Well it would seem no one is expecting any rock the boat upsets tonight. Of course I am certainly hoping Annette Bening does win for best actress. I'm a big fan of Natalie Portman, Closer is one of my favorite performances of hers, but Black Swan by itself is a deeply flawed film and I'm a firm believer that the whole project should fly if the individuals are to be lauded for their performances. And The Kids Are All Right is a winner through and through. This is Annette's fourth nomination for an Oscar, and while she has a long career yet ahead of her, she's overdue. Her turn as the neurotic real estate agent wife in American Beauty was also Oscar worthy, and that was back in 2000, so it's been a long time coming. Natalie Portman will have many more years to again achieve her nominations and as talented as she is she will surely get at least a couple more. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that academy members recognize that it is Annette's year.
An even longer shot is best supporting actor which by all accounts is a lock for Christian Bale. And he does deserve it, but I'm still hoping that he's burned enough bridges with his on set tirades that the academy will overlook him. And while Geoffrey Rush does deserve an Oscar for the King's Speech, he already has one statue in his trophy case with Shine. So hope against hope, I would love to see Mark Ruffalo walk away with his first. He's been slow and steady and generally under the radar for many years while collecting a long list of stellar performances, the most notable as Laura Linney's troubled brother in You Can Count On Me. Other notable titles include Zodiac, In the Cut, a little seen but very good film with Meg Ryan in her most gritty role and my favorite film of hers, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
So let's hope for a few choice memorable moments, and more than a few upsets.
