OscarBuzz's Blog

•       George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
•       Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
•       Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
•       Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
•       Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

•       Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
•       Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
•       Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
•       Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
•       Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

•       Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
•       Julie Christie in “Away from Her” (Lionsgate)
•       Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
•       Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
•       Ellen Page in “Juno” (Fox Searchlight)

•       Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
•       Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
•       Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
•       Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
•       Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

• Best animated feature film of the year
•       “Persepolis” (Sony Pictures Classics) Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud
•       “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Brad Bird
•       “Surf's Up” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

•       “American Gangster” (Universal) Art Direction: Arthur Max Set Decoration: Beth A. Rubino
•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
•       “The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Art Direction: Dennis Gassner Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
•       “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Art Direction: Dante Ferretti Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Art Direction: Jack Fisk
• Set Decoration: Jim Erickson

•       “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.) Roger Deakins
•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) Seamus McGarvey
•       “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Janusz Kaminski
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roger Deakins
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Robert Elswit

•       “Across the Universe” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Albert Wolsky
•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) Jacqueline Durran
•       “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal) Alexandra Byrne
•       “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Marit Allen
•       “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (DreamWorks and Warner Bros., Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Colleen Atwood

•       “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Julian Schnabel
•       “Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Jason Reitman
•       “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Tony Gilroy
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Paul Thomas Anderson

•       “No End in Sight” (Magnolia Pictures) A Representational Pictures Production
• Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
•       “Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience” (The Documentary Group)
• A Documentary Group Production Richard E. Robbins
•       “Sicko” (Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company) A Dog Eat Dog Films Production
• Michael Moore and Meghan O’Hara
•       “Taxi to the Dark Side” (THINKFilm) An X-Ray Production Alex Gibney and Eva Orner
•       “War/Dance” (THINKFilm) A Shine Global and Fine Films Production Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine

•       “Freeheld” A Lieutenant Films Production Cynthia Wade and Vanessa Roth
•       “La Corona (The Crown)” A Runaway Films and Vega Films Production Amanda Micheli and Isabel Vega
•       “Salim Baba” A Ropa Vieja Films and Paradox Smoke Production Tim Sternberg and Francisco Bello
•       “Sari’s Mother” (Cinema Guild) A Daylight Factory Production James Longley

•       “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Christopher Rouse
•       “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Juliette Welfling
•       “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment) Jay Cassidy
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Roderick Jaynes
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Dylan Tichenor

•       “Beaufort” A Metro Communications, Movie Plus Production - Israel
•       “The Counterfeiters” An Aichholzer Filmproduktion, Magnolia Filmproduktion Production - Austria
•       “Katyn” An Akson Studio Production - Poland
•       “Mongol” A Eurasia Film Production - Kazakhstan
•       “12” A Three T Production - Russia

•       “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse) Didier Lavergne and Jan Archibald
•       “Norbit” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount) Rick Baker and Kazuhiro Tsuji
•       “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) Ve Neill and Martin Samuel

•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) Dario Marianelli
•       “The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks, Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Participant Productions, Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias
•       “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) James Newton Howard
•       “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino
•       “3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Marco Beltrami

•       “Falling Slowly” from “Once” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyric by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova
•       “Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
•       “Raise It Up” from “August Rush” (Warner Bros.) Nominees to be determined
•       “So Close” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Stephen Schwartz
•       “That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted” (Walt Disney) Music by Alan Menken
• Lyric by Stephen Schwartz

•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) A Working Title Production Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner and Paul Webster, Producers
•       “Juno” (Fox Searchlight) A Dancing Elk Pictures, LLC Production Lianne Halfon, Mason Novick and Russell Smith, Producers
•       “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) A Clayton Productions, LLC Production Sydney Pollack, Jennifer Fox and Kerry Orent, Producers
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) A Scott Rudin/Mike Zoss Production Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) A JoAnne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film Company Production JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Lupi, Producers

