Good Night, and Good Luck News

Oscar noms meant little this weekend against another boffo horror opening. Sony Screen Gems' "When a Stranger Calls" dominated the frame with a $22 million bow. Three of the four best picture noms still in release got a modest bump out of their expansions, while "Brokeback Mountain" declined despite adding more than 400 playdates.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences have nominated five small, sober dramas for best picture at the 78th annual Academy Awards. In the picture race, "Brokeback" will compete "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Capote" and "Munich." The acting races are filled with portrayals of real-life folks, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"; Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line"; David Strathairn, "Good Night"; Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson"; Charlize Theron, "North Country"; and Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line." And, in the supporting category, Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man"; Catherine Keener, "Capote"; and Frances McDormand, "North Country" all portrayed real people. Other actor nominees are: Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow"; Heath Ledger, "Brokeback"; Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica"; Keira Knightley, "Pride & Prejudice." Supporting categories comprise Clooney, "Syriana"; Matt Dillon, "Crash"; Jake Gyllenhaal, "Brokeback"; William Hurt, "A History of Violence"; Amy Adams, "Junebug"; Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener"; and Michelle Williams, "Brokeback."

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"The Constant Gardener" has picked up 10 nominations for the British Academy Film Awards, closely followed by "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crash" with nine apiece. All three are nominated for film and director, along with "Capote," which drew five mentions, and "Good Night, and Good Luck" with six. George Clooney received four nominations in three categories -- director, adapted screenplay and supporting actor for "Good Night, and Good Luck" and supporting actor for "Syriana."

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Opting for moderate-scale dramas from specialty divisions -- and another pic from Steven Spielberg -- the DGA awarded nominations to George Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck," Paul Haggis for "Crash," Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain," Bennett Miller for "Capote" and Spielberg for "Munich." It was Spielberg's 10th DGA nom and Lee's third. Clooney, Haggis and Miller are first-time nominees and each is a second-time feature director.

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The big studio contenders remained largely AWOL on Thursday as Focus Features' "Brokeback Mountain" roped in a leading four nomination for the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. With its nominations the org offered up one relative newcomer to this year's kudo campaign: Paramount Classics' "Hustle & Flow" picked up a nomination for perf by an ensemble cast. Joining "Hustle" in the leading ensemble category were the four films sweeping this week's stampede of guild nominations -- "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Crash" and "Good Night, and Good Luck."

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Favoring the output of studio specialty divisions and indies, the Producers Guild of America nominated

for its best picture award Focus Features' "Brokeback Mountain," United Artists and Sony Pictures

Classics' "Capote," Lionsgate's "Crash," Warner Independent Pictures' "Good Night, and Good Luck" and

20th Century Fox's "Walk the Line." The producers org has traditionally been the friendliest

guild to big-budgeted studio fare, but this year, the top-budgeted pic receiving a PGA nom is "Walk the Line," which was made for a relatively moderate $29 million.

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Showbiz writers have rewarded independent features and issues-oriented dramas -- along with offbeat

comedy "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" -- in Writers Guild of America screenplay nominations. Noms in original

category went to "Cinderella Man," "Crash," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "

The Squid and the Whale." Adapted screenplay noms went to "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "The Constant Gardener," "A History of Violence" and "Syriana."

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The Writers Guild of America West has selected George Clooney and Grant Heslov to receive its Paul Selvin Award for their screenplay "Good Night, and Good Luck" with its portrayal of constitutional and civil rights. Kudos will be presented at the Writers Guild Awards on Feb. 4 with simultaneous ceremonies at the Hollywood Palladium and the Waldorf-Astoria.

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Ang Lee's cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain" rode off with a herd-leading seven nominations for the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards Tuesday. In addition to "Brokeback," Focus' "The Constant Gardener" and Warner Independent's "Good Night, and Good Luck" snagged best drama bids, along with New Line's "A History of Violence" and DreamWorks' Woody Allen-directed "Match Point." Focus also lassoed a musical/comedy film nom for its "Pride & Prejudice," which is joined by the Weinstein Co.'s "Mrs. Henderson Presents," Mel Brooks' Universal-Columbia musical "The Producers," "The Squid and the Whale" and Fox's "Walk the Line." "Squid" and "Walk" each received a pair of bids for their respective leads -- Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney as the former's divorcing parents, and Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon in the Johnny Cash biopic.

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The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures has named George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck" the year's best film. Org unveiled its annual best-of list Monday morning in Gotham. Clooney's second directorial effort, a tribute to news broadcaster Edward R. Murrow being distribbed by Warner Independent Pictures, beat out runners-up "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Crash," "A History of Violence," "Match Point," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Munich," "Syriana" and "Walk the Line" to take top honors.

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