2007 Diva Cup Awards: Best Supporting Actor

And the nominees are...

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men
Although not quite as much fun as Hannibal Lecter (to whom everyone compares him), Bardem's creation is just as creepy because he seems like someone you could possibly run into in a sleepy small town.
Key Scene: The coin toss and "Call it...friendo."

Paul Dano as Paul Sunday and Eli Sunday in There Will Be Blood
I wasn't too terribly fond of Dano in his supposed "breakthrough" performance in Little Miss Sunshine, but after seeing him stand toe-to-toe with a larger than life Daniel Day-Lewis, I have a new found respect for him. His over-the-top shrieking like he was Malachai from Children of the Corn in the trailer really bothered me, but seeing it in the context of the film, Dano completely blew me away.
Key Scene: Chastising his father for selling to Plainview

Ben Foster as Charlie Prince in 3:10 to Yuma
Relentless in his journey to save the man he loves from an impending death sentence, Foster finds the delicate balance between a Christian-esque flaming stereotype and so subtle that his attraction to Crowe is seen as nothing more than a "friendship". Plus, you have to love the way he rocks that leather jacket...total rockstar.
Key Scene: Waiting for Ben to come out of the hotel

James Marsden as Prince Edward in Enchanted and Corny Collins in Hairspray
Facing obscurity after his few years as a 90's pretty boy (and as the guy who always gets dumped), James Marsden unleashed untapped star quality and sang and danced his way into the hearts of Americans all over (well, at least mine). Even with such goofy characters, Marsden remains committed to the performance at all costs.
Key Scene: In Hairspray, "The Nicest Kids in Town". In Enchanted, slaying the "dragon"

Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens in Michael Clayton
Is he really insane, or he is the only sane person left in a world full of corruption and winning at all costs? Wilkinson teeters on the edge of going majorly over-the-top, but there's a reason for it: he's a mad prophet, preaching to no one who gives a damn what he has to say.
Key Scene: The opening monologue....some people hated it, but I was hooked from "I'm drenched in afterbirth."

If Only There Were Six: Heath Ledger, I'm Not There Cate be damned, Heath had the most interesting part of I'm Not There, understanding this shallow cad and making him work in the grand scheme of things. Heath will surely be missed.

Rest of the Top 10: Sam Rockwell, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford...Robert Downey, Jr., Zodiac...Ed Harris, Gone Baby Gone...Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

BRONZE
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

SILVER
Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

GOLD
James Marsden, Enchanted, Hairspray

2007 Diva Cup Awards: Best Musical Scene

The reason I decided to split this category up from Best Scene was simple. If I had kept it the way it was, I would have filled 3 of the 5 spots with musical numbers, so why not just give them their own damn category? It also helped that this year had an abundance of musicals, so there was a ton to choose from.

And the nominees are...
Enchanted: "Happy Working Song"
Only Amy Adams could make this song- or the fact that cockroaches are helping to clean the apartment- work. Her light touch, as she flitters about the apartment in that dramatic ball gown, turned what could have been a throw-off number into something, excuse the pun, enchanted.

Hairspray: "I Can Hear the Bells"
The staging of this number for the big screen (compared to on stage, where it was absolutely nothing) was a blessing. It doesn't hurt that it was also very witty (the teacher's lounge, the nurse).

Hairspray: "Without Love"
An admittedly silly choice, but this is the one musical sequence that I made sure and told everyone about afterwards. What was it about this scene that had me going, made me laugh so hard I really thought I was going to pee? Two words: Zac Efron. I give him mad props for going all the way with this number and, unlike "Bet On It!" from HSM2, it's not a complete embarrassment.

La Vie en Rose: "Non, je ne regrette rien"
The perfect note to end this film on: child Edith, young adult Edith, dying Edith and entertainer Edith all converge with the swelling of emotion from the song. A second viewing on YouTube left me a little cold, but there's no denying that first experience (which was almost the equivalent of J. Hud's "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going").

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: "Beautiful Ride"
A hilarious parody of the stereotypical last song of a musical biopic that encompasses all the ups and downs of the singer's life (and even funnier considering that it's mocking just what I loved about the previous nominee La Vie en Rose).

If Only There Were Six: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street: "Epiphany" Here comes the barber...and he is pissed.

Rest of the Top 10: Juno: "Anyone Else But You"...Enchanted: "That's How You Know"...Across the Universe: "Strawberry Fields Forever"...Once: "Falling Slowly"

BRONZE
Enchanted: "Happy Working Song"

SILVER
Hairspray: "Without Love"

GOLD
Hairspray: "I Can Hear the Bells"

2007 Diva Cup Awards: Best Quote/Line Reading

And the nominees are...

"How could they forget Vietnam?"
(Julie Christie, Away From Her)
A haunting moment of clarity; if Fiona can see this connection, why are we still over in Iraq?

"I don't know what melodramatic means..."
(James Marsden, Enchanted)
There were so many great line readings from James Marsden in Enchanted that it was hard to narrow it down (I almost went with "Giselle!" or "Thank you for taking care of my bride, peasants."), but then I remembered that this is the one that made me laugh hardest so I went with it.

"I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"
(Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood)
An instantly iconic line that could be seen as out of place, but delivered with so much power by Day-Lewis that it works.

"I love you. Come back...come back to me."
(Keira Knightley, Atonement)
When Nicole Kidman delivered practically the same line in Cold Mountain, it came off as cartoonish, a way to write off the entire mess of a film. But when Keira Knightley says it this time around, the simple words turn into an eloquent cry for love.

"Whoa, dream big!"
(Ellen Page, Juno)
There were many lines to pick from, but Page, with that unique comic timing, makes this inconsequential line pop and sizzle with energy.

If Only There Were Six: "I am very, very sorry for the distress that I have caused" (Romola Garai, Atonement) Briony's been practicing this line over and over again, but still manages to mess up. A brilliant reading from Garai.

Rest of the Top 10: "I think I may be beginning to disappear" (Julie Christie, Away From Her)..."You were never in the fucking KGB" (Naomi Watts, Eastern Promises)..."Well, the funny thing about my back is that it's located on my cock" (Jonah Hill, Superbad)..."'Detroit sound?' What's that- the cries of people being mugged?" (Michelle Pfeiffer, Hairspray)

BRONZE
"I don't know what melodramatic means..."

SILVER
"How could they forget Vietnam?"

GOLD
"I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"

"The Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"

Is it sad that I'm really excited for this movie? The more I hear about it, the more I am just dying to see it. And doesn't Amy Adams do a brilliant job with this song? Love it! I can not wait until November 21st to see Adams, my James Marsden singing again and Susan Sarandon playing an evil diva witch.