Pub argument about The Dark Oscar Winner

I think I was one of the few people that didn't feel infinite sympathy for Heath Ledger upon the announcement of his suicide last year. It isn't that I didn't like him as a person or respect him as an actor, in fact I quite liked him, it is that suicide is irresponsible, specially for a father. That might seem cold but it is still a crime and many religions agree that you shouldn't take your own life. And this is where the Oscar talk comes in. Ledger's Joker was fantastic, ten times Jack Nicholson's camp performance. I'm not saying Ledger will only get nominated/win because he died. I'm saying that people will talk about his (or not) nomination/win because he died. And this makes it hard for me to fish out who is serious and who is a sheep.

If you haven't guessed by now the topic of Ledger and the Oscars came up at the pub the other night. As did the question "So if not Ledger, then who?" Which caused me a few problems. All I could come up with was Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges and Phillip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War. I didn't do very well (Hoffman got that nomination last year). I did much better with why I couldn't.

It was friday night when we talked about this and as such I hadn't had chance to watch any of this weeks films. Including "The Reader". Add "The Wrestler", "Che: Part One", "Milk", "Frost/Nixon", "Revolutionary Road", and "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button". Also "In Doubt" (But not "Changeling" as I was very disappointed with it) as the Globes have Hoffman down as in a supporting role. This list is not only Oscar fodder but also yet to be released in the UK. This is the problem with talking about Oscars now, it's way too early.

Back to the Golden Globes and I have another problem. Ledgers competition. Two of the other nominees are for tropic thunder. That is they believe that five of the films on the list above have nothing to offer in terms of supporting men to compete with tropic thunder. There is a reason that the Globes are before then Oscars, publicity. Hopefully this year they can have another purpose, giving the Ledger sheep the token offering they require.