This year, the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California will be hosting the 85th annual Academy Awards. Also known more famously as The Oscars, the awards are a night of celebration for the best movies, actors and actresses, and everything in between. This year the awards will be hosted by newcomer, Seth MacFarlane. This year the awards will also include a 50th anniversary tribute to the James Bond movies.
The Oscar nominations voting began on December 17th and lasted until January 4th with the results being announced on January 10th. The nominations for Best Picture include: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty. For Best Actor: Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook, Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln, Hugh Jackman – Les Misérables, Joaquin Phoenix – The Master, and Denzel Washington – Flight. For Best Actress: Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty, Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook, Emmanuelle Riva – Amour, Quvenzhané Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild and Naomi Watts – The Impossible.
It will be a fight to the finish for these movies as many were up for Golden Globe nominations this previous month. Several Nazareth Academy Seniors said that they hope for Les Mis to win Best Picture along with Hugh Jackman for best actor. Other popular titles among students were Silver Linings Playbook and Life of Pi along with Hugh Jackman or Bradly Cooper for best actor and Jennifer Lawerence for best actress.
On the flipside of the Oscars exists the “Razzie Awards,” a more comical awards show recognizing the worst movies, actors, actresses, etc. This spinoff of the Academy Awards is aired the night before the Oscars as a way to acknowledge all of those movies most viewers found awful. The winners are awarded with a golden golf-ball sized raspberry. The name of the awards comes from the term, “blowing a raspberry”. What started as an impromptu ceremony turned into a real event as over three dozen people showed up to the first Golden Raspberry Awards in 1981. Since then, it has been an annual event.
This year, the title for WORST PICTURE could go to: “Battleship”, “The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure”, “That’s My Boy”, “A Thousand Words” or “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2”.
WORST ACTRESS includes: Katherine Heigl, “One for the Money”, Milla Jovovich, “Resident Evil: Retribution”, Tyler Perry, “Madea’s Witness Protection”, Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2” / “Snow White and the Huntsman”, and Barbra Streisand, “The Guilt Trip”.
WORST ACTOR includes: Nicolas Cage, “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” / “Seeking Justice”, Eddie Murphy, “A Thousand Words” Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2”, Tyler Perry, “Alex Cross” / “Good Deeds” and Adam Sandler, “That’s My Boy”.
It has been noted that most nominees do not show nor accept their award the night of the Razzies. Although Breaking Dawn part 2 is up for worst picture, most students say it was their favorite Twilight movie yet and the most anticipated movie of last year. Snow White and the Huntsman was a letdown as most students expected the plot and acting to be “much better than what it was.” If you want to know which awards go to which movie or actor/actress, be sure to tune in to the Oscars on February 24th, and the Razzies on the 23rd.