I know, it’s ridiculous. But I followed #Libya on Twitter the other day when Gaddaffi was giving his first speech, and this is what a couple of people had to say:
Gadaffi is aiming to knock Colin Firth from the lead of winning the oscar isn’t he? (Welshracer)
Gadaffi has put his green book away but now seems to be having a wardrobe malfunction (jakeanders)
Whoever’s lighting Gadaffi’s speeches should have been booted out of film school. With a brick (highway_62)
And that’s enough of that lunatic for the day. Today I wish I was in Los Angeles, covering the Oscars. Well, of course I wish I was there because a script of mine had been nominated. But failing all of that, I’ll be glued to my TV.
The King’s Speech has been nominated in practically every category – Best Actor (Colin Firth), Best Picture (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin), Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Original Screenplay (David Seidler ), Best Supporting Actor (Geoffrey Rush), Best Supporting Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Art Direction (Eve Stewart, Production Design; Judy Farr, Set Decoration), Cinematography (Danny Cohen), Costume Design (Jenny Beavan), Film Editing (Tariq Anwar), Music – original score (Alexandre Desplat), Sound Mixing (Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley).
Other actors nominated for leading role are James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeff Bridges, Javier Bardem. James Franco is absolutely yummy and something of a renaissance man – he’s an artist, has written his first novel, has a string of interesting degrees and is currently studying something at Yale. He’s nominated for 127 Hour but I don’t think he has a chance against Firth.
Jesse Eisenberg has more of a chance, I think, possibly because The Social Network is such a hot topic and was so well directed. Jeff Bridges is another favorite, but Colin Firth gets my vote for his portrayal of the panicky, stuttering, sad-eyed Bertie, King George VI – about whom not much has been known really until now. The King’s Speech could have been a boring “disability” movie, but instead it’s a masterpiece thanks largely to Firth who played his part masterfully and with such subtlety.
I adore him as an actor, especially when he lets his devil come out to play. And every time I’ve seen him interviewed he’s sane, intelligent, and – well, human. Fame doesn’t seem to have bloated his ego in the least. Vanity Fair Magazine calls him an “intellectual heartthrob”. Got that right.
The nominees for Best Actress in a leading role are Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams. Annette is my favorite. I don’t think any of the others have her stature and versatility. She brings such class and power to every role she plays.
In The Kids Are Alright she plays a lesbian – partnered to Julian Moore’s character – who’s butch and the breadwinner of the family. But when things turn upside down, she unleashes vulnerability as only she knows how to. She gets my vote for the way she works a role that could have been a disastrous stereotype, but instead is a masterpiece. The Kids Are Alright has also been nominated for Best Picture (Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray), and Best Original Screenplay (Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg).
Whoever wins, I think it’s going to be a great show. Can’t wait. 11 hours to go. If you go to the official Oscar website – http://oscar.go.com/ – you can cast your vote.
Stepping out of History 