My beloved has a first name, it’s O-S-C-A-R!

By: Kyle Christensen
Features Editor

This Tuesday’s formal announcement of the Oscar nominees for the 2007 Academy Award ceremony (to be aired Sunday, Feb. 25 on ABC) was an odd mix of old and new faces to the voting ballot, with some of the same over-hyped personalities we’ve had to hear about over and over again for the last few months scoring coveted spots in their respective categories, whereas some champion stallions were put to sleep as a herd of dark horses sprinted onto the racing track.

The Shoe-Ins:

The distinguished Helen Mirren is probably out buying plenty of gold polisher at this very moment. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the captivating biopic “The Queen” (also a Best Picture contender) has allotted nearly every critic’s choice award around the globe, and her recently attained Golden Globe only solidifies her dominance in the Best Actress bid. Meanwhile, arising novice and Best Supporting Actress nominee Jennifer Hudson (hmm, where have I come across that name before? Oh, that’s right, EVERYWHERE!) bounced back from an unsuccessful run on the third season of “American Idol” and delivered a flawless performance in the mega-hit musical “Dreamgirls.” With the soundtrack’s signature showstopper, “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” getting radio airplay (popular mainly due to Hudson’s sublime vocals), it would seem that this belting songstress might just have a couple of Grammys in her future, to give that soon-to-be-earned Oscar some good company.

The Shockers:

Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”) must be thanking his lucky stars, and Jack Nicholson (“The Departed”) must be out drinking away his blues. The two seemed like the neck-in-neck duelists for the Best Supporting Actor category, with both sweating profusely at the Golden Globes before Murphy snatched the accolade by the skin of his teeth. Nevertheless, Nicholson had the chance to bounce back from that embarrassment, until, of course, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science didn’t even give him a nod. The field has been opened instead for “Little Miss Sunshine”’s Alan Arkin, “Blood Diamond”’s Djimon Hounsou, “Little Children”’s Jackie Earle Haley and, gasp, “The Departed”’s Mark Wahlberg. That’s right, Marky Mark is to be taken seriously now! While Murphy will be basking in his ray of accomplishment, the same can not be said for the vehicle that brought him this recognition, as “Dreamgirls” failed to see its title infiltrate the Best Picture category, nor did its visionary auteur Bill Condon meet the Best Director criteria (as if Martin Scorcese or Clint Eastwood wouldn’t have clobbered him in the end anyway).

The Toss-Ups:

The teary-eyed acceptance speech from Forest Whitaker, for his role in “The Last King of Scotland,” at the Golden Globes might have been the final chance to give out his list of “thank yous,” with Best Actor sporting a slew of promising talent. Peter O’Toole (“Venus”) and Will Smith (“The Pursuit of Happyness”) might barely miss the mark, but young rivals Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond”) could give Whitaker a run for his money. The heart-throbbing suspense leading up to when the winner is revealed will be like cinematic music to our ears, which reminds us of the disorderly mess that is the Best Original Song category. Three selections courtesy of “Dreamgirls” (“Listen,” “Love You I Do” and “Patience”) and contributions from Melissa Etheridge (“I Need to Wake Up” for “An Inconvenient Truth”) and Randy Newman (“Our Town” for “Cars”) make that round-up, with Prince’s “The Song of the Heart” for the film “Happy Feet” (which triumphed at the Golden Globes) left out in the cold. The Beyoncé ballad “Listen” might be in gear to nab the prize, though anything would be better than last year’s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from 2005’s “Hustle and Flow.” Indeed, you couldn’t get much worse than that.