All Hail the King and Queen of the Oscars

Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren take home the best actor and actress Oscars, sweeping this years major awards. Whitaker, for his portrayal of Idi Amin, the brutal Ugandan dictator in "The Last King of Scotland," and Mirren for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." Just a little bit of irony in the titles of these films right? Whitaker also made one of the best speeches of the night, despite his shock and nervousness.

"When I was a kid, the only way that I saw movies was from the backseat of my family's car. At the drive-in. And, it wasn't my reality to think I would be acting in movies, so receiving this honor tonight tells me that it's possible. It is possible for a kid from east Texas, raised in South Central L.A. in Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them, and to have them happen. Because when I first started acting, it was because of my desire to connect to everyone. To that thing inside each of us. That light that I believe exists in all of us. Because acting for me is about believing in that connection and it's a connection so strong, it's a connection so deep, that we feel it. And through our combined belief, we can create a new reality."

I felt it was the best speech of the night, if not one of the best speeches in the past five years. His speech really showed me that there are actors out there who still appreciate the awards given to them, and I only hope that his career flourishes and we see much more of him in the future at the Academy Awards.

DiCaprio Comes Up Empty-Handed Again

This year, Leonardo DiCaprio has been in two excellent films, "The Departed" and "Blood Diamond," which have both earned him nominations for all three major award ceremonies.
He was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama twice at the Golden Globes, for his portrayal of an undercover cop, Billy Costigan, and a diamond smuggler, Danny Archer. He was also nominated three times by the Screen Actors Guild for Best Cast for "The Departed," Best Actor for "Blood Diamond" and Best Supporting Actor for "The Departed," and once by the Academy for Best Actor for "Blood Diamond," at the upcoming Oscars, which will take place Sunday, February 25th.
So far, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards have come and past, and DiCaprio has come up empty-handed every time. Forest Whitaker has taken home all the Best Actor awards for his role in "The Last King of Scotland," and he will most likely take home the Oscar as well. Eddie Murphy took home the Actor for Best Supporting Actor for "Dreamgirls" at the SAG Awards this past Sunday, and Best Cast went to "Little Miss Sunshine."
Is there any hope for DiCaprio this year? Probably not since this year is filled with actors and films that raised the bar for the film industry. DiCaprio, however, is worthy of of all of his nominations this year, he just chose a bad year to do so well.