Category Preview: Where Do We Stand on Best Actor?

All season, it’s been a one-man show in Best Actor. Daniel Day-Lewis, as he often does, is mowing down the competition. There’s sometimes a danger to being a frontrunner for so long, especially in an extended campaign season. Will the voters get bored and talk themselves into someone else? Here’s where we stand at the moment.

Daniel Day-Lewis, “Lincoln”
Oscar History: It only seems like DDL takes home the Oscar every time he’s nominated. He’s won twice, yes, for “My Left Foot” in 1989 and “There Will Be Blood” in 2007, but he’s also lost twice — in 1993, for “In the Name of the Father,” and in 2002 for “Gangs of New York.”
What’s the Story if He Wins? Kind of the same as the story right now: He’s the greatest actor of his generation. It’s not like he needs the validation. He’s not breaking any records (yet). The fact that nobody is scrambling to find alternatives to Day-Lewis’s steamroll is arguably the biggest testament to how well he’s regarded.
Predicted Order of People He’ll Thank: Steven Spielberg, Sally Field, Tony Kushner, his makeup artist, his wife, Abraham Lincoln, his cast of thousands.
What Are the Odds? As good as anything going on Oscar night.

Bradley Cooper, “Silver Linings Playbook”
Oscar History: None. Cruelly snubbed for “Wedding Crashers” in 2005. That smear campaign from the William Hurt people really did a number on him.
What’s the Story if He Wins? The power of Weinstein. People got bored with Daniel Day-Lewis’s dominance. All of Cooper’s 600 projects next year will get to sell their Oscar-winning star.
Predicted Order of People He’ll Thank: David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, assorted other co-stars hopefully including Julia Stiles, the city of Philadelphia, the choreographer, JJ Abrams, Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, Lena Olin, Merrin Dungey.
What Are the Odds? Better than some, but still not great. He’s the lottery ticket worth having, at any rate.

Hugh Jackman, “Les Miserables”
Oscar History: First nomination, strangely enough. He’s ensconced enough in Oscar’s good graces after hosting the 2008 awards and has seemed an “Oscar type” for a while.
What’s the Story if He Wins? The “Les Mis” supporters were a silent majority the likes that Nixon never dreamed of. The rumble of the movie has died down in recent weeks as it’s faded from threat to win to comfortable also-ran. If there are still pockets of support to be rallied, and if those pockets are not satisfied merely with Supporting Actress, Jackman could see a surge of votes.
Predicted Order of People He’ll Thank: The Academy, Tom Hooper, Colm Wilkinson, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Victor Hugo, his lovely and patient wife, his fellow nominees for not singing through their own roles.
What Are the Odds? Not this time, I don’t think, but I can see him in line for more nominations and maybe a win down the line.

Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”
Oscar History: Two previous nominations, for “Gladiator” and “Walk the Line,” both of which were terrible burdens to him, apparently.
What’s the Story if He Wins? The triumph of the anti-campaign! Don’t think it’ll be the first time that particular narrative gets told, either. And I somehow doubt Joaquin has the stones to pull a Brando or even a George C. Scott-like stunt if he does.
Predicted Order of People He’ll Thank: Paul Thomas Anderson, artists around the world who don’t pander, Casey Affleck.
What Are the Odds? Doesn’t look like it. For one thing, Daniel Day-Lewis is hogging all the “physical transformation”/”complete immersion into the role” attention. If Joaquin were to ever lower himself to campaign, that would have been the stuff to campaign on.

Denzel Washington, “Flight”
Oscar History: “Flight” marks Denzel’s sixth acting nomination. He’s got two wins. And while “Flight” marks a return to form for the actor, he’s probably going to need a “Lincoln”-like tour de force to win his third.
What’s the Story if He Wins? Hollywood Reeeeeally Loves Denzel. A-List box-office powerhouses are hard to come by, and we need to reward them accordingly. Secondary narrative: It really sometimes can be a one-man show. “Flight” is nothing without Denzel, and he deserves credit for that.
Predicted Order of People He’ll Thank: The Academy, God, Robert Zemeckis, Paramount, his fellow nominees, his wife, Tony Scott.
What Are the Odds? At the outset of this Oscar season, it seemed like it was Denzel vs. Daniel in a race for a third trophy, but “Flight” simply proved to be well less popular than “Lincoln.” Still, six nominations puts him in quite rarefied company. Now the hunt is on for the role that could unlock win #3.

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Tags: Academy awards, Best actor, Bradley cooper, Daniel day-lewis, Denzel washington, Flight, Hugh jackman, Joaquin phoenix, Les Miserables, Lincoln, Nominees, Oscars, Silver Linings Playbook, The master

It’s the Best Best Supporting Actor Category in the History of Oscars

One of the reasons we get so caught up in the Oscars is because of the tradition and history of it all. The actors we award in 2013 get the same award that was bestowed in 1928. And as with any institution that prizes its history, the record books are full of all sorts of little milestones. Emmanuelle Riva is the oldest Best Actress nominee! Quvenzhane Wallis the youngest! In that respect, Oscar nerds are no different from, say, baseballs nerds. We both like records and milestones and firsts and all-time bests.

One bit of history was made with Thursday morning’s Oscar nominations, when the Best Supporting Actor category was composed entirely of former winners. That’s the first time that’s ever happened in an acting category. In fact, looking back through the record books, there are only eight (now nine) acting categories that even became an all-winners lineup after the fact. Are these the best acting lineups in Oscar’s history? Judge for yourself.

