There was a time, waaaay back in the past, when the announcement of the Oscar nominees would get me all excited to a near sexual frenzy. Alas, those days are no more, in fact they have all but faded from view. The Oscars and the nominees are taken with a grain, no, a pound of salt. All but a couple of the noms were predictable. Let's start with Best Actress : Meryl Streep. Again! Must we? Why does everything she's in turn to Oscar gold? No one, I mean NO ONE is that good. Not Olivier, not Brando, not Tracy or K.Hepburn got the noms that Mighty Meryl gets. One thing is for sure : she is not underrated. Streep could scratch her ass, open a garage door or sneeze in her hand and if a camera catches it, BOOM!! Oscar Nomination!!!! I have loved many of her films and her work in them but honestly people, I am getting tired of her { betcha couldn't tell }. I thought Cate Blanchett amazing in
Blue Jasmine but I'm rooting for an Amy Adams upset.
Best Actor gave us a surprise in not giving Robert Redford a nom for
All Is Lost in which Redford gives probably his most award worthy performance ever. I'm thinking it's between Bruce Dern or Matthew McConaughey but I want to see Leo nab the gold. DiCaprio has given us at least 12 or so years of stellar work and
Wolf of Wall Street may be his best with a role that stretched his talent the farthest. Speaking of McConaughey this man has done a complete 360 on his career. From the light fluff of
Failure To Launch and
The Wedding Planner to serious stuff like
Mud,
Killer Joe and now
Dallas Buyers Club. His career turnabout reminds me of William Holden's in the 50's, who went from
Apartment For Peggy to awesome stuff like
Sunset Blvd to
The Country Girl to
Bridge On The River Kwai and his Oscar winner
Stalag 17. 
The Director category wa pretty much in step with the critics and navel gazers. The internet buzz says Alfonso Cuaron is the leading contender. If I had a vote it would go to Marty. His
Wolf pushes boundaries { which is probably why it, and he, will lose } and shows us that at 71 Scorsese will not be put out to pasture and moviegoers can look forward to a few more challenging films from him in the future.
Supporting Actress is kinda a coin-flip { as are several of these categories } but the early line says Lupita Nyong'o is the front runner. Jennifer Lawrence won't win. She won for Best Actress last year. As for the others, it's not in the cards for them.
For Supporting Actor Jared Leto is suppose to be incredible in
Dallas Buyers Club and I feel everyone else is an also ran. I read online that the Jonah Hill nom was a bit of a surprise but I expected it. I feel Fassbender was a bit of a shock because, although he is an excellent actor and fine in it, his role as a brutal plantation owner is kind of one dimensional.
So that leaves us with Best Picture. Unlike recent years there appears to be no real front-runner, which could make the awards fun this year and may bring genuine upsets and give some long shots a chance. I am not a professional critic and I haven't yet seen all or even half of the nominees. This blog is something I do out of love after I leave my day job { I know, don't quit it } and on weekends. I don't have the luxury of having screeners sent to me or going to private screenings and film festivals so, admittedly, there a lot of these films I still have to catch up with. But I know what I like and I hear a lot of buzz on the internet. As anyone who has seen my predicted Oscar winners on this blog the last two years can tell you, I can be pretty savvy as to who I think who will take the crown { as opposed to who
I want to win, which are two different things }. At this early date I really cannot predict much. However, I will go out on a limb to say Cate will win Actress, Leto for Supporting Actor and Nyong'o for Supporting Actress. I have a strong feeling for
American Hustle for Picture. But beyond that I really couldn't say. Not yet. Check back in about a month when all those various Guilds put in their two cents worth in and I will post my full predictions then.
Oh, one more thing. Not an Ellen fan, really. Nothing against her but I thought Seth MacFarlane's tastelessness { for some } was pretty spot-on funny, and I feel the Oscar's take themselves a wee bit too serious and could use more irreverence. Or Steve Martin, who kills as host. But the show's producers picked Ellen because she is a safe bet and will play by the rules. I think this year's show could be one of the dullest. I hope I'm wrong.
