Winslet wins on sixth try

 

By far one of the best changes to this rejiggered Oscar show is the way the acting awards are being presented. And if we'd known about this ahead of time? Would it have been any less meaningful?

Definitely not.

It's the juxtaposition of the prior winners with the current nominees that works. And not only that, it's the way the nominees are being introduced and saluted. It's so much more personal. It's warmer; it's real. 

And just now as Kate Winslet won her first trophy in six tries, for best actress in "The Reader," and was quickly surrounded by those presenters -- Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman among them -- it was an authentic moment of joy. We don't get nearly enough of these.

Winslet, who says she's been dreaming of this moment since she was a kid practicing her acceptance speech in the bathroom mirror, gladly trades the shampoo bottle of her youth for the Little Gold Guy.

As we said before, we still feel like this is a case of right actor/wrong role, but Winslet's win was a sweet TV event. And it works for our predictions, which are swimming along quite nicely, thank you very much.