Year in Advance Oscar Predictions: Best Actor 2015

This past Sunday, the Academy honored the best of 2014 (well, what they deemed the best anyway) and the performances of Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, and Patricia Arquette (all from Best Picture nominated films) were ultimately crowned the victors (all were first-time winners as well). While there were highs (Julianne Moore is an Oscar winner at last! Man, that performance of "Glory" from Selma sure stirred some emotions...And who knew I needed Lady Gaga signing a medley of songs from The Sound of Music in a faux British accent in my life?) there were also many lows (Hosting is a thankless job and sadly Neil Patrick Harris was not up to the task this year. Who invited Sean Penn to present Best Picture - was no one else available? And oh, creepy uncle John Trovalta, as screenwriter Graham Moore said in his acceptance speech, "Stay weird.") Now that we've closed the books on another year, it's time to...predict the acting nominees for next year! (duh)

It's an annual tradition I have here of selecting who I think - site unseen, months in advance - could potentially be nominated for the upcoming Oscars. It's all for fun (and who doesn't like to have some bragging rights?), so take it in, bookmark for when nominations are announced in January 2016, and see how well I did! The predictions begin with Best Actor and make sure to come back all this week for the other acting categories!

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Best Actor

Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs

Tom Hanks St. James Place

Tom Hiddleston I Saw the Light

Robert Redford Truth

Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl

Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs

The Role: Thanks to the Sony email hacks from December, the drama of casting the titular lead role in this Danny Boyle helmed film about the founder and CEO of Apple Inc. turned into headline news. After Leonardo DiCaprio eventually passed on it, Christian Bale was approached but declined. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, showing how out of touch he is with modern cinema, was eager to cast Tom Cruise (really?) and initially scoffed at the man who finally landed the part saying, "I don't know who Michael Fassbender is and the rest of the world isn't going to care."

Why He'll Be Nominated: Sorry, Mr. Sorkin, but I have a very good feeling that the Academy will definitely care about one of the best actors working today taking on such a well-known figure. After he failed to score an Oscar nomination for his performance in Shame (2011), the Academy finally honored Fassbender with a supporting nomination in Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave (2013) and starring in such a high profile, prestige film like Steve Jobs is certainly more than enough to garner Oscar's attention again. It certainly helps that Fassbender is set to potentially have a banner year with no less than 5 other films set to open this year including one of Shakespeare's most famous characters, Macbeth, a part in one of legendary director Terrence Malick's films (well, if his part isn't completely cut), and a starring role in The Light Between Oceans, the next film from one of my favorite new director's Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines). But his best bet out of all of them for a nomination is certainly as Jobs. He's gotta fare better than Ashton Kutcher's take on the man at least...    

Tom Hanks St. James Place

The Role: Two-time Best Actor winner (and five-time nominee) Hanks takes on the role of real-life lawyer James Donovan, who in 1960 negotiated with the Soviet Union to release an American pilot that was shot down in their airspace. The U-2 Incident (named after the plane that was captured) was at the height of the Cold War between the two countries.

Why He'll Be Nominated: American treasure Hanks used to be a reliable Oscar favorite all through the '90s, but he hasn't received an acting nomination since 2000's Castaway. Despite what some saw as some of his strongest work to date in 2013's Captain Phillips (that scene where he breaks down after being rescued is probably his finest moment) and a guaranteed lock for his sixth nomination, Hanks found himself the odd man out in favor of Christian Bale in American Hustle. I think that snub will do well in securing him a nomination this year as a way of amending the oversight. Playing a character based on an actual person and teaming up for the fourth time with Academy favorite Steven Spielberg, (whose last film brought a Best Actor win for Daniel Day-Lewis) certainly seems like a good way of grabbing the Academy's attention. Plus, he'll also appear this year in the film version of Dave Eggers' A Hologram for the King, which is sure to be another great showcase for the actor. But I'm giving the edge to his work with Spielberg to garner him that sixth Best Actor nomination that eluded him two years ago.

Tom Hiddleston I Saw the Light

The Role: In this musical biopic, Tom Hiddleston plays one of the legends of country music, Hank Williams. Unable to read or notate music, Williams wrote such hit songs as "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and had 11 number one hits on the Billboard country charts. An alcoholic and addicted to prescription drugs, he died at the age of 29.

