Is up on the L.A. Times “The Envelope” website. This is different from other sites because it compiles opinions and observations from many different journalists. There are a lot of surprises on the list.
Best Actor: They too admit that it’s probably a horse race between Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Peter O’Toole (Venus). Nevertheless, they have DiCaprio in the hunt (either for The Departed or Blood Diamond) and Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness). The biggest surprise is Ed Norton making the list for The Painted Veil or The Illusionist.
Best Actress: There have been rumors that Sienna Miller is dynamite in the Andy Warhol biopic Factory Girl. These folks seem to agree as she is in their top 5. Judi Dench is receiving Oscar attention yet again for Notes on a Scandal. Penelope Cruz is just on the outside of the top 5 if you look at the individual charts. Helen Mirren is the frontrunner. Kate Winslet and Annette Bening round out the top 5.
Best Picture: Not only is Mirren the frontrunner for Best Actress, but the film The Queen is in the top spot for Best Picture. It’s not surprising considering the luke warm reception for Flags of our Fathers. This will probably change when folks see Dreamgirls, but in the meantime this one is up for grabs. Look for The Departed and perhaps Little Miss Sunshine to start gaining some momentum as some of these other films are released.
There still appears to be confusion about whether to put Jack Nicholson in the lead or supporting category. He’ll have to pick one, and if it’s lead, DiCaprio better hope that Blood Diamond is a strong role to stay alive in this race.