Seeing as Dark Knight didn’t get any direction or best picture nominations, I wonder if Ledger would’ve gotten his nomination if he didn’t die?
I really hate the term “sympathy vote”, but it makes you wonder 
Just gpoes to show that some years are better than others.
Last year’s There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men, and Atonement were all better than anything nominated this year.
I haven’t seen many of the nominated Best Pictures (I tend to wait for everything to come out on Netflix), but I’m rather disgusted that Benjamin Button is in there. I’m very disgusted that Brad Pitt got a nomination out of those endless hours of smug non-acting. And I normally like Brad Pitt.
But I love it that Robert Downey Jr. got nominated for Tropic Thunder. The movie itself is extremely stupid (yet kind of funny), but he was amazing in it.
ArchiveGuy, I found all your posts fascinating, especially the one dissecting the reasons why certain actresses won in certain years. Well done.
My major complain is that almost none of the movies nominated in the big categories are available in major release. I live in a moderately decent sized city and Milk, Slumdog, et al, have yet to make an appearance. I happened to see them while at mom’s house over Xmas, but if I were a voter, this situation would immediately disqualify something from my consideration. If a movie can’t be seen by the majority of the country at nomination time, it shouldn’t qualify, in my purely personal opinion.
If you were a voter, you’d have a stack of DVDs in your living room of all the nomianted films, and you’d simply have to decide which to pop into your home theater system first. 
I sympathize with your suggestion, but if you limited the eligible films to wide-release ones, you’d essentially disqualify most of the best candidates in the first place. The only hope a Wrestler or Rachel Getting Married or Happy-Go-Lucky has for a nation-wide release is to ride the buzz generated by the awards they accumulate. Should only the movies rich and mass-appealling enough to afford a huge distribution strategy be the ones to rake in the plaudits? (I won’t even discuss the unfairness this would have on current nominees like In Bruges, The Visitor and Frozen River, which came out months ago and would never have a prayer for a release any wider than major metropolitan arthouses).
The Scientific & Technical Awards were handed out already, and Ed Catmull from Pixar was awarded the Gordon E. Sawyer Award for his lifetime of technological contributions to the industry. Jessica Biel was this year’s hot young thing hosting. They always get an up and coming starlet to host as a consolation prize for a bunch of important but underappreciated nerds who only get a few seconds on the prime time broadcast. Here’s a complete list of winners.
Oscars are Sunday February 22. Since Slumdog Millionaire has won all the major Guilds so far it would be a major upset for it to not win Best Director and Best Picture. Here are my predictions, totally IMHO of course, and subject to change because I’m wishy-washy that way.
Best Picture
Will win: Slumdog Millionaire
My preference for the win: Milk
**
Best Director**
Will win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
My win: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor
Will win: Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
My win: Sean Penn - Milk
Best Actress
Will win: Kate Winslet - The Reader
My win: Melissa Leo - Frozen River
(should have been nominated: Catinca Untaru - The Fall)
Best Supporting Actor
Will win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
My win: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Best Supporting Actress
Will win: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
My win: Viola Davis - Doubt
(should have been nominated, if they didn’t want to put her in Lead: Catinca Untaru - The Fall)
**Animated Feature
**Will win: WALL-E
My win: WALL-E
Best Foreign Language Film
Will win: Waltz with Bashir (I don’t know, because…)
My win: Waltz with Bashir (it’s the only one I’ve seen)
Adapted Screenplay
Will win: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
My win: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Original Screenplay
Will win: Dustin Lance Black - Milk
My win: Martin McDonagh - In Bruge (would also be thrilled with a Milk win)
Original Score
Will win: A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
My win: A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
(should have been nominated: Krishna Levy - The Fall)
Original Song
Will win: “Down to Earth” - WALL-E
My win: “O Saya” - Slumdog Millionaire
Cinematography
Will win: Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire
My win: Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire
(should have been nominated: Colin Watkinson - The Fall)
Art Direction
Will win: Donald Graham Burt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
My win: Donald Graham Burt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(should have been nominated: Ged Clarke - The Fall)
Costume Design
Will win: Michael O’Connor - The Duchess
My win: Catherine Martin - Australia
(REALLY*** REALLY*** should have been nominated: Eiko Ishioka - The Fall)
Film Editing
Will win: Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire
My win: Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire
Makeup
Will win: Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
My win: Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(should have been nominated: - The Fall)
Sound Editing
Will win: The Dark Knight (though Slumdog might surprise)
My win: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing
Will win: The Dark Knight (though Slumdog might surprise)
My win: The Dark Knight
Documentary Feature
Will win: Man On Wire (but really, I have no idea)
My win: Man On Wire (it’s the only one I’ve seen)
Documentary Short
Will win: The Conscience of Nhem En (no idea here)
My win: haven’t seen any of them
Live Action Short
Will win: Spielzeugland (Toyland) (chosen just because I like the name, but I have no idea)
My win: haven’t seen any of them
Animated Short
Will win: Presto (come on, it’s Pixar)
My win: haven’t seen any of them
Actually, you forgot Chicago, another Miramax film to win B. Picture.
