An American beauty

By now you know what matters to me about this year's Oscar race: LET ANNETTE BENING WIN! I wouldn't for a second deny that Hillary Swank's work in Million Dollar Baby is amazing and award-worthy. However, we all know that Oscars aren't all about performance. If that were the case, then Bening would have won the Oscar back in 1999 for American Beauty instead of Swank. What follows is a list of reasons why Annette should win this year for Being Julia.

1) Annette Bening has never won an Academy Award. I can't fathom a world in which both Mira Sorvino and Marisa Tomei have an Oscar, but not Annette Bening. It doesn't compute.

2) The obvious: Swank already won. And she's barely 30.

3) On that same topic, not even Meryl Streep has two Best Actress Oscars. Do we really want to send the message that Hillary Swank is a better actress than Meryl Streep?

4) Out of all this year's 19 acting nominees in the respective categories, only Hillary Swank boasts a previous Oscar win. In such a diverse year, why award an actress who's already won?

5) Not since 1995 has an actress over the age of 40 won a Best Actress Oscar. Don't let your age bias show, Hollywood. Last year's nomination for the Whale Rider girl was embarrassing enough. Make up for it this year.

6) It was Bening, not Kevin Spacey, who made me weep in American Beauty. Now that's powerful.

Now. You'd be a fool not to select Annette Bening as your next Best Actress winner. I rest my case.