Apropos of nothing political (well, ok, everything political, just a different area of politics):
I usually write a blog within a day of the Oscars detailing which people/films I expect to win in the major categories – and which I think should win (often not one and the same).
This year, in part because other news superseded it and because I just didn\’t have the time (I spent a good part of Sunday helping my wife with her absolutely great cioppino, which we brought to our son, daughter in law and grandchildren, then spent a beautiful day/early evening with – while our other son was basking in the Florida sun at a destination bachelor party).
In any event, here, belatedly, are my opinions (you\’ll have to take on faith that I would have said the same yesterday):
-Best supporting actress: Every one of the nominees had a legitimate claim. Personally, I would have given it to Amy Adams (a bridesmaid again for something like the fifth time) or June Squibb (fabulous performance in Nebraska, made even more fabulous by the fact that she is 84 years of age) before the young, very gifted Lupita Nyong\’o. But this is not to say she didn\’t deserve it. She did.
-Best supporting actor: No argument with Jared Leto\’s pick. But I might have gone with Jonah Hill or Bradley Cooper – both of whom are uniformly excellent every time out. Also, I very much enjoyed Leto\’s elongated but sincere, often beautiful, acceptance speech – especially the part where he commiserated with the people of the Ukraine and Venezuela (both of whom are fighting left wing oppression). That was out of left…or is it right…field, and was very unexpected.
-Best actress: Cate Blanchett – a superlative actress with a very meaty role, I acknowledge – was my third pick out of five. I would have gone either with Amy Adams (who gets skunked again – twice in one year!) or the always-great Judi Dench.
-Best actor: the toughest of all. Every one of the five deserved to win. If it were me, I\’d have gone with Christian Bale, who was astonishingly believable in a role exactly nothing like him in real life. But Matthew McConaughey fully deserved it too.
-Best Picture: I might have picked American Hustle by an ever so slight margin over 12 Years A Slave. But I have zero problem with the choice.
-Best director: I didn\’t see “Gravity”, so I can\’t say for sure whether I think director Alfonso Cuaron deserved his win. But can say that he gave a very gracious, sincere speech. Congratulations to him.
Ok, back to politics….where The Razzies far outweigh the Oscars in just about every year.