I AM SO FUCKING ANGRY! I want to hit, kick, scream! I’d start a Pit thread but that would only attract assholes who yawn at the Oscars anyway and then I’d want to hit, kick and scream at them.
Peter Gabriel has pulled out of the Oscars in protest, and I don’t blame him a bit.
They had a perfect chance to make this year’s Song category presentations be the most exciting, vibrant and interesting in Oscar history, but now they’re ruining it. WHY??? there are only 3 songs nominated this year! It’s not like the full songs would take up a lot of time.
Here are the nominated songs:
“O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire
“Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire
“Down To Earth” from WALL-E
So now we just get slightly over a minute per song.
And while I’m bitching, I really do NOT like the sound of that “…including the way categories are presented” which probably means the “lesser” categories are going to get shafted in some way. Those “lesser” categories are what make the Oscars worthwhile. These people work so hard and never get any thanks or recognition except during part of the awards season, from their own Guilds and at the Oscars. They deserve their momentary place in the sun and people who think those categories should be dropped can suck it. The producers shouldn’t cater to fair weather and casual Oscar watchers. It’s an INDUSTRY awards ceremony, respect the industry!
ARGH!!!
It’s tough because there’s always the pressure to “improve” things so the telecast feels fresh and streamlined. But these numbers could’ve been arranged to maximize real showmanship, so why truncate them (especially with a reduced nominee slate) so dramatically? I can understand why they might turn both Slumdog songs into an extended medly, but how in the world would they integrate the Gabriel tune, which is almost 180 degrees different in tone and style? I look forward to Jackman hosting and hope some of the other rumors (last year’s acting winners will not present the gender-opposite acting awards) aren’t true, but this decision by Condon & co. seens particularly stupid.
These picks are for what will win, not who should win. Either approach might get me 40% of the winners, so don’t use this as a guide or anything… for example, I have Slumdog Millionaire becoming the first movie to win B. Picture while winning only music awards in support. (I do believe that there has been a film that won B. Picture without winning any other awards… Grand Hotel, I think. Something from that era).
Best motion picture of the year: “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer
Achievement in directing: “Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
Performance by an actor in a leading role: Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role: Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
Thereby proving the first wasn’t a fluke.
Best animated feature film of the year: “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton
Achievement in art direction: “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
Achievement in cinematography: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
Achievement in costume design: “The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
Best documentary feature: “Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
Best documentary short subject: “The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
Achievement in film editing: “Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Best foreign language film of the year: "Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel
Achievement in makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score): “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song): “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam
Best animated short film: “Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
Best live action short film: “Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
Achievement in sound editing: “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
Achievement in sound mixing: “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
Achievement in visual effects: “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
Adapted screenplay: “Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
Original screenplay: “In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
They may or may respect the industry. What they really respect is the fact that this one show provides the Academy with almost all of its yearly budget.
If the show dies because of bad ratings, so does the Academy. Ratings have plummeted for years. The audience couldn’t care less about the industry. Never has, never will.* They want to be entertained. So entertained they shall be.
- They don’t care about Peter Gabriel either.
Next year, Russell Crowe dons the gladiator garb and attacks the “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here” household, in between announcements of each award. A new ratings record is set!