I Have Found

Overall: okay, Academy. Okay.

Everything makes sense and was pretty easy to call - best actor noms, supporting actor and actress (why they even bothered nominating anyone besides Christoph Waltz and Mo'Nique...) Best Actress? Well, yes and no. We all know by now that Sandra Bullock is going to win, unless the Oscar angels grant me my one wish of Carey Mulligan walking away with the golden man. Helen Mirren, Gabourey Sidibe - makes sense. I haven't seen The Last Station, but it's Helen Mirren, so I'm willing to bet she's giving a Helen Mirren quality performance. Gabourey is fantastic in Precious, and were it any other year I think she'd have a serious shot. So, here comes the kicker. Meryl Streep for Julia and Julia.

Maybe it isn't a "kicker". Maybe I should have seen it coming. She's Meryl Streep. And she's nominated BECAUSE SHE'S MERYL STREEP. I would find it hard to take anyone seriously who could look at me and say that she deserves that nomination spot over Emily Blunt or Marion Cotillard. Julie & Julia was a really good movie. I loved it. I read the book the minute it was over. She was great, Amy Adams was great. They were both charming in a Nora Ephron penned feel good "chick flick". It is not - I WILL REPEAT - it is not an Oscar worthy role. And with so many other performances out there, I think it's embarrassing that the Academy felt the need to nominate her. And trust me, I think just as highly of Meryl as everyone else. But I'm realistic about it.

All of that aside, the winners are fairly easier to figure out.

But I'm here today to call shenanigans on the new NOMINATE EVERY MOVIE EVER rule.

Well, no. Not every movie ever. Because somehow A Single Man was overlooked for a sentimental, run of the mill movie like The Blind Side.

Why, dear Oscars, do you feel it's necessary to nominate TEN movies? I mean, TEN. Really? TEN? Is it really that difficult to make up your mind? I can't wrap my head around why this is a good or even relevant change. Did you feel, dear Oscars, you were leaving too many people out? Were you hurting feelings? Did someone complain to the teacher? But wait, this is HOLLYWOOD NOT KINDERGARTEN.

Movies get overlooked all the time, usually for lesser quality movies that sneak their way into the nominations. That sucks, it does, but that's how it works. If they were really concerned about this, maybe try to vote for quality movies, EH? We all know that five or ten nominees, the outcome will be the same. Let's be honest here.

Does this look right to you:

OSCAR NOMINATED THE BLIND SIDE.

UP, OSCAR NOMINATED FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE AND BEST PICTURE! BECAUSE WE LOVE TALKING DOGS!

I am, however, thrilled that this put An Education into the mix. But I would have understood had it not made it into the normal five movie list.

The whole change is just bizarre and I still can't understand the thought process. But, c'est la vie.

On that note, if Avatar wins best picture, I'll have lost faith in all humanity.

Not really.

But, well, a little bit. I'm not saying Avatar is bad, I'm really not. I did really enjoy it. I love Pocahontas. (HAH! I kid. Sort of). But it is NOT the best movie ever made. It is especially not the best movie of the year. Up against brilliant, original, WELL ACTED, finely crafted movies like The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds, Up in the Air, and An Education... I'd find it hard to be at peace if a movie mainly being praised for it's technical feats walked away with the big prize.

Same goes for James Cameron as director - win all the technical awards there are, dude. You deserve them. It's really a stunning movie to look at. But best director? No, no, no. Kathryn Bigelow better walk away with that award. The Hurt Locker is so engaging and difficult and thrilling, it would be so unjust for her not to win. And, yeah, I'm a little biased being a woman. She would be the first woman to win best director. THE FIRST. I'm thinking... yeah, it's time.

Who knows what the academy has in store for picture and director - I honestly can't predict it.

Leaving you now with the full list of nominees, my personal picks bolded. Because you care. Deeply. Also comments in bold. Because sometimes I comment on things.

(Categories not bolded are categories I have absolutely no clue about. That happens. Sometimes I don't know things. Sometimes. I'll put those first.)

'French Roast'

'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty'

'The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)'

'Logorama'

'A Matter of Loaf and Death' (Is it bad that I want this to win based on title alone?)

'The Door'

'Instead of Abracadabra'

'Kavi'

'Miracle Fish'

'The New Tenants'

'The Hurt Locker' (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett)

'Inglorious Basterds' (Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano)

'Star Trek' (Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin)

'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson) (Though, it has to be said, part of me would LOVE a Transformers movie to win a freaking Oscar just for the mass quantities of LOLs that would ensue).

'The Hurt Locker' (Paul N.J. Ottosson)

'Inglorious Basterds' (Wylie Stateman)

'Star Trek' (Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin)

'Up' (Michael Slivers and Tom Myers)

'District 9' (Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken)

'Star Trek' (Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton)

'Avatar'

'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'

'Inglorious Basterds'

'The White Ribbon'

'District 9'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Inglorious Basterds'

'Precious'

'Down in New Orleans from 'The Princess and the Frog' (Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman)

'Loin de Paname' from 'Paris 36' (Music by Reinhardt Wagner, Lyric by Frank Thomas)

'Take it All' from 'Nine' (Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston)

'The Weary Knd (Theme from Crazy Heart)' from 'Crazy Heart'

Music and Lyric by Ryan Bigham and T Bone Burnett

'Avatar'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Hurt Locker'

'Sherlock Holmes'

Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell ('District 9')

Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche ('In the Loop')

Geoffrey Fletcher ('Precious')

Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner ('Up in the Air')

Mark Boal ('The Hurt Locker')

Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman ('The Messenger')

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen ('A Serious Man')

Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy ('Up')

'Coraline'

'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

'The Princess and the Frog'

'The Secret of Kells'

Penelope Cruz ('Nine')

Vera Farmiga ('Up in the Air')

Maggie Gyllenhaal ('Crazy Heart')

Anna Kendrick ('Up in the Air')

Matt Damon ('Invictus')

Woody Harrelson ('The Messenger')

Christopher Plummer ('The Last Station')

Stanley Tucci ('The Lovely Bones')

Sandra Bullock ('The Blind Side')

Helen Mirren ('The Last Station')

Gabourey Sidibe ('Precious')

Meryl Streep ('Julie and Julia')

George Clooney ('Up in the Air')

Morgan Freeman ('Invictus')

Jeremy Renner ('The Hurt Locker')

James Cameron ('Avatar')

Lee Daniels ('Precious')

Jason Reitman ('Up in the Air')

Quentin Tarantino ('Inglorious Basterds')

'Avatar'

'The Blind Side'

'District 9'

'An Education'

'Inglorious Basterds'

'Precious'

'A Serious Man'

'Up'

'Up in the Air'

*K