The Only Oscar Preview That Matters: Especially Useless Edition

It’s finally here, folks! The glitz! The glamor! The frustration! The Ben Affleck slouching and looking at his feet when the “Best Director” category comes up! It is, of course, Oscar week, and with that means it is time for the third annual Only Oscar Preview That Matters. After a first year in which I naively believed that a victory for The Social Network was still a possibility—nay, a probability—the OOPTM rebounded big time last year, as I correctly predicted 10 out of the 13 categories I assessed. Also, two of the three misses I put the actual winner under “Could win,” and only once did I completely whiff. Of course, it helps that last year’s ceremony was one of the most depressingly predictable in recent memory, but hey! At least I look kind of smart!

The 85th Academy Awards: The Nominations

Ben Affleck stares into the distance, wondering just what he did to anger the Academy so.

On Thursday morning, did you hear the heavy sighs of film critics across the nation? When that happens, it can only mean one thing: Oscar season is upon us! The nominations were announced bright and early this morning for the 85^th Academy Awards, and like any year this ceremony looks to have its ups and downs. They will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane, who I admittedly have a love/hate relationship with. (Like the Oscars themselves!) The good news is that he brings something new to the table while also having a charm that older folk won’t actively despise. The bad news is that last time they decided to go relatively new-school, we got the great Franco/Hathaway debacle of 2011. So, you know, fingers crossed.