Time for a thread for all the awards stuff.

Tomorrow, Oscar Night, I will be here commenting, and hope you are too.

Luca asked for such a thread, and I am delighted she did.

I figure acting ability, directing, writing, clothes, hair, makeup, who brought what date, and plastic surgery all deserve attention. Plus anything else anybody thinks of. Feel free to comment before the show, as well. Predictions and wishes are welcome.

Here is the complete list of Oscar nominees:

Complete list of 80th annual Academy Awards nominees

BEST PICTURE
"Atonement"
"Juno"
"Michael Clayton"
"No Country for Old Men"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd"
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises"
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild"
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton"

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Jason Reitman, "Juno"

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Diablo Cody, "Juno"
Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"
Brad Bird, Story by Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco, Brad Bird, "Ratatouille"
Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages"

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood"
Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"
Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
Sarah Polley, "Away From Her"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Beaufort" (Israel)
"The Counterfeiters" (Austria)
"Katyn" (Poland)
"Mongol" (Kazakhstan)
"12" (Russia)

BEST ANIMATED FILM
"Persepolis"
"Ratatouille"
"Surf's Up"

BEST ART DIRECTION
"American Gangster"
"Atonement"
"The Golden Compass"
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"
"There Will Be Blood"

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Roger Deakins
"Atonement," Seamus Mcgarvey
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Janusz Kaminski
"No Country For Old Men," Roger Deakins
"There Will Be Blood," Robert Elswit

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne
"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"No End in Sight"
"Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience"
"Sicko"
"Taxi to the Dark Side"
"War/Dance"

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
"Freeheld"
"La Corona" ("The Crown")
"Salim Baba"
"Sari's Mother"

BEST FILM EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum," Christopher Rouse
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," Juliette Welfling
"Into the Wild," Jay Cassidy
"No Country for Old Men," Roderick Jaynes
"There Will Be Blood," Dylan Tichenor

BEST MAKEUP
"La Vie en Rose"
"Norbit"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
"Atonement", Dario Marianelli
"The Kite Runner", Alberto Iglesias
"Michael Clayton", James Newton Howard
"Ratatouille", Michael Giacchino
"3:10 to Yuma", Marco Beltrami

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Falling Slowly" from "Once"
"Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"
"Raise It Up" from "August Rush"
"So Close" from "Enchanted"
"That's How You Know" from "Enchanted"

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"I Met the Walrus"
"Madame Tutli-Putli"
"Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)"
"My Love (Moya Lyubov)"
"Peter & the Wolf"

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"At Night"
"Il Supplente (The Substitute)"
"Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)"
"Tanghi Argentini"
"The Tonto Woman"

BEST SOUND EDITING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"There Will Be Blood"
"Transformers"

BEST SOUND MIXING
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"No Country For Old Men"
"Ratatouille"
"3:10 to Yuma"
"Transformers"

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
"The Golden Compass"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"
"Transformers"

Yeah! We are going to have an oscar party!!!! Should we do a poll or something on who we think will win each category or just put out our predictions, then award a boobie prize for the winner?

Can't wait for your commentary and predictions Frazzle! You and Aerwin have seen most of the nominated films. I had hoped to see more, but have only seen one. I am really lucky at predicting the winners sometimes though...

I just got back from my first Broadway show...Hairspray! It was such a hoot! Some really talented people were in the cast and the music, sets, choreography, and costumes were all so well done. The work involved in doing a high energy show like that must be insane. It really puts the American Idol contestants in perspective. These professionally trained actors/singers/dancers are so far above most of what we see on that show. There really is no comparison. Most of the cast are young people who have theater degrees and have done some off Broadway and this is their first National show. There are also a few more seasoned veterans that were an absolute delight like Angela Birchett as Motermouth Maybelle who played Effie in Dreamgirls, Dan Ferretti as Wilbur Turnblad, and Kristin Stewart as Velma Van Tussle. I think Micheal Walker the understudy for Edna Turnblad performed tonight and was absolutely perfect...

Anyway, will be back tomorrow to immerse in all the pre-oscar festivities!
Tah-tah!

Yes, I will be watching! I always watch even though I seldom see the films nominated and find most of the middle section of the show boring I just like to see all the gorgeousness and the "big" awards presented.

I will go out on a limb and predict Daniel Day Lewis for the win! (is there anybody NOT predicting him for the win?)

Julie Christy I think will pull off the win, but she just could be edged out by the lovely French actress who's name I can't spell )

I think Kate will win best supporting actress.

Javier is a shoe-in for best supporting actor.

I think "No Country For Old Men" will win best pic, though a lot of times this category is an upset - so who knows.

I am nearly positive the Coens (or is it Cohens ) will win too.

There you have it, my totally uneducated, didn't see any of the movies, guesses - based solely on what everybody else says!!

I do plan to rent Juno when it comes out. I am not into the blood and guts movies so I really don't care to see the other nominated films. I just might rent Sweeney Todd just for Johnny, but will watch with a pillow over my face most of the time

I don't have much of an opinion because I've only seen two Oscar-nominated movies this year.

