And the Winner Isn't

The 77th annual Academy Award (Oscar) nominations are out and whisperings have already begun regarding possible big winners. Among them are "The Aviator," "Ray," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Sideways."

Keep scrolling... keep scrolling. Oh, yes, there it is at the bottom. Let's see... Nominated for... cinematography, makeup and original score.
Hmm... That's odd.

Maybe it's in the nominations for Best Foreign Film?
Nope... not there either.

Hmph. Well, this is weird. I'm confused. Because according to www.boxofficemojo.com it's number 24 in the top grossing movies of all time -- even though it was released in early 2004. And it's competing with "Titanic" in the number 1 slot which has had a bit longer shelf life since its release in 1997.

And in the highest grossing R-rated movies of all time, it's number 1, with $370,274,604 (as of this posting), blowing away its next nearest competitor, "Matrix Reloaded" which comes in at $281,576,461 since its 2003 debut. The number 3 slot is a movie released in 1984. And don't get me wrong, I enjoyed "Beverly Hills Cop," but it's hardly a contender for Best Picture.

Well, maybe the Academy didn't have time to actually view "The Passion of the Christ," what with all the anti-American, pro-abortion fare taking up their energies.

But if voting were actually conducted with wallets and hearts, "The Passion of the Christ" would clearly be the big winner in 2004.

Guess it'll be the little secret of millions and millions of devoted fans.