Monday, January 19, 2009

Dave's 2009 Oscar Predictions ...

While we wait in anticipation for a certain major event to take place in Washington, another big-time happening will take place across the country two days after Barack Obama takes the presidential oath of office. And while the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards aren't nearly the big deal that the inauguration of the first black U.S. president will be - well, they're still pretty important for those involved, from the actors and filmmakers involved to the fans invested in the various movies that will be up for the golden guys come next month. And it's pretty important to me, someone whose career has been to write and report about the entertainment industry and who, God help me, still gets stoked this time every year about the Oscar nominations. So, per usual, I'm presenting to those who care my predictions about what names will be announced on Thursday morning at at ungodly early hour in Hollywood. Some I'll get right, some I'll get wrong - but that's the fun of the whole thing, ain't it?

Best Picture:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire


Best Actor
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler


Best Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy Go Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road


Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire


Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader


Best Director
Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mike Leigh, Happy Go Lucky
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk

5 comments:

Beth said...

How can people keep putting Kate Winslet in the Supporting category for "The Reader"? The whole book/movie centers on her character.

Editor Beth here: Angie's movie is "Changeling."

Dave said...

Editor Beth is greatly appreciated, though she also missed that I forgot to italicize the movie titles in the Supporting Actor category. :)

As for Winslet's probably getting nominated for Supporting Actress for The Reader even though she is really a lead, welcome to the wonderful world of Oscar politics. This is not the first time a movie studio has played fast and loose with the lead vs. supporting categories. There are those who, for example, maintain to this day that Anthony Hopkins was a supporting player in The Silence of the Lambs rather than a lead because of the relatively small amount of time he was actually on the screen.

Beth said...

Editor Beth didn't edit your entire post. : o )

Dave said...

Editor Beth is still very good at her job. And cute as a bug. :)

Anonymous said...

Enjoy tomorrow morning!

Do you actually think they will give that many nominations (other than technical of course) to the 'Hollywood Blockbuster'? Would see somewhat unusual.