The red carpet is ready and the cameras are set to capture the smiles, grins and glitz of the 85th Academy Awards. Oscar buzz has been building for weeks. The gold speculators are digging deep for insider information as to which nominees will get the nod and which ones will get panned. In what could prove to be a historic round of the Academy Awards, comes one of the widest fields of quality films, talent and production in recent memory. While typically I am a grouch when it comes to Oscars, this year I am intrigued to see how the sky will fall or not on the Tinsel Town hopefuls.
Like many of you, I am involved in an Oscar pool. I have a printed selection sheet adorned with all the big categories and all the nominees. While prognostication is not unknown to me thanks in part to my prowess in hockey pools, I find myself in a conundrum over picking top scorers in such categories as best live action short, best documentary short and best animated short. When does anyone get to see these prior to the award ceremony?
Thankfully, there are only five choices for each of these categories unlike best picture in which there are nine. Really? Why not five like every other category? This is going to skew the odds of picking the winner.
The field is wide indeed. But, only one can receive the Midas touch for best film. That’s why, as consolation, we have an array of other categories worthy of some form of recognition. After all, it is an honour to be nominated … right? Everyone can get kudos for some aspect or facet of their production from makeup to sound production to best original, adapted or sautĂ©ed in a white wine sauce screenplay. It’s kind of like when we used to get stars or stickers in grade school or when there were 25 seats for 24 students in musical chairs. Everyone can be a winner except the key grips and best boys. Why is there no golden glory for them?
Do the Oscars truly honour the top in each category or are we at the whim and will of Hollywood politicos who secretly decree who must be the next media darling? Sounds like a great movie plot to me. The two big items that might make their ways into the Oscar history books though, are a possible best actor hat trick for Daniel Day-Lewis and a best actress nod to Emmanuelle Riva, the oldest ever lead actress nominee.
The Twitter feeds are in full chirp and both real critics and armchair critics like myself are bantering rhetorical rationale over who should win and why … but come Sunday, once the party snacks are set out and the pool sheets are collected, millions of viewers will see the true plot unfold.
Who will take home the gold? You will have to watch to see. Try not to be too grouchy if you don’t win the Oscar pool!
Tim Cusack is an educator, entertainer and member of the naval reserve.
