Academy Awards

The Academy Awards are handed out tonight and for the first time in years I have not seen a single best picture nominee. I don't get out to the movies much anymore, but watch quite a few on DVD. Each of the past 5-6 years, though, I have made it a point to see the movie that I thought would win the Best Picture award. Movies, such as Lord of the Rings, Chicago, A Beautiful Mind, Saving Private Ryan (which should have won hands down), and Finding Nemo (okay, so I have little ones still at home). I will bravely make my predictions without the benefit of having seen any of the movies in the major categories this year. These predictions are based on reading the entertainment magazines, online and newspaper hype and that good old ever expanding gut feelings:

Best Picture: Million Dollar Baby Oscars love a weepy movie (See, Ordinary People and Terms of Endearment)

Best Director: Clint Eastwood Sorry, Marty, they just don't like you

Best Actor: Jamie Foxx Too much buzz, too good of a role, one sure winner

Best Actress Hilary Swank Beats Annette Bening to the punch (sorry about that) once again

Best Supporting Actress: Virginia Madsen Don't know why, maybe it is the Chicago connection

Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman How do you vote against God (Bruce Almighty)?

Best Academy Awards Host: Johnny Carson There better be a quality tribute to the Master of Ceremonies!

Best Song: Learn to Be Lonely (Phantom of the Opera) Academy usually goes for the high brow stuff,
personally I like The Counting Crows and would vote for Accidentally in Love (has a nice beat
and you can sing along)

Best Animated Movie: The Incredibles Though, I laughed my way through Shrek 2 (when I wasn't at the concession stand for my children) and Shark Tale

Best Documentary: Super Size Me The announcement for this will be followed immediately by a McDonald's or other fast food restaraunt commercial.

Number of Bleeps for Chris Rock: 7 Flashbacks of George (in rehab for WINO radio days) Carlin and the seven things you can't say on radio or television (though most of those are no longer taboo)

Length of the Awards Show: 4hrs 12 min Two hour show stretched out to handle the commercial gods

Number of People Missing Work the Next Day: 4.5 Million (Followed the guidelines in the Oscar
drinking games a bit too closely)

I have to go. I have a real column to write for the Journal Standard for this week before I head out to the floating city of LA. Conference this week in Hollywood, where the stars were out for the night.