BULLOCKS!!!!!

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?!?!

HOW!?!?!

How did Sandra Bullock go from potential 5th filler nominee in the Best Actress Race to the front runner?

For the longest time I kept saying that we were going to have to get used to the idea of "Academy Award winner Mo'Nique." Now it seems as though we are going to have to get used to the idea of "Academy Award Winner Sandra Bullock." If someone had told me this time last year that Sandra Bullock and Mo'Nique were on their way to Oscar glory, I would have believed that Bart Simpson and JonBenet Ramsey odds were better.

However, now it seems as though Sandra is unbeatable.

So let's actually talk about how this happened.

We all know that this was the year of Sandra Bullock. The Proposal" made $315 million worldwide and The Blind Side made $193 million and that number continues to grow. AND THIS IS 15 YEARS AFTER SHE OPENED SPEED.

Hollywood and America obviously loves Sandra Bullock and I originally thought isn't it sweet they will honor her with a nomination. However it seems as though timing is everything and Bullock's timing couldn't be better right now. It seems as though she's turned into this year's front runner for Best Actress because there really isn't another viable winner option. I would break down the category thusly:

Meryl Streep - Sure she was great in Julie and Julia but a third Oscar for this? It was a summer release and a little light weight. Remember only 4 people have 3 Oscar statuettes. Streep will get her third, but not for this.

Carey Mulligan - I really did think this award was hers. But it turns out that people aren't as crazy about An Education as I once thought they would be. If she had cleaned up all the precursors, she might have been unbeatable. Maybe the Academy isn't ready to give the big award to an Actress under 25 who hasn't proved herself yet. Gwyneth anyone?

Gabourey Sidibe - What a debut! But two acting awards for Precious? I can't see the Academy ever doing that and Mo'Nique is the performance of the film (and the year in my opinion)

Helen Mirren - A winner in 2006 and a filler nominee this year. Has anyone actually seen this film? Why couldn't Saoirse Ronan get a nomination. Or Marion Cotillard who was so sadly campaigned in the wrong category.

So by process of elimination this leaves us with the star of Miss Congeniality, Hope Floats, Two Weeks Notice, Premonition, and The Lake House. I know I am being tough on Annie from Speed. Every actress has made a bad movie or two, but are we really ready for Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock. I find her incredibly charming and I know that she's this years Erin Brockovich, but this is a movie star not an Actress. She simply is not better than Carey Mulligan or Meryl Streep's performances.

I can bitch as much as possible, but it's not going to solve the fact that Sandra Bullock is going to win. But just remember this come Oscar night - Julianne Moore 0 Oscars, Sandra Bullock 1 Oscar.

SAG Predictions

Here goes nothing.

Best Ensemble - Inglourious Basterds

Best Actor - Jeff Bridges

Best Actress - Meryl Streep (I won't believe the Bullock buzz)

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique

A Golden Globes Rant!

I don’t watch The People’s Choice Awards or the MTV Movie Awards because I am a bit of a film elitist. Also the victors of such awards are usually the most populist choices and they often make my blood boil. These awards are a place where Pirates of the Caribbean, Jennifer Anniston, Twilight, Kathryn Heigl and of course Sandra Bullock do well.

What I love about the Golden Globes is they are usually a place that recognize performances that The People’s Choice or MTV Awards wouldn’t touch with 10 foot Harry Potter wand. Last year, the Hollywood Foreign Press gave multiple awards to Kate Winslet’s brilliance. They saluted Mickey Rourke, Vicky Cristina Barcelona as Best Comedy and of course they awarded the truly deserving Sally Hawkins for Happy Go Lucky. What a difference a year makes.