•       “I Met the Walrus” A Kids & Explosions Production Josh Raskin
•       “Madame Tutli-Putli” (National Film Board of Canada) A National Film Board of Canada Production Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski
•       “Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” (Premium Films) A BUF Compagnie Production Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse
•       “My Love (Moya Lyubov)” (Channel One Russia) A Dago-Film Studio, Channel One Russia and Dentsu Tec Production Alexander Petrov
•       “Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films) A BreakThru Films/Se-ma-for Studios Production
• Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman

•       “At Night” A Zentropa Entertainments 10 Production Christian E. Christiansen and Louise Vesth
•       “Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (Sky Cinema Italia) A Frame by Frame Italia Production Andrea Jublin
•       “Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (Premium Films) A Karé Production Philippe Pollet-Villard
•       “Tanghi Argentini” (Premium Films) An Another Dimension of an Idea Production Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans
•       “The Tonto Woman” A Knucklehead, Little Mo and Rose Hackney Barber Production Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown

•       “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay
•       “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom and Michael Silvers
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Matthew Wood
•       “Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

•       “The Bourne Ultimatum” (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland
•       “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane
•       “3:10 to Yuma” (Lionsgate) Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe
•       “Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin

•       “The Golden Compass” (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood
•       “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Walt Disney) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier
•       “Transformers” (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier

•       “Atonement” (Focus Features) Screenplay by Christopher Hampton
•       “Away from Her” (Lionsgate) Written by Sarah Polley
•       “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (Miramax/Pathé Renn) Screenplay by Ronald Harwood
•       “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
•       “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

•       “Juno” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Diablo Cody
•       “Lars and the Real Girl” (MGM) Written by Nancy Oliver
•       “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.) Written by Tony Gilroy
•       “Ratatouille” (Walt Disney) Screenplay by Brad Bird Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird
•       “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight) Written by Tamara Jenkins

THE BEST

PENELOPE CRUZ

Oh my! Ms. Cruz looked ahhhh-mazing in this Versace gown.

The bodice clung to here where it needed to and, boy-oh-boy, did the gorgeous train flow.

The pale pink/blush was a stark contrast the the bright red carpet.

(Photo courtesy PEOPLE Magazine)

REESE WITHERSPOON

When I saw this stunning Nina Ricci gown, I knew Reese had done it again - an excellent choice for the soon-to-be former Mrs. Ryan Phillipe.

The dress appeared black on-screen, but in this photo (courtesy eonline.com), you can see it's a luscious plum.

I love how the asymmetrical skirt makes her look almost like a mermaid.

Eat your heart out, Ryan!

THE WORST

JENNIFER HUDSON

I'm sorry Ms. Hudson, but you could have done a whole lot better!

What was with the metallic-silver shrug over a brown dress?

First of all, silver and brown do not go together. If you wanted to look like a spacewoman, you should have gone with gold.

Secondly, does your dress have POCKETS? Um... dresses shouldn't have pockets. EVER.

(Photo courtesy eonline.com)

NICOLE KIDMAN

Is that a tumor jutting out of your neck, Nicole?

Ugh, it looks like a wind-up toy or a tumor growing out of your neck.

You have a gorgeous body and picked a great color for your fair skin and blond hair...but the half-bow?!?! What WERE you thinking?

(Photo courtesy eonline.com)

THE IN-BETWEEN

KATE WINSLET

While many fashionistas loved this mint-colored one shoulder number, I wasn't terribly impressed.

I think the style is gorgeous and makes her look like a Grecian goddess...but the color leaves something to be desired.

Kate is fair-skinned and I don't think the mint did her justice. A more vibrant color would have made her really "pop" on the red carpet...instead of blending in with her dress.

(Photo courtesy eonline.com)

GWYNETH PALTROW

I gotta hand it to Gwyneth...this dress was quite the risk...and I'm not sure it paid off.

The salmon color is absolutely gorgeous on Gwyneth -- but, for me, the style leaves something to be desired.

