Buzzmeter panelists: âArtistâ is tops but how about acting?
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At The Envelopeâs Gold Standard, weâd like to think we meet all your awards-season prognostication needs. Weâve predicted the winners of each of the 24 Oscar categories for you this week and have asked so little in return. But weâre not the jealous type either. We understand there are other voices out there and you may feel the need to play the field. (Though in our heart of hearts, weâd like to believe that youâll eventually return and remain true to our own Oscar picks -- look for a complete list here on Sunday before the show.)
That commitment to diversity is why we have Buzzmeter, The Envelopeâs handy little compendium of six Oscar expertsâ picks for the top six Oscar categories. (Sorry, Mr. Sound Mixer, though the Gold Standard has plenty to say about you here.)
No surprise: Each of the Buzzmeter panelists has checked âThe Artistâ for best picture. Peter Travers from Rolling Stone believes academy voters will make room on their ballots to honor that other nostalgic love letter to Hollywoodâs past and give Martin Scorsese the Oscar for director. All other panelists pick âThe Artistâ director Michel Hazanavicius to win.
Oscars 2012: Cheat Sheet | Key Scenes | Punditâs picks | Ballot
The lead actor race has prompted more division. Buzzmeter voters Travers, Entertainment Weeklyâs Dave Karger, Indiewireâs Anne Thompson and USA Today film critic Claudia Puig are going with âThe Descendantsââ George Clooney, while Gold Derby founder Tom OâNeil and myself believe Jean Dujardin will win for âThe Artist.â
The race appears so close, in fact, that Thompson says she has changed her mind âliterally five timesâ since Monday. Sheâs now picking Clooney, though the Buzzmeter indicates her earlier vote for Dujardin.
Thereâs also a 4-2 split for lead actress with Travers and OâNeil calling the race for Meryl Streep and her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in âThe Iron Lady,â with the four other panelists picking Viola Davis for âThe Help.â
âMost Oscarologists are betting on Viola Davis because she won SAG, but most SAG voters didnât see âIron Lady.â The DVD screener arrived in the mail long after most ballots were in,â OâNeil says. âHowever, Oscar voters have seen everything and must vote for the most dynamic screen performance in the late career of the greatest actress of our time.â
Thereâs less division in the supporting races, with âThe Helpâsâ Octavia Spencer the unanimous pick for âThe Helpâ and five of six panelists picking Christopher Plummer for âBeginners.â Only Puig disagrees, believing Max von Sydow will win for âExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close.â (To which, Claudia, we can only silently raise our notepad with the following message about your Oscar pool chances.)
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-- Glenn Whipp