Melanie writes:
   "Welcome to one of the most exciting Oscar races in years! I'm on a high this morning, and it's not just because the Academy gave its blessing(s) to the likes of Charlize Theron (MONSTER), Johnny Depp (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL), Sean Penn and Tim Robbins (MYSTIC RIVER; leading status for the former, supporting for the latter), Alec Baldwin (THE COOLER), and a handful of nominations to the wonderful IN AMERICA: Samantha Morton (Best Actress), Djimon Hounsou (Best Supporting Actress), Jim Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan and Naomi Sheridan (Best Original Screenplay), but because Keisha Castle-Hughes, reportedly only 11 years old (but maybe closer to 13), is in the Best Actress race for the wonderful New Zealand film, WHALE RIDER. This is a beautiful thing because WHALE RIDER's U.S. distributor Newmarket (which was never affected by the temporary ban on screeners) actually campaigned for Hughes as a supporting player, even though she clearly carries (carried) the movie. This is a good instance of voters being able to sort through all the studio maneuvers and make up their own mind. To clarify, Castle-Hughes is, to the best of my knowledge, the youngest ever nominee in her category. (Castle-Hughes makes the Best Actress race interesting, but Theron still sits in catbird seat.) Likewise, voters weren't fooled by the execs at Focus Features attempts to peg Scarlett Johansson as a supporting player in Sofia Coppola's LOST IN TRANSLATION. Johansson, as the surrogate for writer-director Coppola, was clearly too integral to TRANSLATION to be 'demoted' just to score an easy nomination. The thinking being that if Johansson were campaigned for 'Best Supporting' for LOST IN TRANSLATION, she would still have a shot at 'Best Actress' for GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING--by campaigning in two categories, instead of one, she would be less likely to split her own votes. Somehow, the strategy backfired and Johansson was not nominated in either category. Still, Johansson is only 19 or so and she's already well on her way to major movie stardom. The good news is that Sofia Coppola is now in rarefied company, as she is not only the third woman ever nominated for Best Director, and, as well, the first American woman so honored, she's also a triple-threat as she's also a co-producer of the Best Picture nominee, in addition to being in the running for her (Original) screenplay. (The Best Original Screenplay contest is a toughie, pitting two strong sentimental candidates--Coppola and the Sheridan clan--against one another.) Likewise, a sigh of relief as GIRL's cinematographer Eduardo Serra picks up a nod. Also, a thumbs up to the Academy for nominating THE LAST SAMURAI's Ken Watanabe for Best Supporting Actor (as the titular character). SAMURAI has taken a bit of a beating in this country, but a nomination for Watanabe is a good thing, in the absence of a nomination for SAMURAI star Tom Cruise (good, but apparently not good enough). SAMURAI also picked up nominations for Art Direction, Costumes and Sound Mixing. Four Oscar nominations is a definite plus; btw, designer Ngila Dickson is nominated for both SAMURAI and LORD OF THE RINGS.

   The most nominated movie is THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, with 11--that's two less than the first installment, but it ultimately won't matter, as this is the movie to beat. It¹s unfortunate, however, that Sean Astin was shut out of the Best Supporting Actor race, because his performance is solid and his character is the very embodiment of what Best Supporting is all about (also shut out: cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, who won an Oscar for the first RINGS movie). The second most nominated movie is MASTER AND COMMANDER; THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, although the movie was shut out in the acting categories, which may or may not be a bad thing depending on one's tolerance for Russell Crowe...mine (tolerance, that is) is on the low-end of the scale, so I'm frankly relieved. With all due respect to Penn, Depp, Bill Murray, Jude Law (COLD MOUNTAIN), and Ben Kingsley (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG and a previous winner for 1982's GANDHI), my favorite performance by a leading actor was IN AMERICA's Paddy Considine (as a man who could 'act' almost anything, but wouldn¹t allow himself to 'feel' too terribly much). Considine just never generated the kind ink as others associated with the movie...too bad. I also want to go on record as being very big on both Jack Black in SCHOOL OF ROCK and Will Ferrell in ELF, two wonderful comedic performances that deserved a second look (at least Black got a Globe nomination). Ditto Jamie Lee Curtis in FREAKY FRIDAY (who lost the token comic actress slot to Diane Keaton in the more conventionally middle-of-the-road SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE). Still, any year in which Johnny Depp gets nominated for something as outrageous as PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN's Captain Jack Sparrow (described by the actor as a cross between Keith Richards and Pepe LePew) is a good year, indeed. And to say Depp is overdue is an understatement, witness EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE, ED WOOD, and DONNIE BRASCO.

   A big disappointment for Miramax has to be the lukewarm reception for COLD MOUNTAIN. Granted, the movie still ended up scads of noms--seven?--most notably for Jude Law and Renee Zellweger (the Best Supporting Actress front runner), but the shut-outs for Best Picture, Director (previous winner Anthony Minghella, 1996's THE ENGLISH PATIENT) Actress (last year's winner for THE HOURS, Nicole Kidman) and even Best Adapted Screenplay are what reverberate. Likewise, there were high hopes at Miramax for THE STATION AGENT, but that was all for naught. Still, Miramax is one of the studios behind MASTER AND COMMANDER, so that has to count for something; last year, Miramax and/or its founders, the brothers Bob and Harvey Weinstein, were responsible outright, or in-part, for four of the Best Picture nominations: CHICAGO (the big winner), THE HOURS, GANGS OF NEW YORK and the second LORD OF THE RINGS installment: THE TWO TOWERS (for which the brothers received courtesy credits for executive producing, or somesuch). The one picture--last Œgo-round--for which they could lay no claim was THE PIANIST.

   The five Best Picture nominees are LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD, LOST IN TRANSLATION (four nominations), MYSTIC RIVER (six nominations including Best Director [Clint Eastwood] and Best Supporting Actress (previous winner Marcia Hay Harden), and SEABISCUIT, with seven nominations, but, unfortunately, nothing in the Best Director category for Gary Ross (who was compensated, however, with a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay).

   Another heavily hyped feature that failed to score major nominations was Tim Burton's BIG FISH, the most surprising omission being Albert Finney for Best Supporting Actor. This one is hard to figure, given the Academy's predilection for honoring more mature thespians in the Best Supporting Actor category. Still, this one looks to be a fight to the finish between Baldwin and Robbins. Besides those two, and Watanabe and Hounsou, the fifth nominee is Benicio De Toro, a previous winner for 2000's TRAFFIC.

   Besides Astin, some of the other Best Supporting Actor casualties are Peter Sarsgaard (SHATTERED GLASS), and, forgive me, Eugene Levy for A MIGHTY WIND. Levy's strange 1960's music-scene burn-out was funny, touching and scary even though WIND, like other mock-documentaries from Christopher Guest (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW) is/was an acquirred taste. Levy's profile was heightened by an award from the New York film critics and a scene stealing turn in the Steve Martin-Queen Latifah vehicle BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE. Maybe he, like Johansson, split votes. The upside is that A MIGHTY WIND's lovely 'A Kiss at the End of a Rainbow,' the moving tune at the heart of the movie is up for Best Song . Yippee! That's just another item that makes my day! Now, I've got to figure out a way to see PIECES OF APRIL, featuring Best Supporting Actress nominee Patricia Clarkson, which I just missed during its Dallas engagement. I'm hoping the indie film gets rereleased. I¹ve also got to track down Brazil's CITY OF GOD, and will be making a beeline to see Best Animated Feature nominee THE TRIPLETS OF BELLVILLE, now that it is finally opening here (though it'll be an uphill climb, so to speak, to topple frontrunner FINDING NEMO, which is also up for a writing award, and two others)."