Why He'll Be Nominated: British born and classically trained British thespian Hiddleston doesn't immediately spring to mind as the first person to play a famous country singer (and at 34, he's already 5 years older than Williams was when he died), but the Academy loves when an actor is able to challenge themselves. Hiddleston, who will sing and play the guitar himself in the film, trained everyday for a month and even showed off his skills to audiences at a country music festival back in September. Hiddleston is part of the group of new British actors (made up of Cumberbatch and Fassbender) that have made a name for themselves as actors to watch over the past couple of years. His work as villain Loki in the Marvel films has proven he can bring considerable charm, skill, and gravitas to almost any project (and he'll do it again this fall in the genre, horror film from Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak). And while both of his fellow Brits have already been honored by the Academy with nominations, it seems that if Hiddleston is able to pull off his transformation as Williams, it'll be the right time to honor him as well.    

Robert Redford Truth

The Role: Hollywood legend Robert Redford tackles the role of news anchor Dan Rather in his final days at CBS news. Based on the book Truth and Duty by Rather's producer Mary Mapes (to be played in the film by Cate Blanchett), Rather found himself under fire during the reelection for George W. Bush when he reported that the President received special treatment to avoid serving in Vietnam.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, All the President's Men, there's no doubt that Robert Redford has secured his cinematic legacy. And not content to just act, then he did it again as a director (winning Best Director for Ordinary People). But, surprisingly, Redford has only received one acting nomination from the Academy in his entire career (for 1973's The Sting). He came very close with his one man, almost wordless performance in 2013's All Is Lost, but like Hanks that same year, found himself without a nomination (it was a rough year for acting veterans). But like Hanks, that shut out should help him score points with his work this year. The Academy loves mimicry of well-known figures and this period in Rather's life is a juicy bit of storytelling. Paired with recent Best Actress winner Blanchett, it seems like something the Academy would be interested in rewarding. Political films can be hit or miss, but if the film is more Good Night and Good Luck or The Insider and less like Redford's own snoozer Lions for Lambs, it could surely score a second career acting nomination for the star.  

Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl

The Role: The recent Best Actor winner (very recent, as in just two days ago) could find himself with back-to-back nominations (and perhaps even back-to-back wins) playing artist Einar Wegener, a transgender woman that became one of the first on record to have gender reassignment surgery.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Oscar tends to get crushes on certain actors for certain periods of time, nominating them for anything that appears worthy. And newly anointed victor Redmayne looks to be securing an afterglow nomination with his work for this film which pairs him up again with his Les Miz director Tom Hopper. His win on Sunday as Stephen Hawking shows that the Academy was impressed with his physical transformation as the physicist, but as Einar/Lili the actor will be challenged to transform himself again, physically and emotionally. The project was a passion of Nicole Kidman for over a decade, but she could never get it off the ground. Perhaps now is the right time, with shows like Transparent and actress Laverne Cox making discussions of trans people and their struggles for acceptance an important issue, to shine the light on this groundbreaking pioneer that made it possible for future individuals to live as they were intended. 

Other Possibilities: Don Cheadle Miles Ahead, Bryan Cranston Trumbo, Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant, Jake Gyllenhaal Demolition, Michael Shannon Midnight Special 

Oscar Nominations 2013!

By now I'm sure you've all seen the actual nominations announced this morning (I would love to post right after they're announced, but, you know, day job...). But I couldn't let them pass without a little commentary about them (except that Best Documentry: Short Subject category. I have no opinion on that. I can't even pronounce most of the titles). But now I've had time to digest and think them all over, so here we go...

"Sorry, Renner, your hair is just not crazy enough to score an acting nomination..."

Best Picture

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Dallas Buyers Club

Gravity

Her

Nebraska

Philomena

12 Years a Slave

The Wolf of Wall Street

So, can we just assume that there will always be 9 nominees in this category from now on? This anywhere from 5-10 nominees is too much. How am I supposed to remember all of these anyway. Without googling, can anyone name all of last year's 9 Best Picture nominees? Anyway, I was only right with 7 out of my 9 predictions with Lee Daniels' The Butler and Saving Mr. Banks (which the Academy really did not go for in a big way, as both films, combined, only scored 1 nomination) instead of eventual nominees Captain Phillips (which somehow still scored despite no love for it's director or star) and Philomena (man, people love Judi Dench. I liked the film, but I would hardly go so far as to name it best picture). I added Dallas Buyers Club at the last minute to my predictions because people have some unexpected love for that film (if anyone can explain why, I'd be grateful). Obviously I want Her to win here, but it has no chance. So now all I can hope is that 12 Years a Slave takes it over American Hustles' meandering, celebrity dress-up. 

