I think there might be a few other people joining us. Maybe Annette Bening, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and Javier Bardem. Just my usual groupies.
Seriously though, this Sunday night is the 83rd Academy Awards on ABC 8 e/5p.
My adoration for all things Oscar can best be explained by admitting that when I recorded things on VHS, back in the 1900's, I regularly had 'OSCARS' scrawled in Sharpie across a row of tapes.
One of the highlights of my childhood was watching Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and all the other insignificant people from 'Titanic,' accept the Oscar for Best Picture in 1998. I'm pretty sure the eleven year-old history nerd Eva squealed with delight, and may or may not have cried a little.
In the spirit of all things gold-naked man-statue, I thought it would be fun to take a look at some memorable Oscar moments throughout the years - BUT - Oscar, the grouch, doesn't let you embed his treasured YouTube videos. Stupid.
So plan B - I'll give you my two cents on who/what the winner should be for the top 3 categories: Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, and Actress in a Leading Role.
Actress in a Leading Role:
Helen Mirren.
Okay, you caught me. She's not even nominated. I just love her so much. I want to be her when I'm 65, Emma Thompson when I'm 45, and Kate Middleton right now. I have a thing for wanting to be British.
But seriously, this year's nominees are...
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole (seriously?)
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter's Bone (and again...seriously?)
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
Picking a winner in this category is tough because of all the films, I've only seen "The Kids Are All Right." I've read articles about how Natalie Portman's preparation and dance training for "Black Swan" role nearly killed her - so that warrants merit. I'm just going to take out Nicole and Jennifer because those movies have weird names. As for my girl, Michelle Williams...bless 'em, I've seen the previews for "Blue Valentine," read a number of reviews of her performance, and from what I can gather, she killed the role.
So...it comes down to three: Annie, Nat, and Mick...
And Eva's winner is....
My home slice, Annie B. She was the stand-out cast member of this film - which was great, but I have mixed feelings towards the whole plot. Regardless, Annette broke my heart, made me wince, made me cry, made me laugh, and made me believe in her genius once more. Once more implies that I have found her brilliant before - and I have, as the ever-awesome, Sidney Ellen Wade of Virginia.
I'm pretty sure from the moment I watched "The American President" with my mom, I wanted to be Annette Bening. So it's only right that my allegiance remains with one of my favorite President's girlfriend.
Actor in a Leading Role:
The nominees are:
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Jeff Bridges - True Grit (s)
Javier Bardem - Biutiful (someone's script editor missed something here...)
Two words: COLIN FIRTH. ohmygod. Have you seen "The King's Speech?" If you haven't, I'll tell you more about how it's life changing later in the blog. But as for Mr. Darcy, he is my absolute favorite actor of all time. Without a doubt. The man is one of the most gifted and empathetic performers I have ever watched on screen. I knew I loved Colin when he played Mr. Darcy. I fell in love again (through tears) when he learned Portuguese to ask Aurelia to marry him in "Love Actually." He broke my heart in "A Single Man." Built it back up again in "Nanny McPhee." Caught me by surprise in "What a Girl Wants." And took my breath away in "The King's Speech." My bet is it's only a matter of a few years until the man is knighted. So to you, (future) Sir Colin Firth - I bestow you with an Eva Oscar. Congrats.
Best Picture:
Yes, there are MANY nominees:
Black Swan - "Where's my good girl? AHHHHH."
The Fighter - I love Christian Bale. And Mark Wahlberg.
Inception - Is this real life?
The Kids Are All Right - Their son's name is Laser - win.
The King's Speech - My heart just skipped a beat.
127 Hours - Takes the whole "break a limb" adage to a completely different level.
The Social Network - I quite Facebook.
Toy Story 3 - Are you just happy to see me or "is that a snake in my boot?!"
True Grit (s) - I like cheese in mine.
Winter's Bone - Weird.
Phew. I'm winded from typing.
My winner is without a doubt: THE KING'S SPEECH.
I saw this film in the theater alone - I only go to movies alone when I know it's going to be an emotional, life-changing experience for me. Colin, Helena, and Geoffrey did not disappoint.
I'm actually so full of admiration for the script, soundtrack, cast, special effects team, videographers, etc. that I am at a complete loss for the adequate words to express how awesome this film was.
Here's what I can say - my favorite thing about the film is that this is the Queen's dad we're talking about here. I love the idea that Queen Elizabeth lived long enough to see her dad's story of perseverance against all obstacles - a crippling stammer, an over-bearing father, a love-struck brother, and you know, trying to keep a country together during WW II - play out for the world to see. What better way to see your father honored than to have Colin Firth deliver one of the greatest screen performances of all-time? Not to mention, Helena Bonham Carter played your mom. Queen Elizabeth, I'm talking to you. I cried just thinking about what this film must mean to the Royal Family (my people...you know).
I love it! LOVE IT! You should get up from whatever you're doing this instant and go see the film.
Okay, Eva's Oscars have now been distributed.
We'll see how I do compared to tomorrow's awards. I'll be watching, and hope you will, too!
GO COLIN, GO!
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