Pre-Oscar intro

Ok, so I'm all ready. This is my third time doing the live chat/blogging Oscar schtick and this year holds a lot of interest for me - mainly because I just don't see where the Best Picture gold is going. I think everyone understands how Best Actor (Bridges), Best Actress (Bullock), Supporting Actor (Waltz), Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique) will pan out, that seems settled and everyone is fine with it. Well, except the Bullock award thing but there's no way Mulligan is walking out with the gold tonight, unfortunately. But Best Picture is tricker to predict and I've been back and forth all week on where the statue is going. It is of course probably a two horse race between The Hurt Locker and Avatar, which is fascinating enough given the personal history between the two helmers, how different each movie is and how they play to their differing audiences, but also for what it means for the economics of film. The huge movie that has trounced all box office records, or the small movie that would be the lowest grossing Best Picture movie ever. I guess you could say, the least seen Best Picture winner of all time. Where do my personal feelings rest? Well, I think both movies are great and deserving. They stand-up alongside most of the Best Picture Winners of the past ten years and are better than most that have won previous. But you know, I just don't see how the Academy can't vote for Avatar, really. The movie is way too historically significant not to win. It's astronomical, one of the most important movies ever made. How can it not?