ACADEMY AWARDS - NOMINATIONS & PREDICTIONS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
- Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR
- Laura Linney - KINSEY
- Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS
- Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA
- Natalie Portman - CLOSER
DAN'S PREDICTION: CATE BLANCHETT seems destined to pick-up this award, and
it's unlikely she'll be beaten - although perhaps Natalie Portman (right) will be a
surprise winner... but I doubt it.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR
- Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS
- Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL
- Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Clive Owen - CLOSER
DAN'S PREDICTION: Well, difficult to call. ALAN ALDA is my choice, but only
because the other roles aren't a far cry from what we expect from the
actors. Perhaps Clive Owen could sneak it, but...
BEST ACTRESS:
- Annette Bening - BEING JULIA
- Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE
- Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE
- Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
DAN'S PREDICTION: Imelda Staunton gave the best performance, but in a dour
British role and she's not exactly the glamorous choice. So, probably
ANNETTE BENING, or Hilary Swank will cement herself into the A-list with a
second Oscar..
BEST ACTOR:
- Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA
- Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR
- Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Jamie Foxx - RAY
DAN'S PREDICTION: LEONARD DICAPRIO was excellent, and I think his only
competition would be Clint Eastwood.
BEST DIRECTOR:
- Martin Scorsese - THE AVIATOR
- Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Taylor Hackford - RAY
- Alexander Payne - SIDEWAYS
- Mike Leigh - VERA DRAKE
DAN'S PREDICTION: It has to be MARTIN SCORSESE (right). He's been ignored by the
Academy for too long, although Clint Eastwood did a great job, too...
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
- John Logan - THE AVIATOR
- Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
- Keir Pearson & Terry George - HOTEL RWANDA
- Brad Bird - THE INCREDIBLES
- Mike Leigh - VERA DRAKE
DAN'S PREDICTION: Amazing to see The Incredibles included there, but JOHN
LOGON's work with The Aviator neatly condensed a lot of biopic material into
a fulfilling movie experience - something difficult to do well!
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
- Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke; Story By Richard Linklater & Kim Krizan - BEFORE SUNSET
- David Magee - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Paul Haggis - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Jose Rivera - THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
- Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor - SIDEWAYS
DAN'S PREDICTION: Hmm, difficult to call. FINDING NEVERLAND gets my vote.
BEST FOREIGN PICTURE:
- AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
- THE CHORUS
- DOWNFALL (this one got applause from the press covering the telecast)
- THE SEA INSIDE (this one, too)
- YESTERDAY
BEST ANIMATED PICTURE:
- THE INCREDIBLES
- SHARK TALE
- SHREK 2
DAN'S PREDICTION: Not Shark Tale, that's a certainty! Shrek 2 is unlikely to
win against the might of THE INCREDIBLES - not just a great animation, but a
great action movie comedy!
BEST PICTURE:
- THE AVIATOR
- FINDING NEVERLAND
- MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- RAY
- SIDEWAYS
DAN'S PREDICTION: I think THE AVIATOR is going to be this year's Lord Of The
Rings and take the top trophies.
ART DIRECTION:
- Dante Ferretti (Art Direction); Francesca Lo Schiavo (Set Decoration) - THE AVIATOR
- Gemma Jackson (Art Direction); Trisha Edwards (Set Decoration) - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Rick Heinrichs (Art Direction); Cheryl A. Carasik (Set Decoration) - LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
- Anthony Pratt (Art Direction); Celia Bobak (Set Decoration) - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- Aline Bonetto - A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT
DAN'S PREDICTION: The work done in LEMONY SNICKET is deceptively stunning
and more visually engaging than the rest.
CINEMATOGRAPHY:
- Robert Richardson - THE AVIATOR
- Zhao Xiaoding - THE HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
- Caleb Deschanel - THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
- John Mathieson - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- Bruno Delbonnel - A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT
DAN'S PREDICTION: HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS was sumptuous stuff, difficult to
imagine anything else beating it.
