Photo: Michael Underwood/ABImages.
Move over Matthew McConaughey. The prohibitive favorite to take home Oscar gold on March 2 for Best Actor in a leading role might have some competition. After sweeping the majority of the awards along the Oscar campaign trail, McConaughey seemed like a virtual lock. But, if what happened last night at Bing's annual Nominees Night event is any indication, then the tide may be turning in Leonardo DiCaprio's favor.
The search giant teamed up with The Hollywood Reporter for the annual event, which was held at Spago in Los Angeles. Attendees, which included fellow nominees Jared Leto, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy were asked to vote for who they think will win Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Picture, using an interactive ballot box that was set up on the red carpet. While their selection of Cate Blanchett went according to script, DiCaprio's emergence as the front-runner for Best Actor and his film Wolf of Wall Street's selection as the Best Picture favorite were the real shockers.
Since the attendees make up just a tiny percentage of the Academy, last night's results should obviously be taken with a grain of salt. Although they will have no bearing on the final tallies, they may indicate that cofavorites 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle may have peaked too early. David O. Russell sure seems to think so. According to reports, the American Hustle director spent several minutes at the booth making sure that votes for his own film, and his four nominated cast members, were counted. Boy, someone takes his awards seriously!