So to follow on from the previous piece introducing the Oscar-Winner Acting Tournament, I thought I would bring the “draw” post to you all much, much sooner than I initially promised. Though given the draw is chronological, as is the following rounds match-ups (So if Crowe wins, he could face Penn), you may or may not have figured out who will compete against who. We’ll find a “best” in all four categories, a “best” actress and actor regardless of categories, and one standing at the end voted as the best performance of the 64 Oscar-winners since 2000.
And the results of all of these match-ups comes down to every single vote cast by each and every one of you. My money is staying in my pocket for now regarding who I think will bring the votes in here, but I will be screaming nervously for the likes of Marion, Alicia, Philip, Adrien, Benicio, Rachel – and others. Here is the full draw for your perusal – as well as the full working draw on a view-only Excel sheet.
FULL DRAW LAYOUT TO BE FOUND HERE FOR VIEWING (EXCEL)
Actor in a Supporting Role
Benicio Del Toro (Traffic) vs Jim Broadbent (Iris)
Chris Cooper (Adaptation) vs Tim Robbins (Mystic River)
Morgan Freeman (Million Dollar Baby) vs George Clooney (Syriana)
Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) vs Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)
Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) vs Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Christian Bale (The Fighter) vs Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) vs Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
J.K. Simmons (Whiplash) vs Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)
Actress in a Supporting Role
Marcia Gay Harden (Pollock) vs Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) vs Renee Zellweger (Cold Mountain)
Cate Blanchett (The Aviator) vs Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)
Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) vs Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) vs Mo’Nique (Precious)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter) vs Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) vs Lupita N’yongo (12 Years a Slave)
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood) vs Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
Actor in a Leading Role
Russell Crowe (Gladiator) vs Denzel Washington (Training Day)
Adrien Brody (The Pianist) vs Sean Penn (Mystic River)
Jamie Foxx (Ray) vs Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) vs Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
Sean Penn (Milk) vs Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) vs Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) vs Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything) vs Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Actress in a Leading Role
Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich) vs Halle Berry (Monsters Ball)
Nicole Kidman (The Hours) vs Charlize Theron (Monster)
Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) vs Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)
Helen Mirren (The Queen) vs Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose)
Kate Winslet (The Reader) vs Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan) vs Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) vs Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice) vs Brie Larson (Room)
Get your electronic diaries set, between 4th and 16th December you’ll have some essential voting to do. Let’s face it, not going to break a sweat doing it. Spread the word too. Come on now, there is plenty to talk about here before the whole thing kicks off on Sunday. Who are your personal choices? Who are the realistic favorites? Who are the dark horses? Who has no chance? What are the most interesting match-ups? Will a man or woman win the final round? Comment below to get the discussion rolling.