Ulitmately, I think the Acadamy Awards are a joke. That little Troll Jack Valenti needs to just go away, and never come back. Still, it’s fun to talk about them.

I’m a bit disapointed that there are no acting nominations for Return of the King. I thought Sean Astin deserved one for Sam, and I thought cases could be made for Ian McKellen (sp?), Billy Boyd, Andy Serkis and several others. I wasn’t enamored of Viggo Mortensern’s performance, or Elijah Woods, but they were fine.

And no nomination for Return of the King for Cinematography? Right there, that tells you how legit the Oscars are.

I was glad to see Johnny Depp get a not for Pirates of the Carribean. I thought he was great in that movie. Although there was more than a trace of Keith Richards in his performance. Maybe that’s what made it great.

Bill Murray for Best Actor? Hey, why not. I’m told Lost in Translation is the performance of his career.