As everyone knows, in the final weeks before the Academy Awards, Oscar campaigns are won and lost based not on the competing nominated film performances but on all the other crazy things the contenders do. So who blew their shot at last night’s SAG Awards? Maybe Kate Winslet! The only person shocked by her win for Best Supporting Actress seemed to be Kate Winslet, who gave an acceptance speech (see it after the jump) that was every bit as breathless and awestruck as the two she made at the Golden Globes a couple weeks ago (to loads of bad reviews). Could she really have not expected to win, again? While at least she didn’t commit the faux pas of forgetting the name of one of her fellow nominees this time, some worry that Oscar voters could get tired of her feigned surprise and over-the-top emotions. Remember, she still has the BAFTAs on February 8!
Not to be outdone, though, The Wrestler’s Mickey Rourke announced plans on the red carpet to compete in April’s Wrestlemania 25: “The boys from the WWE called me and asked me to do it,†he told Access Hollywood. “I said, ‘I want to’ … Chris Jericho, you better get in shape, because I’m coming after your ass.†And while the Academy’s anti-Wrestlemania bias is mostly implicit, few Oscar nominees have historically been brave enough to test it. Will voters think Rourke is as lunkheaded as his character? And does his announcement imply that he might’ve kept some of the wardrobe from The Wrestler?
So whose perceived misstep is worse? Since the Oscars have never really shown an allergy to excitable speech-makers, we’re probably inclined to say Rourke’s (also, we’re still pretty sure Winslet is going to win). But can either truly redeem him or herself? Maybe only if Rourke cries at the BAFTAs and Winslet participates in Wrestlemania.
Access Exclusive: Mickey Rourke To Get In The Ring With WWE For ‘Wrestlemania’ [Access Hollywood]