Possible Oscar Upsets This Sunday: Abigail Breslin over Jennifer Hudson!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 12:51am

Tom O'Neil of the L.A. Times' THE ENVELOPE makes a story out of EVERYTHING. Here are some possible upsets to look for on Sunday at the Oscars:

Abigail Bresling over Jennifer Hudson
Clint Eastwood over Martin Scorsese
Alan Arkin over Eddie Murphy
Leonardo DiCaprio over Forest Whitaker
Peter O'Toole over Forest Whitaker
Little Miss Sunshine for Best Pic
"I Need To Wake Up" for Best Song

[Kringas]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:04am

Is anyone beating Scorsese really an upset?

[paradox_error]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:06am

It sure wouldn't upset me! I'd prefer anyone over Scorsese...I'm just not a fan of his style.

I wouldn't mind LMS or Peter O'Toole winning, but I really hope that the Dreamgirls team win their sections!

[jenna2]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:13am

I LOVE Scorsese, but come on, if he wins he won't be the Susan Lucci of the Oscars anymore! It would almost be upsetting if he did win.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:21am

I for one would not be surprised at Breslin beat Hudson. I certainly hope Hudson does end up taking the award home though.
I think there's a bigger chance of Murphy losing to Arkin.
I'm with the people who think that Scorsese winning would indeed be an upset, every year he is nominated everyone says "this time they'll give it to him" and each year he goes home empty-handed.

[RadiGal2]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:23am

I am secretly pulling for Arkin myself-- he was incredible in LMS; and I could actually see O'Toole winning just for sentimental reasons... but I seriously doubt Leo has a shot-- which is a shame he has always been a fine actor...it's a crime that he took that god-awful role in Titanic and ruined his credibility...at least when Johnny Depp sold out to Disney empire he has the decency to nearly get fired (more than once, so they say) because of the disturbing spin he put on Capt'n Jack Sparrow.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:35am

Loved Arkin but hardly the best supporting performance of the year. McAvoy should win for LAST KING OF SCOTLAND but he's not even nominated (plus he should be lead).

[bella cantato]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 1:38am

Abigail Breslin has sooooo many years left to win an Oscar. Not that Jennifer doesn't but... if Jennifer loses the award I will be kind of heartbroken... lame as that sounds...

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 2:19am

I actually think Djimon Hounsoun should win for Best Supporting Actor, his performance was far more powerful and memorable than Murphy's and Arkin's and in my opinion, he overshadowed DiCaprio in all their scenes together. His performance was the one that stayed with me after BLOOD DIAMOND was over. Of the non-nominated performances, Michael Sheen is the other performance I thought deserved the award as well.

[roquat]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 2:23am

It wouldn't surprise me if Abigail Breslin won--more people saw the movie, it has been campaigning like mad, and she has even more of a disarming way with interviewers than Dakota Fanning does. I also wouldn't be surprised if Cate Blanchett won--she's the respected theatre actress who has been working hard and getting passed over for years, as opposed to the young upstart Jennifer Hudson (I'm putting this the way the Academy will think, not how I think!) and she's been doing a lot of campaigning too. I'd be seriously pissed if Arkin took it for being old, though (it was hardly a substantial role; come on!)

[PJ]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 2:25am

Tom O'Neil loves to write these "what if" articles right before the big night. Basically, he makes an entire case of why so-and-so can beat whoever because he talked to two voters in the last month who said that they voted for so-and-so. He's just trying to drum up some suspense and false hope for an evening that tends to have it's winners crowned months in advance.
Updated On: 2/23/07 at 02:25 AM

[DG]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 2:33am

While I've been pretty vocal about my difference of opinion concerning Ms. Hudson's performance, the only thing that would be more ridiculous to me is rewarding that child (as I have felt about all child recipients.) At the very least, this should be a recognition of craft (even in spite of the obvious commercial intent,) and the rewarding of 'acting' by someone who obviously has no awareness is an insult.