Best Director

David O. Russell American Hustle

Alfonso Cuarón Gravity

Alexander Payne Nebraska

Steve McQueen 12 Years a Slave

Martin Scorsese The Wolf of Wall Street

Guys, I'm bummed that Spike Jonze didn't make the cut here. I guess I should just be thankful that it was nominated for Picture. But, seriously, I hated every minute of Alexander Payne's condescending Nebraska. I grew up in the state and I know Payne is from there–saying this film is his love letter to Nebraska–but if that's the case he must be one of those boyfriend's that likes to belittle you and make fun of everything about you. All I saw was contempt for small-town America and a patronizing tone. I'd like a McQueen, but I'm fine with a Cuarón.

"Cheers to my fellow nominees: Redford, Hanks, Joaquin Phoenix, Oscar Isaac. Wait..."

Best Actor

Christian Bale American Hustle

Bruce Dern Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club

Whoa. I mean, Christian Bale, huh? I know there where rumblings after his BAFTA nomination, but I never thought it would erupt into a nom here especially over near-lock Tom Hanks. And now American Hustle matches Silver Linings Playbook with a nominee in all 4 of the acting categories. Remember when it looked like Hanks might be a double nominee this year (like everyone else, I too think the scene in Phillips after his rescue, when he breaks down, is one of the best things Hanks has ever done, but then I think about how awful he is in that first scene in the car with all that exposition, and that accent, so I'm not torn up about this)? Or back in the Fall when people were predicting a Robert Redford win? Well, that's how it goes. Obviously I had Hanks over Bale in this category, but I could sense that Leo was getting in. And after that Golden Globe win, it was a done deal. This is actually one of the few races that can't be called. I can see any of the four (not Bale–he's won before and the nomination was the reward) taking this on Oscar night. 

"You mean to tell me people weren't predicting a nomination for me? Well, the odds are against ya, babe."

Best Actress

Amy Adams American Hustle

Cate Blanchett Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock Gravity

Judi Dench Philomena

Meryl Streep August: Osage County

I think we've all learned a very important lesson today: Never EVER bet against Meryl fucking Streep at the Oscars. The greatest Actress That Ever Lived now has a record 18 acting nominations. But, it's not even that impressive because she broke her own record. Runners-up Kate Hepburn and Jack Nicholson only have 12 each. One is dead and the other is retired, so I think it's safe to say that Meryl will be holding that record for a very long time. My final prediction was Amy Adams in (now her 5th nom and first in this category) and Meryl out. She sure showed me. But it was at the expense of Emma Thompson, who with a win in both acting and writing, doesn't need another nomination, but damn if she wasn't great in Saving Mr. Banks. I'm sure she's off throwing shoes aside and tossing back martinis anyway. It'll be Oscar night's lose. Anyway, this category of all previous nominees are just placeholder's for Cate Blanchett's inevitable victory. God, she's good.

I actually don't have a quip. I'd just like to point out that Jared Leto is 42. 22-year-olds don't have skin that nice.

Best Supporting Actor

   Barkhad Abdi Captain Phillips

Bradley Cooper American Hustle

Michael Fassbender 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto Dallas Buyers Club

We now live in a world where Jonah Hill is a two-time Academy Award Nominee. Just let that sink in. He has more nominations than Robert Redford, Edward G. Robinson, Donald Sutherland, Peter Lorre, and John Barrymore combined. He was the one nomination I didn't predict here, opting for James Gandolfini instead. But, I'm not entirely surprised by Hill's nom as it's a pretty showy role. And I'm just glad Daniel Bruhl missed out for Rush for the purely selfish reason that now I don't have to see that movie (all Picture and Acting nominees seen!). I want Fassy to win (just glad he finally got a nomination), but know Leto will win. Ugh, this is always my least favorite category.

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence American Hustle

Lupita Nyong'o 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts August: Osage County

June Squibb Nebraska

Sally Hawkins!!! You get a nomination (can you believe it)! JLaw and Julia–you get nominations! Oprah! Um, sorry, we're all out...I might be in the minority, but if we can't have a Scarlett Johansson nom (it never was really gonna happen anyway) I'd rather have an Oprah over a June Squibb. Look, she's old and foul-mouthed! Isn't that hilarious?!? Jennifer lawrence is now the youngest actor to score three nominations–but she better not win back-to-back Oscars. This award is for Lupita (or as my phone's autocorrect likes to say: Lipitor). 

