Oscar nomination morning is a bit more bearable for us on the east coast. That 5:30 AM PT start can be rough for the Cali-folk. But Thor made it there, or more accurately Chris Hemsworth, to announce the nominees for the 86th Academy Awards along with Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs. The announcement is nothing to write home about. They get immediately to the point and were done in about 10 minutes. It’s the complete antithesis of the award show itself which is quite long-winded. So enough babbling, who was nominated?
For the big prize of Best Picture, nine films were nominated. As always a number of them don’t stand a chance. 12 Years a Slave just won the Golden Globe, so they have to be the front runner at this point. After them it’s anybody’s guess. The hype for Gravity has waned a bit, but they, along with American Hustle and Her probably have the most realistic chances. The initiative put in place a few years ago to add nominees to this category to make room for mainstream films like The Dark Knight seems to have failed again. Gravity was a huge hit, but no action blockbusters turn up. Remember when Inception was nominated? That was fun.
In the acting categories there is a large variety of dynamics at play. For lead actor, only Christian Bale has won before so it’s possible we see another big star earn the trophy. Matthew McConaughey won the Globe and has a good chance of carrying the whole award season, but Chiwetel Ejiofor can’t be overlooked. How about Leonardo DiCaprio who, believe it or not, has never won an Oscar? He also won a Globe and is my current pick to take this category. For lead actress, your guess is as good as mine. Meryl Streep always has an above average chance of winning. But Amy Adams, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench winning each have a nice ring to it. I wouldn’t be surprised with any of them to be honest. My pick is Adams, who is overdue.
Supporting actor always ends up being the most fun category. Jared Leto is the favorite for Dallas Buyers Club, but there are a number of names that interest the casual viewer. Jonah Hill adds a second nomination to his ever expanding career that began with teen comedies. Plus the well-liked Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper got their tickets punched to try and earn their first Oscars. The newcomer, Barkhad Abdi, from Captain Phillips is also a great story coming from Somalia to America and making a name for himself. Supporting actress is almost as much of a guessing game as lead actress. I’m anticipating it to come down to a battle between the current it-girl, Jennifer Lawrence, and the former it-girl turned superstar Julia Roberts. Can Lawrence repeat as an Oscar winner in her downtime from making blockbuster franchise films? Yes, I think she can and then her world takeover will be complete.
For a complete list of the nominees, click here. The Oscars air march 2nd on ABC and will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. Be sure to check back with What’s Up Movement as we will be covering the entire award season. Then tune in and see just how wrong my predictions are.
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