C’mon Hollywood: C’mon Oscars! Grow a pair!

And so, Oscar time is once again on the approach. The Golden Globes are only a week and a half away, and already, the front-runners for the Oscar nominations seem locked and loaded. George Clooney (for THE DESCENDANTS), Jean Dujardin (THE ARTIST), Viola Davis (THE HELP), Meryl Streep (THE IRON LADY), and others all seem destined to shore up the nominations, although as to who actually walks away with the prize is anyone’s guess at this point.

But is it just me, or are the awards this year a little, obvious? For evidence, look no further than the always boring Golden Globes. I know, I know- folks are only watching it to see Ricky Gervais take the piss out of Hollywood (something the Hollywood Foreign Press seems to be all too aware of). This year, there aren’t any real whoppers, like last year when ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THE TOURIST walked away with nominations, but it’s still a boring slate. How does Leonardo DiCaprio get nominated for the average J.EDGAR, but a guy like Michael Shannon gets ignored for TAKE SHELTER, or Demian Bichir for A BETTER LIFE. And why is Jessica Chastain raking up all these nominations for her goofy role in THE HELP, when she was probably the least memorable person in the film. This begs to be addressed, as it seems obvious campaigning and not merit is responsible for this- which is particularly shocking as Chastain actually deserves to be nominated in that category, but for two other films; TREE OF LIFE, and (especially) TAKE SHELTER.

Chastain’s not the only case where a performer seems to be getting recognized for the wrong film. How is it that the Globes listed Ryan Gosling as a nominee for both THE IDES OF MARCH and CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE, while overlooking the best performance he gave this year- DRIVE. Speaking of that film, it’s inevitable that DRIVE is going to get shut out of most major categories (except Albert Brooks, who seems a lock for a Best Supporting Actor nod), when it’s one of the best reviewed movies of the year. That said, I don’t think the Academy has the stones to nominate it for Best Picture or Best Director for Nicolas Winding Refn, even though it’s well-deserved.

Granted, the Globes are a joke- but a lot of these questionable choices are bound to be repeated at the Oscars, which is why I’m writing this article. Shouldn’t the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences ignore the heavy studio campaigning, and seek out the films and performers who truly deserve to be nominated? Take TYRANNOSAUR. Anyone who’s seen that film will tell you that two of the finest performances of the year came from Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman for that film. Will they be nominated? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. The dog from THE ARTIST has a better chance of getting nominated.

Even someone like Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL, while excellent, seems like a stretch for the Best Actor nomination he’s bound to get. I mean, the Oscar’s are supposed to represent the five BEST of the year. Does he really deserve a nomination more than Shannon in TAKE SHELTER? Or Gosling in DRIVE?

Another performer I desperately want to see nominated is Elizabeth Olsen for MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE. Granted, the best actress race is tight this year (tighter than Best Actor actually), but she needs to be looked at. Carefully.

But, enough of my complaining. I turn the argument over to you dear reader. Who/what do you think is going to be overlooked by the academy this year? Make your case, and strikeback below!