The Hawk

Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Entertainment

The golden Oscar everyone hopes to go home with.

Forrest Whitaker's role in Last King has grabbed him a Best Lead nomination.

With the nominations just recently released, Oscar fever has hit America. Audiences everywhere hope that their favorites will go home with the coveted 13.5" statuette - not to mention the actors and actresses themselves who hope to be leaving the red carpet with a golden Oscar.

This past year certainly has been infused with top quality films that deserve proper attention and the 79th Annual Academy Awards show is definitely the place to get it. The biggest awards show of the year, is being hosted by a first-timer to the show, but certainly not to show-biz, Ellen DeGeneres. Because she is a great entertainer who can undeniably keep the show alive, choosing her as the host was a no-brainer. She fits the bill perfectly and is guaranteed to have audiences and attendees laughing within the first few minutes.

This year's nominations for Best Motion Picture of the Year Babel, The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen, all earned at least four nominations each in various categories. The race to Oscar glory as of now seems to be close among all of the films except Letters from Iwo Jima; it appears that any one of the remaining four could take home the award. I personally feel that Babel should win, not just because of the handsome Brad Pitt - who was not even nominated - but because the film was masterfully and artistically done. It depicts a powerful tale with interwoven storylines of different people who come from very diverse parts of the world and meet in unexpected ways.

A movie cannot become a smash hit without a fabulous director working behind the scenes to navigate through the good, the bad, and the ugly. This year, Martin Scorsese appears to be the favorite in the category of Achievement in Directing with his masterpiece, The Departed. Martin Scorsese is also my favorite because of his wit and wonderful sense of direction, being nominated eight times prior to this year. Although Clint Eastwood has been nominated 10 times for various roles, I feel that Scorsese has the edge with his crime drama of who's who.

Forrest Whitaker is definitely the leading favorite for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for The Last King of Scotland, ahead of greats like Will Smith, Peter O'Toole, and Leonardo Dicaprio. Whitaker - with his first Academy Award nomination - plays Idi Amin, the Ugandan dictator who has a charismatic personality but also sheer brutality running through his veins. I disagree with the majority and think that Will Smith is more deserving of the Oscar for his role in The Pursuit of Happyness, which is based on a true story. Smith plays the role of Chris Gardner, who becomes homeless, has to care for his son alone, and regain his financial status in the world.

Undoubtedly, the lead favorite for Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is Helen Mirren for The Queen. I have not seen the movie yet, but from what I hear Mirren did a wonderful job capturing the soul of Queen Elizabeth and interacting with the others on screen. Personally, I really enjoyed Meryl Streep's performance as the high-strung, cold-hearted editor in chief of Runway magazine in The Devil Wears Prada. She had her touching moments as well. I hope to see her take home the Oscar, although I have yet to see a movie starring Kate Winslet (Little Children) that I did not like. Either way, I will be happy.

What's a great performance by a leading actor or actress without the support of his/her fellow actors/actresses? Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls seems to be the shoe-in for winning the award for Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Eddie Murphy secures his first Academy Award nomination by playing James Early, an African American singer who has trouble performing for the wider white audience in the 1960s. Murphy is also my favorite to take home the Oscar. Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) and Mark Wahlberg (The Departed) are also nominated.

Finally, the leading go-getter for Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls. A recent top-ten American Idol contestant, Hudson plays a talented singer who is unfortunately pushed to a back-up role because of her weight. She is definitely my favorite to win, being an undiscovered talent before American Idol and then securing her first Academy Award nomination just months afterwards. Cate Blanchett is also nominated for Notes on a Scandal and Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine, one of the youngest actresses ever to be nominated for an Academy Award, at age 10.

Although the list of nominees seems to be accurate, I believe there were some important films and people left out of the running. Even though Dreamgirls secured an impressive nine nominations, it was snubbed for Best Motion Picture of the Year. Also not being recognized are lead actor and actress for the film, Jaime Foxx and Beyonce Knowles. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is nominated in four categories but not for the big awards, even though it stole the show at the People's Choice Awards. Little Miss Sunshine was nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year and Supporting Actor/Actress roles, but Toni Collette and Steve Carell were left out of the running for the major work they did in the film.

The 79th Academy Awards Shows appears to be shaping up into one fashionable and star-studded evening. The show will be held live on Feb. 25, at 8:00 p.m. on ABC. Don't miss it!

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