The first installment in the prequel Star Wars trilogy was bound to receive Academy Award nominations. After all, the first three classic films managed to garner a combined total of twenty nominations and this return to the galaxy far, far away after 15 years was certain to bring even more. Well, the nominations are in, and Episode I took three of them: Visual Effects, Sound Effects and Sound Editing. So here's the various schools of thought on the predictions of winners on the big night coming soon:

School of Thought #1 - TPM sweeps it's nominations

Episode I should win the Visual Effects category, although rivalry from popular films like The Matrix and Stuart Little really make this a tough race to call. While Matrix was really a fun ride (with the exception of that weird harvesting sequence, ugh) I'm not sure it was amazing enough to beat TPM. Also, I think the animals in Little, while really good, have been done quite effectively in the past and aren't as deserving of the nod.

And as for sound and sound editing, both were ground breaking on the film and absolutely deserve the Academy award. They designed new sound systems around the sounds of the movie, and the performance of Episode I in the latest build of the theater was called 'amazing' by scores of fans. I know the Academy has a tendency to be finicky, but as much as there was mixed reaction to the actual storyline of SW1, the technical side couldn't be equalled.

I would like to think TPM would get all three, but here's hoping for at least two on the big night later this month.

School of Thought #2 - TPM gets maybe one

TPM will win for Best Sound Effects, nothing else. Why? Because as some have pointed out, Hollywood is like any other system of power: it craves ALL power unto itself, and it leaves no room for dissent... especially dissent of the independent mind. Lucas bucks everything that the Hollywood system demands of its followers. It will give his team the Best Sound Effects award, but for them it will be a token symbol of acknowledgement. They'll admit that TPM was a box-office success, but cut away the illusion and theirs will be a stance based in spite, not admiration.

But hey, does it really matter? Lucas makes movies that people like, that people love and quote from every day. When was the last time that you heard someone quote a line from "The English Patient"?

School of Thought #3 - Zero golden boys

Episode I won't win any. Why?

The Academy uses the Oscars partly to send a message, partly to be a popularity contest. You'll notice that TPM was only nominated for the categories you could not possibly ignore it in - sound, effects, and sound editing (amazingly enough, no costumes, though?). TPM won't win any. The reason is that Lucas has continually thumbed his nose at Hollywood and operated independently. The message they are going to send to him is, "Great, you can do your own thing, but you can't have it both ways."

They want to let him know Hollywood is their sandbox and George can't run off and expect to come back. He can't thumb his nose and then expect to get awards.

Thus, no little golden guys for the TPM crew.

Joshua Griffin
TFN Staff
3/07/2000

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04/08/03 - Christopher Knight - Oscars Give Short Shrift to Fantasy
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01/14/03 - Michael Potts - Clone Wars: Expanded Universe Editorial

2002

09/03/02 - Joshua Griffin - Digital Pirates Sink Ships
05/17/02 - Chris Knight - Digital Projection: The Audience Is Watching... And Waiting
04/11/02 - TFN Staff - Thumbs Up, Tumbs Down for SW2 Marketing
03/08/02 - TFN Staff - Clone War Trailer Reaction
01/13/02 - TFN Staff - TFN Reaction to SNL N'Sync Skit
01/03/02 - TFN Staff - Boy Band Jedi Reactions

2001

12/12/01 - Chris Knight - Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
12/07/01 - Jeff Yankey - All I Want for Christmas
11/17/01 - Guest Editorial - Ritual and Romance of Episode II
10/04/01 - Guest Editorial - Why Episode I is Brilliant
10/02/01 - Guest Editorial - Episode I is Star Wars
09/30/01 - Guest Editorial - Why I Loved Episode I
09/25/01 - Joshua Griffin - Episode II: Make It or Break It Time
08/21/01 - Chris Knight - SW2: Attack On The Soul?
07/13/01 - Joshua Griffin - Special Time for SW Fans
05/14/01 - Joshua Griffin - AlphaCon is Finished
05/09/01 - Chris Knight - In The Beginning... Star Wars Comes To A Wired World
04/17/01 - Joshua Griffin - Global TFN - International Outlook on Star Wars
03/14/01 - Chris Knight - Palpatine vs. Hitler: Prequel Speculation Runs Amok!
02/13/01 - Chris Knight - "The Force" of Love: A Valentine's Day Editorial
01/17/01 - Chris Knight - Star Wars Could Continue... As Television Anthology
01/11/01 - Guest Editorial - A Review of A New Hope After the Prequels
01/07/01 - Guest Editorial - No - We Want the DVDs Now!
01/04/01 - Chris Knight - New Digital Disciple Says "Lets Wait On Star Wars DVDs"

