And the winner is...

Ah.... Oscar speculation time... Now I'm not about to sign in with my predictions at this point... there is still a lot of film to be seen between now and the end of the year... but there is one film that I have learned is going to get a MAJOR OSCAR push for Best Picture... and I'm delighted to hear about it.

CHICKEN RUN

I'm serious... DreamWorks is going to pursue an agressive Academy campaign to get CHICKEN RUN in the running for BEST PICTURE.

And personally, I couldn't be more delighted. And why shouldn't they. At this point, CHICKEN RUN is the most universally praised film by critics this year. A quick leap to ROTTEN TOMATOES' CHICKEN RUN page will reveal 55 critics from around the globe giving CHICKEN RUN positive reviews.... not one negative... zip, nada, pure glory.

Now it makes perfect sense... AARDMAN has a history with the Academy, they have multiple Academy Awards... albeit for short films. Is CHICKEN RUN destined to win BEST PICTURE and become the first Animated BEST PICTURE? Will it be nominated? I don't know, but Dreamworks is standing behind it. And ya know, in a year like this one... it might actually have a chance to get nominated. Combine this with Sony Classics upcoming Academy Campaign for a Best Picture nomination for CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON.... USA's push for TRAFFIC and Artisan's REQUIEM FOR A DREAM push and Sony's FINDING FORRESTER, Miramax's CHOCOLAT.... well there are some interesting choices... Dreamworks will also do a push for GLADIATOR. But at this point, I find the concept of a campaign for CHICKEN RUN the most appealing. Can't wait to see how this all plays out...