064 – The Evening Star

Is there a faster fast track to Oscar buzz than being a sequel to a Best Picture winner? While there may not be much of a sample pool beyond The Godfather series, 1996 gave us The Evening Star, a follow-up to Terms of Endearment and Shirley MacLaine’s Aurora Greenway. This time without writer/director James L. Brooks (replaced here by Steel Magnolias scribe Robert Harling making his directorial debut), the Academy did not give this proverbial daughter a shot. This week, we spread the film’s ashes from a speeding beach convertible as we discuss the ways the film disappoints in the shadow of Terms of Endearment, but still has its own charms. And no, we don’t just mean Scott Wolf in his tighty whities. We also look back at MacLaine’s legendary career (including her all-timer Oscar speech), spitballs who might be the eponymous dames of the eventual Tea With The Dames 2, and go deep on the very personality heavy 1996 Golden Globes lineup of nominees. Follow Us on Twitter! @Had_Oscar_Buzz Joe: @joereid Chris: @chrisvfeil