The AA's

The Academy Awards' nominations were announced this morning. There are really only three categories which interest me: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor...maybe Best Animation and Best Visual Effects too, if I'm in the mood. Last year, I was pretty money in choosing the winners for these three. So, here are my picks this time around:

Best Picture: "Brokeback Mountain" is the front-runner although with "Crash" winning the SAG award, its no longer the clear favorite. I'm pulling for "Good Night, and Good Luck" but I think Brokeback is gonna take it.Best Director: With Brokeback being so huge, I think Ang Lee will win this award. Spielberg didn't garner enough attention for "Munich" making his chances very slim. But again, I'll be rooting for George Clooney.Best Actor: This is a tough pick; both Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman won a Golden Globe but Hoffman also got the SAG which gives him the slight edge. He's my pick based on that and the fact that "Walk the Line" was ignored in both Best Picture and Best Director categories.

What surprised me was the Academy snubbing Russell Crowe in "Cinderella Man" for Best Actor, "Star Wars" for Visual Effects, and "Walk the Line" for Best Picture. What's up with that? Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing Jon Stewart host the show. Like last year with Chris Rock, he should be very entertaining.