Even more words of wisdom

This is a little something I wrote for a newsletter. I'm beggining to regret my LMS choice, but hey, it could happen.

It is time once again to ponder the question that plagues mankind every
February. Who will the win Best Picture at the Academy Awards? Usually
everyone has a pretty good idea, whether they're right or not. (See last
year's "Crash" and "Brokeback Mountain," or 1998's "Shakespeare in Love" and
"Saving Private Ryan"). This year that's not the case; it's one of the most
wide-open races since "Gladiator" won. The nominees are "Babel," "The
Departed," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine," and "The Queen."

I think it's safe to rule out "Letters" because it isn't American enough,
and no one's seen it. Although "The Queen" won the BAFTA I don't think it
will find much love outside the UK. I was going to rule out "Babel" because
it hasn't won any awards since the Golden Globe in January, and voters might
feel it's too much like "Crash." What worries me is Ebert predicts it will
win, and he's not to be taken lightly. I, however, think it's between "The
Departed," a violent good cop/bad cop Scorsese film, and "Sunshine," a
comedy about a dysfunctional family and a beauty pageant. A lot of bloggers
are predicting "The Departed" to win, but I think it's really a toss up and
they're just uncomfortable with picking a comedy--which is perfectly valid
as the last comedy to win was "Annie Hall." But in the interest of being
bold, I formally predict "Little Miss Sunshine" to be the winner.

The other races are a little easier, though. Helen Mirren and Forest
Whitaker should win in the lead acting categories, and Jennifer Hudson and
Eddie Murphy in the supporting. Martin Scorsese will win Best Director, and
"Sunshine" and "Departed" for the screenplays. It's interesting that this
summer all the Oscar buzz was around "Dreamgirls," which did get the most
nominations, but none for Best Picture. I personally think it was robbed,
but it will win some awards with Hudson and Murphy. That's my Oscar
cheatsheet, so pop some popcorn, sharpen the pencils, print the ballots
(imdb.com), and enjoy the show.