The Tony Award Nominations Are In!

The 2012-2013 Broadway season is officially over and what better why to celebrate some good ol' fashioned theatre (pronounced thee-AYE-ter...but, honestly, don't really pronounce it that way.) than with an awards show! Broadway may not be as accessible as film or television, but it's the heart of NYC and nothing quite compares to seeing live theatre! (For those of you that live in NYC or plan on visiting, there's a lot of affordable options to see shows. I LOVE theatre, but I sure ain't paying $130 for a show. If you are 35 and under, Roundabout has a program called Hiptix. It's free to join and the tickets are $22 to all their shows. LincTix is the Lincoln Center version for 35 and under. It's free to join and their tickets are $30. Manhattan Theatre Club has a 30 Under 30 program. And Playbill always lists the Rush ticket policy for the Broadway shows. Don't say I never did anything  for you! Go out and see something!)

The nominations were announced this morning by two-time Tony award winner, Sutton Foster (love her!) and Modern Family's Jesse Tyler Ferguson (yep, he was...also there). So without further ado, let's look at the nominees!

Best Play

The Assembled Parties

Lucky Guy

The Testament of Mary

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

The only one of these I haven't seen yet is Lucky Guy. I'll have to try to get a standing room ticket on a Tuesday or something. I am very surprised with the inclusion of Mary here–especially since it's star, Fiona Shaw, isn't nominated for Actress! It's a one-woman show! If you didn't like her in it...what are you nominating?!? Despite enjoying Shaw's previous work with director Deborah Warner (Madea and Happy Days), I can't say I was a fan of this one. Shaw seems lost at what to do and her unnecessary busy work of moving ladders and taking baths combined with her vocal acrobatics distract from the story. The purpose of the work is to give Mary back her humanity after centuries of being glorified. It would have been better accomplished by something more simple and intimate, which doesn't exactly work on Broadway. This afternoon it was announced that it's closing on Sunday. So...congratulations on the nomination?

I would have much preferred to see Douglas Carter Beane's The Nance in Mary's place. The play, about a burlesque performer in the 30s that plays the stock gay character known as a nance and just happens to be gay in real life, is about censorship, being true to yourself and is both ridiculously funny and achingly bittersweet. 

But, the play to beat this year is (for once) a comedy: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. I just saw it last week and really enjoyed it. It's a modern-day, comedic take on Chekov, but you don't really need to know much about that playwright to enjoy it–it only gives the humor more depth. (You can think while you're laughing!) The playwright, Christopher Durang, known for his absurdist comedies, has never won a Tony. I have a feeling this play just might do the trick...

Best Musical

Bring It On: The Musical

A Christmas Story, The Musical

Kinky Boots

Matilda The Musical

I would just like to point out that all these are based on movies (well, technically Matilda is a book. But, there's still a movie!). I get that there's a built in audience from a film (did anyone actually see the movie of Kinky Boots?), but I just wish that new musicals would take more of a chance and show a little more creativity. However, I have not seen any of these, so who am I to judge? I do really wanna see both Matilda and Kinky Boots–and it looks like it's between them for the win. Matilda had more buzz going in, but Kinky Boots received more nominations today. Do we have an actual race here?

Best Revival of a Play

Golden Boy

Orphans

The Trip to Bountiful

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

I almost fell asleep typing out those nominees. Granted, I heard good things about Golden Boy and Woolf. But, how did Orphans get here? No one seemed to like it and I know people who literally feel asleep at it. This one is Woolf all the way. Only...I never saw it. Don't tell, but...I don't really like that play.

