I'm not a gambler. I don't know jack about cards, odds or sport stats. I don't find any of that necessary. Sure there is a chance to up what ever you put in, but I don't like chance all that much. Typically, I don't get lucky. Typically, I get screwed over. So typically I don't bother betting ESPECIALLY when it's shit I don't know about. I played 5 cent slots in Vegas and a 20$ game of blackjack and that's pretty much it.
BUT
I would put down life savings on Oscars. And people probably want to deck me in the face for my know-it-allness about celeb-movie-shit but this is my time to shine. I wont argue you under the table about political movements, but I will challenge anybody off to a celeb-off.
Lucky for me, the Oscar nominations were announced yesterday morning leaving no one too surprised about the selected nominees EXCEPT for the fact that Hollywood keeps shafting Ryan Gosling. It's rather quite shocking that he didn't make the cut again with his incredible performance in Blue Valentine. If you haven't seen it, please do. He's all sorts of hot and passionate and fantastic and real and devastating and (....everything and anything amazing)in this movie. The movie is real; it hurts, it makes you uncomfortable, it stays with you for the rest of the night and the morning after when you talk about it. It depicts the slow and emotional break down of a marriage. Free of any sorts of fantastical interjections, Blue Valentine is a movie that just is. And he really makes it as special as it is. He's been selling this movie hard, campaigning and pushing for it. But Gosling isn't just the typical actor type. I read in GQ magazine that the guy got hired at a deli near his house after the success of the Notebook and made sandwiches for a year. HE MADE SANDWICHES. Find me an actor in Hollywood that doesn't live so far up in his own ass that he'd been willing to "debase" himself to having what Ryan calls a "real job". None of them would. And that's why they're fuck ups. But his eccentricity is probably what cost him a nom. They want to make him work for it. He'll get one sooner or later. I just hope he doesn't end up sucking Hollywood's massive egodick to get one.
It is however fair to say that the field is tight this year. Many incredible performances. Many tough, tough choices to pick from. Franco was fantastic in 127 hours and he fucking knows it. Franco isn't anywhere near tapped out with awesome movie roles. And he'll keep those performance coming till he gets one. I'm sure with all his training and film school shit he'll land Oscar sooner rather than later. I think the academy knows this, and distracted him with the host role instead.
As far as the leading ladies go, bad ass Annette Benning should take this for The Kids are Alright, but she won't. She was so refreshingly organic in the flick -- never overacted. But Benning, like Gosling, doesn't entirely give a shit. So they'll probably pass on her as well. Portman on the other hand, has been pimping out her shit for months. Selling, selling, selling her win. She wants that Oscar so bad. Baby, sketch-hubby to be and Oscar = Annoying, Happy Natalie. Ugh.
My predictions
Best Actor: Colin Firth, King's Speech
Best supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Best Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Best supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Best Picture: tight, tight race between King's Speech and The Social Network
Best Documentary: Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop
For the full list of nominees I'm too lazy to post or talk about here's the link
http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html
I honestly feel this is one of the only things I argue my face off about - celebrities and annoying people (I guess they are one in the same).
Who wants to make this shit legit? I'll bet on my picks.