I saw Sweeney Todd, and I agree that Johnny was fabulous, but I also know he's not going to win.

The ony Best Picture nominee that appealed to me was Juno, which I have seen. It's a terrific little movie, full of believable 3-dimensional characters and not one cartoonish villian anywhere in sight, which is very refreshing. A bunch of reasonable people who struggle through difficult situations with a certain amount of grace. I think the screenplay might win something.

I cannot wait. I got to see all the films so I am excited. Here are my pics

Best Pic: No Country
Best Director: Coens
Best Actor : DDL
Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem
Best Actress: Marion Cottillard
Best supp Actress: Tilda Swinton
Best original screenplay: Diablo Cody :Juno
Best adapted: No Country
Best Costume: Eliazbeth
Best Cinematography: No Country
Best editing: No Country

My notes on who I'd like to see win, not who I think will win:

BEST PICTURE
"Atonement" (haven't seen)
"Juno" (haven't seen)
"Michael Clayton" (good movie, but not great)
"No Country for Old Men" (weird, haunting, pretty brilliant. My vote)
"There Will Be Blood" (have not seen)

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (have not seen)
Julie Christie, "Away From Her" (lovely performance)
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose" (brilliant performance. My vote)
Laura Linney, "The Savages" (have not seen)
Ellen Page, "Juno" (have not seen)

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, "Michael Clayton" (good movie, but not an actor's tour de force)
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood" (have only seen the clip of DDl saying "I abandoned my son". That is enough for me to give him my vote. AMAZING clip)
Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd" (embarrassssed to say, still have not seen)
Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises" (have not seen, but might rent today)
Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah" (he was great, but it is not a flashy role)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There" (only seen clips...pretty amazing...my vote unless I see anther actress today))
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster" (have not seen)
Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement" (have not seen)
Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone" (have not seen, but this is the one actors rave about. I can find it for download before tonight I'll watch. Otherwise, Cate Blanchett gets my vote)
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton" (good solid work)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" (I started to watch this, but wandered off and never finished. Not a good sign)
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men" (BRILLIANT. My vote)
Hal Holbrook, "Into The Wild" (brilliant, but not as much as Javier)
Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War" (did not see)
Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton" (brilliant, but not as much as Javier)


I think Vie en Rose should win costumes and makeup, and Bourne Ultimatum should win all the editing awards.

Since I have not seen many of these films, I am going to go be a cheater baby and try to catch some clips here and there while I excercise. Then at least I can have a little better take on who I want to win and also who I think will win. I like to play it both ways...

Well, I am still pretty clueless so I will give it my best ignorant shot:
Best Pic: No Country
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Actor : DDL, but would also like to see Johnny or Viggo get it, just because.
Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem, and I want him to get it from what I have seen in clips and the buzz. And dayum he is fine.
Best Actress: Cate Blanchet
Best supp Actress: Amy Ryan
Best original screenplay: Juno
Best adapted: Atonement
Best Costume: Eliazbeth
Best Cinematography: Atonement
Best editing: No Country

I'm going to make predictions by what I hear, since I haven't seen many of them.

BEST PICTURE

"No Country for Old Men"

BEST ACTRESS

Ellen Page, "Juno"

BEST ACTOR

Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"

(I think she was TOTALLY robbed of the award by Gwyneth for "Shakespeare in Love")


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

I really wish Tom Wilkinson was not against Javier, since he was so completely brilliant in the role.

Well, I just finished watching The Assassination of Jesse James, all the way through.

Casey Affleck is definitely an actor to watch. The movie is very long, and Brad Pitt just seems like Brad Pitt throughout, but young Casey is pretty amazing. And he is the star, not Brad Pitt. I wish they would change thr rules about who counts as supporting.

I have the red carpet on TV...haven't seen anything remarkable yet. Everybody looks pretty and handsome.

We need some weirdos to liven things up.

I have Gone Baby Gone downloading now.

GE, Tom Wilkinson does exactly the kind of acting (and parts...except female) I hope to do. He completely blows me away in everything I have seen him do.

Fraz, that is cool you will have seen Gone Baby Gone or parts of it anyway before the awards start.

Just a tacky comment about the red carpet.. I predict George Clooney's latest flavor of the week won't last long.

ETA: Love Tilda Swinton, but that dress. I don't get it.

Tilda Swenson, wearing no eye makeup and a lovely silk velvet sack...I get it. SHe is insisting she is not part of all this.

Oh my goodness....John Travolda has the most bizarre wig on. It is supposed to look almost like his real hair (very receding) but it is too thick and looks like a puppet version of him.

I do love Javier. He is as sexy as a man can be for my taste. I just BEAMED when he went up to get his award.

I hope I never meet him.

OK, now once it came down to it, I was delighted with Tilda winning. Vanessa Regrave is my long time female actor crush, and TIlda has a lot in common with her.

Yay for Tilda, black sack and all! She is an amazing actress, I have never seen her give less than a stellar performance!

Javier....drool, drool....I hear you about never meeting him. I would have to make an ass out of myself, married or not.

I am pleased Sweeney got Best Art Direction. That is well deserved!