Pind

 

The 2009 Oscars

Who will go home with a little gold man?

ebruary
22"
will be

| undoubtedly
| the biggest
night in
Hollywood.
Everybody in attendance will be
perfectly coiffed, have several layers of
make-up on, accompanied by very few
layers of designer clothing. The most
annoying entertainment reporters (shout
outs to Joan Rivers and Ryan Seacrest, to
name a few) will be out in full force. All
this, though, is just a superficial lead-up
to what is really, really important... who
will go home with a little gold man?
Some of the favourites this year are
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,
which has received a whopping 13
nominations; Slumdog Millionaire, which
has received critical acclaim resulting in
its 10 nominations; and the lovely Kate
Winslet, who was given the nod twice at
the Golden Globes on January 11".
Then there is the controversial and
much-speculated nomination of the late
Heath Ledger for Best Supporting Actor
in The Dark Knight. While Ledger was
given the nod for the Golden Globe, I

 

wonder if the Academy will follow suit.
Yes, the Joker was easily his personal
best role, but up against everyone else
in his category I question whether he is
really top dog. No disrespect intended,
but if Heath Ledger wins the Oscar for
Best Supporting Actor it will be hard for
me to resist feeling like it was a jaded
decision; a clemency win, to be blunt.

That said, I’ve got my fingers
crossed for a few specific nominees.
Sean Penn in Milk is amazing; I mean
he is absolutely wonderful in this film
and deserves a nod here. Angelina Jolie
played the role only a mother could play
in Changeling. Her passion and strength
is unbeatable in this role. And finally,
Kung Fu Panda is easily one of the best
animated films of our time. It’s fun and
light and features an all-star cast of voice
actors. So, like I said... fingers crossed!

Of course, when it comes to the
Academy your guess is as good as mine.
This is precisely why I have starred my
Oscar night picks below. Disagree with
me? Email me your Oscar picks to arts@
theotherpress.ca and we’ll publish The
Other Press Oscar winners the week of
the awards!

a
The 81st Academy Awards take place on
February 22" at the Kodak Theatre in
Hollywood. Tune in on February 22" to
2e the winners take home little gold men
Tae
Disagree with my picks? Email me

| your Oscar picks to arts@theotherpress.ca
, and we'll publish The Other Press Oscar

pe

 

winners the week of the awards!

 

 

 

The votes are in and the nominations
for the Academy Awards are as follows:

Best Picture:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire*

Best Actor:

Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button

Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk*

Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Actress:

Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting
Married

Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Meryl Street for Doubt

Angelina Jolie for Changeling*
Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Supporting Actor:

Josh Brolin for Milk

Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder*
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams for Doubt

Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina
Barcelona*

Viola Davis for Doubt

Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button

Best Director:

David Fincher for The Curious Case of
Benjamin Button

Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant for Milk

Stephen Daldry for The Reader

Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire*

Best Animated Feature Film:
Bolt

Kung Fu Panda*

Wall-E

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Doubt

Frost/Nixon

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire*

Best Original Screenplay:
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky

In Bruges

Milk*

Wall-E

* = Chloé’s pick