Experts slugfest mailbag: ‘Juror #2,’ ‘The Piano Lesson,’ and a Best Original Song fix?

Will “Juror #2” be an Oscar player? How will “The Piano Lesson” fare compared to previous August Wilson adaptations? Gold Derby editors and experts Christopher Rosen and Joyce Eng are here to answer your burning questions of the week.

Clint Eastwood loves to drop a last-minute Oscar surprise (see: “Million Dollar Baby,” “American Sniper”) to great success, but his recent output hasn’t had much luck, save for “Richard Jewell” and Kathy Bates‘ Best Supporting Actress nomination. In such an unpredictable Oscar race, could an ostensibly broad-appealing courtroom thriller like “Juror #2” make a splash? Toni Collette had been floating around the top 10 in the Best Supporting Actress odds before the trailer dropped last week and is currently in eighth place.

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Meanwhile, “The Piano Lesson” is forecasted to receive one nomination, in Best Supporting Actress for Danielle Deadwyler, who sits in second place. That would be a downturn in nominations for August Wilson adaptations after “Fences” earned four and won for Best Supporting Actress for Viola Davis, and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” received five and won two for makeup and hairstyling and costume design. Are there categories we’re all underestimating it in? And if Deadwyler is a potential lone nominee, just like she was for “Till,” could she be snubbed again?

Elsewhere, we discuss a possible solution to the Oscars’ Best Original Song program, if and how the awards calendar could affect Oscar results, and more.

Email your questions to [email protected].

Timestamps:
Intro and “Juror #2” (0:00)
“The Piano Lesson” (8:17)
Oscar hosts (17:27)
The awards calendar (21:06)
“Megalopolis” (25:47)
TV crossovers and “Dr. Odyssey” (30:26)
A Best Original Song fix (34:07)
Razzies and “Deadpool & Wolverine” in VFX (37:48)
“Pachinko,” “The Wild Robot,” and “Wicked” (41:42)
“Sugar” Season 2, SAG stunts, and Vulture’s Movies Fantasy League (51:19)
“The Brutalist,” “A Complete Unknown,” “Emilia Pérez,” and “September 5” (55:47)
“Babygirl” and anticipated movies (1:01:45)
Rafael Nadal’s retirement (1:03:17)
Mets heading to NLCS (1:07:17)
TV cancellations (1:08:54)

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