Social Media and Oscar

This is one of my favourite times of the year. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I tend to hibernate in the winter, so generally any time from November till March is spent indoors as much as possible, and if I must brave the cold,I'm usually complaining-- especially when it involves waiting for a delayed subway, or waking up to go to school when it's still dark outside.

Still, the winter season does ignite one of my greatest passions. Not dark hot chocolate, but I like that too. No-- the winter is when Oscar predictions start to roll out, and movie buffs like myself debate about who will take home the big prize.

This year, with my new interest in social media, my interest in the Academy Awards has gone to a whole new level. Along with discussing films of the past year with my friends and family, I've also been reading several blogs that predict the nominees and in some cases the winners too.

Some common topics of discussion:
-Will the Academy recognize that the Dark Knight was one of the best movies of the year, despite the fact that it fits into the anti-Oscar category of "comic book movie?"
-Heath Ledger's nomination is basically a given, but will the late Joker garner enough support for a win?
-Will the sentimental among the voters see Kate and Leo's first film together since Titanic as reason to include them in the mix?
-Is the Academy ready for a "controversial topic" in Milk when just a few years ago Brokeback Mountain lost out to Crash despite nearly everyone predicting otherwise? Will they make a political statement in light of Proposition 8?
-Will the sheer brilliance of Slumdog Millionaire be able to withstand the force of movies starring such Oscar favourites as Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, and Sean Penn?
And finally...
-Has Mickey Rourke's comeback come full circle?

These questions will in part be answered tomorrow morning, when the nominees are announced. For now, I think I'll dive in with my own predictions, which I registered in the contest on Awards Daily-- I'll admit to being a little biased, as I thought Slumdog Millionaire and Milk were amazing films. I've marked an asterisk beside the movies I've seen. Tune in later this week to find out how I did.

Picture:
Milk*
Slumdog Millionaire*
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon*
The Dark Knight*

Actor:
Frank Langella- Frost/Nixon*
Sean Penn- Milk*
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler*
Clint Eastwood- Gran Turino
Richard Jenkins- The Visitor

Actress:
Kate Winslet- Revolutionary Road
Anne Hathaway- Rachel Getting Married
Meryl Streep- Doubt
Sally Hawkins- Happy Go Lucky
Melissa Leo- Frozen River

Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight*
Josh Brolin- Milk*
Dev Patel- Slumdog Millionaire*
Phillip Seymour Hoffman- Doubt
Ralph Fiennes- The Duchess*

Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz- Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis- Doubt
Kate Winslet- The Reader
Freida Pinto- Slumdog Millionaire*
Taraji P. Henson- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Director:
David Fincher- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Gus Van Sant- Milk*
Danny Boyle- Slumdog Millionaire*
Christopher Nolan- The Dark Knight*
Darren Aronofsky- The Wrestler*