Yesterday on twitter I ended up in a fun alternative Oscar argument with Joe, Julien, Will and Jacob and it was amusing because nobody agreed on anything...
Get your hands off ________'s rightful Oscar.
So let's expand that conversation to include TFE readers. If you'll recall had you lived through it or know the year went like so...
Winner: Judi Dench, Shakespeare in Love (also won NSFC & BAFTA)
I'm actually fine with this win (from the nominee pool, I mean) though I'm aware many internet dwellers are very anti-Shakespeare in Love
Nominees:
- Kathy Bates, Primary Colors (Chicago, BFCA & SAG winner)
- Brenda Blethyn, Little Voice
- Rachel Griffiths, Hilary & Jackie
- Lynn Redgrave, Gods and Monsters (Spirit & Globe winner)
So that supporting shortlist was essentially one extended cameo (Judi), three normal size supporting roles (Kathy, Brenda, Lynn) and one co-lead title character (Rachel). My feeling is that it's a dull list even though the performances are relatively good (the only nomination I objected to wholeheartedly was Blethyn's) because it's too closely tied to knee-jerk Bait when there were more inspired more challenging performances available from supporting actresses that year, many of them a bit more off the well trodden period piece prestige path.
But what surprised me more was that nobody agreed on the "wish it'd been...". What a year it was for supporting actresses. Consider these names which came up.
- Patty Clarkson, High Art
- Toni Collette, The Velvet Goldmine
- Imelda Staunton, Shakespeare in Love
- Lisa Kudrow, The Opposite of Sex (NYFCC Winner, Spirit Nominee)
- Kate Beckinsale, The Last Days of Disco
- Julianne Moore, The Big Lebowski
- Joan Allen, Pleasantville (OFCS, Boston, BFCA, LAFCA & Satellite winner)
and still more no one mentioned last night on Twitter... - Kimberly Elise, Beloved (Satellite winner)
- Thandie Newton, Beloved
- Sharon Stone, The Mighty (Globe nominee)
- Christina Ricci, Buffalo '66, Opposite of Sex, Pecker (Florida winner)
- Anne Heche, Psycho
- The Lovely Laura Linney, The Truman Show
WHAT WOULD YOUR LIST HAVE LOOKED LIKE?
Mine would've gone like so: Winner - Clarkson; Nominees - Dench, Collette, Kudrow and...???