The Academy Awards show will air this Sunday, February 25, 2007. I cannot remember a year that I have had as little interest in the results as this one. However, I am rooting for Martin Scorsese to finally bag the big one with Departed. Clint Eastwood has won a couple of times with Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, so I'm hopeful that his big film in this year's mix, Letters From Iwo Jima, doesn't win. The others I just don't care about at all.

Forest Whitaker seems the likely best actor winner this year for his portrayal of Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. I cannot even root for Peter O'Toole for this year's best actor category. Will Smith could win, or maybe Ryan Gosling, but I'm thinking Forest has this one in the bank. The sad fact for Peter O'Toole is that he should have won several best actor Oscars over the years. He deserved one for his portrayal of T.E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia. He deserved one for playing Alan Swan (the fictional character based on Erroll Flynn), in My Favorite Year. I would also argue for his amazing performances in The Ruling Class and Stuntman, but even better than those performances was his transcending portrayal of King Henry in The Lion In Winter. Who would have thought that the young actor in his screen debut playing Henry's son, Richard the not so Lionhearted, in this movie would win an Oscar before Peter O'Toole. Well, folks, Anthony Hopkins did just that.

There are only a few categories that really matter to most of us anyway, unless you have friends and family in some of the technical award field. The ones that matter to me, usually, are the Best Pictures, foreign and domestic, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor/Actress. The rest of the awards become about as memorable as a lunch from a week ago.

I could have rooted for some Dreamgirls talent, but the way Hollywood stiffed, Jennifer Holliday, the original broadway star for this picture just did not sit well with me. Eddie Murphy has a good shot in a supporting role.

This year I have no picks, just hopefuls. Here they are:

BP- Departed
BFP- Pan's Labyrinth
BD- Martin Scorsese
BMA- Forest Whitaker
BFA- Helen Mirren
BSMA- Alan Arkin
BSFA- Cate Blanchett

Maybe some of you have some picks, or hopefuls you might want to share. I always find it interesting how very little coverage we see regarding films here in Bakersfield, which is less than two hours away from Hollywood. Some big mountain, huh?