It comes as no surprise that there are some unexpected new names amongst the nominees and some you could safely bet a large sum on. March 7th will see in the 82nd Academy Awards, with all the usual glamour and pomp, shiny new faces, and cool old hands. The most extravagant red-carpet event of the year will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, celebrating the biggest names of the English-speaking world of cinematography. Cos let’s face it, there are 24 awards, and only one of those goes to foreign films.
But who can you expect to see in their most elegant (or, in some cases, their most ridiculous) form, smiling tensely when their names are being read out? The faces to hit your screen at least nine times belong to Oscar-veteran James Cameron for Avatar, and former wife, Kathryn Bigelow for Hurt Locker. Another well-known name is Meryl Streep’s (nominated for the 16th time!), who, along with one of the other best actresses ever, Dame Helen Mirren, will be competing against Sandra Bullock. Seriously, what’s this world coming to?
The most exciting addition of the nominee list is the man who finally left behind his Mr. Darcy persona and gave a surprisingly brilliant (lacking apt positive adjectives) performance in first-time director Tom Ford’s beautiful film, A Single Man. Oh, I’m talking about Colin Firth here. But chances are in favor of Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart, leaving George ‘Charming’ Clooney open-handed again.
If you’re willing to take a risk and not bet on Avatar, there’s another safe one for you. One of the strongest (blood-curdling, in fact) performances of 2009 belongs to Christoph Waltz of Inglourious Basterds. In the ladies’ section, you can count on Mo’Nique (Precious) beating Penelope Cruz and long-time-overlooked Maggie Gyllenhaal in the Oscars game.
Don’t you just hate it when you know who the award for Best Picture will go to? There’s a slight chance the Academy will turn patriotic and award The Hurt Locker, but let’s face it, Avatar has changed the way we watch films. Literally speaking.