Oscar

No one under 35 will even get that joke. Pitiful... :)

As someone in the business - though it could be argued if that is true - even if I am on the very fringe of the business - I should at least spend one day commenting on the Academy Awards.

Here's the thing. I don't really care. I saw a lot of films this year. Even most of the nominated films. But the idea of the awards show doesn't really thrill me. I'm sure there will be some interesting stuff. Some funny jokes. Even a surprise or two... But in the end - who cares. I wasn't nominated and no one I know was nominated - so I'm not hugely invested in it.

But. A lot of people do care. And since church was cancelled cause of Ice Storm - I have some time on my hands.

Here's my picks for the top catagories: (not who WILL win - who I WANT to win)

Best Picture:

I saw all the nominees here except Letters from iwo Jimo. Go figure - I spend all my time in Asia - and I don't see the one Best Picture film about Asia... Here's my take. I loved Little Miss Sunshine. Thought it was really fun and really good - but also really surprised that it got nominated for best picture. It sure doesn't feel like a best picture. I loved amores perros and 21 grams - but was not as impressed with Babel as I wanted to be. It was a film I looked forward to almost as much as any coming out this year - but I just didn't think it was as good as it should be. And the links in the stories were tenuous at best. The Queen was incredible. Much like the Insider - this was a movie about a topic I couldn't care less about - but I thought it was just great. I saw this on the plane - twice actually - and still can't believe how good it was. The Departed was great. I loved it when it was in Cantonese and called Infernal Affairs - and I love it in English when it's called the Departed. While I would watch all these movies again - The Departed is the one I would enjoy the most again and again.

WINNER - the Departed.

Best Actor:

Again - I saw all the films here except for Peter O'Toole in Venus. Everyone here is a great actor - and while I would love to give it to O'Toole again - since all he has is an honorary Oscar - I didn't see his performance. Out of those I did see - They were all good. I really didn't like Blood Diamond. Its an OK film and DiCaprio is good in it - but I thought he was way better in the Departed. Whitaker is a lock to win here - and he was great - but it was a showy role. Will Smith was good trying to stretch in Pursuit of Happyness - and I liked the movie more than I thought I would - but my money goes to Ryan Gosling - in a movie that probably not many people saw - but for me was the movie of the year. This is a thankless role so grounded that its hard to even call it acting. I love this kid and he is gonna blow people away more and more.

WINNER - Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson.

Best Actress:

Again - I saw all but one - Judi Dench in Notes on a Scandal. She is awesome in everything she does - and I'm sure this is not exception. Penelope Cruz was good in Volver - and for once - I was able to understand her because there were subtitles. Her english is inperceptible to me. She's beautiful - but incoherent. Meryl Streep is always good - and I actually enjoyed Devil wears Prada - but wasn't this a supporting role? Little Children is a little masterpiece. It says more about the human condition that 50 films and Kate Winslet was great in it. But it's Helen Mirren's year - and she deserves it.

WINNER - Helen Mirren in the Queen.

Best Supporting Actor:

For the first time - I have seen all the films in this catagory. And I think these are all great performances. Jackie Earle Haley in Little Children is so freaky and so good - it will make you lose sleep. And his story getting back into film will make you cry. Djimon Hounsou is good - but again - I didn't like Blood Diamond. Mark Wahlburg is incredible in the Departed. Its such a real - fun performance - and he goes balls out in it. I love this. Eddie Murphy is great too - although I can understand why people might be upset. I didn't like Dreamgirls near as much as everyone else - and though Murphy is incredible - he's not in the movie enough. His singing and dancing are great - but the movie wasn't all that to me. But you can count on the fact that Eddie will win tonight. Alan Arkin is my fav. He is hilarious in this - and brings a lot of pathos to the role. And even though he isn't around at the climax of the film - his presense is felt long after his departure.

WINNER - Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.

Best Supporting Actress:

Damn that Notes on a Scandal. So I didn't see Cate Blanchet - but, again, she is always great - so I don't discount her. Out of the other films - everyone was good. While Jennifer Hudson will win this award - I don't think it's deserved. She was good - but her acting still leaves a lot to be desired. Abigail Breslin was great in Little Miss Sunshine - but she was not award worthy. Both actresses in Babel were awesome. But Rinko Kikuchi was amazing. For being an unknown - for learning sign language for being naked for most of the movie - she was great. My vote would have gone to Shareeka Epps in Half Nelson - but she wasn't even nominated.

WINNER - by default - Rinko Kikuchi in Babel

Best Director:

Didn't see United 93. I even own it - but with all my plane travel - I still can't bring myself to watch it. Go figure. I love Clint - but didn't see either of the Iwo Jima films. Leaves me with three choices- and I already said I was dissappointed with Babel - so that leaves the Queen and the Departed. If you had to ask me which would be more difficult - taking a film about a real life event and making it interesting - or asking Scorcese to do another gangster film - I would tell you the Queen was a more difficult choice - and Stephen Frears deserves praise for what he did. But the Departed is so much fun. And Scorcese is overdue - so what the heck.

WINNER - Martin Scorcese for the Departed.

Since most of us here are writers - I pick Little Miss Sunshine as the Best Original Screenplay and Borat as the best adapted. Borat is the funniest movie of the year - and if you didn't go see it - then shame on you.

That's it. Enjoy being bored to death by the oscars tonight. I have to get up at 3am to catch the plane back to SF - so I'll be thinking of all of you drunk celebrities enjoying your moment in the sun while I drive through the snow to the airport.