The Mount Holyoke News

Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Katie Omberg

Feb. 24 is guaranteed to be Hollywood's most glamorous night in ages. Just ask Jack Nicholson, he's already in his front row seat. Not only is it a momentous anniversary for the Academy Awards (80 years of Oscars! Think of the montages!), but this is Tinsel Town's first major post-writers strike event. With the writer's strike is settled, past winners (Denzel Washington), A-list stars (Jessica Alba, natch) and Miley Cyrus (you bet Jack's excited now) can present with no worries of having to ditch their acting careers for a reality television gig. The big night is hosted by second-time host Jon Stewart and there is talk of an appearance by Stephen Colbert (not really, but we can hope). Let's not forget about the Best Song performances: Scheduled to appear are Amy Adams, Kristin Chenoweth and those two singers from Once. So believe me when I say it, Oscar night 2008 is going to be unlike any Academy Awards ceremony you've ever seen.


Best Picture

Nominees:
Atonement; Juno; Michael Clayton; No Country For Old Men; There Will Be Blood
Prediction:
The Best Picture nominees are all amazing works. Each film is a unique and edgy example of near-perfect filmmaking. Atonement is an old Hollywood-esque epic romance; Juno is a fresh comedy that breaks stereotypes about teenage females; Michael Clayton is a refreshing nail-biting thriller; There Will Be Blood is edgy, politically charged and a definite masterpiece; and No Country is another Coen Brothers classic. All this being said, the performances of Ellen Page and Daniel Day-Lewis overshadow the near-perfection of Juno and Blood, respectively. Despite winning the Best Picture-Drama prize at the Golden Globes, a film rarely receives Best Picture if it doesn't win Best Director - and Joe Wright wasn't even nominated for Atonement. And in probably the saddest bit of Oscar news, the film most deserving of recognition Michael Clayton, won't win Best Picture (or any of the other six Oscars it's nominated for) because it has simply gotten lost in shuffle. No Country is the clear front-runner. Get over the ending. The ambiguity is what makes this a fantastic film, and No Country For Old Men is 2008's definite Best Picture recipient.

Best Director

Nominees:
Paul Thomas Anderson, There Will Be Blood; Ethan and Joel Coen, No Country For Old Men; Tony Gilroy, Michael Clayton; Jason Reitman, Juno; Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

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