Another year, another Oscar snub for teen-heartthrob-turned-serious-actor Leonardo DiCaprio. "Django Unchained" netted nominations for Quentin Tarantino (in the Original Screenplay category) and supporting actor Christoph Waltz, but nothing for our Leo. This continues a losing/not-getting-the-chance-to-win streak set in motion way back in the 90s with "Titanic," a movie that anyone with a pulse just knew would yield at least a nod for its breakout star -- until it didn't. Leo was similarly shut out for "Romeo + Juliet," "The Basketball Diaries," "Catch Me If You Can," "Gangs Of New York," "Shutter Island," "Revolutionary Road" and "Inception." And even in the three cases when he was nominated -- for "Blood Diamond," "The Aviator," and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (in the Supporting Actor category) -- he went home empty-handed.
Is the Academy unfairly prejudiced against everyone's favorite boyish environmentalist, or is it possible his fans may be a teensy bit unrealistic about the quality of his performances? The Huffington Post rang up noted Leo fan and funny lady Michelle Collins in search of answers. She couldn't really provide any, though she did explain to us why she totally loves Leo:
"When "Titanic" came out he looked like a boy to me. Even though we were about the same age, I couldn't wrap my head around why people were freaking out about him. But then he grew into Fat Leo, which I like. I much prefer Fat Leo. I want Fat Leo to win everything. I thought he was unbelievable in "Django [Unchained]." Even though people are saying his accent is campy, I loved it. It was my favorite movie of the year."
In 2011, Oscars blogger Tom O'Neil told E! that the actor's bad luck was "his fault," for not campaigning correctly. "He would've won [in 2007] if he'd been nominated for the right film, but he had two rival roles in the running and he got nominated for the wrong one," O'Neil said, noting that Leo "agreed to campaign" for Best Actor in "Blood Diamond" instead of gunning for a more likely Best Actor win in "The Departed," which took Best Picture.
What do you think, readers? Is Leo his own worst enemy, or are the members of the Academy a bunch of meanies? Do tell.
