama, the last award of the night.
``Slumdog Millionaire,'' an underdog story some awards watchers think could become an Oscar favorite, features a generally unknown cast in the story of an orphan boy in Mumbai who rises from terrible hardship to become a champ on India's version of ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,'' all the while trying to reunite with a lost love from his childhood.
``We really weren't expecting to be here in America at all at one time, so it's just amazing to be here,'' said Simon Beaufoy, whose winning script was adapted from Vikas Swarup's novel ``Q & A.''
As expected, the late Heath Ledger earned the supporting-actor Globe for his diabolical turn as the Joker in the Batman blockbuster ``The Dark Knight.'' The Globe win boosts Ledger's prospects for the supporting-actor honor at the Academy Awards, whose nominations come out Jan. 22, the one-year anniversary of the actor's death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.
The award was accepted by ``The Dark Knight'' director Christopher Nolan, who said he and his collaborators were buoyed by the enormous acclaim and acceptance the film and Ledger's performance have gained worldwide.
``All of us who worked with Heath on `The Dark Knight' accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride,'' Nolan said. ``After Heath passed, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema.''
Only one actor has ever won a posthumous Oscar, best-actor recipient Peter Finch for 1976's ``Network.''
Other acting winners included Sally Hawkins as musical or comedy actress for her role as an eternal optimist in ``Happy-Go-Lucky''; Kate Winslet as supporting actress for ``The Reader,'' in which she plays a former Nazi concentration camp guard in a romantic fling with a teenager; and Colin Farrell for musical or comedy actor for ``In Bruges,'' in which he plays a hit man laying low in a Belgian tourist town.
Hawkins, a relatively unknown British actress and newcomer to Hollywood's awards scenes, was visibly nervous accepting her prize.
``I'll try and get through as much as my voice and nerves and knees will let me,'' said Hawkins, thanking family, cast mates and collaborators on the film, including director Mike Leigh.
Winslet, who also nominated for best dramatic actress at the Globes with ``Revolutionary Road,'' is a five-time Oscar nominee but has never won.
``You have to forgive me because I have a habit of not winning things,'' Winslet said as she opened what she acknowledged was a long acceptance speech.
``Sorry this is going on a bit, but I'm going to make the most of it,'' she said amid thanking everyone from her children to the film's makeup artists.
The robot romance ``WALL-E'' won for best animated feature. Director Andrew Stanton thanked producer Pixar Animation and distributor Walt Disney, saying the unusual love story between two robots who communicate in beeps and squeaks ``couldn't have been made anywhere else.''
``Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' won the award for best musical or comedy film.
Steven Spielberg was honored with the Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement, saying he recalled his first trip to the movies at age 6 to see DeMille's ``The Greatest Show On Earth.''
``It was the biggest thing that ever happened to me,'' said Spielberg, noting that he thinks his fate as a filmmaker was sealed that day.
Bruce Springsteen received the best song prize for the title track to ``The Wrestler.''
``This is the only time I'm going to be in competition with Clint Eastwood,'' said Springsteen, referring to the filmmaker who had a song nomination for writing the title tune to his ``Gran Torino.'' ``It felt pretty good, too.''
The foreign-language film prize went to Israel's ``Waltz With Bashir,'' director Ari Forman's animated documentary about a soldier struggling to recall suppressed memories of his involvement in the war with Lebanon.
Among TV categories, ``30 Rock'' won best comedy series, with stars Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin earning the acting Globes in a musical or comedy.
The 66th annual Globes, the town's second-biggest movie celebration after the Academy Awards, returned to their somewhat boozy glory.
Last year's Globe show was scrapped after stars said they would stay away in honor of picket lines by the Writers Guild of America, which was engaged in a bitter strike against producers. In its place was a briskly paced news conference where winners were announced from a podium.
The Globes serve as a barometer for potential Oscar contenders, often singling out deserving newcomers who might have been overlooked among bigger-name stars. Relative unknown Hilary Swank won for dramatic actress at the Globes for 1999's ``Boys Don't Cry,'' then went on to an upset win at the Oscars over Annette Bening, who had been considered the front-runner for ``American Beauty.'' This year's Oscar ceremony comes on Feb. 22.
The Globes are presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a group of about 90 reporters covering show business for overseas outlets.
Noted Indian music director A.R. Rahman has won a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score for his music in British director Danny Boyle's uplifting underdog tale "Slumdog Millionaire".
The film has also earned three other nominations for Best Picture-Drama, Best Director for Boyle and Best Screenplay for Simon Beaufoy for the 2008 Golden Globe Awards given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The film tells the heart warming story of an 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai who goes on to win a staggering Rs.20 million ($420,000) on India's "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" game show.
Earlier this week, "Slumdog Millionaire" won two awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Director for Boyle and Best Music for Rahman. It also won the runner-up prize for Best Cinematography for Anthony Dod Mantle.
The film, set and shot in Mumbai, has also won the Best Cinematography prize from The New York Film Critics' Circle and earned six Critics Choice Award nominations for Picture, Director (Boyle), Writer (Simon Beaufoy), Young Actor (Dev Patel), Composer (Rahman), and Song ("Jai Ho").
Currently playing in several major cities, "Slumdog Millionaire" will open in 87 additional theaters across North America Friday and bring its total theatre count to 165.
New markets where the film will debut this weekend include New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Houston, Austin, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Ann Arbor, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, St. Louis, Kansas City, Louisville, New Orleans, Portland, Honolulu and Sacramento.