“An open letter to Oscar voters: Stop ignoring the magic of ‘Harry Potter’”

From LA Times TV Critic Mary McNamara:

There is something touching about the fact that “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1” opened in mid-November. It’s the unofficial beginning of Oscar season, after all. Whether Warner Bros. is thumbing its nose at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences or is still holding out hope for getting voters’ attention, it’s hard to imagine that things will be any different for this installment than they were for the previous six because Oscar just does not like Harry.

Think about it. Six films and no Oscars. None. Moving staircases, talking pictures, heart-stopping Quidditch games, villains that scare even adults and no Oscars. There have been nominations — for art direction, score, visual effects and costume design — but no wins, which, frankly, is hard to fathom. How could none of these films have won for costume design? Screenwriter Steve Kloves, an Oscar nominee for “Wonder Boys,” has adapted all but one of the books, a feat unprecedented in the annals of the Writers Guild, and he’s never been nominated for them. Ditto any of the directors. Or actors.

That’s right, none of the actors in six of the most popular films of all time has been nominated for an Oscar for their “Potter” roles. It’s not surprising that the young leads — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint — have been passed over; the academy prefers to nominate children in supporting roles and even then only in such scrappy emo-heavy indies as “The Piano” or “Little Miss Sunshine.”

You can read the rest here at the must-read Hero’s Complex blog.

How about movie fans? Does HP deserve some Oscar love? If so, why do you think every movie has been overlooked in the major creative categories?

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