Oscar Disapointments

This morning as I was braving -3 degrees to head to the airport the Academy Award nominations were announced. I always love the excitement of getting up in the morning to hear the nominations, but this year that just wasn't a possibility. As always there are some nominations you are thrilled about and others that make you say, "huh?" I suppose I often have some unrealistic expectations for some nominations, but here are a few of nods I wish we had seen this year:

The Simpsons Not Nominated - The D'oh Heard Round the World

"Best Animated Feature," though just a few years old, is my favorite category. Most years there are only 3 nominations, this year two of those nominations were a lock..."Ratatouille," like anything else Pixar puts out, was a for sure nominee even before it was released, and "Persepolis" was a critical, art house, and festival circuit favorite. So the third slot was up in the air, it ended up going to "Surf's Up," making the second year in a row in which a penguin movie was nominated in this category. I really felt "The Simpsons Movie" should've been the third nominee. Not because I'm a fan of "The Simpsons," and not because it was some sort of milestone in animation. But it was a great comedy, that happened to be animated. Anyway, I have to give the edge in this race to "Ratatouille." It's nomination in the original screenplay category certainly helps, and besides, penguins can't win two years in a row, can they!?!? I mean, come on Academy..."Happy Feet" winning over "Cars" last year was the biggest joke in the history of the Oscars.

Fantasy Film Actors Still Ignored

One of my favorite performances of last year was Imelda Staunton's portrayal of Dolores Umbridge in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." One of the best villains to appear on film in years. I felt it deserved a nod, but Academy voters just don't honor performances in the fantasy genre very often.

"Hairspray" snubbed

I just saw "Hairspray" a few weeks ago and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I mean, I had heard it was good, but it was a great example of how a movie musical should be. This wasn't just a movie version of a Broadway show, this was a great film. It's hard to describe the difference...go watch the new version of "The Producers" from a few years ago, then watch the new "Hairspray," you'll see what I mean. Anyhow, it deserved at least some sort of nomination. The performances were great! I'll take Nikki Blonsky's performance as Tracy over Jennifer Hudson's Oscar-winning "Dreamgirls" performance any day.

...And perhaps the worst thing to come out of this morning's nominations, that now someone can say, "The Academy Award nominated film - Norbit