The Oscars are just a couple hours away, and I’ve been glued to my tv and computer all day watching award show coverage. The red carpet hasn’t even started, and neither has my studying for midterms, but I digress. My excitement can hardly be contained at this point, and here are the things I’m looking forward to the most, in no order whatsoever…
☆ the hosts: James Franco and Anne Hathaway
☆ the opening monologue/number
☆ awkward Charlie Sheen jokes
☆ awkward Ricky Gervais jokes
☆ seeing Colin Firth
☆ MONTAGES
☆ the GOWNS!
☆ awkward awards presenters
☆ acceptance speeches
☆ hoping that Natalie Portman doesn’t thank her fiancé when she wins,
in hope that the Oscar curse won’t hurt her
☆ seeing what Helena Bonham Carter will wear
☆ apparently Reese Witherspoon is presenting – love her!
☆ any wacky, avant-garde artistic performances that waste too much time
☆ Firth’s acceptance speech
☆ hoping this is the last Oscars I watch before I live in an apartment and can host a party!
☆ the Best Picture reveal!
☆★☆★☆
And while I’m not the type to do top-10 movie lists, and I don’t feel like breaking down the major awards, I’m going to do a quick superlative for this year’s Oscars!
★ Biggest Potential Upset: Annette Bening over Natalie Portman
I love three-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening as much as the next person, but I really hope this doesn’t happen. Both Bening and Portman have cleaned up during awards season, with Portman having the dramatic edge. However, you can’t count out Bening. Her performance as Nic in The Kids Are All Right, while solid, simply isn’t the best of her career, and certainly isn’t the best performance of the year. Both of these women are actors’ actors, but I hope the Academy goes for the ingenue instead of the veteran on this one.
★ Favorite Dark Horse: True Grit‘s Hailee Steinfeld
The Fighter’s Melissa Leo has been dominating earlier awards, but I love love Steinfeld, and I think she has real upset potential. Let me explain why: A) she was thirteen when she filmed the movie B) she’s more of a lead than a “supporting” actress and C) she outshined Matt Damon. Matt Damon!
★ Worst Snub that Still Stings: Christopher Nolan
The man behind Inception didn’t get nominated for Best Achievement in Directing. Are you kidding me, AMPAS? Not only should he have been nominated, but he should’ve won too. Le sign. Runner-up and the statuette should go to David Fincher, who helmed The Social Network.
★ Out of Nowhere Possibility: True Grit Wins
All right, let me explain. The Social Network did super well at the Golden Globes and Critics’ Choice Awards, but critics vote for those awards. Once the guilds and actors started voting, the accolades went to the feel-good period piece of the year, The King’s Speech. Since then, The King’s Speech and True Grit has been gaining buzz. The Academy has already shown they love the Coen Brothers, who improved an Oscar-winning Western with this effort. Basically, the Best Picture Oscar is The King’s Speech‘s to lose, and if they do, it might be because of True Grit.
What do you think? What are you looking forward to the most? And do you have any predictions of your own? Happy Oscar Sunday, everyone!
~ Sarah