VOA标准英语2008年-Writers' Strike Adds Drama to Oscar Nominations

By Ruth Reader
Washington D.C.
24 January 2008
 

The American motion picture industry has announced this year's nominations¹ for best picture and other Academy Awards. And the Academy for Film Arts and Sciences says the ceremony will go on as usual even if an ongoing² writers' strike puts a wrench³ in the works. VOA's Ruth Reader reports on the nominees⁵ and the effect of the strike on the ceremony next month.

Two films tied for the most Oscar nominations, and one of them -- "There Will Be Blood" -- is not only up for the best picture award and direction, but also best actor with Daniel Day-Lewis as its star. Still, "No Country for Old Men" also has eight nominations, including for best picture and direction.

Another best picture nominee⁴ -- "Atonement" -- has seven nominations, as does "Michael Clayton," including best direction and best actor, with George Clooney in the lead role. No film dominates the nominations and eager movie buffs will just have to wait until the big night for answers.

That is, if there is a big night. The Writers Guild⁶ is still on strike and the walkout has already stolen much of the glitz from two other Hollywood awards shows -- the People's Choice Awards and the Golden Globes. And while television viewers miss the opportunity to watch their favorite stars wearing inspiring fashions, the big loser is the advertising⁷ industry.

This year the Golden Globes, pared down to a glamourless newscast, drew in roughly a quarter of the viewers it did last year. Advertising Age's TV Editor, Brian Steinberg, says with advancements⁸ in technology advertisers cannot afford to lose their audience. "Advertisers last year spent about $28 million on Golden Globes. So it's a good chunk⁹ of change, not a huge amount for networks' bottom line by any means, but you know you don't want to lose that kind of money especially at a time when people are using DVRs to skip past advertising."

NBC television network lost an estimated 10 to 15 million dollars in advertising after the show was reformatted to accommodate strikers.

Steinberg says that advertisers rely on big events like the Oscars to captivate large audiences for new product launches and big brand campaigns. Without them, options for advertising to large audiences are few. "It's tougher to get the ratings points you need if you have fewer people watching TV, so people who are marketers are worried as well. They turn to TV, and they long have, for millions of people in one fell swoop¹⁰ -- Super Bowl, Oscars, that kind of thing, and the events that get them those things are being taken away."

One major market to lose advertising opportunity is fashion. Many designers cash in on free advertising by loaning out dresses to stars for such celebrity-driven events. Without the red carpet, designers, especially smaller independent designers, lose a major advertising venue¹¹.

And for the Oscars, the stakes are raised. ABC charges $1.6 million per 30-second television spot. Last year advertisers spent $80 million for advertising during the Oscars -- more than double the amount spent on the Golden Globes. But, if the strike continues, the Oscars could suffer the same fate as the Golden Globes.

Steinberg says the advertising industry was having problems with television before the writers' strike. "Before the strike came along there had already been concern of erosion of ratings, of people watching TV in other places like the Web, and iTunes aren't measured well for advertisers. There are concerns about people time shifting with DVRs and passing through ads and not watching them. This is one more chink in the armor of the TV business."

For now, the Academy of Film Arts and Sciences says the show will go on as planned. Already the Writers Guild of America has denied the Academy's request for show clips from the previous year. The guild also is not allowing Jon Stewart to cross picket¹² lines to write or host the show. Talks between the writers and the studios are planned to resume this week.

1 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

2 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

3 wrench   

v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受

参考例句：

• He gave a wrench to his ankle when he jumped down.他跳下去的时候扭伤了足踝。
• It was a wrench to leave the old home.离开这个老家非常痛苦。

4 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

5 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

6 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

8 advancements   

n.（级别的）晋升( advancement的名词复数 )；前进；进展；促进

参考例句：

• Today, the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements. 当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Great advancements in drought prediction have been made in recent years. 近年来，人们对干旱灾害的预报研究取得了长足的进步。 来自互联网

9 chunk   

n.厚片，大块，相当大的部分（数量）

参考例句：

• They had to be careful of floating chunks of ice.他们必须当心大块浮冰。
• The company owns a chunk of farmland near Gatwick Airport.该公司拥有盖特威克机场周边的大片农田。

10 swoop   

n.俯冲，攫取；v.抓取，突然袭击

参考例句：

• The plane made a swoop over the city.那架飞机突然向这座城市猛降下来。
• We decided to swoop down upon the enemy there.我们决定突袭驻在那里的敌人。

11 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

12 picket   

n.纠察队；警戒哨；v.设置纠察线；布置警卫

参考例句：

• They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
• Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。