It's a weird year for the Oscars, and the just-ended writers' strike and subsequent scramble to pull together a viable show are perhaps the least of it.
There are no blockbusters among this year's five Best Picture nominees; the indie "Juno" is the only one to crack $100 million in ticket sales. There's precious little star power in the acting categories -- no Julia or Brad, and while there is a Tom, it's Wilkinson, not Hanks or Cruise.
And the Oscars have been downright boring in recent years, pretty much since Adrien Brody spontaneously laid a big ol' smooch on Halle Berry in 2003. Thank God (or is it George Burns?) for Oscar pools, the best way to enliven a night that promises to stretch from here to eternity.
This year's major categories are virtually locked up: actor Daniel Day-Lewis, actress Julie Christie and supporting actor Javier Bardem are widely considered locks, while the Coen brothers and "No Country for Old Men" are heavy favorites for best director and picture.
Which means that winning a traditional Oscar pool will come down to the minor categories, animated shorts, art direction and the like. Or this might be the year to forgo the usual pool and come up with your own categories. Either way, we're here to help, with advice from pool guru Cynthia Dickison, tips on where to get information to help you win and a few suggestions for alternative Oscar-pool categories.
There's nothing else new on television these days. And it is the Oscars.
Besides, interest in these parts should be high, even if the hubbub involves former Minnesotans. Joel and Ethan Coen and Diablo Cody might have moved away, but we still like them -- we really, really like them.
Bill Ward • 612-673-7643; Staff Writer Randy A. Salas contributed to this report.