The Hollywood Foreign Press this year decided to throw all rules out the window and turn into a secondary People’s Choice Awards. Avatar, The Hangover winning Best Picture, Sandra Bullock winning Best Actress Drama, Robert Downey Jr winning Best Actor Comedy for SHERLOCK HOLMES? Drew Barrymore winning an award for acting. Shame on you HFPA! You should know better! And look at what you’ve done for the Oscar race. You have turned a tech heavy Pocahontas tale into the frontrunner for Best Picture. You have turned Annie from Speed into the frontrunner for an ACADEMY AWARD. You have made the Kanye West of the film industry (James Cameron) further believe that he is the one person dead or alive that everyone would want to have dinner with. And you have effectively destroyed all of Carey Mulligan’s chance at an Oscar. Why? Why? Why?

Now I am not a complete unforgiving bastard, as you did reward both Mo’Nique and Christoph Waltz. I will throw you a bone there, but come on HFPA you are better than that. Remember that you have some prestige and clout. Get your act together for 2010 or else a best kiss award category doesn’t seem that far off.
End of rant.

The Calm Before the Storm.

Over Xmas and New Years the Oscar race calms down when it comes to critic and guild awards and nominations. However, over the holidays one place where the Oscar race can heat up (or cool down) is at cinemas themselves. If you look at the holidays this year Avatar did record breaking box office, while apparently Nine barely made 7 figures.

Avatar's Best Picture victory chances are increasing, while Nine may not even make the Best Picture top ten. In fact, at this point I'd be surprised if it got any non technical nod. And fuck the Weinstein company for campaigning Cotillard as Best Actress. She is perfection in the film but that performance should not be placed in a lead category.

The last few days have seen The National Society of Film Critic Award winners, The Producer Guild top 10 nominees, and the Director's Guild nominees. Here are how I believe each affects the Oscar race:

Picture: THE HURT LOCKER

Director: Kathryn Bigelow, THE HURT LOCKER

Actor: Jeremy Renner, THE HURT LOCKER

Actress: Yolande Moreau, SERAPHINE

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, and Paul Schneider, BRIGHT STAR

Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique, PRECIOUS

Thoughts: The Hurt Locker wins its 3rd major critic prize. It is definitely a front runner, but I still don't see The Hurt Locker winning. It's a 4 way race at this point between Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Avatar, and Up in the Air. I still see Up in the Air as the safest bet to win. The Globes will be quite telling... A major win for Jeremy Renner is very poised to knock Day Lewis out of the Best Actor category. It's very interesting that Moreau has won both the LA and NSFC and yet she appears in no one's predictions. Her studio obviously can't afford or has chosen not to campaign for her. Mo'Nique and Christoph Waltz increase their leads into the realm of unstoppable.

Producer Guild Nominations.

This year the PGA also expands to 10 nominees and here they are:

* Avatar
* District 9
* An Education
* The Hurt Locker
* Inglourious Basterds
* Invictus
* Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
* Star Trek
* Up
* Up in the Air

Thoughts: Obviously this list bodes well for the Sci Fi genre. This is list does not bode well for NINE, which I would be shocked if I saw it amongst any of the major contenders on Oscar day. As Pete Hammond on Notes on a Season said "You can have some bad reviews and still get a best picture nomination. You can have not-so-great box office and do it as well, but overcoming both is a Herculean task, even for Harvey Weinstein."

Director's Guild of America Nominations:

Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker
James Cameron - Avatar
Lee Daniels - Precious
Jason Reitman - Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino - Inglourious Basterds

DGA noms were announced and there were no major surprises. Interesting to see that Clint Eastwood was left off the list in favor of Lee Daniels who didn't get a Globe nomination. Also interesting to note that he is the first ever African American to be nominated by the DGA. I suspect Oscar's final five will look much like this, but I have a feeling Eastwood will be on the list in favor of Daniels. A friend and I were arguing about whether Bigelow has what it takes to be the first ever female to win the Oscar for directing. I say no, he says yes. I still have a hunch that Reitman is the safer choice - 3 hit films in a row, Hollywood family pedigree, young hip director. I just don't see Bigelow taking it all the way to the stage at the Kodak. But my hunches have been very wrong before...

Next up is the Writer's Guild on Monday. Should be interesting.