Penelope Cruz puts Spain on the map with an Oscar

In the weeks leading to the Oscars I watched and reviewed some of the movies that were among the favourites for many. I also voiced my opinions on some of the nominees I thought stood a great chance. The results were quite pleasing, although somewhat not suprising. One of those movies that I wrote about was Vicky Christina Barcelona, which won Penelope Cruz her first Oscar ever.

The reason I'm highlighting this, is beacuse Penelope Cruz is the very first Spanish actress to walk away with the golden crown. And with good reason she won too, because she excelled on her role in the latest Woody Allen film. Even though I wanted Teraji P. Henson or Viola Davis to win the Best Supporting Actress gong, I'm content with Penelope Cruz (apparently she is going out with co-star Javier Bardem - second picture above - in real life, an interesting spin on the movie now that I know about that), as she has proved a phenomenal talent, overe and over. I first took notice of her in 2001 when she did Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise, and have been a fan ever since.

And of course, I have to mention that another of my favourite films this year, Slumdog Millionare, had an impressive run at the Oscars this past Sunday. Walking away with 8 of the 11 trophies the film was nominated for, including Best Motion Picture and Best Directing for Dany Boyle, it was certainly the top 'dog'. Just this past Friday I also reviewed The Reader, which helped Kate Winslet cling the Best Leading Actress statuette, her very first after so many dry runs. There were many other films that did well, including The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, although I was a bit disappointed it only won 3 out of the record 13 nominations for this year.

I didn't get to watch the actual show, but I have read and heard about it. What fascinated me about the stories was that the style was upped a bit this year by having past winners (as presenters) read a short profile on each of the nominees in the big categories. I thought that was very classy and such a sincere and commendable gesture. I hope I'll get to see the show some time to witness that for myself and to see how the performances were (apparently Queen Latifah did a sterling job with hers).

Let's hope next year will be even bigger and better. I'm looking forward to seeing the films that will be made this year to contest for next year's Oscars. And I'm certainly hoping South Africa is counted amongst those films.

Teraji P. Henson and Viola Davis up for Oscars

The Academy Awards nominees for 2009 were announced this past Thursday and it gives me great pleasure and pride that Teraji P. Henson and Viola Davis were both nominated in the capacity of Best Supporting Actress in their respective roles in The Curious Case of Banjamin Button and Doubt.

I had an opportunity to see The Curious Case Of Benjamin where Teraji plays Brad Pitt's mother, but couldn't make it because of other engagements. There is a lot of buzz about how excellent her performance was. I'm certainly looking forward to seeing the film when it opens at cinemas here in Mzansi. What with a whopping 13 nominations for this year's Oscars, that's just 1 nomination shy of reaching the record set by Titanic in 1997.

Another actress who is nominated against Teraji is Viola Davis, a Tony Award winner. She has been nominated for her outstanding role in the Meryl Streep-led film Doubt. I watched this movie about 2 weeks ago and immensely enjoyed it. She used the screen time she gets phenomenally, which is actually about 14 minutes, commanding the role and making it her own. She belts it out in the memorable scenes. I was bowled over and feels she really deserves all the accolades.

As tight as the competition in that category is (Penelope Cruz is also nominated for her role on the exceptional Woody Allen picture Vicky Christina Barcelona, whilst Amy Adams got a nod for her performance on Doubt and Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler), I'm really hoping one of these amazing black women takes the crown come the Oscar Awards night. I'm certaibnly looking forward to what Teraji does on Benjamin Button, I've been a fan since seeing her with Tyrese Gibson on Baby Boy.