Snub You Very Much | 2007 Academy Awards

This year’s Oscar nominations were the best and worst of both worlds. The film Dreamgirls led the pack with eight nominations but did not receive nominations in two categories in which it was considered a shoo-in: Best Director and Best Picture.

It was also a fantastic year for African-American and African actors. A record five acting nominations were presented to this year’s class, which included Forest Whitaker and Will Smith for Best Actor, Jennifer Hudson for Best Supporting Actress and Djimon Hounsou and Eddie Murphy for Best Supporting Actor. Both Whitaker and Hudson are also considered the frontrunners to win in their respective categories.

In addition to its acting nominations, Dreamgirls received nominations for three songs (“Listen,” “Love You I Do,” and “Patience”), as well as for Costume Design and Sound Mixing. There is a precedent for directors to be passed over, but the snub for Best Picture is a truly puzzling. In addition, Prince, who won a Golden Globe for his song in Happy Feet, and Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige’s passionate anthem, “Never Gonna Break My Faith,” from Bobby was passed over as well.

With over a month until Oscar night, we examine the major categories.

Best Actor
Whitaker’s dazzling, three-dimensional performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin left a lasting impression with the Academy's voters. Smith gave an emotional and touching performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. Leonardo DiCaprio was great in Blood Diamond. Ryan Gosling’s quietly-effective turn as a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson was moving. And Peter O’Toole gives a heartbreaking performance in a May/December romance in Venus.

Love To Snub You Baby
Jamie Foxx will be invited to the party but will have to sit at the small table this year. Derek Luke did fine work in Catch A Fire but, unfortunately, he’ll have to wait until next year.

The Pretenders
O’Toole was touchingly funny in Venus; Ryan Gosling gave a touching turn as a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson.

The Contenders
DiCaprio was recognized for one of his two great performances this year; Smith also gave a career performance.

The Envelope Goes To...
Whitaker’s signature performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin should win the top prize.


Best Actress
In the most star-studded and predictable category of this year’s Oscar, the usual suspects are represented in all their splendor. British actors Helen Mirren (The Queen), Judi Dench (Notes On A Scandal) and Kate Winslet (Little Children) all were amazing in their respective films. Penelope Cruz reconnects with her family in Volver, while Meryl Streep receives another nod as the ghastly boss from Hell in The Devil Wears Prada.

Love To Snub You Baby
Beyoncé Knowles was passed over in Dreamgirls. Keke Palmer was overlooked for Akeelah and The Bee, while Sanaa Lathan received the same old treatment for Something New.

The Pretenders
Both Cruz (Volver) and Winslet (Little Children) will look lovely on Oscar night, but as Snoop Dogg would say, “That’s That!”

The Contenders
Streep and Dench are well-respected, but this is not their year.

The Envelope Goes To...
All of the momentum is with Mirren who has been recognized as both Queen Elizabeth I and II.


Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy finally gets a nomination, 25 years after the beginning of his film career. Hounsou’s supercharged performance garners him a second nomination. Mark Wahlberg stole all of his scenes in The Departed. Arkin was deviously good in Little Miss Sunshine, while Jackie Earle Haley was huge in Little Children.

Love To Snub You Baby
Jaden Smith was ignored for his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. Laurence Fishburne was not recognized for his great work in Akeelah and the Bee. Chiwetel Ejiofor was solid in two films (Kinky Boots and Children of Men) and overlooked.

The Pretenders
Wahlberg, Haley and Hounsou are gearing up for a serious night of networking, just don’t expect to see any of them onstage accepting a trophy.

The Contenders
This is a two-horse race between two sentimental choices. Arkin returns as a nominee after a long absence, but it feels like this could be Murphy’s year.

The Envelope Goes To...
Murphy. His first truly dramatic role brings him the Oscar.


Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson burst onstage like a supernova, dominating arguably the year’s best film with her powerful vocals in Dreamgirls. She’ll have to contend with twin nominees from Babel (Adrianna Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi). Don’t discount sweetheart Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) and the formidable Cate Blanchett, who would be the frontrunner if Hudson were not in this category.

Love To Snub You Baby
Shareeka Epps was sensational in the little-seen Half Nelson. Kerry Washington was ignored for her performance in The Last King of Scotland. The mother of future humanity, Clare-Hope Ashitey, was not recognized in Children of Men.

The Pretenders
Kikuchi, Barraza and Breslin are all first-time nominees; maybe the second time will be a charm.

The Contenders
Blanchett proved that she makes wise choices and is able to execute many different characters.

The Envelope Goes To...
Hudson. This Dreamgirl will be an American Idol when her name is called on Oscar night.


Best Director
Will this finally be Martin Scorsese’s year? Unfortunately for him, his cinematic nemesis, Clint Eastwood, will stare him down again on Oscar night. Paul Greengrass was recognized for his deeply moving United 93. While both Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel) oversaw complex, yet effective, productions.

Love To Snub You Baby
What is going to take to get Spike Lee a nomination? Inside Man was Lee’s most accessible film to date, featuring a powerhouse cast and, once again, no nomination. Bill Condon, Dreamgirls' director, successfully adapted a successful Broadway play into an uber-successful film and was passed over. Ask Steven Spielberg about The Color Purple.

The Pretenders
Greengrass and Inarritu round out this competitive category.

The Contenders
Never discount Eastwood, even though it feels like he won a lot this decade. Also, Frears may prove formidable.

The Envelope Goes To...
Scorsese. He gets it, but not for his best film ever (think: Goodfellas or Raging Bull.)


Best Film
Hollywood kept it all-White again this year, ignoring the obvious choice in Dreamgirls. The best of the rest include a film about a mole infiltrating a group of Boston mobsters, an embattled family of royals dealing with the death of a princess, one really dysfunctional family traveling cross country to a beauty pageant, a Crash-esque drama that occurs in separate continents and the long-awaited Japanese side of the Iwo Jima story.

Love To Snub You Baby
In 1985, The Color Purple received 11 nominations and went home empty handed. Is it better to be shutout on Oscar night or not be invited to the party? It feels awfully strange that Dreamgirls was the equal of this category’s nominees, and receiving the most nominations, will not be acknowledged as one of the year’s best films.

The Pretenders
If Scorsese wins Best Director, The Departed will not win in this category.

The Contenders
An argument can be made for each of the remaining films. Each has won either major critics’ awards or Golden Globes nominations.

The Envelope Goes To...
The call here is either Babel or Little Miss Sunshine.

This article also appeared on BET.com