Responding to the serious lack of awards shows to honor movies, ITV has decided to host a new one: the (British) National Movie Awards. The emphasis here is on popularity with the public: nominees must have done very well indeed at the box office, and the winners will be chosen by popular vote (see link below). Johnny Depp is nominated for “Best Male Performance” for his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END. Seven other actors are also nominated–a very crowded field!–including Johnny’s castmate Orlando Bloom, HARRY POTTER stablemates Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, SPIDER-MAN 3’s Tobey Maguire, new James Bond Daniel Craig, LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD’s Bruce Willis, and Shia LaBeouf from TRANSFORMERS. AT WORLD’S END’s Keira Knightley will only have to contend with five other nominees for “Best Female Performance;” her competitors include Judi Dench and Eva Green from CASINO ROYALE, Kirsten Dunst from SPIDER-MAN 3, Megan Fox from TRANSFORMERS, and Emma Watson from HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END is nominated in the “Family Film” category, along with FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and SPIDER-MAN 3. Other film categories include “Action/Adventure,” “Comedy,” and “Animation.” The nominated films represent the four biggest box-office grossers in each category.

Winners will be determined by public vote; ballots may be cast online, by telephone or by filling out a form at the local movie house. To vote online, click here: http://www.nationalmovieawards.com/ The National Movie Awards will be presented September 28th at London’s Royal Festival Hall; the ceremony will be broadcast live on ITV1.

The Zone thanks Gilbert’s Girl, GAO, and Theresa for news stories and Kazren for the voting link; you can read several articles about the British National Movie Awards on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet