Word: ledgers
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...That?s what Oscar is looking for: not acting but Acting! The Master Thespian strutting his bombastic stuff. By this standard, Heath Ledger, whose boldly subtle turn in Brokeback is so internalized you might need a surgeon to find it, is a less likely winner than Philip Seymour Hoffman, who?s much showier (and pretty swell too) as Truman Capote. Similarly, Reese Witherspoon, the world?s darling, may be seen as simply radiating star quality in her turn as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. (We love her, but, honestly, the movie is Joaquin Phoenix?s show...
WHAT THE BUZZ IS SAYING: At the Toronto Film Festival, where both Capote and Brokeback Mountain were launched, Ledger's performance was the one that earned the awe. But Academy members want a little showmanship in the roles they recognize (that's why Hustle & Flow's Terrence Howard is another viable contender), and it's Hoffman who is a one-man show...
...WHAT LEDGER IS SAYING: "I think that flattery is just as dangerous or destructive as criticism. I think it's all one thing." He's got the flattery, but will he get the Oscar...
WHAT HOFFMAN IS SAYING: "You never know what's going to happen on that night. I think we're all going to be sitting there with our heart in our hands." (He acknowledges, though, that he's not exactly rooting for Ledger.) Having spent most of the past couple of months accepting honors for Capote, Hoffman is getting used to the acclaim. "Awards season, I'm finding out, is a long season." It's about to get longer...
...Will Win: Hoffman Who Should Win: Ledger...