I am so glad that Dreamgirls did not receive a nomination for Best Picture. The experts always conclude that if a musical is actually good, then it will receive a nomination. Not this time, and it really might signal an end to that kind of presumption. Many of the old guard in the Academy are dying off, which means that the musicals are no longer going to get a free ride to the top. If Dreamgirls had been nominated, the awards telecast this year was going to be nigh unwatchable. Bad enough that the wretched Little Miss Sunshine is nominated, but also Degeneres is the host. She has NEVER, EVER, been funny.
Alan Arkin phoned in his performance in Sunshine. This nomination is obviously more for his career.
I'm kinda shocked that DiCaprio was nominated for Blood Diamond instead of The Departed. I was blown away by the latter, but didn't see the former. The Academy has a stupid rule that the same actor cannot be nominated twice in the same category, otherwise DiCaprio had a good chance at two nominations. DiCaprio might benefit though and receive votes based on both performances.
One more thing. Early on, right after he saw it, David Poland actually wrote that Dreamgirls had a very good shot at the nomination record. It fell a little short.