2000

12/21/00 - Joshua Griffin - Is George Lucas Really a Genius?
11/18/00 - Joshua Griffin - To Spoil or Not to Spoil
11/06/00 - Joshua Griffin - The Power of the Election
11/01/00 - Chris Knight - Why Isn't There A Star Wars Postage Stamp?
08/17/00 - Jason McCabe Calacanis - The SW2 Fan Trailer (guest editorial)
07/14/00 - Joshua Griffin/Scott Chitwood - TFN's Spoiler Policy
06/20/00 - Chris Knight - Star Wars and the Saga of Life
05/13/00 - TFN Staff - TheForce.net Wish List
04/08/00 - Special Guest Editorial by Skybaugh - Worth the Wait
03/30/00 - Joshua Griffin - What Star Wars Has Won
03/19/00 - Joshua Griffin - The Next Denver Celebration
03/14/00 - Joshua Griffin - Fair Weather Fans
03/07/00 - Joshua Griffin - Predicting the Academy Award Winners
02/22/00 - Joshua Griffin - Who should profit from Star Wars?
02/16/00 - Joshua Griffin - Episode I and the Academy
01/27/00 - TFN Staff - Flaming TFN over DVD
01/25/00 - Chris Knight - Motivations of the Sith
01/20/00 - TFN Staff - Leonardo DiCaprio as Anakin?
01/10/00 - Joshua Griffin - World-Wide Star Wars
01/03/00 - Joshua Griffin - Mass Merchandising Menace

1999

12/13/99 - Joshua Griffin - Questioning Star Wars
11/22/99 - Joshua Griffin - Trusting Internet Rumors
11/11/99 - Paul Davidson - Rise of the Empire: China and TPM
10/28/99 - Scott Chitwood - Signs There Probably Won't Be a Sequel Trilogy
10/18/99 - Joshua Griffin - Why not Episode I DVD?
10/15/99 - Joshua Griffin - What Makes SW Fans Special
10/01/99 - Joshua Griffin - The PG Rating of TPM
09/07/99 - Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens - Comic and Book Wishlist
08/18/99 - TF.N Team - Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down on Episode I Everything
07/11/99 - Joshua Griffin - Parody Site isn't that funny
07/10/99 - Brian Linder - The Jar Jar Factor
06/08/99 - Joshua Griffin & Chris Knight - Why is Jar Jar in Episode I?
05/06/99 - Darin Smith - Return of the Child
03/09/99 - Scott Chitwood and Paul Ens - A Chat with LFL
02/07/99 - Amy Pronovost - Convention Romances, Can they Work?
01/23/99 - Scott Chitwood - What's up with Prowse?
01/01/99 - Scott Chitwood - Uncle George and Episode 1

1998

11/23/98 - Scott Chitwood - What Lucasfilm is doing right
11/05/98 - Scott Chitwood - Prequel Spoilers
09/28/98 - David Coates - First thoughts on the the Episode 1 Title
06/19/98 - Scott Chitwood - How Godzilla affected Episode I
04/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - The Art of the Space Battle
04/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - DIVX SUX
02/26/98 - Scott Chitwood - X-WING TV Series Should Fly
02/09/98 - Scott Chitwood - Xerox Sites
02/03/98 - Scott Chitwood - Canon Issue, Part 2
01/07/98 - Terrence Daniels - Canon = Personal Preference

1997

12/17/97 - Darin Smith - Everything I need to know...
11/15/97 - Chris Kivlehan - Six Episodes or Nine Episodes?
11/07/97 - Scott Chitwood - How do you solve a problem like Ewan?
11/03/97 - Scott Chitwood - How we get our Prequel 'Spy' info
10/22/97 - Paul Davidson - Trek vs. Wars