WILL Win: “Seabiscuit” SHOULD Win: “City of God” “Seabiscuit” and “City of God” are films riffing off of already existing templates ““ Gary Ross’ audience-favorite was a film of considerable sentimentality and traditional American-spirit pathos, while “City of God” was a cool, disturbing homage to the many gangster flicks of years past. Read more...

As illogical as it may sound at the outset, Los Angeles-based band My Barbarian is in fact the logical result of the combination of an actor, a filmmaker, a video director, a playwright and a trained artist. Read more...

WILL Win: “Cold Mountain” SHOULD Win: “Girl with a Pearl Earring” Even though the first “The Lord of the Rings” film won in this category in 2001, the third installment failed to garner even a nomination this year, leaving the cinematography race a little more open. Read more...

When casting for his company, Stephen Petronio looks for dancers who have a fearless attitude toward dancing awkwardly and probably even looking stupid. Luckily for the eight dancers who performed at Royce Hall last Friday, only the fearless energy shone through. Read more...

WILL Win: “Lost in Translation” SHOULD Win: “Lost in Translation” While “Lost in Translation” is nominated for a total of four Oscars, it will probably lose Best Picture and Best Director to more glaring blockbusters like “Lord of the Rings.” To prevent Sofia Coppola and the film’s fans from feeling completely shafted, the Academy will most likely honor the subtly poignant film with Best Original Screenplay. Read more...

The art world is teeming with talented young artists vying to be the next big thing. It’s a scenario that expectedly lends itself to networking ““ a case of not simply how good you are and how much you know, but really who you know. Read more...

The hardest part of being a musician is finding your own voice, or at least a way to express yourself. Fear not, aspiring indie rockers, John Vanderslice is here to help. Read more...