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Oscar '08 scandals |
By Mark Olsen, The Envelope
Even folks who don’t know the first thing about working in PR probably know the old adage “Any publicity is good publicity.”
But does that still hold true in today’s super-hard-core industrial-entertainment complex?
Does controversy always reap the benefit of audience interest, or can you sink your ship with a few misplaced words and wrongheaded choices?
Here are some of the controversies (real or manufactured) hovering around this season’s awards contenders.
In a sense, any of these pictures might consider themselves lucky to be part of a brouhaha that has captured the attention of the public.
Or maybe not.
(Damian Dovarganes / AP)
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O'Neil's special interest is how the awards affect each other, particularly the top film prizes that can be viewed as one single gold derby with the Oscars as the finish line. Consider what happened to "Chariots of Fire," for example. In 1981, it emerged from obscurity to win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the National Board of Review, then fell behind "Reds" and "Atlantic City" at the film critics' awards and Golden Globes, then trotted ahead as best-picture champ at the Oscars. Contact O'Neil: GoldDerby@gmail.com.