Devilish Oscar Nods

Early this morning (we're talking 7:09am) an email came through my Outlook from my Kansas City dwelling good friend Marky Mark. Attached was his yearly Oscar nominations matrix, a handy reference sheet to all those flicks you ought to catch before Joan and Melissa take to the red carpet on February 25th to chastise the stars at the 79th Academy Awards, both the gay equivalent of the Super Bowl and the ultimate CelebFlash.

While JM previously poo-pooed my predication that Meryl would receive an Oscar nom for Prada, since (and I quote) "that sort of role (and movie) isn't even close to Oscar material" (obviously it was), what other surprises did those Oscar folks deliver us?

No Best Picture for Dreamgirls even after it's win at the Golden Globes.

Best Original Screenplay for Pan's Labyrinth, a Spanish language movie (and a movie less about fantasy and more about the Spanish civil war than I expected).

Several big nods to Little Miss Sunshine, with it's truly rib tickling moment when young Olive, having been left at a gas station, has to run after (and jump in to) the family's moving VW van.

Best Director, but no Best Picture, for United 93, a stunning film that took me on a roller coaster of emotions (though I'm glad about the lack of Best Picture nomination, the film is way too emotionally charge for that category).

A Best Actress nod to Penélope Cruz for her powerful portrayal of Raimunda in Volver, an otherwise pointless movie about independent, morally void women sticking together through adversities (and getting away with murder).

And lastly the original Marky Mark (aka Mark Wahlberg) beating out Jack Nicholson in the Best Supporting Actor category for The Departed.

While it might seem at the moment that the Oscar statuettes for both Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker are theirs to lose, we've seen upsets in the past (especially with Peter O'Toole, Judi Dench and the ever present Ms. Streep lurking in the background). And will Scorsese finally take one home for The Departed? We'll have wait and see.