Harrelson, who was born in Texas, spent much of his childhood years in Lebanon and worked at Kings Island. An autographed picture of him hangs in the Village Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant on Broadway.
The nomination marks the second for Harrelson, who was also given a nod in 1997 for lead actor for his portrayal of an outspoken pornographer in “The People Versus Larry Flynt.” Harrelson lost that race to Jack Nicholson in “As Good As It Gets.”
He is considered a long shot to win by Oscar insiders in this year’s race, with the front runner being Christopher Waltz’s diabolical Nazi from “Inglourious Basterds.” The nomination was the only one received by “The Messenger” which played only briefly in local theaters.
Harrelson, who received his big break playing dim witted bartender Woody on the long running sitcom “Cheers,” had a career resurgence in 2009. Besides “The Messenger,” he found box office success in the horror comedy “Zombieland” and the disaster epic “2012.”
Another man with Warren County ties, George Clooney, who lived in Mason during his teenage years, was nominated for Best Lead Actor in the recession fueled romantic drama “Up In the Air.”
For the first time in more than 60 years, 10 movies were nominated for Best Picture. The Academy hoped the increase would allow the nominations of more popular films as opposed to the traditional small dramas that many felt had bogged down ratings for the annual telecast in recent years. The strategy appeared to be a success, with flashy, special effects driven “Avatar” receiving not only a Best Picture nomination, but leading the field in all nominations with nine.
The Academy Awards are decided by actors and others professionals in the film industry and are generally considered the highest award bestowed on a film. This year’s ceremony will be held Sunday, March 7.
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4544 or jmcclelland@coxohio.com.
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