Feb. 22 will be the night that all self-indulged actors have been awaiting: The Oscars. This is the star-studded fete where they are either honored for their excellent performances or just ‘happy to have been nominated.’ This year’s nominees range from well-established actors to those who are just beginning to make a name for themselves. Films like ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ are seeing countless nominations come their way.
Brad Pitt was nominated for the actor in a leading role category along with seasoned actor Mickey Rourke making his comeback in ‘The Wrestler.’
‘ The most interesting category seems to be actor in a supporting role, in which there is a posthumous nomination as well as one for a comedy, surprising many avid film buffs.
Heath Ledger, who died in January 2008, won a Golden Globe for his role in ‘The Dark Night’ as the Joker and is now up for an Oscar for the same performance, while Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for his role ‘playing a dude disguised as a black dude’ in the comedy ‘Tropic Thunder.’ The political incorrectness of this role, as well as the not-so-A-list cast with Jack Black and Matthew McConaughey, makes it a surprising nominee, especially in comparison to Hollywood heavyweights Sean Penn and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Next to Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ledger, this category’s winner should be interesting.
The category for actress in a leading role is also interesting with some wild cards in the mix. Anne Hathaway has already received numerous awards such as the Critics’ Choice Award for her performance in ‘Rachel Getting Married’; on Feb. 22, an Oscar could be added to that list.
Meryl Streep delivered in the controversial film, ‘Doubt,’ as did Kate Winslet in ‘The Reader.’ Angelina Jolie was shockingly nominated, for the first time ever, for her role as a distressed mother in ‘Changeling.’ Actresses in supporting roles features newcomers Amy Adams and Viola Davis dealing with matters of the Church, both for ‘Doubt,’ and Taraji P. Henson nominated for her role as Brad Pitt’s mother in ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.’ Marisa Tomei was also nominated for her part as a stripper in ‘The Wrestler.’ This is the first time that two black women have been nominated since ‘The Color Purple,’ when both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey were nominated.
Other nominations include best picture nods for ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’;
‘The Reader,’ set post World War II with Kate Winslet; ‘Milk’ with Sean Penn and Josh Brolin about San Francisco’s first openly gay politician; ‘Frost/Nixon’ directed by Ron Howard and the smash hit ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ which was nominated for 10 other awards.
Looking at the rest of this awards season, wins for ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ Doubt’ or’ ‘The Reader” as well as for leading Actress Kate Winslet would not be surprising.
Tune into ABC to see The Oscars at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Leave a Reply