Best Revival of a Musical

Annie

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Pippin

Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

I love that 5 shows were eligible and 4 were nominated. True, Jekyll and Hyde didn't stand a chance (countdown to closing announcement begins...now), but it just seems so cruel. I saw Drood  and liked it a lot. But, Pippin is winning this. I tried to get rush tickets, but didn't get there early enough. But I reeeeallly wanna see it. I've got magic to do!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play

Tom Hanks Lucky Guy

Nathan Lane The Nance

Tracy Letts Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

David Hyde Pierce Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Tom Sturridge Orphans

I think the biggest shocker here is that Alan Cumming didn't receive a nomination for his tour-de-force performance of playing all of the characters in Macbeth. His spot was taken by Tom Sturridge, who is gonna have to be happy just to be nominated because this one is going to Tom Hanks in his Broadway debut. Since I don't see Lucky Guy winning Best New Play, it would be a way of honoring the late Nora Ephron as well. Lane, Hyde Pierce, and Letts are all great (and all previous Tony winners), but I really don't see any of them beating America's favorite actor of the 90s.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play

Laurie Metcalf The Other Place

Amy Morton Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Kristine Nielsen Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Holland Taylor Ann

Cicely Tyson The Trip to Bountiful

Jessica Chastain, Scarlett Johansson, Sigourney Weaver, Bette Midler, Jessica Hecht, Fiona Shaw–just a list of actresses who didn't receive a nomination in a (surprisingly) really crowded year. I think an even bigger surprise is that Kristine Nielsen was able to get a nod here when it was originally considered featured. I thought there was no way she could break in, but I'm glad to see her here as I thought she was best in show from V&S&M&S. She does a Maggie Smith impression! I think she has a shot to win, but she has stiff competition in Metcalf and Tyson. But, I'm still bummed that the Divine Ms. M didn't get a nom. Bette!

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical

Bertie Carvel Matilda the Musical

Santino Fontana Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

 Rob McClure Chaplin

Billy Porter Kinky Boots

Stark Sands Kinky Boots

It could only happen on Broadway– the battle of the drag performers: Carvel Vs. Billy Porter. I'm gonna give the slight edge to Porter since Carvel's performance is technically featured.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical

Stephanie J. Block The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Carolee Carmello Scandalous

Valisia LeKae Motown The Musical

Patina Miller Pippin

Laura Osnes Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Everyone was shocked when the 4 actresses playing Matilda were deemed ineligible for this nomination. And now little Annie herself, Lila Crawford, is snubbed as well. The Tonys hate childern. It's as simple as that. It'll just make it easier for Patina Miller to walk away with that Tony...

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play

Danny Burstein Golden Boy

Richard Kind The Big Knife

Billy Magnussen Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Tony Shalhoub Golden Boy

Courtney B. Vance Lucky Guy

I'm kinda confused by the inclusion of Magnussen. He was just so annoying in that show. But, that is his character, so I guess he did a good job. But, let's be honest, he's hot and in his underwear for most of the show. The nomination is for his abs. I just wish that Jonny Orsini who plays Nathan Lane's lover in The Nance had been included here instead. As for the winner? Shalhoub. I really have no idea.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play

Carrie Coon Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Shalita Grant Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Judith Ivey The Heiress

Judith Light The Assembled Parties

Condola Rashad The Trip to Bountiful

After I saw The Assembled Parties, I turned to my friend and said, "Judith Light is winning her 2nd Tony." And in the second act when she came out on stage, the guy next to me said aloud, "I. Loooove. Her." Angela from Who's the Boss?– 3 back-to-back Tony nominations and a possible back-to-back win. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming. 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical

Charl Brown Motown The Musical

Keith Carradine Hands on a Hardbody

Will Chase The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Gabriel Ebert Matilda The Musical

Terrence Mann Pippin

The only one I've seen is Will Chase...so, yeah. I've got nothing for this. 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical

Annaleigh Ashford Kinky Boots

Victoria Clark Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella

Andrea Martin Pippin

Keala Settle Hands on a Hardbody

Laurence Ward Matilda The Musical

All I've been hearing about is how great Andrea Martin is in this. I think she's hilarious, so I'm game. I'm surprised that Chita and Jessie Mueller didn't make it from Drood. How do you not include Chita?! She's 80 years old and still got it!

More Nominations after the jump

A Year In Advance Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Actor

I'm back!!!! Hello, is anyone out there? I know, I had given up hope that I would get to blogging again as well. But, here I am! I'm gonna try to blog at least once a week, so please stay with me. Also, that post about Edward Scissorhands couldn't be the last thing I did on here...

