Christmas in January?

I get a little ashamed of myself this time of year. You see, in one week, the Academy will announce the nominees for the Oscars. Each year, I tell myself that they really don't mean anything. The odds are that the films that are my favorites on the year will get very few - if any - nominations.

And yet, each year, I get excited. I'm like the kid that knows Santa doesn't exist, but still can't wait to see what he puts under the tree each year.

Admittedly, with the Oscars, a lot of it's coal. And yet, I keep coming back.

Originally, it looked like this year was going to be difficult to predict. Now, it appears to be pretty easy. No - not pretty easy; it appears set in stone already.

Best Picture will be:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (good enough)
The Dark Knight (I'll accept that)
Frost / Nixon (inexplicable - does anyone actually love this movie?)
Milk (deserved)
Slumdog Millionaire (unstoppable)

The only one with any real vulnerability is Frost / Nixon for precisely the reason I stated. I don't know anyone - inside the industry or out who loves this movie. It's respectable enough, but usually to get nominated, passion is required. Slumdog has passionate followers in spades, as does Milk. We all know about the absolute gonzo response to The Dark Knight. And Benjamin Button has oohed and aahed it's way into inevitability. But I haven't heard a single person make these same claims about Frost / Nixon.

So, what could possibly sneak in? The only ones that seem possible are Doubt - again, not overly passionate, but there is a lot of respect for the actors and that could lead to more than enough votes. The Wrestler could conceivably pick up enough steam to sneak into a fifth spot. But I'm rooting for WALL*E. It has a passionate following. It's deserving. And it would finally make nomination morning interesting.

The Oscar nominations are announced a week from today at 7:30 AM local time. We'll discuss more then. Between now and then, we'll begin counting down my 10 Best of 2008.

Starting tomorrow with numbers 10 & 9.