She looks like one of those string-art pieces I made as a kid. You know the ones -- a bunch of nails in a piece of wood and you wrapped the string around them to make a cool design?

Well, it works for art, but not so much for attire.

(Photo courtesy PEOPLE Magazine)

JENNIFER LOPEZ

At first, I absolutely loved this Marchesa gown on the lovely J. Lo...but the more I look at it, the more I dislike it.

I think if there were less bling near the neckline, this would be a much more glamorous gown.

I absolutely love the color and the silhouette...I just think it needs a little less "hey look at me" and a little more "hey, how ya doin'?"

By the way...anyone else think this flowy/non-revealing gown is hiding a bump???

(Photo courtesy PEOPLE Magazine)

Well, that's it for now...I'll most more as I find the photos...what did you think of this year's Oscars fashions?

I don't have anything real positive to say about this last best picture nominee...

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA

This movie had two off my biggest dislikes in a film -- it's about a war and it has subtitles.

I generally don't like war movies. I fell asleep during GLADIATOR, and would have fallen asleep during LETTERS, but it was so frickin' loud! :) 

Now, usually, subtitles are easy to read...but in this movie (which was basically in shades of black & white)...the subtitles were also in white, so I found it to be very stressful on my eyes to try to keep up with it.

Bottom line - I was not very impressed by this movie and didn't like it at all.

Sorry, Mr. Eastwood. Have I made your day? 

If you want to know what I thought about Little Miss Sunshine (the best movie of the year in my opinion), click here.

THE DEPARTED

While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I don't think it should win best picture. In a perfect world (aka my world), best picture would go to Little Miss Sunshine...but I have a feeling that THE DEPARTED will win, mostly because of Martin Scorcese and all the star power of Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Leonardo Dicaprio and Mark Wahlberg.

I love the mafia/mob movies (Godfather, Goodfellas, etc)...I just think it's been done and it's time for a different type of movie to win Best Picture.

So, the Oscars have begun...

Post your comments/thoughts/impressions below!

As you may know, I spent more than 12 hours yesterday at Mayfair's AMC Theater watching the five best picture nominated films back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

Here's my take on...

THE QUEEN

While Helen Mirren did an amazing portrayal as Queen Elizabeth, I just don't think this will win best picture.

Mirren may very well win Best Actress (and rightfully so).

I was very impressed with the recreation of all those infamous scenes in London from when Princess Diana died...

Portia di Rossi --

AWESOME! Very Grecian... much like my favs from the Golden Globes... As Jay Manuel said...it accentuates her great ba-donk-a-donk.

Jennifer Lopez --

How very elegant! I love all the jewels.

Rinko Kikuchi --

She's looking so much better than she did at the Golden Globes!

As you may know, I spent more than 12 hours yesterday at Mayfair's AMC Theater watching the five best picture nominated films back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back.

Here's my take on...

BABEL

This film was amazing. Great writing, great acting, great cinematography.

The film's style was similar to last year's best picture winner CRASH, in that the different story lines all intertwined somehow -- everyone is connected in one way or another.

It's too bad Brad Pitt wasn't nominated for Best Actor - he did an amazing job.

The pair nominated for Best Supporting Actress are also quite deserving... (that's Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi)

Welcome to the 79th Annual Academy Awards...and your live coverage from my living room!

I'll be logged on and blogging all night long, so please join me for red carpet commentary and Oscar reactions.

I've ordered Papa John's, have a Diet Coke in hand and am ready to start fawning over and criticizing all the celebrity fashion choices while I sit in pajamas! :)

Let's get the party started!

Coming soon...check back after 5 p.m...

Join me for Red-Carpet Live Blogging!

Are you looking for a printable ballot for your Oscars Pix?

Click here for the ballot, courtesy Oscar.com. 

