More Oscars 2007 - Actors and Actresses and Swag Bags, Oh My!

Best Actress is Mirren's to lose and if she does it's because people just found out she's married to Taylor Hackford. Didn't he do An Officer and a Gentleman? Isn't the Queen just Richard Gere and Debra Winger 30 years down the road? A director with the word Hack in his name? Shouldn't he be doing Wayans Bros. or Sandler movies? Shouldn't it be Joel HackSchumacher?
Best Actor should be Forest Whitaker as Idi Amin Dada, if only for the weird lazy eye thing. Oh, that's a real physical problem? Sorry. Then he wins on talent and ability. And the weird lazy eye thing. Leo is good but Blood Diamond is just too much liberal guilt and not one celebrity client of Harry Winston's jewelry asked for the provenance of their loaned for the Oscars diamonds. Ryan Gosling was wonderful and someday someone will see this movie. Peter O'Toole will always be Lawrence and he has won an Honorary Oscar and Venus was a mere trifle, so no. Will Smith is beloved but the Academy does not reward misspellings. And the many Jewish members of the Academy remember Entebbe, so Forest sees the trees tonight.
Supporting Actor - Arkin is a national treasure and please rent Joshua Then and Now, a forgotten classic, to see him play this role 30 years earlier. Jackie Earle Haley had balls to play that part and lost them to the part but not enough for the voters. Djimon Hounsou was not in Dreamgirls but he does walk through most of West Africa in Blood Diamond. Almost covering as much ground as Keaton and Beatty as they walk across Russia in Reds. And if I have to hear about the dignity he brings to another role I will simply point out that he is given roles that are written as dignified. Please give the WRITERS credit for creating that character and that character trait!!! So it's Wahlberg or Murphy. I loved Wahlberg in The Departed, the best thing in the film. And Murphy wasn't in a fat suit or being arrested for some weird sexual transgression. So is it the guy who was Dirk Dingler or the guy who dingles his dangle and gets arrested for it from time to time? If there's justice, Wahlberg surprises and wins. If there's liberal guilt over Dreamgirls not getting a Best Picture nod, Murphy wins.