And the winner is.....

As many of you know, I have become quite the movie aficionado of late. In fact, a buddy and I were talking about our desire to become critics solely so that we could get advanced copies of movies and TV shows. He insists that there is some sort of loophole to get on a mailing list, but even though I normally always advocate the existence of loopholes I don't think this one is very feasible.

I bring up this notion because the Academy Award (Oscars) nominations were unveiled this morning at 8:30. I'm sure that you have come across them while browsing the 100 sites you check before this one, but I will give my two cents nonetheless.

Best Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- This David Fincher directed film garnered the most nominations (13) today and I'm sure not too many people are surprised. This movie definitely lives up to the bill because it is very well done. The only downsides are that it is rather lengthy (166 minutes) and very sad. Now the fact that it is sad should have no bearing on whether or not it wins because some of my favorite movies are sad (Mystic River for example). This movie showed me that Brad Pitt could play a serious role well and that I did not hate Cate Blanchett as much as I thought I did. I literally wanted to knock her out in The Aviator. This film is probably the favorite to win the big one, but it's not the movie that I'll be pulling for next month.

Frost/Nixon- I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard and read plenty about this film. The man that wrote the screenplay, Peter Morgan, did everything that he could to make sure that it didn't turn into a film. Well that's where Ron Howard came in. He took on the project and stretched the facts to sensationalize the audience. In an era when political films have been floundering, this one succeeded. Not for nothing, that is impressive. I will definitely check this one out, but mainly because of Frank Langella's depiction of Tricky Dick.

Milk- A movie about a gay activist usually only gets the actor that portrays the gay man nominated, but this film delivers much more. Sean Penn, is a bleeding heart liberal, so he probably got a hard on when he was given this script. The timing of this film is socially significant because of California's recent approval of proposition 8, which banned same sex marriage. It probably won't win, but it is a noteworthy nomination.

The Reader- I literally had not heard about this movie until the Golden Globes. Go figure Ralph Fiennes is involved in another movie that is centered around a WWII love affair. In case you are a movie novice, the other was The English Patient. I don't know much more about this movie as I have only seen the trailer a few times, but it would be a big surprise if it won because it was on the fence as to whether or not it would get nominated.

Slumdog Millionaire- Based on Vikas Swarup's first novel Q & A, this movie is about an uneducated Indian man who goes on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and performs so well that he is thrown in jail because he is suspected of cheating. The film consists of different vignettes of his childhood that explain how he knew the answers to each of the questions. It's a love story adventure that really delivers. It won the Golden Globe and I hope that it also takes home the hardware at the Oscars.

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins in The Visitor- Jenkins is a career character actor (he was the FBI director in The Kingdom) who was given the chance to play the lead role and got some recognition for it. He is a longshot at best, but as much as I want to hate on this movie, I will refrain because of the line Jenkins delivers in The Kingdom.

Attorney General Gideon Young: I'm gonna bury you.

FBI Director James Grace: You know, Westmoreland made all of us officers write our own obituaries during Tet, when we thought The Cong were gonna end it all right there. And, once we clued into the fact that life is finite, the thought of losing it didn't scare us anymore. The end comes no matter what, the only thing that matters is how do you wanna go out, on your feet or on your knees? I bring that lesson to this job. I act, knowing that someday this job will end, no matter what. You should do the same.

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon- This is a great nomination because Langella perfected the role at the Donmar Warehouse in London where it was a play. Although the next three nominees are likely the front runners, I would not be completely shocked if Langella came out as the winner.

Sean Penn in Milk- Aside from Heath Ledger in the Best Supporting Actor category, this is the least surprising nomination. Penn played a gay man. Bingo- there's your nomination. Look at a few examples from our recent history. Robert Deniro was nominated for playing a mental patient in Awakenings in 1991, Tom Hanks won for playing a gay man in Philadelphia in 1994, and Dustin Hoffman won in 1988 for playing an idiot savant in Rain Man.

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- Brad has long been a sex symbol in Hollywood, but he has never really gotten any recognition for his acting abilities. This is just Brad's second Academy Award nomination and I don't think he is going to win, despite the movie's overarching success. Don't get me wrong, Brad was good, but I don't think he was good enough.

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler- Rourke has been around for a long time, but he hasn't really been in anything good. Evidently this movie and subsequent performance is phenomenal. ESPN Page 2 writer Bill Simmons couldn't say enough good things. Throw in Rourke's Golden Globe win and I project him as the winner here as well.

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married- Until about a month ago I was a huge Anne Hathaway fan. And then I saw her on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Her personality bothered me and I was completely turned off from her. She doesn't have a prayer to win this award.

Angelina Jolie in Changeling- First off, Brad and Angelina are both nominated? Phenomenal, Adorable, Arugula. The Academy usually blows everything Clint Eastwood directs, but Angelina really deserves this one. I hope she walks away the winner.

Melissa Leo in Frozen River- Who? What? One of my highschool friends dated a girl with the last name Leo and she was a gingerkid. She then became the foundation for most of the firebush jokes that I have ever made in my life. Also, were they really trying to buoy on the success of Mystic River with that title?

Meryl Streep in Doubt- I hate Meryl Streep. Plain and simple. If she wins I will give all the credit to her co-stars Amy Adams and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Kate Winslet in The Reader- This is interesting because she won the Golden Globe for this role, but under the Best Supporting Actress category. I am actually not too happy about this because I put all my eggs in Revolutionary Road's basket and it was not given much love by the Academy. I mean Leo and Kate reunited and neither gets nominated? Come onnnn

Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight- And here is your winner. Should I even mention who else got nominated? While the Academy lovvves to give awards posthumously, Ledger was awesome as the Joker. Fun fact, after Ledger's death, Jack Nicholson (who previously played the Joker) was asked about it and said, "I warned him about that role, " and walked away.

Josh Brolin in Milk- As good as Brolin was, how would it look to give an Oscar to a man who played the guy that assassinated a gay rights activist?

Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder- I have not seen this movie, but I am pumped Downey Jr. was nominated because he was great in Iron Man. After seeing the trailer for this movie, it's remarkable that the Academy gave it a nomination, but hey if Michael Jackson can become white, than why can't Downey Jr. become black?

Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt- He's largely considered the best actor going right now and rightfully so, although I still put Denzel and Leo ahead of him. Personally I think he should have won this award last year for his performance in Charlie Wilson's War and I guess it's sort of a shame that he has no shot of winning this year because Heath Ledger overdosed.

Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road- I rolled the dice on this movie (which opens in all theaters Friday) and this is the only bigtime nomination that I get? He plays a mental patient that offers accurate criticism of what is happening between Kate and Leo.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams in Doubt- I think I have a little bit of a crush on Amy Adams. Last year I saw Talladega Nights about 34 times and she got better looking, just like the movie got funnier, everytime.

Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona- Apparently Woody Allen still has some pull with the Academy. I guess Cruz really learned how to play a crazy woman after having her own meltdown in 2002. Good for her.

Viola Davis in Doubt- She's just going to steal votes from Amy Adams. This is the same thing that happens when two players on a sports team are both up for an MVP award.

Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- She plays Benjamin's "mother" and actually does it very well. I think the first time nominee will come out on top in this one.

Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler- A former winner for My Cousin Vinny and a former potential date for George Costanza. That's a winning combination if I've ever seen one.