Dear Jodie! My Oscar Predictions and Preferences

See Jodie's Oscar Post Here

Dear Jodie:

I can't honestly say I have watched every Oscar telecast in the last half century, but I can't remember one that I've missed. I gained an understanding of what the Oscars were all about in 1964 watching with my parents.  In 1965 I rooted hard for Julie Andrews to win in her leading role, the title role, in Mary Poppins.

She was the first person I rooted for.

She won.

Over those 50 years, I've seen some amazing moments. One came in 1972 when Charlie Chaplin, The Little Tramp, who once finished third in a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest, came back to Hollywood after a 20-year exile to accept an Honorary Oscar.  The poor man was floored by a response that Gods and Goddesses could only dream of.  Check it out here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3Pl-qvA1X8

In 1976 Louise Fletcher, in one of the great acceptance speeches in my memory, excused herself and signed a thank you to her parents, both of whom were profoundly deaf and spent their lives working with the deaf and hearing impaired. That gesture brought awareness to Hollywood of the deaf and hearing impaired.

Two years later when Debby Boone sang her Oscar winning song "You Light Up My Life" on the broadcast a chorus of children signed the lyrics.  My father cried and signed along with those lyrics.  I was nineteen years old and didn't know that in addition to the other two languages he spoke, American Southern and Texan, my father could sign.  I wish he had taught me.  Check out Ms. Fletcher's amazingly beautiful speech here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGl5U7nNlkY

So, Jodie, in the spirit of the intellect and the emotion, here are my predictions and preferences for the Academy Awards in the major categories.

As it turns out, in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category, my prediction and preference are the same.  Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club.  You could argue, and justly, that the prediction portion of this program is more preference than prediction since I live in the Dallas area.  I agree with your comment in your review Dallas Buyer Club, Jared Leto was brilliant. 

In the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role my prediction is that Lupita Nyong'o will win.  She was amazing and will so deserve it if she does.  My preference is Jennifer Lawrence because she has the best acting chops I've ever seen from any actor anywhere under the age of 30, and she does not disappoint in American Hustle.

For Best Director my prediction and preference are the same, Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity. I love his work, Gravity is amazing, and he directed, to my mind, the best of the wonderful Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

For Best Actor in a Leading Role I think Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club will win, and he will so deserve it and I will applaud loudly for the Texas boy if he does.  I'm rooting for Bruce Dern in Nebraska because he is longtime underrated Hollywood veteran who deserves recognition.

For Best Actress in a Leading Role I think that Meryl Streep will win because Meryl Streep wins whether she is brilliant or whether she sucks.  Okay, that was a personal, snarky comment, but let it stand. She sucked in her Oscar winning wretched impression of Margaret Thatcher.  Viola Davis in The Help should have won that year and Meryl Streep, to her credit, knew it.  I'm still furious about that one.  My preference is Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine.  She's wonderful.  Period.

For Best Picture I think that Gravity will win and it will deserve it if it does.  I almost said I want Dallas Buyers Club to win, and in an early draft of this post I did. After further review, I thought the editing was a bit clunky and the timeline confused me a bit.  I also thought they could have done a better job in the redemptive sections.  I'm rooting for Gravity.

Oh, Jodie.  These are my predictions and, admittedly emotional, preferences!  What are yours?  I can't wait for the telecast!