The Academy Awards will be taking place on Sunday, March 2 and will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres. The night will be filled with highs, lows and many beautiful dresses. Check out a preview for the Academy Awards below.
Best Picture Nominees
“American Hustle,” “Gravity” and “12 Years a Slave” are the top contenders in this category. “12 Years a Slave” has more depth from its heart wrenching and historical scenes, so it has a bet- ter chance of winning. “Gravity” fans don’t need to worry, though, because, although the film may not pull ahead in this category, it’s expected to win a handful of technical awards. And not to mention best director, Alfonso Cuarón.
Best Actor/Actress
First-time nominee for Best Actor, Matthew McConaughey plays the dramatic role of homopho- bic cowboy Ron Woodroof. McConaughey is almost always on camera and plays a character who has over-the-top emotions. Mc- Conaughey also gets props for losing an astonishing amount of weight for his role as an AIDS patient. These three factors gave McConaughey more room to portray Woodroof. Mc- Conaughey’s only rival is Chiwetel Ejiofor for his part as Solomon Northup in “12 Years a Slave.” Since Ejiofor didn’t win the Golden Globe against Mc- Conaughey, McConaughey will probably take home another gold statue.
Cate Blanchett has already won more than a dozen awards for her starring role of Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis, a broke and troubled socialite living in New York. Blanchett’s emo- tionally raw role will beat out the well-crafted but less-demanding perfor- mance by Amy Adams as a conwoman in “Ameri- can Hustle”. However, “Blue Jasmine” doesn’t have as big of a fan-base as the Best Picture nomi- nee, and popularity plays a role in winning.
Best supporting Actor/Actress
Jared Leto plays Rayon, an AIDS-positive trans- gender prostitute in “Dallas Buyers Club” with Matthew Mc- Conaughey. Leto will probably win because of the level of emotions he brought to his character, especially when Rayon meets with her disap- pointed father. If Leto and McConaughey win Best Actor and Best Sup- porting Actor, it will be the first time in a decade for the same film to win each category.
Look out, Jennifer Lawrence: actress Lupita Nyong’o is pulling ahead of the girl on fire from her breakout role of Patsey. I can understand if you’re skeptical that anyone can beat out Lawrence, but Nyong’o is predicted to win by 15 out of 16 experts with outlets such as Rot- ten Tomatoes, Fandango, LA Times and Entertain- ment Weekly. Nyong’o no doubt had a harder character to play — a sexu- ally abused slave — than Lawrence’s part as the cheesey and ditzy Rosalyn Rosenfeld.
Best Original song
Ever since “Frozen” hit the big screen on Nov. 27, it’s taken over my lunchroom conversa- tions, volleyball huddle-ups and now my Pandora. The nominated song, “Let it Go” is voiced by Broadway star Idina Menzel. I think this song is so popular because it’s re- latable for anyone dealing with stress, social issues or friend drama. Trailing behind ‘Let it Go’ is my favorite — U2’s song for “Mandela, the Long Walk to Freedom,” called ‘Original Love.’
Best Director
It’s hard to direct a movie like “Gravity” and not get an Oscar. With technical chal- lenges and a $100 million budget, Cuarón put together a masterpiece. The movie be- gan filming May 2011 and was released Oct. 2013.
Best Animated Feature Film
There’s no doubt in my mind that “Frozen” will snag another Oscar for Animated Featured Film. Its only competition is “The Wind Rises,” but since the Japa- nese movie won’t be released until Feb. 21 it’s hard to estimate the impact it will have on its viewers.
MOST LIKELY…
To be best dressed
Cate Blanchett stunned me at the Golden Globes with her black lace Armani Prince dress. Before the Golden Globes, Blanchett had gotten duller with her outfit choices at mi- nor award shows. So in a highly broadcasted event like the Oscars, I expect Blanchett to amaze fans once again.
To trip
The obvious answer is Jennifer Lawrence, let’s be honest. She tripped on her way to the stage last year and has given herself the reputation of being more like the average person than some superior celebrity. If she does indeed trip again, she’ll be able to play it off with her classic charm and wit.
To cry
First time nominee Lupita Nyong’o isn’t as used to award shows and since this is her first Oscars, Nyong’o isn’t as used to winning. The Kenyan native was on the verge of tears when she won her Golden Globe and I’d expect some more water works for the Oscars.
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