Feb 21, 2008 10:26 pm US/Central
WCCO Oscar Klatch
Our Favorites And Bill Carlson's Disappointing Snubs
(WCCO)
Bill Carlson sees Oscar night coming out in favor of "No Country for Old Men," though he would prefer to see "Michael Clayton" take the top award.
One thing's for certain, "No Country for Old Men" was a love it or hate it film among those polled at WCCO about their favorites in this year's Oscar race. Some declared it the best film of the year, others dubbed it one of their least favorite films in recent years.
When it comes to the other major Oscar player with Minnesota connections, most had nothing but praise for "Juno."
"I would love to see Juno win because of Diablo Cody's Minnesota connection, and because I just found it delightful," said WCCO anchor Jeanette Trompeter. "I found it just a great afternoon getaway on a chilly Minnesota winter day."
Both Trompeter and consumer reporter Terri Gruca were in "Michael Clayton" star George Clooney's corner in the Best Actor race.
"I'm a huge George Clooney fan," joked Gruca. "And yes, my husband is aware ... but have you seen him?"
Both Gruca and meteorologist Chris Shaffer thought Brad Bird deserved to win Best Original Screenplay for his Pixar cartoon "Ratatouille."
The "double B" has a mind like no other. He is ahead of his time," said Shaffer before admitting, "Honestly ... 'Ratatouille' is the only nominated flick I've seen. Can you tell I have three kids under the age of 6?"
Another film that received some mention: "American Gangster." Jordan Steward at the assignment desk expressed surprise that it wasn't nominated for Best Picture, while reporter Angela Davis praised Best Supporting Actress nominee Ruby Dee.
"I saw 'American Gangster' shortly after it opened. I was surprised and delighted to see (Dee) cast as Denzel Washington's character's mother. She was great ... very genuine and memorable, even though her scenes were few and short," said Davis. "Loved it when she politely slapped him to get his attention. Go Ruby!"
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Bill Carlson, in addition to predicting which films would win and which ones deserve to win, also offered some of his Oscar "disappointments," films that he thought deserved to garner nominations but came up short.
For Best Director, Carlson lamented the absence of Tim Burton ("Sweeney Todd"), Denzel Washington ("The Great Debaters") and Mike Nichols.
"Nichols, husband of television's Diane Sawyer, takes his time between projects," said Carlson. "His direction of "Charlie Wilson's War" was, as we always expect from Nichols, outstanding, crisp and intelligent."
One of his biggest disappointments of the year was that "The Great Debaters," which he called "a riveting true story, and I believe the most uplifting motion picture of the year," came up with zero nominations, despite a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama.
Carlson also said it was a shame Denzel Washington didn't get a nomination for Best Actor despite two worthy performances in "The Great Debaters" and "American Gangster."
He also said the non-nominated Angelina Jolie ("A Mighty Heart") not only deserved a nomination, but the win.
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Slideshow: Bill Carlson's Oscar Picks
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