Enter our 2010 Oscar competition

It’s that time of year again.  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will hand out Oscar awards on March 7th 2010.  We are holding our first Oscar competition, and it is open to past, present and future clients of Bride & Groom Films. The winner will receive 10 copies of their wedding video/DVD in personalized cases, absolutely free.  Two runner-up prizes of 5 copies on DVD in personalized cases are also up for grabs.

All you have to do is pick who you think is going to win, in each category below, and e-mail your predictions to info@brideandgroom.ie, on or before 6pm on March 7th 2010.  Be sure to include your name, address, telephone numbers and the date of your wedding.

There are 24 Oscar categories, but I don’t expect you to have any insight into “Sound Mixing” or “Sound Editing”, for example, or to know the difference between the two.  Let’s keep it simple.  I’ve stuck to the “main” categories.  The winner will be the person who gets the most predictions correct.  In the event of a tie, a name will be picked from a hat (well, probably not really a hat) or a coin will be tossed.

Only one entry is allowed per wedding date.  You must choose one nominee from each category below.  If you win, your 10 copies of your wedding video/DVD will be added to your chosen package, and you will receive everything together once your wedding video/DVD is edited and ready to go out to you.  If you are a past client, you are of course also eligible to enter.  Your wedding video/DVD package will be sent to you by registered mail to the address that you provide.  This will require a signature during working hours so perhaps it’s best to provide a work address.

If you are not yet our client, you will need to book and enter the competition on or before March 7th 2010.

The Oscars will be held in Los Angeles at The Kodak Theatre on March 7th.  It is being hosted this year by Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, two actors I greatly admire.  It is the first time that the main category, Best Picture, has ten nominations as opposed to the usual five since 1943 when ‘Casablanca’ won Best Picture.

The Irish have five nominees this year in various categories. ‘Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty’ is nominated for ‘Best Animated Short Film’.  ‘The Secret of Kells’ is nominated for ‘Best Animated Feature Film’, but it is up against stiff competition, as ‘Up’ and ‘The Fantastic Mr. Fox’ are nominated in the same category.  The ‘Secret of Kells’ did manage, however, to deprive two Hollywood blockbusters of a nomination:  ‘Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs’ and ‘Monsters v Aliens’.

In the ‘Best Live Action Short Film’ category the Chernobyl disaster-themed film ‘The Door’ is nominated.  It was made by Bray-based Octogon Films and was filmed in the Ukraine.  It is in Russian with English subtitles.  And finally, Ballyfermot College of Further Education graduate Richard Baneham is nominated in the category of visual effects for ‘Avatar’.  I think it’s safe to say that ‘Avatar’ will win Best Visual Effects, so Ballyfermot College will have a lot to celebrate come March 8th.

There’s not much time left to the Oscars, so enter now.  E-mail your predictions to info@brideandgroom.ie

Best Picture

Avatar

The Blind Side

District 9

An Education

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

A Serious Man

Up

Up in the Air

Best Director

James Cameron, ‘Avatar’

Kathryn Bigelow, ‘The Hurt Locker’

Quentin Tarantino, ‘Inglourious Basterds’

Lee Daniels, ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’

Jason Reitman, ‘Up in the Air’

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Jeff Bridges in ‘Crazy Heart’

George Clooney in ‘Up in the Air’

Colin Firth in ‘A Single Man’

Morgan Freeman in ‘Invictus’

Jeremy Renner in ‘The Hurt Locker’

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Matt Damon in ‘Invictus’

Woody Harrelson in ‘The Messenger’

Christopher Plummer in ‘The Last Station’

Stanley Tuccy in ‘The Lovely Bones’

Christoph Waltz in ‘Inglourious Basterds’

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Sandra Bullock in ‘The Blind Side’

Helen Mirren in ‘The Last Station’

Carey Mulligan in ‘An Education’

Gabourey Sabide in ‘Precious’

Meryl Streep in ‘Julie & Julia’

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Penelope Cruz in ‘Nine’

Vera Farmiga in ‘ Up in the Air’

Maggie Gyllenhaal in ‘Crazy Heart’

Anna Kendrick in ‘Up in the Air’

Mo’Nique in ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’