What’s The Oscar Buzz?

It’s late fall and the Oscar buzz has begun.

This article from msnbc.com looks into the categories certain actors and actresses will compete in. It answers these three questions along the way: What happens when there is no ‘lead’?; What if there is more than one ‘lead’; and What if there’s a huge star involved?.

So many questions but we only have to wait until January 23 for Oscar Nominations to be announced.

Actors position themselves for Oscar
Deciding whether to go for the lead or supporting statue is pivotal

For the casual moviegoer, the Oscar race doesn’t start until the nominations are announced at the end of January.

That would be akin to a baseball fan saying the season doesn’t start until the playoffs in October. For Red Sox, Dodgers or Yankees diehards, it all begins back in spring training, when lineups are determined, positions are earned and careers made.

That’s why this is my favorite time of year in the Oscar race — late fall, when the buzzed-about movies are making their way into screening rooms for first and impressionable looks, opinions confirmed or dissuaded and stars sent to bloom.

Much of the discussion on the Oscar derby has to do with which categories certain actors and actresses will compete. While it might seem like a no-brainer in decided where to place a Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada) or Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), it’s both a complicated and very personal decision.

Ultimately, it’s up to the actor to decide where they would like to place themselves — though the studio, publicist, manager and Oscar consultants usually chime in with their opinion. Often, the choice is obvious.

Last year’s winners — Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) — both had clearly leading roles and triumphed as such. And in most films, the decision about where to submit an actor is non-controversial.

Article continued here