It’s that time of year again. The weather is turning warmer, midterm grades
are coming out, and, of course, the Oscars are about to be awarded. Unlike previous
years where the winners have been as expected as Puffy Combs getting acquitted,
2001 looks to be an unpredictable night at the Oscars. Most of the categories
could go a number of ways, so lets take a look at the five major awards:
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jeff Bridges “The Contender”, Willem Defoe
“Shadow of the Vampire”, Benicio Del Toro “Traffic”, Albert
Finney “Erin Brockovich”, Joaquin Phoenix “Gladiator”. Phoenix
was a good villain in “Gladiator”, but his nomination has been widely
criticized as undeserving. Audiences mostly ignored “The Contender”
and “Shadow of the Vampire”, so Bridges’ and Defoe’s chances
are next to nothing. Some sentimentalists think Finney will take the trophy for
“Brockovich” because he has been nominated five times and has yet to
win. However, I think Benicio will win (and deservingly so) for his terrific performance
in “Traffic”.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Judi Dench “Chocolat”, Marcia Gay Harden
“Pollock”, Kate Hudson “Almost Famous”, Frances McDormand
“Almost Famous”, Julie Walters “Billy Elliot”. This could
go anyway. Dench and McDormand have already won Oscars in the last four years,
but they could still easily win again. Chances for Walters and Harden are slim,
but still there. “Almost Famous” made Kate Hudson a star, and that should
push her over the other contenders to victory.
BEST ACTOR: Javier Bardem “Before Night Falls”, Russell Crowe
“Gladiator”, Tom Hanks “Cast Away”, Ed Harris “Pollock”,
Geoffrey Rush “Quills”. Many did not see the performances of Bardem,
Rush and Harris. I think the real competition is between Crowe and Hanks. Hanks
has already won twice, but he still seems to have the edge here. However, Crowe
is also a favorite and could easily walk away with this one. It’s a toss
up. In my opinion, Hanks gave the better performance, so I’m rooting for
him.
BEST ACTRESS: Joan Allen “The Contender”, Juliette Binoche “Chocolat”,
Ellen Burstyn “Requiem For A Dream”, Laura Linney “You Can Count
On Me”, Julia Roberts “Erin Brockovich”. This one is easy. People
have been calling Julia’s win in this category every since “Brockovich”
opened last March. She gave the performance of a lifetime as the real life legal
crusader, and nothing will stop her from winning. I have not seen “Requiem”,
but I can say that Allen, Binoche and Linney all gave great performances. However,
this award is all Julia’s.
BEST PICTURE: “Chocolat”, “Gladiator”, “Traffic”,
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, “Erin Brockovich”. The most
coveted award of the night is anyone’s to win. “Chocolat” and “Gladiator”
were very good films but we’re talking about Best Picture here and “very
good” doesn’t cut it. Still their studios have been promoting them endlessly,
so either could win. “Erin Brockovich” was brilliant, but it came out
a full year ago and feels like old news. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
has a lot of momentum, but some people have written it off a just an action movie.
“Traffic” deserves to win for the edgy, contemporary masterpiece that
it is. However, “edgy” does not go over too well with Oscar voters.
Many pick “Gladiator” to win. I’m pulling for “Traffic”.
Find out how right or wrong I was when the 73rd Annual Academy Awards air at 8pm
on ABC.

E-mail the author: Patrick PowellLIFE Et cetera Writer