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American Morning
Interview of Sam Rubin, KTLA Entertainment Editor
Aired March 20, 2002 - 09:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Remember this scene from "ET"? 20 years after its original release, "ET" is coming to theaters once again, and it's moments like this that we remember. But the question this morning is, do we remember which film won the Academy Award for best picture that year, 1982? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? (ph) Did you guess "Gandhi"? Well, you would have been right.
Comedian Bob Hope used to joke that Oscar night at his house was called "Passover." Well, like Hope, Oscar has passed over some real Hollywood classics in favor of films with much less staying power. Joining us this morning to talk about Oscar and some of its infamous omissions, Sam Rubin, entertainment editor for KTLA in Los Angeles. Sam, thanks for joining us.
SAM RUBIN, ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR, KTLA: Hey, Anderson, good morning. It is Wednesday morning quarterbacking to be sure, but, you know, they have been handing these out for 73 years. 74th Oscars to be handed out on Sunday, and the fact of the matter is that -- it's a cliche, but I think it's true -- the nomination is the win, because for the last six weeks, we've been paying a lot of attention to the nominees, but then some of these winners are relegated to obscurity and deservedly so. We have got a list of winners and losers here. Take a look on the right of your screen, I believe, some really good movies. "Good Fellas," "ET," "All the President's Men," "Network," "Taxi Driver," and "Jaws," and what many regard as the best movie ever, "Citizen Kane." What do they have in common? They all lost as best picture nominees to the other films that you see. Good movies all, but not nearly as good as the movies that they beat. Was "Rocky" better than "Network" or "All the President's Men"? I don't think so. Was "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" better than "Dog Day Afternoon"? Probably not. "How Green is My Valley" better than "Citizen Kane?" No. So, it is interesting that it is applicable to -- this best picture category, and not just the best picture category. There are a lot of very, very famous folks that Oscar has ignored entirely.
COOPER: It is amazing that "Citizen Kane" did not get the Oscar. That -- I think it was on the number one list for everyone for, probably, best movie of all time.
RUBIN: And you know what, it may be the movies that tend to resonate more over time, as a opposed during the course of the Academy process. "It's a Wonderful Life," which is regarded -- you know, it is taught in film classes as one of the best screenplays ever, was not nominated for best screenplay during its year. There are so many like this. Let me show you -- a couple of other classics. "Vertigo" a film that never was nominated, and then, in terms of actors, Jimmy Stuart, what a tremendous film -- "Singing in the Rain" also never receiving a single nomination, and that's a movie that people hold so close to their hearts, and not only this terrific Gene Kelly number, but look at stars who have never won. Two gentlemen regarded as, arguably, two of the best actors ever, Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole are both multiple Oscar losers. They have never won, and that's not all. We've got a list of other actors and actresses. Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, William Powell, Tyrone Power, Tom Cruise, Edward G. Robinson, Lee Oldman (ph), Rosslynn Russell (ph), Marlina Detrick (ph). It goes on and on and on. A lot of people Oscars overlooked.
COOPER: Peter O'Toole was in "Lawrence of Arabia" a film which won multiple Academy Awards, and yet he himself has never gotten one. It is pretty incredible.
RUBIN: Yeah, it happens sometimes where an individual performance, and what people often talk about as they look back on the Oscars is, Oh, gee, we won't give to this person this year. They have a long career ahead of them. They will get later, that kind of thing. Sometimes they don't get it at all.
COOPER: Now, Sam, I know everyone across America wants to know what you are wearing to the Oscars. I am not going to ask you because I know you are probably still trying to decide. I just want to move quickly on to Enron. I understand Enron has become a big, hot commodity in Hollywood.
RUBIN: Well, you know what? The development departments and various cable networks and movie studios have really gone Enron crazy, and in fact, some of the people involved in the "Insider" including the former "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman, have already done a deal for a big screen Enron movie. Some are suggesting it may be like "Erin Brockovich" because the whistleblower primarily, a female accountant at Enron, and one of the cable networks working on an Enron TV movie, we could see that by the end of the summer.
COOPER: All right, Sam Rubin, KTLA entertainment editor. As always, thanks for joining us.
RUBIN: You bet, Anderson. Thank you.
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