Showing posts with label Jennifer Hudson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jennifer Hudson. Show all posts

Monday, February 26, 2007

The Oscars: Was It me or...

Was it me or....

After seeing the pre-show did you think that Richard Roeper should probably just stick to film criticism?

Should a telestrater only ever be used in a football game, and most definitely not to describe what someone's wearing?

Were you ready to shoot yourself if one more interviewer asked: "Who are you wearing?"

Were you happy that for over three hours you (hopefully) wouldn't get to hear anything about Anna Nicole Smith?

Wasn't that Eroll Morris skit to open the show painfully boring?

And unfunny?

And overlong?

Weren't you relieved they changed up the format this year so all the crappy awards would be given out first?

Was that relief extinguished when you realized you'd have to sit through all of them in one shot and it actually worsened the pacing of the show?

Was that Jack Black/Will Ferrell skit a contender for the funniest in Oscar show history?

Weren't their singing voices surprisingly good?

Wasn't it funny when Jack Black said he was going to elbow Leo DiCaprio in the larnyx?

Do you have as tough a time as I do believing anyone could find Helen Mirren "hot?"

Was I regretting not going with my gut instinct and changing my pick to Alan Arkin for Best Supporting Actor?

Weren't you happy Eddie Murphy didn't win?

Did you kind of wish he had after hearing Alan Arkin's "speech?"

Did you catch Abigail Breslin yawning during it?

Were you wondering, just on the basis of that thirty second clip, if maybe Djimon Hounsou should have won for Blood Diamond?

Weren't they stupid having no place for the winners to put their Oscars while they gave their speech?

Shouldn't they at least have had someone hold it for them?

Wasn't Meryl Streep great when she played along with that joke?

Didn't you feel bad for Jaden Smith screwing up his lines?

Then feel good when he recovered pretty well?

Was "losing" the Presidential election the best thing to ever happen in Al Gore's life?

Should President Bush make a movie, then he'll become popular? (okay, maybe not)

How could you possibly blame Gore for not wanting to run again when things are going this well for him?

Doesn't he have excellent comic timing for a guy who was called "boring" just a couple of years ago?

Isn't it amazing Melissa Etheridge could sensibly work the phrase "An Inconvenient Truth" into a song?

Doesn't she deserve an Oscar just for that?

Isn't it amazing Dreamgirls (A musical! With 3 nominations!) couldn't win Best Original Song?

Does that confirm just how popular Al Gore is right now?

Wasn't Jennifer Hudson's speech really classy?

Didn't you expect her to thank Simon Cowell?

Can that girl sing or what?

Aren't you curious to see what happens (or doesn't happen) with her career now?

Was everyone (myself included) cursing and ripping up their prediction ballots when Pan's Labyrinth lost Best Foreign Film?

Is it pretty sad when the only award I got right was the Honorary Oscar?

Isn't it pretty cool though that there were that many surprises?

Didn't Ellen Degeneres seem really comfortable and relaxed even when some of her jokes missed?

Wasn't it funny when Scorsese told Ellen her screenplay even has the word "Screenplay" on it?

Doesn't she deserve to come back as host?

Isn't Tom Cruise a really articulate presenter who seemed like he was genuinely happy for Sherry Lansing and was honored to be there?

Doesn't that make some of his other off-screen behavior that much more dissapointing?

Didn't Kirsten Dunst look terrible?

And really, really pale?

Didn't Reese Witherspoon look incredible?

Is Ryan Phillipe a complete idiot?

Weren't you, like me, glad DiCaprio was nominated for Blood Diamond instead of The Departed because it meant you got to see a Jennifer Connelly clip?

Were you thinking the way things were going that Ryan Gosling would have the title "Oscar winner" in front of his name before the end of the night?

Weren't you happy for Forest Whitaker?

Doesn't it make you want to go back and give his feature directorial debut, First Daughter starring Katie Holmes a second look? (no, me neither)
Were you thinking "who doesn't belong" for reasons other than what they intended when George Lucas was standing there with Spielberg and Coppola?

