Winter in the Manglos House

This time of year brings back years worth of memories from life in the Manglos household. It was an exciting time, full of speculation, good food and wagers. And one man. Oscar.

In my family the big television event every winter was the Academy Awards. The excitement started around December, when the studios would release all their Oscar hopes for the world at large. My family would pick our favorites, wait for nominations, and even occasionally watch some of the other award shows. Then, there was the ballot. Each year the newspaper would print a ballot in the Show section (this was before you could print one out online…yes, I am old). Every family member would sneak away with the ballot and make their picks.

The night of the show my Mom and I would watch all the pre-shows and Dad would go to pick up dinner. We loved to see what the stars were wearing and eagerly awaited Billy Crystal’s monologue (and yet, I’m not too excited that he’s hosting this year – go figure). There would be sad moments, when your pick for supporting actress lost, and cause for joy when your guess on Documentary Short Subject happened to win. But the absolute best moment was when you realized you had the most wins on your ballot and could jump, yell and gloat around the house. Not that I ever did that… Plus, the winner was awarded a dinner at the restaurant of his/her choice.

I don’t always get to watch the Oscars these days, but there’s still that sense of excitement as it approaches. So, here are some thoughts on this year’s nominations and more. I’ll try to post one category every few days. However, I’m not going to look over every category. Because who really cares to hear my thoughts on Best Sound Editing. I don’t even know if I have much to say on that category except it’s usually the place where lame action films sneak in (Hello “Transformers” 3, 4, 8 – which one are they on now?).

Today, I’ll begin with Best Actress:


Best Actress
Glenn Close, "Albert Nobbs"
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Rooney Mara, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"
Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"
Michelle Williams, "My Week With Marilyn"

I really want Viola Davis to win! There, I said it. Her facial expressions alone in “The Help” were so brilliant and conveyed so much. You looked into her face and saw her story. I think Davis’ main competition will be Meryl. And I get it. She is a fabulous actress. In everything she’s in. Even “Mama Mia”. Yes, I like that movie. It has ABBA and is set in the Greece isles (even Pierce Brosnan’s awful singing couldn’t ruin it for me). She is supposed to be excellent as Margaret Thatcher, even though I’ve heard the movie itself is a bit of a dud. But still, I want to see Davis win.

Michelle Williams did a great job as Marilyn Monroe and really fleshed her out past her bombshell persona. As for Glenn Close, she is a talented actress, but did anyone even see “Albert Nobbs”? How did she get nominated? I’m still confused on that one.

What are your thoughts on this category? I'd love to hear!

(Note: The picture in this post is of Jack Palance doing his one-armed push ups on stage. One of my favorite Oscar moments. Celebrity egos + alcohol = hilarity)