Oscar Fever!

Happy Wednesday, (All New Lost tonight!)

The 79th Academy Awards are just days away. I myself will be attending a small Oscar gathering with like minded wannabe movie folk and my bestest friends.

Why do I care so much about the Oscars? It’s the Superbowl for us movie geeks. The culminating event of the movie season we all look forward to.

I'm always in a sort of peace when I watch. Almost like my mind is moving foward in time to the time I may end up there myself. (delusions of granduer?)

That said, I am uber excited for this years show. Ellen hosting should be a nice change, maybe they'll be funny this year. Remember Chris Rock? Yikes.

I didn't see as many movies last year as I’d hoped (this will change this year), I’m still as eager as ever to sit down and watch.

Below, are my thoughts on the major categories of this years Oscars. These are my choices on who should win, who probably will win, and who might sneak up and snatch it.

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio - “Blood Diamond”– Who Should Win
Ryan Gosling - “Half Nelson”

Peter O’Toole - “Venus” - The Dark Horse
Will Smith - “The Pursuit of Happyness”
Forest Whitaker - “The Last King of Scotland” – Who Will Win

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin - “Little Miss Sunshine” – The Dark Horse
Jackie Earle Haley - “Little Children”

Djimon Hounsou - “Blood Diamond” – Who Should Win
Eddie Murphy - “Dreamgirls” – Who Will Win
Mark Wahlberg - “The Departed”

Best Actress

Penélope Cruz - “Volver”
Judi Dench - “Notes on a Scandal”

Helen Mirren - “The Queen” – Who Will Win
Meryl Streep - “The Devil Wears Prada” – The Dark Horse
Kate Winslet - “Little Children” – Who Should Win

Best Supporting Actress

Adriana Barraza - “Babel”

Cate Blanchett - “Notes on a Scandal”

Abigail Breslin - “Little Miss Sunshine” – The Dark Horse
Jennifer Hudson -“Dreamgirls” – Who Will Win
Rinko Kikuchi - “Babel” – Who Should Win

Best Animated Film

“Cars” – The Dark Horse
“Happy Feet” – Who Will Win/Who Should Win
“Monster House”

Best Director

Alejandro González Iñárritu - “Babel”
Martin Scorsese - “The Departed” – Who Will Win/Who Should Win
Clint Eastwood - “Letters from Iwo Jima”
Stephen Frears - “The Queen”

Paul Greengrass - “United 93” – The Dark Horse

Best Documentary

“Deliver Us from Evil” - The Dark Horse

“An Inconvenient Truth” - Who Will Win

“Iraq in Fragments”

"Jesus Camp” - Who Should Win

“My Country, My Country”

Best Foreign Language Film

“After the Wedding” - Denmark

“Days of Glory (Indigènes)” - Algeria

“The Lives of Others” - Germany

"Pan’s Labyrinth" - Mexico - Who Will Win/Who Should Win

“Water" - Canada - The Dark Horse

Best Original Score

Gustavo Santaolalla - Babel - Who Will Win

Thomas Newman - The Good German

Philip Glass - Notes on a Scandal

Javier Navarrete - Pan’s Labyrinth - Who Should Win

Alexandre Desplat - The Queen - The Dark Horse

Best Original Song

“I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth” – Melissa Etheridge - The Dark Horse
“Listen” from “Dreamgirls” - Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler & Anne Preven - Who Will Win/Who Should Win
“Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls” - Henry Krieger & Siedah Garrett
“Our Town” from “Cars” - Randy Newman
“Patience” from “Dreamgirls"- Henry Krieger& Willie Reale

Best Screenplay - Adapted

“Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” - Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Peter Baynham & Dan Mazer - The Dark Horse

"Children of Men" - Alfonso Cuarón & Timothy J. Sexton and David Arata and Mark Fergus & Hawk Ostby

"The Departed" - William Monahan - Who Will Win/Who Should Win

"Little Children" - Todd Field & Tom Perrotta

"Notes on a Scandal" - Patrick Marber

Best Screenplay - Original

"Babel" - Guillermo Arriaga

"Letters from Iwo Jima" - Iris Yamashita & Paul Haggis

"Little Miss Sunshine" - Michael Arndt - Who Should Win

“Pan’s Labyrinth” - Guillermo del Toro - The Dark Horse

"The Queen" - Peter Morgan - Who Will Win

Best Picture

"Babel"

"The Departed"

"Letters from Iwo Jima"

"Little Miss Sunshine" - The Dark Horse/Who Should Win

"The Queen" - Who Will Win

On Deck for tomorrow:

Thoughts on the latest episodes of 24, Heroes, Lost, and Veronica Mars.

Bye kids!