One of the tightest races in Oscar history is brewing, wišth three different movies capturing key precš»ursor awards over the weekend.
A dramatic tie between ā12 Years a Slaveāāā and āGravityāā for the highly predictive Producers Guild of Americaš award early Monday morning has thrown the race into chaos ā coming just a day after āAmerican Hustleāā took the Screen Actors Guildās rough equivalent of a best picture award, for that pictureās acting ensemble.
There had never been a tie in the 24-year history of the PGA award for best feature film, an honor which has translated to Oscarās Best Pictź¦æure award for the past six years in a row and 17 times in its 24-year history.
The tie is considered espeš”cially signš ificant since the PGAās nominees virtually matched Oscars, and the PGA uses the same kind of preferential voting system as the academy.
There has never been a tie for the Best Picture Oscar, though there have been one tie apiece for Best Actor (in 1932) and Best Actress (1968) dušring the awardsā 85-year history.
Only ošne major guild award remains before the Oscar polls open on Fļ·ŗeb. 14 ā next Saturday nightās Directors Guild of America award, which has the best track record as an Oscar predictor. Its winner has gone on to win the Best Director Oscar all but seven times since it began in 1948.
Alfonso CuarĆ³n of āGravityāā is heavily favored š¹to triumph at the DGA awards, or at least he was before this weekšend.
Last year, the DGA went with Ben Affleck, who was not nominated at the Oscars for āArgo,āā which went on to win the Best Picture award. A split between the Best Picture and Beāst Director awards is considered likely at this yearās Oscars as well.
It was presenšter Affleck who announced the dramatic tie vote at the PGA awards, which are not televised (just as well, as Affleck, made a ājoke about the size of his penis).
Both the PGA winners āā12 Years a Slaveāā and āGravityāāā needed a victory to stay in contention for Oscarās Best Picture after āAmerican Hustleāā tookā± SAGās ensemble award Saturday night.
āHustleāā won beāst picture for a comedy at the Golden Globes, while ā12 Yearsāā took its only Globe for best picture on the drama side.
SAG gave its best actor award to Matthew McConaughey for āDallas Buyers Club,āā confirming his front-runner status at the Oscars after previously beating Chiwetel Ejiofor of ā12 Years aą·“ Slaveāā at the Golden Globes, where there are separate categories for leading actors in dramas versus comedies/musicals.
Globe winner Cate Blź¦anchett of āBlue Jasmineāā ź¦won for SAGās best actress, confirming sheās a virtual lock at the Oscars.
Dittoš° supporting actor Jared Leto of āDallas Buyers Clubāā ā though the SAG did differ from the Globes in their pick for supporting actress, Lupita Nyongāo of ā12 Years a Slave.āā
Because of the Winter Olympics, the Oscars wonāt be held until March 2 this year ā providing a long and much more suspenseful racš«e than it seemed like it would be just a few days ago.