Tuesday, January 24, 2012

17

Kind of a big number when we compare Meryl's Oscar nomination tally as of this morning to the next highest total for a woman, with Katharine Hepburn at twelve. Oh, and Kate won four times. A 33% win rate with four wins is sick. If Meryl goes home empty-handed this year (which is likely), her rate will be just under 12%. I won't feel super bad if she wins.

That said, I kind of want Viola Davis to win. Yes, I think her role would more appropriately be in the supporting category, but it's a great performance and since it's been established ad nauseum that Academy Awards are not purely based on a quantifiable "best" performance, it would be great if an African American actress won in the lead category. Not to impugn Davis's work in The Help of course, as I'm sure plenty of people would argue (weakly) that her performance is the most deserving regardless. It would be pretty cool if both she and Octavia Spencer won, which in all likelihood is going to happen anyway. Heck, even Meryl wants us to think that she'd prefer if Viola won, but I don't buy it.

Surprises for me in the nominations were as follows: Rooney Mara (snub to Tilda Swinton whom I considered a lock over a month ago), Demián Bichir (Leo snubbed), and nine best picture nominees. Um, OK. I guess I'm a little surprised that Shailene Woodley wasn't nominated in supporting for The Descendants, but she wasn't nominated for the SAG either so, no big whoop. Biggest of all may be the snub of Albert Brooks for Drive. Wow. Some fun prognosticating is in store over the next month.

Congratulations, Ms. Streep.

5 comments:

  1. Have hope for Meryl!! She was so much better than Davis in The Help, SO MUCH BETTER. How can you "kinda want" Viola Davis to get it over Streep who was phenomenal in The Iron Lady??

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    1. As I state above, I don't think that Davis was the most deserving based solely on her performance. I only want her to win so that Meryl isn't completely overlooked if she has a great performance coming up in the next couple of years. Especially if August: Osage County miraculously happens after all. Meryl was incredible in TIL, and if she gets the Oscar, I think people would have a hard time explaining its inappropriateness. I just enjoy her being part of the conversation, and hope she continues to be.

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  2. Her being part of the conversation is great of course, I'd have to say that I take that enjoyment for granted because she is undeniably (in my eyes) the best actress alive and it would be completely foolish if she wasn't part of the conversations..

    It just felt like you were saying how it would be cool for Davis and Spencer to win because they're both black. Spencer's role especially was nothing special in my opinion, and both roles are unfortunate stereotypes that I'm really shocked are garnering so much merit. Chastain for example from The Help was a hundred times better than Spencer and yet she has zero chances of winning.

    Anyway, the Oscars are a farce most of the time. Nominating Meryl so many times is about the only thing they do right, but not giving her the third one in almost 30 years is starting to be a little ridiculous. I hope she takes whatever momentum she has now and wins for The Iron Lady because she deserves it. In the future if August: Osage County for example happens who'se to say she can't win again? The thing i want the most is for her to break Hepburn's record.

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    1. In essence, I was saying it would be cool if Spencer and Davis won because they are black. We know that the Oscar isn't handed out solely on performance quality, and regardless of what we think of these two roles (some will argue that they are the best of the year), it's an underrepresented population, particularly in Lead Actress. That said, I'm shifting toward the idea of Meryl winning now and in two years if August happens. I posed that idea on Awards Daily. Consider if she wins this year and her role in August is out of this world, and then twenty years from now she has an "On Golden Pond" moment. That would give her four lead Oscars and a supporting, to break the record. Of course I hope she continues to be nominated at least every couple years as well up to that point. :)

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    2. Haha that would make me so happy! I'm getting a little worried about how much emotion and energy I'm investing in Meryl winning awards and being recognized for what she is. In keeping the hope alive, the good news for us is that this feels like the closest she's come of getting the Oscar even more so than how close she was with 'Doubt' or 'Julie and Julia'. I'm nervous..

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