Sneak Peek: Red Carpet

BY HEATHER JOHNSON

Okay Ladies and Gentlemen, here’s the deal. Revealed at 8:30 Tuesday morning, was finally, the list for this year’s Oscar nominations. We’ve all been wondering who managed to campaign the hardest and who was going to be shunned this year. Well ready or not, here we go.

Best Actor and Actress this year seemed to be missing a few people, though some are wondering if it’s more the film that got shunned rather than the star. Okay, sure, some people were po’d over Tilda Swinton, but how could that compare about Leonardo DiCaprio being totally ignored for his performance in “J.Edgar,” but overall the film failed to meet its expectations and fell flat on its face.

“The Help” generated tons of buzz, but ended up with a smaller margin of four nominations, including Best Picture, which is nothing to dismiss. But where is the Best Adopted Screenplay? Am I to believe that “Tinker, Taylor, Soldier, Spy,” which hasn’t been widely released was a better shoe in? While I’m on the subject, “50/50” which featured a more heartwarming side of Seth Rogan as he portrays this true story, got overlooked. I guess writer Will Reiser will have to watch this one from the sidelines. Maybe “Bridesmaids” will take home that category.

Melissa McCarthy, now of “Mike & Molly” fame, is up for Best Supporting Actress for her roll in “Bridesmaids.” Jonah Hill is up for Best Supporting Actor for his role alongside Brad Pitt in “Moneyball.”

Now lets get down to the nuts and bolts, Best Picture. This year we had an unusual nine nominations, opposed to the new standard of 10. Once again, the question is who really deserved to be there? Nominations included, “War Horse,” “The Artist,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” “The Descendants,” “The Tree of Life,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” and “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”

Look at this list folks, how many of these can you honestly say you have heard of? Sure “War Horse” and “Hugo” being family films, and “The Help” and “Moneyball” being all around big players this year. I guess I can’t help but wonder if that 10th slot should have gone to “Drive.” But then again…

In a world where Peter Jackson and “The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy” can exist then where was the final chapter of Harry Potter’s Hogwarts? Where did “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” come in? It was the highest grossing film in the theaters this year breaking all sorts of world records, but shunned unlike its Part 1 counterpart. Sure it was nominated for the artsy categories, Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Makeup. These are the same categories where you’ll find other Oscar outcasts like “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Reel Steel” and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

Stay tuned as the Oscars broadcast Live, Sunday February 26 at 7:00pm on ABC and you can see for yourself where your favorites fell, and of course…who wore who…stay tuned.

Best Picture Nominees

“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer

“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer

“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers

“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers

“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers

“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers

“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined

“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role Nominees

Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”

George Clooney in “The Descendants”

Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”

Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Actress in a Leading Role Nominees

Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”

Viola Davis in “The Help”

Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”

Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Director Nominees

“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius

“The Descendants” Alexander Payne

“Hugo” Martin Scorsese

“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen

“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

  2011, oscar nominations, rockland county