|
And the nominees are ...
Hollywood is betting three films and one actor will dominate when the
movie industry rises at dawn Tuesday to discover the players nominated to
take the field in the 2005
battle for the Oscars.
In an annual ritual that has the media hordes descending bleary-eyed on
the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the
names of the nominees are read out for television cameras at 5:30 a.m.
local time so the news can catch commuters on the way out the door on the
East Coast, where it is three hours later.
Jamie Foxx's electric performance as soul singer Ray Charles in "Ray"
and films about an ambitious female boxer, two losers looking for love in
California wine country and a billionaire aviation visionary with a
passion for movie stars and washing his hands all loom large in Oscar
nominations.
The guessing around town is that the Martin Scorsese epic biography
about Howard Hughes, "The Aviator," Clint Eastwood's dark and tear-stained
boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" and Alexander Payne's heartbreaking
comedy "Sideways" will lead the pack in nominations, with each expected to
win six or more nominations in the major categories.
Saturday night, the Producers Guild of America named "The Aviator" its
best picture of the year. In 11 of the past 15 years, Producers Guild of
America members have honored films that went on to win the best-picture
Oscar -- including last year with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of
the King."
Foxx may pull off an Oscar acting double if he gets nominated for best
supporting actor for his role as Tom Cruise's taxi-driving captive in
"Collateral" as well as for best actor in "Ray." Actors have been
nominated in both categories before, but it is rare.
Some film experts dismissed 2004 as a poor year for films in general
but an outstanding one for male actors.
Right now, the town is in love with Foxx. His heartfelt acceptance of a
Golden Globe award for acting last Sunday had people cheering and giving
him a standing ovation.
In an unusual tribute, Chris Rock, the comedian who will host the
Oscars on Feb. 27, told a New York Times interviewer that if Foxx did not win, "I'm gonna talk
about it on the show. ... Jamie Foxx is not going to walk
out of that place without an Oscar."
(Reuters) | 
Updated: 2005-01-24 15:21
