Talk of the Town: Happy birthday, Oscar!

So, Oscar will celebrate his 80th birthday this Sunday and some of the writers will actually be attending his party since the Writers Guild of America strike has ended and the dust is starting to settle in Tinseltown.

With any luck, your favorite movie will walk away with the golden prize, but as in the past, some of the best pictures never receive Best Picture Oscars. A prime example would be “Citizen Kane.”

Though it was nominated in nine categories in 1941, “Citizen Kane” won only Best Original Screenplay for Orson Welles and Herman J.Mankiewicz.

According to the folks at filmschoolrejects.com, it was rumored that whenever the film’s name was mentioned, guffaws were heard around the room because the powerful newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, on whose life the film was alleged to be based, threatened voters with the old adage, “You’ll never work in this town again.” An interesting note: Kane’s editor was future Oscar-winning director Robert Wise.

In 1960, “Psycho” was not nominated for Best Picture. Alfred Hitchcock was at least nominated for Best Director, though he did not win. Bernard Hermann wasn’t even nominated for one of the most frightening of all film scores.

“The Shawshank Redemption” never got an Oscar, despite seven nominations. “Pulp Fiction” was also knocked out of the box by “Forrest Gump” in 1994. Fans avenged Shawshank by voting it the No. 2 film of all time on IMDb, second only to “The Godfather.”

Shawshank is also the highest rated film on Yahoo Movies. It was voted the best film never to have won Best Picture in a 2005 BBC poll.

“Vertigo:” One of fans’ favorite Alfred Hitchcock films is the psychological thriller, Vertigo. It wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture, only for set design and sound. Didn’t win those either. To add insult to injury, Hitchcock himself, and this I can hardly believe, never won an Oscar.

Hitchcock was the best film-maker never to have been handed an Oscar, according to a poll of British movie viewers.

Despite a surprising loss of Best Picture to “Annie Hall” in 1977, “Star Wars” unleashed a series of films which earned $4.5 billion to date. It won only Best Visual Effects. Whoopi!

“E.T. The Extra-terrestrial”: Nominated but lost. Sure it won Best Music and Sound and Effects but so what? It didn’t win Best Picture. “Gandhi” did. Come on now!

“Some Like It Hot:” The iconic Billy Wilder film, one of Marilyn Monroe’s best, was not even nominated in 1959 for Best Picture. What was the Academy thinking? Folks are still talking about the film, cuts are still being shown on entertainment and pop culture shows, and Tony Curtis is still giving interviews about kissing Marilyn.

Like who’s talking about the movie that actually won that year? It was Ben Hur? If not for the chariot race, nobody would even remember it.

“The Wizard of Oz:” OK, it would’ve been really, really hard to win in 1939 against “Gone With the Wind,” “Dark Victory,” “Goodbye Mr. Chips,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Wuthering Heights,” and “Stagecoach,” among others (10 nominees in all), but still …

One of the few films to be on every list that actually won Best Picture, is “Casablanca,” starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. “This is the worst film we’ve ever come across,” said Bogie, “It’s just a fright.” Bergman also complained. Both stars made desperate efforts to ditch their parts. Believe it or not, their roles were originally slated for Hedy Lamarr and Ronald Reagan.

With 14 nominations, matching the record set by “All About Eve,” and 11 Oscars, “Titanic “ tied for first place with “Ben-Hur” as the most honored picture of all time.

Come one! Call all! Green Valley Assistance Services is hosting its second annual “Empty Bowls” fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol. The community is invited to purchase a $10 ticket which entities each person to choose a handmade bowl, select a soup, bread, beverage and cookies.

The soups are donated by numerous area restaurants including Kristofer’s, Coach’s, Ragazzi’s, La Posada and Grill-on-the-Green at Canoa Ranch.

Area potters and ceramic artisans, including members of the Green Valley Recreation Ceramic Club, have created and donated their special bowls to help fight hunger and keep aware that many bowls in Santa Cruz Valley are empty.

Raffle tickets for prizes, grocery tote bags for sale and information from the Green Valley Community Food Bank will be available.

Folks who plan to attend are asked to bring along a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank.

The University of Arizona extension will once again have planting information and plants on hand to give out.

Empty Bowls supports the fight against local hunger, as well as other GVAS outreach programs that provide holiday food vouchers and monetary assistance.

GVAS is a non-profit social services agency. For more information, contact Barb Hunt at GVAS at 625-5966.

While we are on the subject of Oscars, the La Posada Foundation donors were treated to an evening of “Wizard of Oz” at the foundation’s annual appreciation dinner Jan. 30. They were entertained on a trip to the Emerald City by students from the Sahuarita High School Drama Club.

While it was a harrowing trip, Dorothy finally did make it back home, to the delight of everyone in attendance.

The Wiz cast included Jessica Pomeroy (Dorothy), Brian Mansker (Tin Man), Mandi Lurkins (Scarecrow) Savannah McFadden (Lion), Bri Catlin (the Wizard), Sonja Finkes, La Posada payroll/administration assistant (Wicked Witch of the West), Melissa Peters, La Posada catering manager (The Good Witch) Johanna Lerman, La Posada lead server (another Dorothy) and Lisa Israel, La Posada president and CEO (Munchkinland Mayor).

By the way, the dinner was not restricted to residents of La Posada and several Green Valley residents were in attendance and enjoyed the show. Next year’s Invitational Donor Dinner will be on Jan. 28, 2009, and the theme will be “Winter Wonderland.”

Contact Mark Dugan, vice president La Posada Foundation, at 648-7910 to learn how you can receive an invitation.

Green Valley’s Tele-Care group hosted a Valentine’s Day appreciation luncheon for all its volunteers Feb. 14 at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church. Since 1978, caring Tele-Care volunteers provide a morning call to community residents to check that “all’s well.”

Those volunteers first on the phone are: Connie Michaelis, Jane Ellingson, Anne Coutcher, Betty Kultchar, Jane Huynh, June Wamsley and Claudette Haney.

Substitutes are: Bonney Sears, Helen Koeckeritz, June Miller, Evelyn Nugent, Marge Zangrilli, Shelia McDonald, Jim Long, Joyce Dobyns and Terri Anderko.

Entertainment at the event was provided by vocalist Lu Vos with background music by Al Rodriguez, a karaoke DJ at the American Legion Post # 66 and at the Green Valley Lanes. Both entertainers donated their talents!

The Arizona Opera League holds a luncheon meeting in Green Valley every February, but the Tucson members don’t usually have to journey south in the kind of winter weather we all thought we left in places like Minnesota,” says Dr. Donald J. Behnke, opera critic for the Green Valley News

This year’s event last Friday at Grill on the Green provided a background of not-so-light dusting of snow on the Santa Rita’s for the enjoyment of the 70 Green Valley and Tucson League members attending.

Perennial luncheon chair, Carolyn Cook presented soprano Lissa Staples and tenor Dave Dickinson accompanied by Marie Sierra as a pre-lunch operatic entertainment.

Table decorations by Jeannie Moore highlighted the Opera League Golf Tournament coming up at Quail Creek Country Club April 12. The tournament will support the student educational program of Arizona Opera. Interested golf four-somes can contact Carolyn Cook at 625-3033.

Arizona Opera Board of Directors member Dr. Israel Hannon of Green Valley and Opera Board Chair Jennette Segel of Tucson attended along with Cecile Follansbee, president of the Opera League of Tucson and Chet Soling, League board member.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740