Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:23 am
Reports were rampant following Ledger's death that the intensity of his performance caused the anxiety, sleeplessness, etc. that led to the declining health that caused his untimely death - in other words he died for his art. How can you compete with that?
Had he won the Oscar for Brokeback Mountain or even if the film had won the best picture award it was expected to win, I don't think there would be the collective guilt and/or wanting to right a wrong there seems to be over his snubbing less than two years before his death.
The New York Film Critics and other organizations that honored him for Brokeback saw no reason to award him for The Dark Knight and gave the award (in New York's case) to Josh Brolin in a far more conventional award calibre turn.
Had he not died, and had the film been the box office success it was, he may or may not have been nominated, but he would not necessarily be the all but certain winner he is.
The first nominee for playing a comic book or comic strip character, the latter actually, was ten year-old Jackie Cooper in Skippy way back in 1931. He actually would have been a more credible winner than Lionel Barrymore at his hammiest in A Free Soul.
The next serious contender for playing a comic book or comic strip character was Jack Nicholson in Batman 58 years later. Category confusion may have been the reason he wasn't included, that and the fact he'd already won twice for more serious performances. The Globes nominated him for best comedy actor, though he lost to the only serious contender there, Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy.
Al Pacino was widely expected to be nominated for best actor for The Godfather Part III, not supporting actor for Dick Tracy, though the Globes nominated him in both categories so it is conceivable that he was anticipated as a double nominee that year as he would be the following year for Scent of a Woman and Glengarry Glen Ross. Dustin Hoffman had also been talked of as a possible nominee for Dick Tracy.
Pesci's win was no surprise. He and Bruce Davison in Longtime Companion were the only serious contenders. Pesci had won the National Board of Review and L.A. Film Critics award, while Davison won the N.Y. and National Society of Film Critics awards and the Globe. Pesci should have been prepared. If he really thought Pacino was going to win he may well have been the only one, but not prepare a speech? More likely he did but forget it or was too embarrassed to deliver it or had some other reason he didn't want to make public. The Pacino remark seemed to be something he pulled out his hat. If anything, he should have though Davison would win.
Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for Love Field in 1992, a more serious work than Batman Returns, though her performance in the latter underscored her versatility and helped propel her nomination for that barely released film.
As for Gene Hackman in Superman. I thought it was one of his worst performances, horrible mugging that all but threw the film off-kilter. He was much better in that year's Under Fire.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1233311558
Had he won the Oscar for Brokeback Mountain or even if the film had won the best picture award it was expected to win, I don't think there would be the collective guilt and/or wanting to right a wrong there seems to be over his snubbing less than two years before his death.
The New York Film Critics and other organizations that honored him for Brokeback saw no reason to award him for The Dark Knight and gave the award (in New York's case) to Josh Brolin in a far more conventional award calibre turn.
Had he not died, and had the film been the box office success it was, he may or may not have been nominated, but he would not necessarily be the all but certain winner he is.
The first nominee for playing a comic book or comic strip character, the latter actually, was ten year-old Jackie Cooper in Skippy way back in 1931. He actually would have been a more credible winner than Lionel Barrymore at his hammiest in A Free Soul.
The next serious contender for playing a comic book or comic strip character was Jack Nicholson in Batman 58 years later. Category confusion may have been the reason he wasn't included, that and the fact he'd already won twice for more serious performances. The Globes nominated him for best comedy actor, though he lost to the only serious contender there, Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy.
Al Pacino was widely expected to be nominated for best actor for The Godfather Part III, not supporting actor for Dick Tracy, though the Globes nominated him in both categories so it is conceivable that he was anticipated as a double nominee that year as he would be the following year for Scent of a Woman and Glengarry Glen Ross. Dustin Hoffman had also been talked of as a possible nominee for Dick Tracy.
Pesci's win was no surprise. He and Bruce Davison in Longtime Companion were the only serious contenders. Pesci had won the National Board of Review and L.A. Film Critics award, while Davison won the N.Y. and National Society of Film Critics awards and the Globe. Pesci should have been prepared. If he really thought Pacino was going to win he may well have been the only one, but not prepare a speech? More likely he did but forget it or was too embarrassed to deliver it or had some other reason he didn't want to make public. The Pacino remark seemed to be something he pulled out his hat. If anything, he should have though Davison would win.
Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for Love Field in 1992, a more serious work than Batman Returns, though her performance in the latter underscored her versatility and helped propel her nomination for that barely released film.
As for Gene Hackman in Superman. I thought it was one of his worst performances, horrible mugging that all but threw the film off-kilter. He was much better in that year's Under Fire.
Edited By Big Magilla on 1233311558