Rank the acting nominees of years past! I was bored.

Yes, I was bored. It's amazing (-ly creepy) that from 2002 to 2009, I've only missed 2 acting nominees. Sorry Ruby and Annette! Looking at the 2001 roster, things started to fall apart so I stopped in 2002.

I'd say the worst lineup is 2006. Blood Diamond? Really Academy? Leo was so great in The Departed! Lead Actress that year was probably the best it was the entire decade, though. I'm not so sure about best overall lineup. I want to say 2007's, as I remember being really happy about the nominees. Then, Heath Ledger died later in the day. Looking over it, you'd assume 2009 given I chose 3 of the Oscar winners as my best, but each category has a weak link and several just feel like fillers. Maybe 2002?

Best Overall Lineup: 2007
Worst Overall Lineup: 2006
Best Category: 2005's Best Actor, 2006's Best Actress, 2002's Best Actor
Worst Category: 2006's Best Supporting Actress & 2005's Best Supporting Actor

So 2006's Lead Actress rocked while supporting actress sucked. Same thing for 2005, but with the men.

Worst Oscar Winning Performances:
Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Hudson, George Clooney, Alan Arkin and Sandra Bullock


*** - denotes Oscar winner

2009:
Actor:
1. Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart***
2. Colin Firth - A Single Man
3. Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
4. George Clooney - Up in the Air
5. Morgan Freeman - Invictus

Actress:
1. Carey Mulligan - An Education
2. Gabourey Sidibe - Precious
3. Meryl Streep - Julie and Julia
4. Helen Mirren - The Last Station
5. Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side***

Supp. Actor:
1. Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds***
2. Woody Harrelson - The Messenger
3. Christopher Plummer - The Last Station
4. Matt Damon - Invictus
5. Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones

Supp. Actress:
1. Mo'nique - Precious***
2. Anna Kendrick - Up in the Air
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
4. Penelope Cruz - Nine
5. Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air

2008:
Actor:
1. Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
2. Sean Penn - Milk***
3. Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
4. Frank Langella - Frost / Nixon
5. Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Actress:
1. Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
2. Melissa Leo - Frozen River
3. Meryl Streep - Doubt
4. Kate Winslet - The Reader***
5. Angelina Jolie - Changeling

Supp. Actor:
1. Josh Brolin - Milk
2. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight***
3. Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
5. Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Supp. Actress:
1. Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona***
2. Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
3. Amy Adams - Doubt
4. Viola Davis - Doubt
5. Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2007:
Actor:
1. Daniel Day Lewis - There Will Be Blood***
2. Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
3. Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
4. George Clooney - Michael Clayton
5. Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah

Actress:
1. Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose***
2. Laura Linney - The Savages
3. Ellen Page - Juno
4. Julie Christie - Away From Her
5. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Supp. Actor:
1. Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
2. Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men***
3. Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
4. Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton
5. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War

Supp. Actress:
1. Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
2. Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton***
3. Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
4. Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
NS: Ruby Dee - American Gangster

2006:
Actor:
1. Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
2. Peter O'Toole - Venus
3. Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland***
4. Leonardo Dicaprio - Blood Diamond
5. Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

Actress:
1. Helen Mirren - The Queen***
2. Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
3. Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
4. Penelope Cruz - Volver
5. Kate Winslet - Little Children

Supp. Actor:
1. Jackie Earle Haley - Little Children
2. Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
3. Mark Wahlberg - The Departed
4. Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine***
5. Djimon Honsou - Blood Diamond

Supp. Actress:
1. Rinko Kikuchi - Babel
2. Adriana Barraza - Babel
3. Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
4. Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
5. Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls***

2005:
Actor:
1. Heath Ledger - Brokeback Mountain
2. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Capote***
3. Terrence Howard - Hustle and Flow
4. Joaquin Phoenix - Walk the Line
5. David Strathairn - Good Night and Good Luck

Actress:
1. Keira Knightley - Pride and Prejudice
2. Reese Witherspoon - Walk the Line***
3. Felicity Huffman - Transameria
4. Charlize Theron - North Country
5. Judi Dench - Mrs. Henderson Presents

Supp. Actor:
1. Jake Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain
2. Matt Dillon - Crash
3. William Hurt - A History of Violence
4. Paul Giamatti - Cinderella Man
5. George Clooney - Syriana***

Supp. Actress:
1. Amy Adams - Junebug
2. Michelle Williams - Brokeback Mountain
3. Rachel Weisz - The Constant Gardener***
4. Frances McDormand - North Country
5. Catherine Keener - Capote

2004:
Actor:
1. Leonardo Dicaprio - The Aviator
2. Jamie Foxx - Ray***
3. Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda
4. Clint Eastwood - Million Dollar Baby
5. Johnny Depp - Finding Neverland

Actress:
1. Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
3. Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby***
4. Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace
NS: Annette Bening - Being Julia

Supp. Actor:
1. Clive Owen - Closer
2. Thomas Haden Church - Sideways
3. Morgan Freeman - Million Dollar Baby***
4. Jamie Foxx - Collateral
5. Alan Alda - The Aviator

Supp. Actress:
1. Cate Blanchett - The Aviator***
2. Virginia Madsen - Sideways
3. Natalie Portman - Closer
4. Laura Linney - Kinsey
5. Sophie Okonedo - Hotel Rwanda

2003:
Actor:
1. Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog
2. Bill Murray - Lost In Translation
3. Jude Law - Cold Mountain
4. Sean Penn - Mystic River***
5. Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Actress:
1. Charlize Theron - Monster***
2. Keisha Castle-Hughes - Whale Rider
3. Naomi Watts - 21 Grams
4. Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give
5. Samantha Morton - In America

Supp. Actor:
1. Benecio Del Toro - 21 Grams
2. Tim Robbins - Mystic River***
3. Djimon Honsou - In America
4. Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai
5. Alec Baldwin - The Cooler

Supp. Actress:
1. Shorheh Agdashloo - House of Sand and Fog
2. Patricia Clarkson - Pieces of April
3. Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River
4. Renee Zellweger - Cold Mountain***
5. Holly Hunter - Thirteen

2002:
Actor:
1. Jack Nicholson - About Schmidt
2. Nicolas Cage - Adaptation
3. Daniel Day Lewis - Gangs of New York
4. Michael Caine - The Quiet American
5. Adrien Brody - The Pianist***

Actress:
1. Diane Lane - Unfaithful
2. Julianne Moore - Far From Heaven
3. Renee Zellweger - Chicago
4. Nicole Kidman - The Hours***
5. Salma Hayek - Frida

Supp. Actor:
1. Chris Cooper - Adaptation***
2. Christopher Walken - Catch Me If You Can
3. Paul Newman - Road to Perdition
4. Ed Harris - The Hours
5. John C. Reilly - Chicago

Supp. Actress:
1. Catherine Zeta-Jones - Chicago***
2. Julianne Moore - The Hours
3. Meryl Streep - Adaptation
4. Kathy Bates - About Schmidt
5. Queen Latifah - Chicago


I'll probably do Directing, Screenplay and Picture later in the week. I guess this is the official countdown to Oscar?

:-)