By now, everyone is aware of how the Oscars went down this past Sunday. So here's a brief recap: Seth McFarlane brought in younger viewers...but at what cost, I ask you? Everyone hates Annie Hathaway still–as a person, not an actress–and she was upstaged by her dress's weird nipple darts. Christoph Waltz won his 2nd Best Supporting Actor Oscar for a lead role and kinda doing the same thing he did in Inglorious Bastards. J.Law fell on the way to get her Oscar and the world (and by world, I mean the internets)  has decided that they have a new best friend who can do no wrong. DDL won his 3rd Best Actor Oscar and was funny, y'all! Meanwhile, Meryl Streep presented it to him all the while wondering why it took 30 years for her to get her third and only 5 measly years for D-Day. Sexist. Argo is now the Driving Miss Daisy of our time, being the first film since that gem to win Best Picture without a Best Director Nomination. But, Affleck still won, so...bygones. Whew. But, I never wrote anything about this past Oscar season, so let's pretend like it never happened. Agreed? Good.

But I'm not here to talk about the films of 2012, that's so last year. That's right, it's time to look ahead to next year's Oscars with my annual Year in Advance Oscar Predictions for acting! You can read all about how well I did this past year here and here. Let's just say Daniel Day-Lewis and Annie were both there. Just don't pay attention to that Best Actress category...yikes. Let's get started! I'll do Lead Actor in this post and come back this week for Actress and the Supporting categories.

Best Actor

Bruce Dern Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor Twelve Years a Slave

Tom Hanks Captain Phillips

Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club

Bruce Dern Nebraska 

The Role: Oscar favorite director, Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants) returns to his home state (I bet you can't guess what it is) in this father-son road trip film. Bruce Dern plays the distant, booze-soaked patriarch that journeys with his son (played by–wait for it–SNL's Will Forte! Did not see that one coming) from Montana to Nebraska to pick up the winnings of Publisher's Clearing House. Those giant checks are a bitch to mail. Along the way, they stop in the small town in Nebraska that Dern's character grew up in. And I don't want to spoil anything, but I'm guessing lessons are learned.

Why Him: Payne's past films have been showcases for Best Actor, picking up nominations for George Clooney, Jack Nicholson (About Schmidt), and Paul Giammati. The former Oscar nominee (Best Supporting Actor Coming Home) and father of Oscar nominee, Laura Dern, is one of those respected actors that have made a career in charactery, supporting parts. A nomination here in lead would be, in a way, an acknowledgement of his entire career which began in the early 60's. 

Are we sure this isn't a still from Revolutionary Road?

Leonardo DiCaprio The Wolf of Wall Street 

The Role: DiCaprio and Marty Scorsese team up for the fifth time in this true-life story based on the memoir of Jordan Belfort, a New York stockbroker in the 90's who served jail time because he refused to cooperate in a huge securities fraud case involving corruption and involvement with the mob (well, it wouldn't by Scorsese without the mob).

Why Him: The three-time Oscar nominee has yet to win and has missed out on his past two bids with J. Edgar and Django Unchained. Leo is one of those actors that does weighty, Oscary roles that don't always payoff (see those 2 mentioned films. Then again, you can skip J.Edgar), but I always predict him to be nominated because a) he really wants it and b) he's actually good. One of these days he's actually gonna win. And this may be a good year for him if May's The Great Gatsby also turns out well. Then again, there's rumors that he'll go full frontal in the film and that there's lots of graphic sex scenes. Oscar tends to be weary of male's being sexualized (poor Michael Fassbender and Matthew McConaughey), so we'll just have to see how the reception is when the film comes out.

Chiwetel Ejiofor Twelve Years a Slave

The Role: The real-life story of Solomon Northup, a freed slave in New York in the early 1800's who was kidnapped and sold into slavery for, well, 12 years in Louisiana. His story was written as a memoir that became a best-seller at the time. Steve McQueen (Hunger, Shame) directs the film with a cast that includes Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and everyone's favorite puppy-purse-carrying, youngest Best Actress nominee, Quvenzhane Wallis.

Why Him: And you thought Quvenzhane was hard to pronounce...it's Chew-It-Tell Edge-Oh-For. And the British star of stage and screen already has 3 Golden Globe nominations, won an Independent Spirit Award, and is an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for drama...so, yeah, he's got some acting chops. He may not be a name that people know, but I'm guessing that with this role, which seems tailor-made for Oscar, it could be his first shot at wider recognition and his first chance at a nomination.

Ready to board the HMS Oscar

Tom Hanks Captain Phillips

The Role: Oscar nominated director (and director of the last two Matt Damon-starring Bourne films), Paul Greengrass works with Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips, the real-life story (I'm beginning to sense a theme. Oscar loves a true story) of the 2009 hijacking of an American cargo ship by Somali pirates. He offered himself as a hostage and was rescued by the Navy Seals.  