Wasn't it moronic on so many different levels for Lucas to question why he doesn't have an Oscar?

Didn't those presenters confirm who was going to win?

Didn't that make the Scorsese victory that much more special?

Doesn't he seem like a really great guy?

Is Jack Nicholson's "new look" not quite working?

Did you almost fall out of your seat from shock when The Departed won Best Picture?

Do I look like a fountain of Oscar prediction wisdom for typing this comment in my last blog: "It would be interesting to see The Departed pull an upset but I can't see it happening"

Aren't you glad this whole Oscar thing is finally over with?

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Oscar Predictions

Looking forward to the show tonight as I have a feeling there could be some major upsets and the Best Picture race is arguably the toughest to call in years. So here they are along with my thoughts on the major categories:

Best Picture: Babel

The Departed is too violent for the Academy and if Goodfellas didn't win this won't. Little Miss Sunshine is too slight. The Queen is viewed as an excellent t.v. movie. Letters From Iwo Jima was lucky it got a nomination. This leaves Babel, which is exactly the kind of film the voters love to reward so they can pat themselves on the back for recognizing a serious issue film. It's a grand, sweeping epic that takes on social concerns and FEELS like a Best Picture winner. That goes a long way in a race like this. That said, it is really tight this year.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)
Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Paul Greengrass (United 93) stand absolutely no chance. Greengrass far less so. Mixed reaction to Babel will hurt Inarritu in this category. There isn't enough support behind Iwo jima for Clint to pull an upset. Scorsese finally gets his due. Look for a very long standing ovation and lots of emotion.

Best Actor: Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Voters have already forgotten about Will Smith's film and his performance. Gosling's nomination is reward enough, as is O' Toole's. DiCaprio should have been nominated for The Departed so he stands no chance. That leaves Whitaker who's powerful performance should make voters forget he directed First Daughter. One of the few locks of the night.

Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen)
Unfortunately the lead acting categories are very predictable this year, but at least it guarantees everyone two correct in their Oscar pool. Kate Winslet will eventually win an Oscar but the support just isn't there for Little Children, which I hear is unbelievable by the way. Penelope Cruz can go home happy knowing her work was at least recognized. Meryl Streep's performance in The Devil Wears Prada is a supporting one. Judi Dench has the biggest chance to pull off an upset for Notes on a Scandal, but won't. Helen Mirren winning is the surest bet on the entire show as she's one every single critics award.

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls)
I really, really hope I'm wrong. If you asked me the one thing I don't want to see on this Oscar telecast it's Murphy winning. This must be the ten millionth Eddie Murphy "comeback" where he gets our hopes up he'll become a real actor. Instead we all know he'll shove the Oscar in his closet and continue to waste his talent making Norbit 2 and The Nutty Professor 17. With his body of work this past decade how could the Academy possibly endorse him? I don't care how good he was in Dreamgirls. Unlike Murphy, Little Children's Jackie Earle Haley and Little Miss Sunshine's Alan Arkin are real comeback stories. Reward one of them. Please.

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls)
The Academy loves to recognize fresh blood in this category and it doesn't come any fresher than Hudson, making her acting debut. This should be an exciting acceptance speech if nothing else. Too bad Cate Blanchett won this a couple of years ago or she'd have a chance. Rinko Kukuchi deserves to win for Babel but will split votes with co-star Adriana Barraza. Abigail Breslin proabably won't join Tatum O'Neil as the youngest Oscar winner in history. Keep your eyes peeled for a shocking upset in this category. It's happened before.

The Other Categories:
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Best Foreign Language Film: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Best Documentary Short: The Blood of Yingzhou District
Best Animated Feature: Cars
Best Animated Short: The Little Matchgirl
Best Live Action Short: Binta y la gran idea (let's see if I keep up my streak of missing this category like I do every year)
Best Original Score: The Queen
Best Original Song: "Listen" (Dreamgirls)
Best Cinematography: Children of Men
Best Art Direction: Dreamgirls
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Film Editing: United 93
Best Sound Editing: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Sound Mixing: Dreamgirls
Best Costume Design: Marie Antoinette
Best Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth