[ BEST PICTURE ] ^ Chocolat ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Erin Brockovich ^ Gladiator ^ Traffic
GLARING OMISSION: Sunshine , Requiem for a Dream , Wonder Boys . How the hell did Chocolat get nominated over these and about fifty other better films that came out? ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ I’D PICK: Traffic
ACTOR – LEADING ^ Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls ^ Russell Crowe, Gladiator ^ Tom Hanks, Cast Away ^ Ed Harris, Pollock ^ Geoffrey Rush, Quills
GLARING OMISSION: Ralph Fiennes for Sunshine . Far better than anyone actually nominated. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Ed Harris. Obviously no one really thinks that much of Cast Away , and Hanks and Rush already have awards anyway. Voters aren’t that aware of Bardem, which leaves Crowe and Harris. Harris has been around much longer and has been twice nominated but never won. ^ I’D PICK: Javier Bardem
ACTOR – SUPPORTING ^ Jeff Bridges, The Contender ^ Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire ^ Benicio Del Toro, Traffic^ Albert Finney, Erin Brockovich ^ Joaquin Phoenix, Gladiator
GLARING OMISSION: Chow Yun Fat for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . How come this film received everything but acting nominations? ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Benicio Del Toro. None of the others are even close and he has the buzz. ^ I’D PICK: Benicio Del Toro
ACTRESS – LEADING ^ Joan Allen, The Contender ^ Juliette Binoche, Chocolat ^ Ellen Burstyn, Requiem for a Dream ^ Laura Linney, “You Can Count on Me” ^ Julia Roberts, Erin Brockovich
GLARING OMISSION: Michelle Yeoh for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . She can literally run circles around the rest. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Julia Roberts. (Sigh) What can you do? ^ I’D PICK: Ellen Burstyn
ACTRESS – SUPPORTING ^ Judi Dench, Chocolat ^ Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock ^ Kate Hudson, Almost Famous ^ Frances McDormand, Wonder Boys ^ Julie Walters, Billy Elliot
GLARING OMISSION: Zhang Ziyi for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon . Let’s see Dame Judy try to act while flying around on wires. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Kate Hudson ^ I’D PICK: Given these options, Kate Hudson.
DIRECTING ^ “Stephen Daldry”, Billy Elliot ^ Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Stephen Soderbergh, Erin Brockovich ^ Ridley Scott, Gladiator ^ Stephen Soderbergh, Traffic ^
GLARING OMISSION: Istvan Szabo for Sunshine , Darren Aronofsky for Requiem for a Dream . ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Ang Lee. Soderbergh is in too much danger of splitting the vote, as occurred at the “Golden Globes.” ^ I’D PICK: Stephen Soderbergh for Traffic
WRITING (ADAPTED) ^ Robert Nelson Jacobs for Chocolat ^ Wang Hui-Ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo Jung for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Ethan Coen and Joen Coen for O Brother, Where Art Thou? ^ Stephen Gaghan for Traffic ^ Steve Kloves for Wonder Boys
GLARING OMISSION: Hubert Selby Jr. and Darren Aronofsky for Requiem for a Dream . ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Gaghan for Traffic , but it’s a very close race. ^ I’D PICK: Close call, but I’d go with Stephen Gaghan for the difficulty of Traffic .
WRITING (ORIGINAL) ^ Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous ^ Lee Hall, Billy Elliot ^ Susannah Grant, Erin Brockovich ^ David Fanzoni, John Logan, and William Nicholson for Gladiator ^ Kenneth Lonergan for “You Can Count On Me”
GLARING OMISSION: Istvan Szabo and Isræl Horovitz for Sunshine . ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Close, but I’d go with Susannah Grant for Erin Brockovich . ^ I’D PICK: Cameron Crowe for Almost Famous .
CINEMATOGRAPHY ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Gladiator ^ Malena ^ O Brother, Where Art Thou? ^ The Patriot
EARLY FAVORITE: Touch selection, but I’d put even money on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Gladiator ^ I’D PICK: Peter Pau for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
FILM EDITING ^ Almost Famous ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Gladiator ^ Traffic ^ Wonder Boys
GLARING OMISSION: Requiem for a Dream . Most harrowing final 30 minutes ever. Charlie’s Angels because you know it’s true. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Traffic ^ I’D PICK: Traffic
ART DIRECTION ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas ^ Gladiator ^ Quills ^ Vatel
GLARING OMISSION: Sunshine , X-Men , O Brother, Where Art Thou? , and of course Charlie’s Angels . ^ EARLY FAVORITE: In tight contest, maybe Gladiator . ^ I’D PICK: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
COSTUME DESIGN ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas ^ Gladiator ^ 102 Dalmatians ^ Quills
EARLY FAVORITE: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Gladiator ^ I’D PICK: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
MAKEUP ^ The Cell ^ Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas ^ Shadow of the Vampire
GLARING OMISSION: Requiem for a Dream . You know, Ellen Burstyn doesn’t really look like that. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas ^ I’D PICK: Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM ^ “Amores Perros” ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ “Divided We Fall” ^ “Everybody Famous!” ^ “The Taste of Others”
GLARING OMISSION: The rules are so complicated, it’s hard to tell what even qualified. Where’s Malena , A Time for Drunken Horses or Taboo ? ^ EARLY FAVORITE: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ I’D PICK: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE ^ “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport” ^ Legacy ^ “Long Night’s Journey Into Day” ^ “Scottsboro: An American Tragedy” ^ “Sound and Fury”
GLARING OMISSION: Dark Days was the best documentary of last year. ^ EARLY FAVORITE: I’d go with “Kindertransport” ^ I’D PICK: Legacy may not be as flashy as some of the other choices, but it’s definitely the most moving of this selection.
DOCUMENTARY SHORT ^ “Big Mama” ^ “Curtain Call” ^ “Dophins” ^ “The Man On Lincoln’s Nose” ^ “On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom”
MUSIC (SCORE) ^ Chocolat ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ Gladiator ^ Malena ^ The Patriot
MUSIC (SONG) ^ “A Love Before Time” from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ^ “I’ve Seen It All” from Dancer in the Dark ^ “My Funny Friend and Me” from The Emperor’s New Groove ^ “A Fool In Love” from Meet the Parents ^ “Things Have Changed” from Wonder Boys
SHORT – ANIMATED ^ “Father and Daughter” ^ “The Periwig-Maker” ^ Rejected
SHORT — LIVE ACTION ^ “By Courier” ^ “One Day Crossing” ^ “Quiero Ser (I Want To Be…)” ^ “Seraglio” ^ “A Soccer Story (Una Historia de Futebol)”
SOUND ^ Cast Away ^ Gladiator ^ The Patriot ^ The Perfect Storm ^ U-571
SOUND EDITING ^ Space Cowboys ^ U-571
VISUAL EFFECTS ^ Gladiator ^ Hollow Man ^ The Perfect Storm
TOTAL NOMINATIONS: Gladiator (Dreamworks SKG/Universal), 12 ^ Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Sony Pictures Classics), 10 ^ Chocolat (Miramax), 5 ^ Erin Brockovich (Sony/Universal), 5 ^ Traffic (USA Films), 5 ^ Wonder Boys (Paramount), 4 ^ Almost Famous (Dreamworks SKG), 3 ^ Billy Elliot (Universal Focus), 3 ^ Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal), 3 ^ The Patriot (Sony), 3 ^ Quills (Fox Searchlight), 3 ^ Cast Away (Dreamworks SKG/20th Century Fox), 2 ^ The Contender (Dreamworks SKG), 2 ^ Malena (Miramax), 2 ^ O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Disney/Universal), 2 ^ The Perfect Storm (Warner Bros.), 2 ^ Pollock (Sony Pictures Classics), 2 ^ Shadow of the Vampire (Lion’s Gate), 2 ^ U-571 (Universal), 2 ^ “You Can Count On Me” (Paramount Classics), 2 ^ 102 Dalmatians (Disney), 1 ^ Before Night Falls (Fine Line), 1 ^ The Cell (New Line), 1 ^ Dancer in the Dark (Fine Line), 1 ^ The Emperor’s New Groove (Disney), 1 ^ Hollow Man (Sony), 1 ^ Meet the Parents (Dreamworks SKG/Universal), 1 ^ Requiem for a Dream (Artisan), 1 ^ Space Cowboys (Warner Bros.), 1 ^ Vatel (Miramax), 1
NOMINATIONS BY STUDIO ^ *Number includes productions shared with other studios. ^ Universal – 26 ^ Sony – 21 ^ Dreamworks SKG – 20 ^ Disney/Miramax – 12 ^ Paramount – 6 ^ Fox – 5 ^ USA Films -5 ^ New Line/Fine Line – 3 ^ Warner Bros. – 3 ^ Lion’s Gate – 2 ^ Artisan – 1
FILMS MOST SCREWED IN NOMINATIONS: ^ Charlie’s Angels ^ Croupier ^ Dancer in the Dark ^ High Fidelity ^ O Brother, Where Art Thou? ^ Requiem for a Dream ^ Sunshine
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