**UPDATE -- winners now listed below**

After watching Babel, The Queen, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima & Little Miss Sunshine yesterday at AMC's Oscars bash, I am making some changes to my Oscars Pix listed below. After you've read through my pix, feel free to comment and/or share your own!

My pix listed in black are who I think will win...and pix listed in red are who I want to win.

Actor -- Leading
Forest Whitaker -- THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Will Smith -- THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS

Actor -- Supporting
Eddie Murphy -- DREAMGIRLS
Alan Arkin -- LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Actress -- Leading
Helen Mirren -- THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep -- THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

Actress -- Supporting
This is a tough category. I still think/want Hudson to win, but after seeing BABEL, I gotta say that Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi have given her a run for her money. Not to mention little miss Abigail Breslin, the pint-size actress starring in one of my favorite movies of the year...
Jennifer Hudson -- DREAMGIRLS

Animated Feature
CARS
**Happy Feet**

Art Direction
DREAMGIRLS
**Pan's Labyrinth**

Cinematography
I haven't seen any of these, so this pick is really just a shot in the dark!
THE BLACK DAHLIA
**Pan's Labyrinth**

Costume Design
DREAMGIRLS
**Marie Antoinette**

Directing

This is a tough category for me - I've seen them all, and while the buzz is all about Scorcese and THE DEPARTED, I'm worried that Clint Eastwood will snap it up for LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (which, by the way, I was not impressed by...but more on that later).
THE DEPARTED
BABEL

Documentary Feature

Again, I haven't seen any of these, so this pick is a shot in the dark!
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Documentary Short

I haven't seen any of these...
REHEARSING A DREAM

**The Blood of Yingzhou District**

Film Editing
THE DEPARTED

BABEL

Foreign Language Film

Letters From Iwo Jima should be here instead of best picture...I haven't seen any of them, so this is another shot in the dark!
PAN'S LABYRINTH

**The Lives of Others, Germany**

Makeup
APOCALYPTO

**Pan's Labyrinth**

Original Score
BABEL

Original Song

You know, DREAMGIRLS has a 60% chance of winning this category...so I'm gonna guess that one of the three songs nominated will win. It's a crapshoot for me to decide which one, so here goes.
Love you I Do -- DREAMGIRLS

 **I need to wake up -- AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH**

Best Picture
THE DEPARTED

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

Short Film - Animated
I haven't seen any of these...
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL

 **The Danish Poet**

Short Film -- Live Action

I haven't seen any of these...
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA

**West Bank Story**

Sound Editing
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST

Sound Mixing
BLOOD DIAMOND

DREAMGIRLS

Visual Effects
SUPERMAN RETURNS

 **Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest**

Screenplay -- Adapted
THE DEPARTED

Screenplay -- Original

BABEL
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

The 79th Annual Academy Awards are literally hours from being handed out. Make your Oscar picks now...

If you're right on your picks, you get to brag among your family and friends.

** these are subject to change until 5 p.m. Sunday **

Actor -- Leading
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

Actor -- Supporting
Eddie Murphy -- DREAMGIRLS

Actress -- Leading
Helen Mirren -- THE QUEEN

Actress -- Supporting
Jennifer Hudson -- DREAMGIRLS

Animated Feature
CARS

Art Direction
DREAMGIRLS

Cinematography
THE BLACK DAHLIA

Costume Design
THE QUEEN

Directing
THE DEPARTED

Documentary Feature
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Documentary Short
REHEARSING A DREAM

Film Editing
TBD

Foreign Language Film
TBD

Original Score
TBD

Original Song
Love you I Do -- DREAMGIRLS

Best Picture
TBD

Short Film - Animated
THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL

Short Film -- Live Action
BINTA AND THE GREAT IDEA

Sound Editing
BLOOD DIAMOND

Sound Mixing
TBD

Visual Effects
SUPERMAN RETURNS

Screenplay -- Adapted
THE DEPARTED

Screenplay -- Original
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE