Just Another Girl On The IRT

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The envelope please...

It's that glorious time of year once again, the time when I pelt my Heineken bottle in exasperation at the TV while alternating between the thrill of victory and agony of defeat — all the while questioning the existence of a higher power. Welcome to the most important entertainment biz morning of the year, when palm greasing and clandestine arrangements intersect to reveal who artfully applied Lip Plumper all over the asses of AMPAS members all in the hallowed name of Oscar.

Amidst all the much-ados-about-nothing yesterday over the rehashed State of the Union address which in bound to shred social budgets into a trillion little pieces and the slam-dunk Alito confirmation to the Supreme Court, the reminder could've easily been color-coded on the lower rungs of priority.

In a way, the days after the Academy Award nominations have been revealed are almost as fascinating as Joan Rivers' latest cosmetic tweak for Oscar night. What makes the buildup so maddening is the never-ending search for patterns of ceremonies past for an inside track for which way the prize winds will blow. We wonder, what is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences trying to tell us? Couldn't they just put in a text message to save time?

Courtesy of a valiant effort to brave hoardes of flashing cameras in the bewitching hours of that darned Pacific Time difference, Mira Sorvino futzed through the roll call of the chosen few and millions of dollars in advertising capital will prove a bust or boon to frenzied studio lobbyists. And there's also a few deserving candidates will probably get more recognition in the next few days then they've accrued in their entire career (hel-lo Amy Adams!). So, without further ado, a partial list of the major contenders:

Best Picture: "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Crash," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Munich."
Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote," Terrence Howard, "Hustle & Flow," Heath Ledger, "Brokeback Mountain," Joaquin Phoenix, "Walk the Line," David Strathairn, "Good Night, and Good Luck."
Best Actress: Judi Dench, "Mrs. Henderson Presents," Felicity Huffman, "Transamerica," Keira Knightley, "Pride & Prejudice," Charlize Theron, "North Country," Reese Witherspoon, "Walk the Line."
Best Supporting Actor: George Clooney, "Syriana," Matt Dillon, "Crash," Paul Giamatti, "Cinderella Man," Jake Gyllenhaal, "Brokeback Mountain," William Hurt, "A History of Violence."
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "Junebug," Catherine Keener, "Capote," Frances McDormand, "North Country," Rachel Weisz, "The Constant Gardener," Michelle Williams, "Brokeback Mountain."
Best Director: Ang Lee, "Brokeback Mountain," Bennett Miller, "Capote," Paul Haggis, "Crash," George Clooney, "Good Night, and Good Luck.," Steven Spielberg, "Munich."
Adapted Screenplay: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana, "Brokeback Mountain," Dan Futterman, "Capote," Jeffrey Caine, "The Constant Gardener," Josh Olson, "A History of Violence," Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, "Munich."
Original Screenplay: Paul Haggis & Bobby Moresco, "Crash," George Clooney & Grant Heslov, "Good Night, and Good Luck.," Woody Allen, "Match Point," Noah Baumbach, "The Squid and the Whale," Stephen Gaghan, "Syriana."
Original Song: "In the Deep" from "Crash," Kathleen "Bird" York and Michael Becker; "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from "Hustle & Flow," Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman and Paul Beauregard, "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica," Dolly Parton.
Animated Feature Film: "Howl's Moving Castle," "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," "Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit."

The little gay ranchhands that could in ~~Bare~~...uh Brokeback Mountain cast its velvet lasso on the rest of the field with a leading 8 nods. Aside from Oscar's tryst in a roadside motel for a little post-coital cowboy cuddling, I'm thrilled to see Felicity Huffman keeping her dream season in tact with her very first mention as Best Actress for her brilliant turn in putting a face to a role the average Desperate Housewives devotee in the Heartland hasn't seen. More snaps and cheers for A Pimp Called Slickback better known as Terrance Howard breaking into the big leagues with his much-praised performance in Hustle & Flow, Dan Futterman transitioning from character actor under the radar to credible screenwriter in one fell swoop, George Clooney's historic and justified hat trick in landing a record 4 noms and the classic "what the fuck!" jaw dropper of Three Six Mafia winding up as Oscar nominees for Best Original Song. It would be the highlight of the year to have someone so haughty and British introduce the performance of "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp." Dame Judi Dench or Sir Anthony Hopkins, anyone?

Last year my crystal ball was right on the money in all leading categories as I wound up queen of the office pool, but this time around will prove to be a bit trickier to read. But then again, guessing's half the fun. Time to consult with my bookie on the daily odds updates right up until game time on March 5th.

link | Shot from the lip by TriniPrincess at 9:07 PM |

1 Comments:

Rell commented at 2/08/2006 11:09:00 AM~: hopefully "Crash" will win multiple awards, but I suppose this is the year for "brokeback."

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