My Friend, The Oscar Nominee

As we all know, today was the day that the Oscar nominations were announced and with one glaring exception we have a really solid list of nominees this year. Since we had such a damn good year last year, I can say in all honesty that no matter how lackluster the show itself might be (writers or no writers) the awards themselves should be pretty solid. Unless the wrong people win, of course.

I have to admit that I'm more excited about this year's Oscars than I've been since 1981, when my childhood favorite RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK was a Best Picture nominee (I still say it was robbed), because, for the very first time, I actually know a nominee. And it's not a mere casual acquaintance or a friend of a friend, but an actual friend, someone I've known for 10 years. We're not exactly tight and I haven't seen this person in a while, but we still communicate via e-mail and have traded more than a few in the last few months since their film opened. This is a good person (after I was laid off from a job a few years back, they sent me the nicest, most encouraging e-mail, followed by a phone call where we happened to discuss the very film they are nominated for today) and a very talented one, someone who I would be a fan of whether I knew them or not because the films this person has been involved in have been, for the most part, quite good. And the film they were nominated for today is, without question, the best work they've done thus far, and when I say I think they deserve their nomination it's not because I know them but because the work was worthy, simple as that.

You'll of course notice that I haven't mentioned who this person is, not even saying if it's a man or a woman, and if you're waiting for the big reveal then you're going to have to keep waiting because it ain't coming. I know this blog is occasionally filled with little name-dropping bits, but I'm keeping this one out because it's one thing to say that you met so-and-so, but another to pimp your friends out. I e-mailed them this morning (haven't heard back, but then again, I'm not really expecting to) and they certainly know how happy I am for them, but outside of this little piece I'm not out to ride their coattails any. They got nominated for an Oscar, I didn't. All their hard work and persistence is worth celebrating, and as their friend I'm as happy as I can be for them. But I'm leaving it at that.

That said, I'll certainly be watching the Academy Awards with a rooting interest that I never have before and if this person wins, I will be beyond fucking happy about it. This is a hell of a way to wrap up a great movie year and for my friend, an honor well (and long) deserved.