Sunday, January 24, 2010

Oscars 2010: Bridges vs. Clooney

Lloyd Bridges and Rosemary Clooney probably never crossed paths in Hollywood’s glory days, but his son and her nephew are about to face off in what’s shaping up as one of the most closely watched contests of the awards season. One of them will best the other at Saturday’s SAG Awards, and go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor.

Clooney has acted his way to one Oscar win and one nomination (not counting one nom apiece for writing and directing) to Bridges’ four nominations. Ironically, they co-starred last year in “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”

Bridges has paid his dues, beginning with his 1970 film debut, “The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go.” The bizarre James Mason-Burgess Meredith comedy was made in Hong Kong, where the producer left the cast stranded when the money ran out; it was never theatrically released, but eventually escaped on home video.

And the winner is… ?