PRODUCERS GAME 2006

By now, I have to assume that everyone who once checked this site has wised up and quit the futile habit. I stopped posting. And I stopped caring. It would be unfair of me to ask you to continue to care. That being said, I'm posting today, even if I'm the only one who'll be reading it.

Once again, it's that time of year when I fill out my ballot for the Producers Game. In 2005, I picked 8 of the top ten box office hits for the year, burned by "Wedding Crashers" and "The Chronicles of Narnia." With mostly smaller movies taking up the five Best Picture slots, I only managed to pick one correctly -- "Munich" -- which I also predicted would win the award. Doesn't look like that's going to happen. In preparing my picks for 2006, I became convinced it's going to be a big year for the studios. Of course, I could be wrong. Here goes...

TOP TEN HITS OF THE YEAR
2 points each. For movies released between: 2/22/06 - 1/1/07

1. Cars
2. Superman Returns
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
4. The Da Vinci Code
5. M:i:III
6. X3
7. Poseidon
8. Monster House
9. Miami Vice
10. Over the Hedge

Alternate: Casino Royale


THE NUMBER ONE SUMMER MOVIE
3 points.

My pick: CARS

Alternate: Superman Returns


THE NUMBER ONE CHRISTMAS MOVIE
3 points. For movies released between November and New Year's Weekend.

My pick: CASINO ROYALE

Alternate: Happy Feet


TEN ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED FILMS
2 points each. All nominated categories are acceptable.

1. Flags of Our Fathers
2. All the King's Men
3. Dreamgirls
4. Cars
5. The Departed
6. A Prairie Home Companion
7. A Scanner Darkly
8. Babel
9. Che
10. Goya's Ghosts

Alternate: Marie Antionette


BEST ACTOR/SUPPORTING ACTOR NOMINATIONS
Name the actor and the film. 3 points each + bonus point if pick wins the award.

1. Benecio Del Toro - Che
2. Sean Penn - All the King's Men
3. Jack Nicholson - The Departed
4. Jamie Foxx - Dreamgirls
5. Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happiness

Alternate: Hugh Jackman - The Fountain

BEST ACTRESS/SUPPORTING ACTRESS NOMINATIONS
Name the actress and the film. 3 points each + bonus point if pick wins the award.

1. Nicole Kidman - Fur
2. Cate Blanchett - Babel
3. Annette Bening - Running With Scissors
4. Meryl Streep - A Prairie Home Companion
5. Natalie Portman - Goya's Ghosts

Alternate: Judi Dench - Notes From a Scandal


BEST DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS
Name the director and the film. 3 points each + bonus point if pick wins the award.

1. Clint Eastwood - Flags of Our Fathers
2. Martin Scorsese - The Departed
3. Robert Altman - A Prairie Home Companion
4. Bill Condon - Dreamgirls
5. Milos Forman - Goya's Ghosts

Alternate: Steven Zaillan - All the King's Men


WORST PICTURE NOMINATED FILMS
As determined by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation.
3 points each + bonus point if pick wins the award.

1. Basic Instinct 2
2. The Pink Panther
3. Failure To Launch
4. X3
5. M:i:III

Alternate: Marie Antionette


BEST PICTURE NOMINATED FILMS
1. DREAMGIRLS
2. FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS
3. ALL THE KING'S MEN
4. A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION
5. THE DEPARTED

Alternate: GOYA'S GHOSTS

BEST PICTURE

And the winner is: DREAMGIRLS


Alternate: A Prairie Home Companion