Well, considering that no one cares about Animated Feature and Foreign Language Film, I'm going to bypass those and head straight to the conclusion of "Oscar Countdown Week" with Best Picture and my predictions.
Best Picture
(Producers' names are in parentheses)
Best Picture
(Producers' names are in parentheses)
"Brokeback Mountain" (Diana Ossana and James Schamus): Two young cowboys in the 1960s develop a strong bond that turns to love over the course of a summer in the Wyoming mountains. As they share herding duties in an isolated setting, Ennis and Jack find themselves drawn into a relationship--made impossible by the time and circumstances in which they live--that will color the rest of their lives.
"Capote" (Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven): When the murder of a family in Kansas captures the interest of celebrated writer Truman Capote, he travels to their small hometown to research what will become his best-known book. As the details of the crime unfold and the two killers are captured and tried, Capote's involvement with the case becomes both morally ambivalent and deeply personal.
"Crash" (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman): The lives of a diverse group of people living in Los Angeles connect and clash over the course of two days. As a series of events unfolds that will heighten already-existing racial and cultural tensions, individuals are brought face to face with complexities that their prejudices have prevented them from seeing.
"Good Night, And Good Luck." (Grant Heslov): In the paranoia-ridden 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy pursues a grandstanding witch hunt for suspected Communists that destroys the lives of those he accuses. Appalled by the resulting climate of persecution and fear, veteran CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, decide to confront McCarthy with an investigation into his tactics.
"Munich" (Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel): In the aftermath of the tragic slaying of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a secret band of highly trained agents is formed to track down and kill the men responsible for the murders. As their mission unfolds, its repercussions begin to take a psychic toll on Avner, the group's leader.
"Capote" (Caroline Baron, William Vince and Michael Ohoven): When the murder of a family in Kansas captures the interest of celebrated writer Truman Capote, he travels to their small hometown to research what will become his best-known book. As the details of the crime unfold and the two killers are captured and tried, Capote's involvement with the case becomes both morally ambivalent and deeply personal.
"Crash" (Paul Haggis and Cathy Schulman): The lives of a diverse group of people living in Los Angeles connect and clash over the course of two days. As a series of events unfolds that will heighten already-existing racial and cultural tensions, individuals are brought face to face with complexities that their prejudices have prevented them from seeing.
"Good Night, And Good Luck." (Grant Heslov): In the paranoia-ridden 1950s, Senator Joseph McCarthy pursues a grandstanding witch hunt for suspected Communists that destroys the lives of those he accuses. Appalled by the resulting climate of persecution and fear, veteran CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, decide to confront McCarthy with an investigation into his tactics.
"Munich" (Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg and Barry Mendel): In the aftermath of the tragic slaying of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a secret band of highly trained agents is formed to track down and kill the men responsible for the murders. As their mission unfolds, its repercussions begin to take a psychic toll on Avner, the group's leader.
My Predictions
We've now come to the biggest question of all: Who will walk out of the Kodak Theater with Oscar gold on Sunday? To recap how I did last time in 2004 when the last of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy swept the night, I was right on everybody but Supporting Actor.
Supporting Actor: George Clooney
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz or Catherine Keener
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (no contest)
Actress: With South Africa's Charlize Theron and Brits Judi Dench and Keira Knightley all sitting this one out, this will be an all-American battle between one of the "Desperate Housewives" (Felicity Huffman) against the now $29 million woman (Reese Witherspoon). Many "Housewives" fans are rooting for Huffman while the rest of us are favoring for Witherspoon. So, unless there is a tie and that she has come a long way from "Cruel Intentions" and the two "Legally Blonde" films that made her millions...I should say that it'll be The $29 Million Woman, aka Reese Witherspoon, when the smoke clears.
Director: Ang Lee
Best Picture: Just like most of you, I'm getting tired of all those "Brokeback Mountain" jokes and parodies myself. Fedullo and I brought up my picks today and I told him that "Brokeback" will take the big prize. But since this is the Academy Awards, upsets do sometimes happen, so I will not stick with my original pick. In the end, we could be seeing party, uh, "Crash"ers on the stage instead of the gay cowboys. Then again, I could be wrong.
We'll see how I fare on Sunday. And Monday, I'll have my complete take on all this as only I can. Have a good weekend.
We've now come to the biggest question of all: Who will walk out of the Kodak Theater with Oscar gold on Sunday? To recap how I did last time in 2004 when the last of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy swept the night, I was right on everybody but Supporting Actor.
Supporting Actor: George Clooney
Supporting Actress: Rachel Weisz or Catherine Keener
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (no contest)
Actress: With South Africa's Charlize Theron and Brits Judi Dench and Keira Knightley all sitting this one out, this will be an all-American battle between one of the "Desperate Housewives" (Felicity Huffman) against the now $29 million woman (Reese Witherspoon). Many "Housewives" fans are rooting for Huffman while the rest of us are favoring for Witherspoon. So, unless there is a tie and that she has come a long way from "Cruel Intentions" and the two "Legally Blonde" films that made her millions...I should say that it'll be The $29 Million Woman, aka Reese Witherspoon, when the smoke clears.
Director: Ang Lee
Best Picture: Just like most of you, I'm getting tired of all those "Brokeback Mountain" jokes and parodies myself. Fedullo and I brought up my picks today and I told him that "Brokeback" will take the big prize. But since this is the Academy Awards, upsets do sometimes happen, so I will not stick with my original pick. In the end, we could be seeing party, uh, "Crash"ers on the stage instead of the gay cowboys. Then again, I could be wrong.
We'll see how I fare on Sunday. And Monday, I'll have my complete take on all this as only I can. Have a good weekend.
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