And the Oscar Race begins!

Every year since college I have this little obsession with the Oscars. When this time of year rolls around I work really hard to see all the films nominated for an Oscar. I have never seen all, last year I saw all those nominated for the "Big 6" (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor & Actress) and then some, this was quite a feat & I was pretty proud.

This year I have been waiting with baited breath for the release of nominations. I have seen a lot of films this winter & almost all I thought would be nominated for something. Well.

Nominations came out today & I must say that I am in a pretty good position indeed. Within the "Big 6" categories there are 15 films nominated & I have seen seven, of the eight that remain five are still in theatres here in the lovely Twin Cities & I think I can find the other 3 at my local Redbox. That leaves me with a lot of potential & an amazing head start.

After that, there are 8 more films I need to see & then I've covered most...except documentaries (I've seen 1 of 5) & Foreign Film (none out of 5), but the docs & foreign films seem to be nowhere to be found in locally. Maybe there will be comebacks for at least of few of those.

And after all this, I prefer to watch the Oscars alone with Handsome Randy. I don't go to Oscar parties anymore, the commentary drives me batty (the final straw was a fellow party goer proclaiming that Helen Miren was "too old" to win for "The Queen"). I guess I am just too immeshed and/or invested. Or maybe I need to sift out the other Oscar Nerds amongst my friends.

Here is the icing on my Oscar Nerd cake. A few years ago I added a new tool for my obsession. I made this funny little flow chart in the back of my planner with all the films listed, what categories they're nominated in & then I highlight each film as I see it. On Oscar night, I have my flow chart handy and circle the winners. Now, because this chart is in my planner, which goes everywhere I do, the flowchart is always with me long after the Oscars are over. (This is where I clench the Oscar Nerd title.) Sometimes in conversations, the Oscars come up, who was or wasn't nominated, who won, etc. Not only do I have a meticulous memory so I typically remember nominees & winners, but I have a written record so I can pull out my flow chart to reference or prove a point. Jaws drop, people laugh or snort. I don't care. I am proud of my flowchart and I will make one every year.
xoxx

A Side Note: GRAN TORINO was a fantastic film. While I didn't expect a long list of nominations, I do believe that the film holds a great screenplay thus should have been nominated for Best Original Screenplay & Clint Eastwood more than deserved a Best Actor nomination. Neither of these nominations nor any others exist for GRAN TORINO in the Oscars. While the film was not a true Western by any means, it definitely had a Western feel and like qualities while telling a common story in the most diplomatic of ways. GO SEE THIS FILM.