Before those last snow flurries of winter cover the campus, there's one more season we must kiss goodbye before the tulips begin to sprout: Awards Season.
Starting it off in Jan. with the People's Choice Awards, Golden Globes and Grammys, we've finally reached the end of the red carpet with this year's 86th Academy Awards. They will air live this Sunday at 7 p.m. on ABC.
The Academy Awards, or better known as The Oscars, are awarded for excellence in cinematic achievements. Awards range from Best Picture and Best Original Score to Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects.
First and foremost, this year's host will be Ellen DeGeneres. All I can say is, why didn't this happen sooner? DeGeneres was a genius choice of host on behalf of The Oscars, especially after the dynamic comedic duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 2014 Golden Globes. Not only is DeGeneres a hilarious talk show host, but she is capable of handling The Oscars that are known for being a bit more serious and cut-throat. Fey and Poehler even admitted that the Academy's were much harder to host and will be sticking to the Golden Globes. DeGeneres has a perfect balance of comedy and maturity to be able to take the gig.
Now, onto the nominees. For Best Picture, the big prize of the night, we can probably expect it to be a tight race between "American Hustle," "Gravity," and "12 Years a Slave." I believe that "12 Years a Slave" will end up taking home the Oscar. Sure, "American Hustle" has 10 nominations lined up, but quantity does not equal quality. "Gravity" was one of the most popular films this past year, but I've heard too many negative reviews of the motion picture to have me convinced it could come out on top. "12 Years a Slave" seems to be the ideal candidate. It's a moving drama with exemplary acting, not to mention it's already racked up a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Drama, a BAFTA for Best Film, and an AFI for Movie of the Year. Without a doubt, "12 Years a Slave" will most likely be adding another prestigious award to their shelf.
For Best Actor- in a Leading Role, we will probably see a face-off between Leonardo DiCaprio and Matthew McConaughey. Honestly, there is no competition because McConaughey's work in "Dallas Buyers Club" was nothing like he's ever done before. His usual roles in not-so-successful romantic comedies were shattered with this emotional performance, pulling a complete 180 in his acting career. I just had to throw in Leo because that man needs an Oscar before he dies.
The last award that I'm going to touch on is Best Animated Feature. The Oscar will no doubt go to none other than the reigning champion of all things animation this year: "Frozen." The other nominees in this category are irrelevant because there is no way, no how, no possibility that the writing, editing, score, voice acting, soundtrack and special effects of "Frozen" can be beat. The others are simply incomparable. "Frozen's" powerhouse song, "Let it Go" was also nominated for Best Original Song and can expect to take home the Oscar for that as well. With "Frozen" in the running, the only thing other films will be given is the cold shoulder.
Other movies to keep an eye on during the awards ceremony include "American Hustle," "Gravity," "Her" and "The Wolf of Wall Street." Make sure your eyes are nowhere but that television screen on Sunday to see for yourself.