the buzz log

James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow, most civil

The way Hollywood watchers are telling it, the Oscar showdown between directors Kathryn Bigelow ("The Hurt Locker") and James Cameron ("Avatar") is a UFC grudge match of the century.

Ten movies and five directors are competing, respectively, for Best Picture and best director, but the gossips have their sites locked on these two, who once shared two years (give or take) of wedded bliss. Gawker's calling the battle an "Explosive Exes Oscar Deathmatch." The Irish Independent, one of many to herald the "Battle of the exes," quoted a pundit who said archly, "Cameron has been divorced more times than he's been nominated, he was bound to come face to face with an ex sooner or later."

Sure, any event in which exes have to get together can be awkward, and maybe even competing for the same honor might evoke some unpleasant memories. But a showdown that would put a Alec Baldwin-Kim Basinger face-off to shame? Hardly.

For one thing, Bigelow and Cameron divorced way back in 1991, and they were on good enough terms to survive "Strange Days," a 1995 sci-fi thriller penned and produced by Cameron, and directed by Bigelow.

The almost gleeful bloodlust comes more over Cameron's reputation for serial matrimony, which reached feverish scandalous pitch the last time he was in the Oscar running. Below, a look back at his past wives, Bigelow included:

• Sharon Williams (married 1978-1984). He was a truck driver, she had been a waitress. Together for six years, she and the director split before "Terminator" made him big. She was waitressing in an Olive Garden in Southern California when the blockbuster came out. According to a 1998 New York Post article, she had told "Inside Edition" they "parted still loving one another" and post-"Titanic" he left her a big tip: a Corvette.
Look up the "Terminator" legacy.

• Gale Anne Hurd (1985-1989). A producer, he bought the "Terminator" screenplay to her. She helped him polish the script, and together, they made sci-fi thriller history. By the time the underwater thriller "Abyss" rolled around, they were divorcing—by the way, the "Abyss" plot revolved around a divorced couple. Cameron told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 1989 that separation was "an unfortunate coincidence" that almost stopped him from making the film. No grudge as of 1994: She told the Dallas Morning News, "I'd work with him again anytime."
Find that rare breed of female Hollywood producers.

• Kathryn Bigelow (1989-1991). A "Terminator" attraction ended their romance, but they've remained colleagues. She showed him "The Hurt Locker" script before anyone else, and Cameron has said the Iraqi film's "the strongest" contender. She didn't need him to tell her that, given her recent awards slew: She's the first female to win the Director's Guild Awards, and may make Oscar history too.
Review her cult 1987 horror-western vampire flick.

• Linda Hamilton (together 1991-1999, married 1997-1999): Probably the highest-profile of all his relationships. They didn't get along in the first round, but hooked up during the sequel. They were together on-and-off 8 years, had a daughter and finally wed, but split in months—soon after his Oscar acceptance line, "I'm King of the World!" Hamilton famously told USA Today at the time, "My husband left me for another woman. It's too bad, 'cause I like my husband."
Seek out other tough women in movies.

• Suzy Amis (2000-present). The current and now longest lasting relationship. Amis had the bit part of Kate Winslet's granddaughter in "Titanic," but that was enough to persuade Cameron to leave wife Hamilton and his then 5-year-old daughter. They went public summer 1998 at celebration from hometown Chippawa, Ontario. Despite the scandal, they had some support: Gloria Stuart, who at age 87 got a supporting actress Oscar nom as Old Rose, told the New York Post back then that she smelled romance and approved. The couple has three children.
Find out more about Hollywood marriages.

Filed under: Movies, Oscars, Divorce

"Sherlock Holmes" the movie is not Sherlock Holmes, the "Masterpiece Theatre" miniseries. PBS types, consider yourselves warned. Guy Ritchie's controversial take on the British super-detective as superhero is no accident. Here's the backstory.

Basically, a producer on the project wanted to present Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's storybook creation in a new way: more action-hero than ace detective. According to the Hollywood Reporter, this producer (with the help of DC Comics) connected with an artist, John Watkiss, who had drawn such comics as "Sandman," "Deadman," and "Savage Sword of Conan." Watkiss drew up the vision. The final product was bound, comic-book style, and presented for the pitch. Long story short: It worked.

With Robert Downey Jr. playing the title role, maybe it's no surprise he is channeling his "Iron Man" skills in this new view, leaping out of buildings, throwing punches, and even dodging explosions.

Interest in the fast-paced remake has soared in Yahoo! Search. Lookups on the Web for "sherlock holmes" have surged almost 300% in the last day alone. Mystery fans are also hunting for "sherlock holmes movie reviews," "sherlock holmes 2009 trailer," and "sherlock holmes cast."

Reviewers have responded less than kindly to the modern take. Entertainment Weekly was unimpressed, calling the movie "a top-heavy light entertainment." USA Today complained that too much of the original was left behind: "While this incarnation has visual flair and attitude, it is too modern, and it blithely jettisons Holmes' wit and wisdom." Time magazine remarks on Downey Jr.'s "impressive abs" but "unmemorable action."

Still, will the crowds flock to the film on Christmas Day? Elementary.

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Filed under: Movies

Here's a fairy tale that could only happen in the movies. Man makes YouTube video. Goes to Hollywood. Gets pots of money and a movie deal. Except this story is true.

An unknown producer from Uruguay, Fede Alvarez, shelled out about $300 to create a cool video of a robot invasion in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay. The four-minute short, "Ataque de Panico!" (Panic Attack) features ginormous (but slow-moving) weapon-wielding robots that blow stuff up.

We have to admit, it has pretty amazing production values. The Playlist gushed that the director may be the next Neill Blomkamp, who made the South African-based alien flick "District 9." With the blog abuzz, the South American short went viral, and has already been viewed on YouTube 1.5 million times.

Well, apparently nothing gets by Hollywood these days. The lucky duck told the BBC, "I uploaded 'Ataque de Panico!' on a Thursday and on Monday my inbox was totally full of emails from Hollywood studios." Long story short, a bidding war ensued. The offer he pocketed: A $30 million deal with Sam "Spiderman" Raimi's Ghost House Pictures. That's a nice return on investment.

The picture will be a sci-fi thriller set in Argentina and Uruguay. In case you're hoping to see the feature-length version of "Panic Attack!" in a movie theater, it won't be from this deal. The newly minted "it" guy says he will start from scratch. Here's the video that got him Hollywood gold.

Filed under: Movies