Why Him: The Academy used to love Tom Hanks. Hell, America loved Tom Hanks. And it's not that we don't love the two-time Best Actor Oscar winner any less. It's just that he hasn't really done much lately that reminds us why we love him. His last Oscar nomination was way back in 2000 for Castaway. But, Hanks playing a real-life hero, shot in the gritty style of Greengrass seems like exactly the type of thing that will welcome him back to the Oscars. Hanks is also playing Walt Disney this year in Saving Mr. Banks. Playing the most Oscar nominated person in history could do the trick as well, but I'm giving the edge to this film.

Guys, THIS is McConaughey. Who knew?

Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club

The Role: Loosely based on the (you guessed it) true story of Ron Woodroof, a womanizing, boozer, who contracts AIDS in the 1980's. He starts taking an alternative treatment not yet approved by the FDA and with the help of his doctor (played by Jennifer Garner) starts selling the treatments to other patients to give them a chance at a longer life.

Why Him: Alright, alright, alright...2012 marked everyone's favorite shirtless bongo player as more than just the male lead in every bad rom-com, but as the gifted, diverse actor we all thought he would be after A Time to Kill. With Killer Joe and his shoulda been nominated performance in Magic Mike, we began to see that he was capable of more. He just had to realize it for himself. And 2013, should be the year that he's rewarded with his first nomination. McConaughey lost over 30 pounds to play the dying man and if there's something Oscar loves more than a true-life story, it's a physical transformation that shows a dedication to the craft. Good notices in the Sundance film Mud and a supporting role in Wolf of Wall Street should only help in making 2013 the year of McConaughey: Serious Actor. 

Other Contenders: Christian Bale Out of the Furnace, Daniel Bruhl The Fifth Estate, Idris Elba Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Michael B. Jordan Fruitvale

Of a Mouse and a Man

This mock poster from a French artist named Pascal Witaszek has been everywhere the past couple of days. It even lead some people to believe it was an actual movie coming out. Sadly, it is just the dream of  a Frenchman who should go into casting (It's a little hard to read, but the other actors who are apparently in the movie are Michelle Williams, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard, Marion Cotillard, and...Matthew Fox. I'm not really sure who all those people would be playing in the biopic, but that's quite the cast he's assembled). And even though it may not be true, the general consensus is that someone should make it happen.

Ryan Gosling as a young Walt Disney is kinda genius casting. After all, Gosling got his start on the Mickey Mouse Club. And a biopic about Walt's career would be interesting. I happened to catch a documentary about Disney a couple months ago while I was flipping through the stations and ended up watching the entire thing. But, the thing about biopics that don't seem to work is when they try to cram a person's entire life into 2 hours. I like the one's that focus on an important moment in time. This also saves us from the annoying young-actor-in-bad-age-make-up-recapping-their-life narrative that seems to be so popular as well. (Leo in J. Edgar should serve as a lesson to all filmmakers who think that's a good idea). I think this film would work best if it focused on Walt's early career (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and ultimately, Mickey) and ended with the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. After that, Walt was going off in too many directions with different projects and the story would get jumbled. There should be some way to incorporate animated segments as well so it's not just a straight forward biopic. Which means Ron Howard as a director is out. His filmmaking is too humorless and dry. Someone on a website suggested Wes Anderson and I'd like to second that. Hopefully, someone at Disney is taking notice of all the good buzz this fake movie is having and make it a reality.

But, before that happens, it's looking like Oscar-winner Tom Hanks could be taking on the role of Walt Disney. It was reported last month that the company is trying to bring Saving Mr. Banks to the big screen with Hanks as Disney and Meryl Streep as P.L. Travers, the woman who wrote the Mary Poppins books. The script was on last year's Black List (an annual list of the best unproduced scripts) and focuses on Disney's pursuit of acquiring the rights to make the film and Travers' subsequent dislike of the final product. I, for one, hope this movie–with the proposed cast–actually comes to fruition. Mary Poppins is just one of those movies that reminds me of my childhood and a backstage look into the making of it sounds intriguing. Maybe if they move fast enough we can get a double dose of Disney biopics. Two of our finest actors playing an American Icon. When you wish upon a (movie) star, your (biopic) dreams come true...