WHEN THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED, I had the choice to be either optimistic or pessimistic. As I looked at the categories, I felt excited that I had seen a good portion of the films nominated. It was certainly more than last year’s nominees. On the other hand, I still am not back to my original place of having seen every nominee in the major categories. It used to be where several movies would premiere on the west and east coasts before new year’s eve, then open everywhere in January or February. If that is still in place I have not seen evidence of it, which I believe is one of the reasons why I have not been able to see every nominated film.      The other reason is due to the streaming services. Some of the services’ movies get a nomination and the corporation keeps them exclusive to their streaming platform. If I were to add every major streaming service to my television package, I might have to get a second job; it is getting ridiculous with everyone jumping on the streaming bandwagon when they all used to be free on network TV or cable. And I will forgo for now my pros and cons to seeing movies at a theater compared to one’s home. So unfortunately, again I have not seen every movie in the category which puts me at a disadvantage. For the sake of tradition, I will do my best to pick what I think deserves the Academy Award and what the academy will do. I will also note which group is incomplete for me. Enjoy the telecast and remember whatever you eat during the show does not have any calories. Happy Oscar’s Day!

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

MY CHOICE: Angela Bassett—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

ACADEMY PICK: Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Brendan Fraser—The Whale

ACADEMY PICK: Austin Butler–Elvis

DIRECTING (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Steven Spielberg—The Fabelmans

ACADEMY PICK: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All at Once

CINEMATOGRAPHY (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western

COSTUME DESIGN (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

FILM EDITING:

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

MY CHOICE: The Whale

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western Front

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):

MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

VISUAL EFFECTS:

MY CHOICE: Avatar: The Way of Water

ACADEMY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST PICTURE:

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

There you have it, my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. No matter who gets the Oscar, I hope all of us have can have a fun and enjoyable time watching the telecast. Best of luck to you.