The Race for the Golden Boy

Next Sunday is the 79th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, and as it has been for many, MANY years, I will be sitting in front of my television watching the entire event. Also, as it has been for many, many years, I have my predictions. Because I'm a movieholic, I've seen a majority of the films up for awards this year, so my predictions are based upon my personal views. I also consider Entertainment Weekly to be my bible of sorts, so part of my predictions are based on what they say. The rest depends upon my Rules for Winning an Academy Award. (These apply only to the major awards...and every once in a while to the music categories.)

People win for only three reasons: 1)Your career has always been stellar and now you're being recognized for it (i.e. Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby). 2)Your career has been, at best, mediocre, and now you've broken out with an amazing turn (i.e. Halle Barry for Monster's Ball). 3)You did a stellar, stellar job a year or so ago, but someone else edged you out, and now it's time for the "we're sorry" award (i.e. Russell Crowe the year he won for Gladiator when he should've one the year before for The Insider).

Now that you know how it goes, here are my predictions:

Best Picture: The Departed
There is a chance at a major upset with the very small Little Miss Sunshine taking home the gold, but Martin Scorsese films have been passed up so many times, a lot of people think it's his year.

Best Director: Martin Scorsese
Not only is he long overdue, The Departed is reminiscent of old school Marty, and people loved Taxi Driver and Goodfellas.

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker
Once again, there is a chance of an upset because Peter O'Toole has been nominated 8 times with no wins. He's also 74 years old and may not be around to win another one, but my money is still on Whitaker. He was spectacular as Idi Amin, and the voters love this kind of role.

Best Actress: Helen Mirren
Unless you're completely out of the loop with awards season, you already know she's going home with this one. She was quietly compelling and eerily convincing as Queen Elizabeth II. The Oscar is hers.

Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy
See Rule #2. I would love for Alan Arkin to walk away with this one, but he's consistently better than Eddie Murphy has ever been.

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson
The Academy loves a standout performance, and no matter what anyone says, she wasn't simply a great singer in Dreamgirls. That girl commanded every scene she was in, and I felt every bit of her emotion in every word she gloriously belted out.

Best Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine (original) and Little Children (adapted)
This is a tough year for me on this category, but I'm more than positive about Little Miss Sunshine. This very well may be the only Oscar the film takes home.

The rest:
Best Film Editing: United 93
Best Cinematography: Children of Men
Best Visual Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Costume Design: Marie Antionette
Best Makeup: Pan's Labyrinth (I think this should go to Apocalypto, but I don't think enough people saw it to vote.)
Best Foreign Language Film: Pan's Labyrinth
Best Animated Feature: Cars
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth (Hollywood is in love with this movie.)
Best Animated Short: The Little Matchgirl (It's dark and bleak...and it comes from Disney.)
Best Live Action Short: Eramos Pocos (I can't lie. This is EW's pick.)
Best Documentary Short: Recycled Life
There are no war docs this year, and the Academy loves a good bleak story. This one is about Guatemalans who live out of dumpsters. The upset could be Two Hands because it's about overcoming adversity.



*The picture of the Oscars was taken by me. If you'd like to see more pictures, check out my blog on MySpace. :)