The Oscars are a joke, and rarely ever give the awards to important films and performances. Look how Magnolia was ignored. This was without a doubt the best film of the year, an altogether challenging film full of many wonderful moments and performances. But Anderson isn't a linear filmmaker, and probably gave all those old farts that sit on the Academy an apoplexy. Frogs falling out of the sky,characters breaking out into song, and what the hell was that opening about. I'm waiting to see what they are going to do with Hillary Swank, who gave one of the great performances of all time, let alone this year. Lets not forget that this is the group that gave that nice little tv actress Helen Hunt an Oscar for a bad sitcom movie,so what does it mean or matter. I'm sure Washington will get the Oscar over the more subtle finer Russell Crowe, and the impossibly awful Angelina Jolie will get a nod for playing crazy. I would love to see the luminous Chloe Sevigny win, but again too low keyed for them. They want to see where their Oscars are going, and they can see crazy. Also no doubt that Tom Cruise will get the supporting actor Oscar. They also love when big movie stars play against type, and Tommy boy took chances twice this year. My choice would be Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Magnolia & The Talented Mr. Ripley, but he wasn't even nominated, but happily neither was Christopher Plummer for playing Jason Robard Oh I mean Mike Wallace in The Insider. Best Picture will go to American Beauty which is tangy but not too spicy, and its politically correct too. Ira Joel Haber Cinemage Books ---- Screen-L is sponsored by the Telecommunication & Film Dept., the University of Alabama: http://www.tcf.ua.edu