"While Visions of Oscar Noms Danced In Their Heads"

The Nominees for the 80th Annual Oscars are announced tomorrow morning. A month later (Feb 24th) the Oscars arrive rain or shine or writer's strike.

I assume you've already read my final predictions --I had to go in and make two changes: First that pesky totally unfair score ruling just discussed (previous post) and second, I forgot to include documentaries the first time through. Whoops. Anyway my predix. I received the usual angry e-mails (mostly involving Cate Blanchett. I'm telling you: scientists should study her DNA because boy does she inspire mad devotion) but I always include a couple of surprises/unlikely things. This is nothing new. I like to have fun with my red carpet consumed imagination, I'm not a copy & paste consensus machine. Predicting should be fun! The Oscars are a party for movie lovers. Or they should be. I believe in taking them very seriously as time capsule snapshots of what the movie industry values ...but predictions? Those are just the streamers. They give the party that festive feeling as you enter --before the A lists guests arrive -- but they're totally disposable. Nobody cares about them once the punch is flowing.

In the spirit of egalitarianism I thought I'd point out that many other websites and blogs exist which also cover the Oscar race. Not that you don't know that already... but I think it's fun, especially in regards to a confusing race, to see what people include and what they leave out. Here's some multi-colored streamers for you...

Low Resolution daringly predicts a There Will Be Blood snub. Ooh... * Stale Popcorn is standing by Atonement * Edward Copeland on Film enlists a few friends. Four heads are better than one * I Don't Like Renée Zellweger jumps on the surprise (Laura Linney!) bandwagon * Crumb by Crumb, Oscar Igloo and Oscar Breach all think its Juno that'll get the snub. That wouldn't surprise me either... despite the media craze. It did start very late and it does skew very young * The Envelope doesn't come right out and predict it but Tom O'Neil is giving me the sense that American Gangster isn't anywhere close to out of the race * Oscar Jam goes one step further and predicts it to make the BP shortlist * Nick's Flick Picks offers up the funny with a surprising rundown * In Contention has technical category wrap-ups *Oscar Obsession and Cifra's Mania still believe in enchanted Amy Adams * Cinemascopian doesn't want Michael Clayton near the shortlist * Slant details where Oscar will go wrong. And right on occassion * Awards Dail = always worth a visit * And the Winner Is... goes barebones style * ModFab and The Gold Digger see an Into the Wild stumble * Joe's Movie Corner wants Atonement in there reallll bad *

There are millions of blogs so god knows that's just scratching the surface.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The Annual Razzies (i.e. worst of the year) have also been announced for those of you who have already tired of all that "good job" back patting. Worst of the year dishonors are mainly focused on Eddie Murphy's fatsuit antics in Norbit. The film received 8 nominations, 5 of which were Murphy's alone, making him the highest single nominated performer in any one year in the history of the Razzies.

Lindsay Lohan's career suicide year was also featured: I Know Who Killed Me (right) cut its competition with a whopping nine nominations. Lindsay Lohan is a bigger lock to win Worst Actress here than Javier Bardem is to win Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars, don't you think?
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