2012 Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin – “Argo”
Robert DeNiro – “Silver Linings Playbook”
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones – “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz – “Django Unchained”

Five previous winners, meaning one of these guys is about to become a two-time Oscar champion (or, in the event of a DeNiro win, three-time). Hoffman’s previous win was in Best Actor (“Capote”), while Arkin, Jones, and Waltz have Supporting Actor trophies on shelves in their respective bathrooms.

2006 Best Actress

Helen Mirren – “The Queen”
Penelope Cruz – “Volver”
Judi Dench – “Notes on a Scandal”
Meryl Streep – “The Devil Wears Prada”
Kate Winslet – “Little Children”

When nominations were announced, only Streep (“Kramer vs. Kramer”; “Sophie’s Choice”) and Dench (“Shakespeare in Love”) were Oscar-winners. Mirren would go on to win here, and in 2008, both Cruz (for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”) and Winslet (for “The Reader”) joined the winners’ club.

2002 Best Actor

Adrien Brody – “The Pianist”
Nicolas Cage – “Adaptation
Michael Caine – “The Quiet American”
Daniel Day-Lewis – “Gangs of New York”
Jack Nicholson – “About Schmidt”

On Oscar night, Brody faced down FOUR previous Oscar winners and ended up pulling one of the most memorable upsets in Academy history. All told, the five men in the category have won EIGHT Oscars, and are likely on their way to nine, with Daniel Day-Lewis’s likely win for “Lincoln” this year.

2001 Best Actress

Halle Berry – “Monster’s Ball”
Judi Dench – “Iris”
Nicole Kidman – “Moulin Rouge!”
Sissy Spacek – “In the Bedroom”
Renee Zellweger – “Bridget Jones’s Diary”

Judi Dench and Sissy Spacek were the only Oscar-winners in the category back in 2001, with Berry soon to join them via a hyperventilating freakout of an acceptance speech. The very next year, Kidman would win for “The Hours,” and the year after that, Zellweger would complete the circuit by winning Best Supporting Actress for “Cold Mountain.”

2001 Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Connelly – “A Beautiful Mind”
Helen Mirren – “Gosford Park”
Maggie Smith – “Gosford Park”
Marisa Tomei – “In the Bedroom”
Kate Winslet – “Iris”

On nomination day, only two-time winner Maggie Smith (“The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”; “California Suite”) and Marisa Tomei (“My Cousin Vinny”) were previous winners. Connelly triumphed on Oscar night, and by the end of the decade, Mirren and Winslet’s wins would make this an all-winners lineup, as well as a Best Supporting Actress category populated by three Best Actress winners.

1990 Best Actress

Kathy Bates – “Misery”
Anjelica Huston – “The Grifters”
Julia Roberts – “Pretty Woman”
Meryl Streep – “Postcards from the Edge”
Joanne Woodward – “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge”

Streep, Huston, and Woodward all had Oscars on their bookshelves when these nominations were announced (maybe that’s why Streep and Woodward didn’t bother to attend that year). Bates became the fourth winner in the group by winning for “Misery,” and ten years later (to the day!), Julia Roberts would win for “Erin Brockovich.”

1985 Best Actress

Geraldine Page – “The Trip to Bountiful”
Anne Bancroft – “Agnes of God”
Whoopi Goldberg – “The Color Purple”
Jessica Lange – “Sweet Dreams”
Meryl Streep – “Out of Africa”

Meryl Streep had already won twice, Anne Bancroft had won for “The Miracle Worker” in 1962, and Jessica Lange had won her first of two Oscars in 1982 for “Tootsie.” After eight previous nominations, Geraldine Page finally won for “The Trip to Bountiful.” And in 1990, Whoopi Goldberg made this category 5/5 with her Supporting Actress win for “Ghost.”

1968 Best Actress

Barbra Streisand – “Funny Girl”
Katharine Hepburn – “The Lion in Winter”
Patricia Neal – “The Subject Was Roses”
Vanessa Redgrave – “Isadora”
Joanne Woodward – “Rachel, Rachel”

This category is history-making for more than one reason, as Streisand and Hepburn tied for the Best Actress win. It was Hepburn’s second in a row, after winning for “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” the year before, and her third of a record-setting four Oscar wins. Both Woodward (“The Three Faces of Eve”) and Neal (“Hud”) were already Oscar-winners by this point, and in 1977, Vanessa Redgrave would give her infamous “Zionist hoodlums” speech, after winning Best Supporting Actress for “Julia.”

1939 Best Actor

Robert Donat – “Goodbye, Mr. Chips”
Clark Gable – “Gone With the Wind”
Laurence Olivier – “Wuthering Heights”
Mickey Rooney – “Babes in Arms”
James Stewart – “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”

This year comes with a bit of an asterisk, as Mickey Rooney was a recipient of the Academy Juvenile Award in 1938. Still, it’s an acting award, so let’s be generous to the Mickster and say it counts.

BONUS: 2008 Best Actress

Kate Winslet – “The Reader”
Anne Hathaway – “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie – “Changeling”
Melissa Leo – “Frozen River
Meryl Streep – “Doubt”

This category doesn’t count … yet. But Winslet, Streep, Jolie, and Leo are all winners, and with Anne Hathaway a GIANT lock to win Best Supporting Actress this year, it’s only a matter of time.

Categories: Awards

Tags: Alan Arkin, Christoph Waltz, philip seymour hoffman, robert deniro, tommy lee jones