The Oscars!

You may or may not know about me that Oscar nomination morning is my favorite day of the year. Like my own private Christmas morning. Julie and Trent were asking me why yesterday and there really is no reason that I can think of. I don't have specific films that I am super-excited for, really. I've seen the films and I think they're great on their own merits whether or not they get nominated. A movie like Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ...and Spring or Children of Men doesn't need Oscar nominations to wind its way into my heart. I already loved those films, and when they didn't get tons and tons of Oscar nominations, I was not upset.
It's the surprise of it all, I think. The exciting, nail-biting exercise of wondering who the crazy, usually-conservative Academy will nominate this year. Who the branches will deem worthy of honor. For me this is the fun part. And I like rooting for people, too. Mark Wahlberg's nomination last year made me happy as a clam. So did William Hurt's and Amy Adams' the year before.
When I lived in California, I would wake up at 5:30a and make coffee and wrap myself in a blanket and watch the nominations in the early, early morning. Now that I'm in Florida, the nominations aren't until 8:30a. This year I have to audit a class at 9:30a, so I can't exactly curl up on my sofa. I need to figure some shit out. My roommate and I talked through this last night, and we think I'll still be able to get parking if I watch the broadcast and then leave right after. So that's the plan for Tuesday...

I thought I would also share some of the big names I'm rooting for. Hopefully each of them is mentioned on Tuesday morning...

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Keira Knightley, Atonement

The Songs from Enchanted

Roger Deakins, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

And in the score category, I'm rooting for these guys. Nothing is ever for sure in Original Score; it's a notoriously hard-to-predict category:

Alexandre Michel Desplat, Lust, Caution

Johnny Greenwood, There Will Be Blood

Dario Marianelli, Atonement

Of course, I want all of my favorites to do well: Atonement, There Will Be Blood, No Country for Old Men, Juno, James/Ford, Eastern Promises, Ratatouille...


The Lives of Others and After the Wedding are ineligible this year, and it's not looking like Sunshine will be able to eke out any nominations, but it would be nice if it got one or two...
I also think Michael Clayton (which is going to place better than expected), Into the Wild and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly are all respectable films that deserve a group of nominations.

I'm so excited!