Hail to the King

*Disclaimer: This post contains unabashed Oscar worship and places undue importance on the coveted statue. Please do not read if you think the Academy Awards are a monumental waste. That is all well and true, but it doesn't suppress the shere arousal I experience at the mere thought of giving an acceptance speech.*

With 2005 only months away, I can't help but lament the fact that so few of 2004's performances seem Oscar worthy. That said, one actor and two actresses have my undivided worship and allegiance because, unlike so many other wannabees who are more concerned with their US Weekly exposure, they are brilliant.

You already know Annette Bening and Jamie Foxx. Bening stars in Being Julia and gives a performance that has Katharine Hepburn envious in the beyond; Foxx is Ray Charles reincarnate in Ray. However, both are performers who've received their fair share of adulation.

So allow me to reintroduce you to Regina King, one of the most frustratingly underrated actresses of all-time. She's long been relegated to supporting roles in Jerry Maguire, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Enemy of the State and, of course, "227." Now, in Ray, she gives the supporting performance of a lifetime. As Ray's fiery mistress, King proves she's more than Cuba Gooding Jr.'s long-suffering wife (and as Jamie Foxx says, she's no "vanilla n*gger").

On a personal note, Regina is a regular at the sports club, and second to none she is the nicest actress I've met in Los Angeles. She has absolutely no pretense, doesn't arrive at the gym with her sunglasses on, and is humble yet genuine when receiving compliments about her work.

I might not wholeheartedly endorse a presidential candidate this year, but Regina King has my full support for Best Supporting Actress. Even Jackee would be proud.