To commemorate The Blot’s favorite award show airing this weekend I’d like to submit my predications for this year’s winners. Feel free to submit your own predictions in the comments section!
Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
George Clooney in Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones in In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises
There are a couple of different directions I’d like to go with this award but it seems to be a moot point since no one will be voting for anyone but Mr. Day-Lewis.
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis
Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Casey Affleck in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook in Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton
I think there is a greater chance for an upset here than in the Actor in a Leading Role category because the Academy is known for giving acting awards for supporting roles to cherished older actors who have never won an Oscar before as a sort of life time achievement award. Because of that if it were any other year I’d say Hal Holbrook will be winning the award for Into the Wild. But, since I think this will be No Country for Old Men’s year, I’m going against my better judgment and picking Bardem for his amazing performance as Anton Chigurh
Winner: Javier Bardem
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie in Away From Her
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney in The Savages
Ellen Page in Juno
I’d love to see Ellen Page win here for her realistic and charming performance as Juno, but I think this is a two person race between Cate Blanchett and Julie Christie. I want to say Marion Cotillard will win but I just don’t see enough Academy members getting behind her role as Edith Piaf, but if you’re bored this weekend go rent La Vie en Rose…even Blockbuster carries it! I’m going safe here and choosing former Oscar winner Julie Christie for her performance as a woman stricken with the horrible Alzheimer’s disease.
Winner: Julie Christie
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There
Ruby Dee in American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton
I think this is the award of the night that’s going to be giving people fits when it comes to predictions. Both Cate Blanchett and Amy Ryan have been racking up awards for their performances this year and at one point it was just assumed Ryan was going to win the award. But now I think Ruby Dee might be sneaking in there after a win at the SAG awards. Ms. Dee is beloved by her fellow actors and I think this might be one of those life time achievement awards. Sorry to Ms. Ryan because she truly deserves one more statue for her mantel place and to Ms. Blanchett who was nominated in both acting categories in the same year.
Winner: Ruby Dee
Achievement in Directing
Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Jason Reitman for Juno
Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for No Country for Old Men
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
Who’d have thought both PTA and the Coen Brothers would finally get nominated for Best Director and they’d have to go up against each other? Yes, I know Joel Coen’s been nominated for Best Director before but we’re talking Coen Brothers here. I think there’s an outside chance Julian Schnabel wins here, especially because the Academy, in all their stupidity, made the The Diving Bell and the Butterfly not eligible for the Foreign Language Oscar. Nevertheless I’m going with the brothers here.
Winner: The Coen Brothers
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
I said it earlier but just to reiterate it, this is No Country for Old Men’s year. I’d love to see Juno win it but I don’t see another Crash-size update here.
Winner: No Country for Old Men