Oscars for the Actors (Projections)

Our very first use of images with blog entries (you should those early entries!) featured Natalie Portman in her trademark vegan sandals.

While she may have questionable films on her resume, with performances in "Closer" and "V for Vendetta," Portman has proven herself to be a remarkable actress. And, her performance in "The Black Swan" is a crowning achievement for the 29-year-old though she could lose to Annette Benning who has come oh so close before (including losing out to Hilary Swank in 1999 in spite of Benning's great performance in "American Beauty.).

Should here are our projections for the four acting categories:


BEST ACTOR:

Will win: Colin Firth "The King's Speech." I think Firth is a good actor, but this is an over-praised film. Nevertheless, both the film and Firth have all the momentum right now and the Oscar seems most likely to go to the English actor.

Should win: Jesse Eisenberg. He was simply astonishing as the multi-layered Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, who did indeed prove to be everyone's frenemy rather than their 'friend.'

Silver Medal: Well they don't award second place at the Academy Awards, but James Franco was also quite good in "127 Hours," a film about a young man literally trapped between a rock and a hard place which Franco had to carry all by himself.

BEST ACTRESS:

Will/should: Portman.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Will/should win: Geoffrey Rush. As much as I think the film is getting way too much hype, the Australian actor was simply brilliant in this film.

Who I would vote for: Christian Bale ("The Fighter"). Another remarkable performance which carries the film, and unlike "The King's Speech," Bale's film is actually the better one. And, I am really getting tired of hearing about "The King's Speech."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Will/should win: Melissa Leo, who also in "The Fighter." She is by no means a lock as her own co-star Amy Adams, also nominated in this category, could potentially upset her. But Leo's own personal narrative of being an overlooked actress for years seems to make her the slight favorite.

For other Oscar projections of mine go to our other blog "The Daily Vampire:"

http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

Quote of the Week- Hilary Swank

Perhaps, very few Oscar-winners have started from dire backgrounds like Hilary Swank has, as she grew up in a trailer park in Bellingham, Wash. She is also (to our knowledge) the only cast member of "Beverly Hills 90210" to have won an Oscar. Although to his credit, Luke Perry was very good in the independent drama film "Normal People" with Ashley Judd about a boyfriend/girlfriend bank robbing duo.

Swank won her first Best Actress Oscar for the compelling film "Boys Don't Cry" (1999). Five years later, she won in the same category for her startling performane as a female boxer in "Million Dollar Baby" (2004), which was directed by and co-starred Clint Eastwood.

Here is her quote:

"I don't know what I did in this life to deserve all of this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream."

SIDEBAR: It has been a very long time since we discussed Turkish soccer, but I realize our loyal readers in Paterson, NJ, (which reportedly has the largest Turkish population in America) are getting disappointed with me, and I am a Turkish-American who occasionally eats pork as it is!

So here are the latest results from Week 22 (partial list):

Eskisehirspor 2 Sivasspor 1

Gaziantep 4 Bursa 1

GalataSaray 1 Bucaspor 0

Kayseri 2 Antalya 0

*Fenerbahce 4 Besiktash 2

*-This was a game between two traditional Istanbul rivals. Alex de Souza, 33, (who goes by Alex) a Brazilian soccer star, scored three goals for Fenerbahce in their crucial win.