A PHOTO FINISH FOR 2007 OSCARS
What an odd year it is for the Academy Awards — steeped in sure-things and complete mysteries. While most years at the Oscars have a handful of hot races to watch, this year, there are relatively few top categories up for grabs. But the ones that are still being contested — namely Best Director and Best Picture — are the most watched and coveted of them all, meaning this year’s ceremony could be divided into two halves: one incredibly boring, and one of the most exciting in recent memory.
No question there’re favorites in the field — particularly Helen Mirren, for her performance in The Queen, and Forest Whitaker for his stunning turn in The Last King of Scotland — but few people are placing firm bets on the wide-open Best Picture category, and while many would certainly like Martin Scorsese to bring home the gold as Best Director, the tide could quickly turn.
All this aside, there are some other dramas worth paying attention to as well this weekend — a more-modern-than-usual Costume Design category, an Original Song category featuring three (yes, three) Dreamgirls numbers, a documentary race that might bring Al Gore onto the Oscar stage, and two Best Screenplay categories that may shed light early on about what the Best Picture voters are thinking.
But it will be the night’s last ten minutes that shall stand as the most exciting, as the world will hold its breath to see which of the five Best Picture nominees (Babel, The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen) will manage to take home the night’s top honor.
Here’s my guide to the Top 11 categories—the categories most worth watching—and who is likely to reign supreme Sunday night:
BEST PICTURE
Will win: Little Miss Sunshine
Should win: Letters from Iwo Jima
BEST DIRECTOR
Will win: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Should win: Scorsese
BEST ACTOR
Will win: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Should win: Peter O’Toole, Venus
BEST ACTRESS
Will win: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Should win: Mirren
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Will win: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Should win: Murphy
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Will win: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Should win: Hudson
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Will win: Cars
Should win: Monster House
BEST FOREIGN FILM
Will win: Pan’s Labyrinth
Should win: Pan’s Labyrinth
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Will win: An Inconvenient Truth
Should win: Deliver Us From Evil
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Will win: Little Miss Sunshine
Should win: Letters from Iwo Jima
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Will win: The Departed
Should win The Departed
Ellen Degeneres hosts the 79th Academy Awards on Sunday, February 25th at 5pm on ABC. See how Steven Snyder tallies up, next week in his Academy Awards, wrap-up.
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