Oscars 2007 Recap!

"Could you double-check the envelope?" - Martin Scorsese at the 79th Academy Awards, March 25, 2007


Last night Martin Scorsese won the Oscar for Best Director for THE DEPARTED and today the word in all the papers, TV coverage, and online wrap-ups is "finally."

Minutes later backstage he looked like he was in a state of shock when it was announced that THE DEPARTED won for Best Picture as well. I am truly happy to be wrong about that one. 

I had predicted Alejandro González Iñárritu's BABEL and was even going to change the name of this blog to film babel for a day if it won (glad I don't have to do that). Out of the 24 categories I got 13 right. More than half but still a failing grade. 

Let's look over my predictions highlighting the ones I got wrong : 

1. BEST PICTURE: BABEL WRONG! THE DEPARTED

2. BEST DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese THE DEPARTED

3. BEST ACTOR: Forest Whitaker (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND)

4. BEST ACTRESS: Helen Mirren (THE QUEEN) 

5. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Alan Arkin (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE)

6. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Jennifer Hudson (DREAMGIRLS)

7. ART DIRECTION: THE PRESTIGE WRONG! (PAN’S LABYRINTH)

8. CINEMATOGRAPHY: CHILDREN OF MEN WRONG! – PAN’S LABYRINTH 

9. COSTUME DESIGN: DREAMGIRLS WRONG! – MARIE ANTOINETTE 

10. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

11. DOCUMENTARY SHORT: REHEARSING A DREAM WRONG! –THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT 

12. FILM EDITING: BABEL WRONG! – THE DEPARTED 
13. MAKEUP – PAN’S LABYRINTH 

14. VISUAL EFFECTS: SUPERMAN RETURNS WRONG! – PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN : DEAD MAN’S CHEST 

15. ORIGINAL SCORE: BABEL

16. ORIGINAL SONG: “Listen” (DREAMGIRLS) – WRONG! – Melissa Etheridge for "I Need To Wake Up" THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH 

17. ANIMATED SHORT: THE LITTLE MATCHGIRL WRONG! - THE DANISH POET 

18. LIVE ACTION SHORT: WEST BANK STORY 

19. SOUND EDITING: LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA 

20. SOUND MIXING – DREAM GIRLS 

21. ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE 

22. ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: THE DEPARTED 

23. ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: CARS WRONG! – HAPPY FEET 

24. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: PAN’S LABYRINTH – WRONG! – THE LIVES OF OTHERS

I was very surprised I was right about Alan Arkin winning. 

Also the other attendees of the Oscar party I watched the Awards at all gasped when Melissa Etheridge won for best song (for AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH) in your face DREAM GIRLS!

More later...