Al Gore

[Rick Blaine]

I keep on hearing over and over again in the media that Al Gore has an Oscar. Yet if you check the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) under Al Gore, it does not list him as winning an Oscar. If you check the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” on the IMDb it does not list Al Gore under the “awards” section. Al Gore is not listed as either a director, writer, producer, or anything other than “himself” in the cast for that movie. The official Oscar website does not list Al Gore as an Oscar winner for that movie. So what gives?

[CrazyStitch]

Well, to start with, IMDB is by no means definitive, as it's user-run. Anyone can post anything on there, and I've seen it happen first-hand. As for the Oscar's website, click on Oscar Night, then Winners, and scroll down to Documentary Feature, and the winner listed is An Inconvenient Truth, and click on that to see the acceptance speech Al Gore gave.

So there ya go!

[baldburke]

Gore would have needed to have been given a producer credit to have been given the award. I don't know too much about the Oscar rules, but I remember hearing something about that during the broadcast. Me personally, I think Disney should have produced the film as it is a fairytale.

[asrai555]

Um Burke - its not a fairytale. Its unequivocal, non-partisan science according to a panel of international researchers and scientists who together hold more doctorates than I can count.

To answer the original poster, I do not believe Al Gore won, but rather delivered the acceptance speech.

Its good practice - he will be giving another one in 2008

[Rick Blaine]

Well, to start with, IMDB is by no means definitive, as it's user-run. ...

Of course it is not definitive, but I would say it is accurate as far as Academy Awards go over 99% of the time. Speeches don’t really mean anything because when Marlon Brando won an Oscar for The Godfather he sent Sacheen Littlefeather (real name Maria Cruz) up to the stage to give a speech (in her case a refusal speech). That does not mean Sacheen Littlefeather won an Oscar. Please check the official site and look under the winner for “Best Documentary Feature”, it lists the movie as “A Lawrence Bender/Laurie David Production”. It also lists Davis Guggenheim who has several credits on the movie including director. It does not list Al Gore.

[DizneyFreak2002]

Actually, Davis Guggenheim produced the documentary film... Al Gore hosted the film... I don't think Al Gore won the Oscar... The movie itself won for Best Documentary Film... And I believe the producer would have received the Oscar, not the host of the movie...

[Melanie]

Just a friendly moderator reminder to keep answers aimed at the original question. Do not turn this political. Thank you!

[NJDad]

Often the media will get things wrong. Al Gore's movie won an Oscar, and for many folks, that's close enough.

You should write to the various media outlets and correct them each time you hear it.

(Side note: After all the media-spread mistruths about Gore-claiming he said he invented the internet, for example, it's about time one works in his favor).

[asrai555]

Gore never said that either - check out snopes for the dealie on that one NJDad

Do you write all your media outlets and correct them? I always encourage people to write media outlets and their representatives. Perhaps someone would like to write foxnews.com. Just a quick search of their web site turns up this:

It's not easy being green. Just ask former Vice President Al Gore.

While the newly anointed Oscar winner.....

[PirateLover]

Gore never said that either - check out snopes for the dealie on that one NJDad

I think that was NJDad's point....

(Side note: After all the media-spread mistruths about Gore-claiming he said he invented the internet, for example, it's about time one works in his favor).

At any rate, I don't think it is solely the media's fault that we are calling Al Gore an "Oscar Winner." I mean throughout the entire promotion of this thing, it has been portrayed by Gore himself as sort of his baby. And he is the prominent figure in the movie. And then of course he accepted the award. I have to say I was very surprised to read this and see that he wasn't as key of a figure in this as everyone was led to believe.

[asrai555]

I think that it was his baby. Not the movie itself - but the content.

I saw the movie last October so its been a while.....but what I recall is that he was giving this presentation (the slide show, the same speech, etc. etc.) over and over again to various different outlets over a number of years (i.e. his baby=the content). I think the documentary chronicles this process, and his fight for the environment, his travels (all those airport scenes).

I do agree it isn't "one person's fault". Add in the confusion of him giving the acceptance speech its an easy mistake.

[asrai555]

Oh and sorry NJDad for not reading your post correctly.

[Disney Babe]

I watched the Academy Awards. The producer won the Oscar and on the way up to the stage motioned to Gore to come up with them. He was then passed the award by the producer and gave one of the acceptance speechs for the award. He is not the winner of the award, but received acknowledge in this manner by the producer.

[sanfran22]

Gore would have needed to have been given a producer credit to have been given the award. I don't know too much about the Oscar rules, but I remember hearing something about that during the broadcast. Me personally, I think Disney should have produced the film as it is a fairytale.

[disneydeb]

Um Burke - its not a fairytale. Its unequivocal, non-partisan science according to a panel of international researchers and scientists who together hold more doctorates than I can count.

To answer the original poster, I do not believe Al Gore won, but rather delivered the acceptance speech.

[ibrowse17]

Has he found man/bear/pig yet??

[Speedy1998]

Personnaly, I think fact checking is something that most news outlets do not bother with anymore, they report what they think sounds good, or will best fit there story. In this case there is not an American over the age of 12 who does not know who Al Gore is, and most people will not have a clue who the producer is, so they report that Al Gore won an Oscar.