by Wilfred Okiche

Hollywood’s brightest and biggest converge this weekend at the Kodak theatre, Los Angeles for the annual Academy awards ceremony and we in our usual excitement cannot wait to discover who wins what.

‘Wetin concern us with Oscars?’ you might ask. We realise that in these climes, an awards ceremony that is not being held at the Expo centre in Eko hotel or Bayelsa state for that matter and does not sport Genevieve Nnaji or Omotola (with an escort we actually recognize, say, her husband) on the red carpet might not generate much interest.

So we have come up with 7 reasons you should actually care about tomorrow’s telecast.

It’s the Oscars dammnit!

It is the most important night in moviedom. Yes it is over hyped, yes it’s boring but for sheer unbridled class and glamour, nothing quite matches it. The tradition is foolproof, the talent is enduring and for some hours every year, we can escape.

Billy Crystal is back as host

After James Franco and Anne Hathaway took last year’s show to new depths in the ratings war following their not-so-stellar hosting skills, the most consistent host in Oscar history, funny man Billy Crystal returns. Will he sink or swim? Only one way to find out.

Will Viola Davis be the next Halle Berry?

Where were you when Halle Berry made history and took home the trophy for best actress back in 2002? Going by recent predictions, it seems Viola Davis (The Help) is about to join Berry in that exclusive club by becoming the second black actress to win the best actress gong. It won’t come easy though as she has to fend off stiff opposition from perennial nominee, Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady).

The Artiste, Hugo or The Help

What film will win best picture? There are nine nominees this year and all eyes are on ‘The Artiste’ for a clean sweep. Will it or will it not?

The fashion – hits and misses

Oscar night has provided us with some iconic fashion moments as well as some head scratching moments. Who will be belle of the ball and who’s stylist will be fired after Sunday night?

Inspiration

There is nothing like a night rewarding hard work and  industry in the most glamorous way to spark up creative genes everywhere. Watching the Academy reward a little film (The Artist), a dark horse (The Help) or a veteran  (Martin Scorcese) might spark up the creative juices of a young whizkid somewhere in Kano or Asaba and they might just go on to write that story – or make that movie that will finally net us the Oscar someday. A pipe dream you might be quick to dismiss but every great achievement started as a dream.

See you at the Oscars.