TM
Oscar
Time! Best
Actor
Picture
/ Director / Actress
/ Actor / Supp Actress
/ Supp Actor / Animate
/ Foreign / Writing
/ Categories / Costumes
/ Design /Music
/ Nominations
Updated 03/24/03
ADRIEN
BRODY takes the prize, plants one on Halle Berry, and
fills the audience with joy! He gives good speech. Go Brody!
Pre Ceremony Thought:
It's been
a three man race but Miramax's intense & ubiquitous campaign for Day-Lewis
puts him in the lead. Unless of course Nicholson's rumored admiration of
Brody's work sends some of his own loyal votes over Adrien's way for a surprise
upset.
|
Adrien
Brody
THE PIANIST |
Nicolas Cage
ADAPTATION |
Michael Caine
THE QUIET AMERICAN |
Daniel
Day-Lewis GANGS OF NEW YORK
|
Jack Nicholson
ABOUT SCHMIDT |
 |
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 |
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first
nomination!
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2 noms
/ 1 win
|
6 noms
/ 2 wins
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3 noms
/ 1 win
|
12
noms / 3 wins
|
|
Precursor Awards:
Cesar, Boston & NSFC Role: Wladislaw Spzilman, a famous pianist, hiding in Nazi occupied Poland for his life. |
Precursor Awards:
Toronto Role: Screenwriting twins Donald and Charlie Kauffman's adventures in screenwriting. |
Precursor Awards:
San Francisco & Golden Satellite Role: A British journalist living in Vietnam, has his love affair interrupted by a mysterious American. |
Precursor Awards:
SAG, BFCA, LAFCA, NYC, Las Vegas, SEFCA, OFCS, Seattle, San Diego, BAFTA, Golden Satellite Role: Bill "the Butcher" Cutting, ruling the Five Points with a meat cleaver brutality. |
Precursor Awards:
GLOBE, D.C., Dallas, & LAFCA Role: Retired widower, Warren Schmidt, out to stop his daughter's wedding and find some late meaning in his anchorless life. |
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How'd They Get Nominated?
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65% Expressive and haunting performance.
This being a one man show, it was hard not to notice how great he
was.
20% Two prime Oscar hooks: Playing a real life person and physical alteration (weight loss) for the role. 10% Lead role in Best Picture contender. 5% Breakthrough for a young promising actor. |
40% Like Woody Allen in his heyday, Charlie
Kauffman writes great verbally dextrous roles that seem to inspire
actors. Send him your thanks, Nic.
30% Playing twins. It's two performance in one. Both are very good ones; Comedic and dramatic. 15% 'Thank God he took a break from action films. Throw him a bone.' |
50% 'Why, look at that. He's crying in
the toilet!'
25% They like him. They really like him! (In fact, they like him in nearly anything) 15% Effective solid performance in serious historical film. 5% Lead role in hot button film. 5% Miramax campaign (Aborted quickly but it did the trick, right?) |
55% Mesmerizing turn. "Chew that scenery!"
18% The coming out of retirement hoopla. 10% The strange blandness of the other leads makes him look even better. 10% Miramax campaign rightly trumpeted him. 5% Showy role in Best Picture contender. 2 % The glass eye and the handlebar mustache. |
73% He's Jack, isn't he?
20% The type of performance that reminds you why he is such a hyper praised and eternally watchable actor. 5% "JACK" dialed down in service of character. But still with wacky Jack-like impish hijinx; Naked hottubbing with Bates and water bed. 2% the Golden Globe acceptance speech. |
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Celebrity or Critical
Endorsements
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Jack Nicholson
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Roger Ebert
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Robin Williams, Ashton Kutcher
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How'd I do?
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I scored 4/ 5
. I missed Cage's twin role for Gere's rolling Billy
Flynn momentum in Chicago. Back in the days of the April
Fools predictions I correctly guessed Jack and Daniel as competitors-2/5.
Two of my other choices were delayed until '03 and the last, Rockwell,
got lost in the annually worsening December glut.
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Who Got Robbed?
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My ballot includes
Hugh Grant and Campbell Scott, two actors who did
their finest work ever. Particulary in Campbell's case it's a travesty.
He came out of the gate with the NBR for best actor and quickly
fell completely below the radar. Too bad, because it's a brilliant,
inspired star turn (better than most nominated) in an underseen
flick.
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Which Film Clips Should
Oscar Show? Send
Your Suggestions!
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In the car discussing the shotgun wound -Edward
"She thinks I'm fat" -Ted Technology vs. Horse -Rachel |
Limping in the office with a cane -Ted
|
The flag scene (a given) -David
Killing the elected official -Nate |
On top of the RV with figurines talking to his
wife -Ted
Speech at reception -Nate |
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Who Might Think About
Writing a Speech
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It's a two man race...
Despite Jack being the early leader and Globe winner
-Daniel Day-Lewis's SAG win puts him firmly in the lead.
When you factor in the amount of money Miramax is spending to build
shrines to DDL on television, it seems close to a done deal. Adrien
Brody won't be taking home the golden boy but I'd wager that
he's pulling down a lot of votes anyway.
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Who Should Win?
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I loved Jack's work but I give Adrien
a few extra points in the end.
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