COSTUME DESIGN:
- Sandy Powell - THE AVIATOR
- Alexandra Byrne - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Colleen Atwood - LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
- Sharen Davis - RAY
- Bob Ringwood - TROY
DAN'S PREDICTION: Perhaps too obvious, but costumed epics like TROY tend to
overshadow the competition... so I'll go with that.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:
- Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski - BORN INTO BROTHELS
- Luigi Falorni and Byambasuren Davaa - THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL
- Morgan Spurlock - SUPER SIZE ME
- Lauren Lazin and Karolyn Ali - TUPAC: RESURRECTION
- Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt - TWIST OF FAITH
DAN'S PREDICTION: I have no idea, as SUPER SIZE ME is the only one I know
much about. Also, is it just me or is Tupac Shakur more famous dead than
alive?
FILM EDITING:
- Thelma Schoonmaker - THE AVIATOR
- Matt Chesse - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Joel Cox - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
- Paul Hirsch - RAY
- Jim Miller and Paul Rubell - COLLATERAL
DAN'S PREDICTION: Very difficult to predict unless you're seriously
critiquing a movie to a high degree. COLLATERAL for me, though.
MAKEUP:
- Valli O'Reilly and Bill Corso - LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
- Keith Vanderlaan and Christien Tinsley - THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
- Jo Allen and Manuel García - THE SEA INSIDE
DAN'S PREDICTION: Undoubtedly THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, for obvious
reasons. Amazing work.
MUSIC (SCORE):
- John Williams - HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
- Jan A.P. Kaczmarek - FINDING NEVERLAND
- Thomas Newman - LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
- John Debney - THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST
- James Newton Howard - THE VILLAGE
DAN'S PREDICTION: Hmmm, I liked the music in HARRY POTTER best, although
because it's a sequel it could lose out to Lemony Snicket.
MUSIC (SONG):
- "Accidentally In Love" - SHREK 2
- "Al Otro Lado Del Río" - THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
- "Believe" - THE POLAR EXPRESS
- "Learn To Be Lonely" - THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
- "Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" - THE CHORUS
DAN'S PREDICTION: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is surely a shoe-in simply
because it's based on one of the best-selling musicals ever!
SOUND EDITING:
- Michael Silvers and Randy Thom - THE INCREDIBLES
- Randy Thom and Dennis Leonard - THE POLAR EXPRESS
- Paul N.J. Ottosson - SPIDER-MAN 2
DAN'S PREDICTION: I'd say THE INCREDIBLES, but excellent work with all
three.
SOUND MIXING:
- Tom Fleischman and Petur Hliddal - THE AVIATOR
- Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo and Doc Kane - THE INCREDIBLES
- Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis Sands and William B. Kaplan - THE POLAR EXPRESS
- Scott Millan, Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer and Steve Cantamessa - RAY
- Kevin O'Connell, Greg P. Russell, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Joseph Geisinger - SPIDER-MAN 2
DAN'S PREDICTION: Well... again THE INCREDIBLES, but perhaps POLAR EXPRESS.
VISUAL EFFECTS:
- Roger Guyett, Tim Burke, John Richardson and Bill George - HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN
- John Nelson, Andrew R. Jones, Erik Nash and Joe Letteri - I, ROBOT
- John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara and John Frazier - SPIDER-MAN 2
DAN'S PREDICTION: Undoubtedly I, ROBOT because the effects weren't obvious
and neatly complemented the plot at all times.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT:
- Gerardine Wurzburg - AUTISM IS A WORLD
- Hanna Polak and Andrzej Celinski - THE CHILDREN OF LENINGRADSKY
- Hubert Davis and Erin Faith Young - HARDWOOD
- Robert Hudson and Bobby Houston - MIGHTY TIMES: THE CHILDREN'S MARCH
- Oren Jacoby and Steve Kalafer - SISTER ROSE'S PASSION
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED):
- Sejong Park and Andrew Gregory - BIRTHDAY BOY
- Jeff Fowler and Tim Miller - GOPHER BROKE
- Bill Plympton (!!!) - GUARD DOG
- Mike Gabriel and Baker Bloodworth - LORENZO
- Chris Landreth - RYAN
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION):
- Gary McKendry - EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY MUST
- Ashvin Kumar - LITTLE TERRORIST
- Nacho Vigalondo - 7:35 IN THE MORNING
- Taika Waititi and Ainsley Gardiner - TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT
- Andrea Arnold - WASP
DAN'S PREDICTION: Sorry, but I'm with the millions of people who will only
possible see a short movie based on an Oscar win. Even though I love them,
but they're tough to find on TV these days. Sky Short Movies, anyone?
** IN THE PIPELINE **