Making the Call

There have been times in the past when I've gotten together with a few friends and watched the Oscars. As a movie guy, I kind of enjoy watching this awards show. I know a lot of people find them to be dull and boring, but it can be fun if you make a game of it. And that's what I've done with friends when we've watched the show together. Several years back, I got together with the Charlatan and his family. We each had Oscar ballots before the show, made our choices for who we thought would win, and the one who picked the most winners would be treated to ice cream at Maggie Moo's. Not too shabby a prize, right?

Is it bragging if I say I won? Yeah, well, I did. And then I played again a couple years later at the Greenehouse. I'm certain it's bragging to say that I won again. But really, who's surprised.

I'm alone this year. I'm watching the Academy Awards from the comfort of my room. So I can't compete with anyone with my Oscar picks this time. But here's what I'll do... There are 24 categories. If I manage to guess at least 75% correctly, I'll treat myself to a milkshake from Maggie Moo's. I know, I could just go get a milkshake anyway, but can we just pretend I'm working with the honor system here?

Here are my picks:

• Best Picture - The Artist
• Leading Actor - George Clooney
• Supporting Actor - Christopher Plummer
• Leading Actress - Viola Davis
• Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer
• Animated Feature - Rango
• Art Direction - Hugo
• Cinematography - The Artist
• Costume Design - The Artist
• Directing - The Descendants
• Documentary Feature - Undefeated
• Documentary Short - The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
• Film Editing - Hugo
• Foreign Language Film - In Darkness
• Makeup - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
• Original Score - War Horse
• Original Song - Man or Muppet, The Muppets
• Animated Short Film - A Morning Stroll
• Live Action Short Film - Time Freak
• Sound Editing - Drive
• Sound Mixing - Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• Visual Effects - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Adapted Screenplay - The Descendants
• Original Screenplay - The Artist

There you have it. I'll post an update tomorrow to let you know if I get to have that milkshake or not.

Update: I was way off my game. I only got 9 right. I should probably watch more movies this year.