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 2:55am

"While I've been pretty vocal about my difference of opinion concerning Ms. Hudson's performance, the only thing that would be more ridiculous to me is rewarding that child (as I have felt about all child recipients.) At the very least, this should be a recognition of craft (even in spite of the obvious commercial intent,) and the rewarding of 'acting' by someone who obviously has no awareness is an insult."

Have you seen Abigail Breslin's resume? I would say it's an insult to her to say she has no "awareness". I'm not saying she should walk away with the trophy, but if there is anyone in this category that has no awareness of the craft it's Hudson.

[DG]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 3:15am

sid - I know she has a background, but age only allows so much.

And just for the record, almost all of my vocal reticence concerning Ms. Hudson is due to her lack of background (having even suggested that her inevitable award should be forcibly shared with Mr. Condon - which I was roundly criticized for, by the way )

[sidjones09]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 3:46am

I haven't seen your earlier posts on Hudson, but I agree with you completely. She was very GOOD in the film, but Condon did practically spoon feed it to her. I think she's an exceptional singing talent that will need to show me more to win me over as an actress. I pray to God she doesn't turn into another Jennifer Holliday, who rides the Effie train until it doesn't run anymore, just so she can get out and drag it along behind her.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 4:01am

"Clint Eastwood over Martin Scorsese"

How is this considered an upset? It happened last year.

[DG]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 4:08am

"Clint Eastwood over Martin Scorsese"

No upset in my estimation - simply the appropriate accolade due.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 8:16am

It's such a dull year, I pray there's some sort of upset to keep us awake.

Everything about it -- from Elle DeGeneres' likely cutesified hosting performance (sorry, she's beloved, but her vow to be "positive" has already got me yawning) to the nominees themselves -- paraded everywhere since December (enough already of Helen Mirren's humble belated appreciation of Elizabeth--it was moving the first 32 times) suggest a deadly predictable four and half hours.

Bring back a streaker, or a pack of 'em.

[Rathnait62]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 8:23am

sid, you took the words out of my mouth. Breslin may be young, but she's been around. This is not her first time out of the paddock by any means.

As far as "sooo many years left to win" what kind of statement is that? So if you're 20, even if you gave the best performance of the year, the 50-year-old should get it because she doesn't already have one and has fewer years left (and that's nothing anyone can predict anyway)?

Updated On: 2/23/07 at 08:23 AM

[tazber]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 9:13am

Marty winning this is not an upset. In previous years he never took all the pre-oscar awards, this year he swept everything(most tellingly the DGA). If he doesn't win on Sunday it will be very odd indeed.
I have a feeling that Arkin will win also.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 9:29am

"I also wouldn't be surprised if Cate Blanchett won--she's the respected theatre actress who has been working hard and getting passed over for years..."

Just for the record, Ms. Blanchett did win the Oscar a couple of years ago for The Aviator." So I'm not sure what you meant by "passed over," but it hasn't been by the Academy.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 9:57am

If Breslin wins over Hudson . . . I swear something will be thrown and broken in my apartment. Breslin was good in LMS, but in my no where near the caliber of Hudson (in my opinion).

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:38am

These arguments are always fascinating to me. There are always so many conditions we place on an award that is simply called BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR (or ACTRESS) IN A LEAD (or SUPPORTING) ROLE. It's not about self-awareness, awareness of craft, age or how much direction one did or didn't need. We place those things on the category. Frankly, I'd probably cast my vote for either Barraza or Kikuchi (Barraza with a slight edge), but I don't think there is one actress in this category that would embarrass the 'good name' of the Academy.

I'll never forget the verbal assault I got for daring to suggest that I would have voted for Idina Menzel for the Tony over any of the other ladies. I liked the role, her performance and her more than any of the others. I can absolutely recognize that the better technical performance came from Tonya Pinkins...but I still would have voted for Ms. Menzel because...well...I liked everything about it. That's my particular quirk.

[DG]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:52am

Robbie - I absolutely understand your perspective. My own view is perhaps too contorted by the fact that I simply don't like children in general, nevermind as oscar contenders

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 2/23/07 at 10:56am

DG, you're mean!

(Oh, and I hope Alan Arkin wins.)