Before we get to the Academy Awards, a few thoughts about the WGA strike, because of which, said Academy Awards may not happen:
- The WGA is fighting the producers over so-called "new media" (i.e. Internet) and DVD revenues; monies, ostensibly, which would only go to benefit those select few writers working on shows and projects that have any kind of long term replay value. This means that if you write for Lost, you could have a nice chunk of change at stake; if you write for General Hospital, you're behind on the rent so the guy who writes for Lost can get his hands on that nice chunk of change.
- The WGA failed to count on the television networks' ability to coast by on reruns, reality TV, and episodes of mid-season replacement shows already in the can (The Sarah Connor Chronicles is apparently a huge hit). Fact is that most "content providers" are owned by enormous multinational conglomerates that can far better afford to ride out the strike than the writers (and sympathy-striking unions like the Screen Actors Guild); furthermore, even the networks themselves have revenue streams far more diverse than they did the last time the writers walked out in the 1980s. Worse yet, the writers went on strike at a time when new TV product is at its least valuable: the holidays, and now, the NFL playoffs, thus burning through two months worth of cash with pretty much zilch to show for it. The producers are far better off waiting out the WGA, the bulk of whose members have little gain from this impasse, and keeping the revenue to themselves.
- By allowing the writers for Letterman and Craig Ferguson to come to a separate agreement with Worldwide Pants (Letterman owns his show, while Leno does not), the WGA is basically saying, "We're all in this together, except for those of us fortunate enough to work for Letterman." So much for preserving solidarity. Furthermore, a good chunk of the bucks Letterman's show generates go into the coffers of CBS, thus directly benefiting the ostensible enemy. Additionally, by refusing to sanction Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Jay Leno, and Conan O'Brien for crossing the picket line, the WGA is showing itself to be a toothless bunch of Hollywood insider softies. Now I know those guys went back to work because of the hundreds of non-WGA staffers they collectively employ were going to lose their jobs; however, a scab is a scab, and it's especially disheartening to see these so-called liberal comedy icons pull the el foldo when the going (i.e. Management) gets tough - tell that to Jimmy Fucking Hoffa. That having been said, I think this strike is a great way to break the writers' backs and put them behind the eight ball in every subsequent negotiation: way to go WGA.
Anyway, on to the Oscars (which, as I said, may or may not go down)!
- There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men tied for the most nominations with eight apiece, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. So already we have the grisly possibility of these two films, which undoubtedly appeal to much the same audiences, splitting the vote and letting Atonement waltz off with the big prizes.
- Juno is the big winner of what is fast becoming the Fox Searchlight quirky indie mini-blockbuster Best Picture nomination. Yet unlike prior recipients Little Miss Sunshine and Sideways, Juno (which I have yet to see) had some coattails, earning director Jason Reitman a nod, Diablo Cody a probable win in the Original Screenplay category (picking politically without having the seen the film is a sensible and time honored tradition), and Ellen Page her anticipated Best Actress nomination.
- For your Oscar pool, you may put down Daniel Day-Lewis for Best Actor in There Will Be Blood, Javier Bardem for Supporting Actor for No Country for Old Men, and Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There.
- Thanks for playing nominations: Viggo Mortensen (Best Actor, Eastern Promises), Marion Cotillard (Best Actress, La Vie en Rose), Hal Holbrook (Best Supporting Actor, Into the Wild), Tony Gilroy (Best Director, Michael Clayton), Ruby Dee (Best Supporting Actress, American Gangster), Surf's Up (Best Animated Feature).
- Puzzling nominations: Tommy Lee Jones, who should have been up for Supporting Actor for No Country For Old Men getting an equally quixotic Best Actor nomination for the stillborn In the Valley of Elah; Cate Blanchett getting a Best Actrees nod for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (which was loudly and roundly panned) when victory in the supporting category is all but assured.
- Best battles: the whole Best Picture category, save for Michael Clayton; Julie Christie vs. Ellen Page for Best Actress, with Laura Linney as a possible spoiler; Adapted Screenplay between There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men (winner of this could be getting a consolation prize); Ratatouille vs. Persepolis for Best Animated Feature.
- Prestige pictures that whiffed: American Gangster (failing to get a major nod beyond Ruby Dee, even for Denzel); Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp for Best Actor); In the Wild (Hal Holbrook, Best Supporting Actor); Charlie Wilson's War (couldn't even get Tom Hanks or Aaron Sorkin a nom).
- Coulda, woulda, shoulda: Ratatouille for Best Picture, David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises) for Best Director; otherwise this bunch looks pretty okay to me.
Anyway, I look forward to bursting a blood vessel and going blind in my right eye when the esteemed members of the Academy manage to screw There Will Be Blood into the ground. See you on the red carpet!
