It’s official; Oscar buzz has begun. The 82nd Annual Academy Awards air March 7 on ABC. If a little man named Oscar hasn’t already become the biggest conversation starter, consider this a hint to start talking. Nominees will not be announced until Feb. 2, but with two award shows under this season’s belt, predictions are already proliferating.
Will the underdog nominees score or fall short at this year’s Oscars?
It really has become the year of the underdog, leaving many major nominees and their fans shocked. Jeff Bridges won honors for his performance in Crazy Heart at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Golden Globes.
Bridges beat George Clooney and his role in Up in the Air, sending a tidal wave of shock through the air. However, Clooney still has time to redeem himself at the Oscars, unless Matt Damon beats him to the punch with his portrayal of Mark Whitacre in The Informant!
Sandra Bullock provided insight into the world of the underdog and twice stole the award of outstanding performance by a female actor from Meryl Streep, sweeping both the Screen Actors Guild and the Golden Globes.
Bullock’s portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy, the adoptive mother of former Mississippi State football player and Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher, in The Blind Side.
However, no one messes with the Streep. While she did go on to win Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for Julie and Julia—a category in which she competed against herself for her role in It’s Complicated— Streep still deserves an Oscar, and that’s the understatement of the year.
Christopher Waltz (Inglourious Bastards) and Mo’Nique (Precious) helped prove that underdogs are the new top dogs with their wins for supporting roles at the SAG Awards and the Golden Globes. Waltz and Mo’Nique will likely each claim a third win at this year’s Oscars.
James Cameron believes Avatar actress Zoe Saldana deserves an Oscar.
After taking home a Best Director Award and a Best Motion Picture Award for a Drama at the Golden Globes, Avatar director James Cameron is still not satisfied with the film’s successes.
In a New York Magazine interview, Cameron said he felt his Pandorian actors were robbed in the award ceremony due to the misconception that Cameron’s CGI characters were not completely portrayed by the real-life actors Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana.
“I don’t think they understand that we don’t embellish or make up portions of the performance. It’s not just a voice performance. The animators don’t create the physicality (while the) actor sits in a booth somewhere for two days and reads lines,” Cameron said.
Alongside major rewards for talented people, this year’s Oscars also promise many barrels of laughs from hosts Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.
