Complete agreement with David Carr/”the Bagger” on Nathaniel R.‘s tiny but hilarious little riff on the Best Actress race.
Knowing that Helen Mirren has the Oscar so totally in the bag is a little dispiriting; ditto Forest Whitaker taking the Best Actor trophy for The Last King of Scotland. It would be at least somewhat enjoyable (i,.e., interesting to write about) if there was even a slight sense of a horse race. But c’mon…no one’s going to take it from Mirren. (Right?) It’s a done deal.
And yet a Fox Searchlight rep confided last night that Whitaker’s absolute dominance with the critics groups so far is giving her colleagues a twitch of concern because it sets the stage for a possible Leonardo DiCaprio, Will Smith or Peter O’Toole surge. Maybe one of these three will take it regardless — the Academy has often ignored critics’ champions.