Another one of these things?
Well it looks like Awards Daily has jumped into the prognosticative charts racket, offering up "The Sultans of Bling." The participants are all readers and "civilians," as contributor Ryan C. Adams calls them, many of them perusers of the Awards Daily forums, no doubt.My first thought was, "You've got to be kidding me," but it's true that the objectivity you find in "amateurs" (as the media so callously dubbed passive Oscarwatchers in recent years -- a term with an unnecesssary negative quotient more often than not) can many times lead to a more accurate assessment of the eventual awards fallout than even the sanctioned outlets of the scene. Then again, the "Sultans" do have "There Will be Blood" firmly at the #3 spot, what they might see as a knee-jerk, fanboy reaction upon finally viewing the film (a film I'm on the record as kind of digging).
Anyway, give it a look. Another group of voices has joined the pot. They should grow a set, however, and tackle the technical categories since neither the Buzzmeter nor the Gurus o' Gold seem to care or, at least, be willing.
The Sultans of Bling Introductory Article
The Sultans of Bling Introductory Charts
Red Carpet District is Variety contributor Kristopher Tapley's attempt at making sense of the ever-expanding glut of film awards coverage. He's been on the beat for six years. Email 
The Sultans of Bling are brilliant! Look for these members on the Red Carpet with expert analysis in your near future. Great Work!
Posted by: Jazzmen | 11/20/2007 5:21:13 AM
<i>A week ago cjkennedy was a troll on the Hollywood Elsewhere boards, and now he's a Sultan of Bling.</i> From troll to sultan in one week? Not even WeightWatchers works that fast! To me, a troll is someone whose comments detract rather than add to the discourse. I'd say CJ Kennedy is the opposite of a troll -- and he also looks great in bling.
Posted by: Pierre de Plume | 11/19/2007 7:51:56 PM
J, the nickname Sultans of Bling isn't meant to imply that the actual Oscar statuette is bling, nor is the estimable honor of winning one. But I guess you've missed the red carpet ceremonies, with the renta-security hovering around stars dripping with millions of bucks in loaned bling. I guess you've not noticed the mega-bling-bucks spent on page after page of glitzy FYC ads. And maybe you don't quite grasp the concept that the studios aren't promoting their films for Oscar glory merely for altruistic charitable reasons -- but rather because the studios know that every Oscar translates directly into a big boost of box-office bling. Come February, check out the pageantry of the Kodak bling theater encrusted with blingification, and try to avert your eyes from the major advertising and marketing bling that makes the whole blingin show financially feasible. Cha-ching by any other name is still bling. Full disclosure: We're not actual Sultans, either, and the gurus are not Jedi, and none of this is nearly as Mount Olympus as anyone likes to playact it is. It's just... fun. And if one has the right attitude, one can enjoy it for what it is, and forgive it for what it isn't. I think the major difference between you and the Sultans, J, is we love the Oscars enough to tolerate its foibles, while you confess you hate the whole season. That's fine if that's how you want to feel, but I'd rather not be held responsible for icing your bitter hate cake, ok? Why not go find something really important to spend your excess exclamation points on? (honestly, all that gasping: not pretty.) The Sultans was not Sasha's idea. We came to her with what we hoped would be a playful distraction from all the overly intense hoopla of this season you hate. Sasha graciously approved our proposal, but anything you don't like about it, you can blame me. Can I give you a helpful tip, J? If you hate this season so much, you might wanna stop hanging around the Variety Awards site for a the next 3 months, and stop trawling with the trolls on Hollywood Elsewhere. But that wouldn't work for you, would it? Because I get the feeling you want to have your hate cake and eat it to.
Posted by: Ryan C. Adams | 11/19/2007 2:36:44 PM
Actually J, a good number of the Sultans have seen most of their respective selections. Besides, when did seeing a film become a necessary condition for Oscar prognostication? CJ Kennedy has his own excellent film blog and has attended screenings for most contenders in his LA hometown. He's smart, passionate about film, funny, thoughtful and informative. We're lucky to have him among our number.
Posted by: sartre | 11/19/2007 1:38:39 PM
I think it's stupid. The Sultans of Bling? Sasha Stone should be ashamed! Oscars are not bling! I hate what Oscar season has become and this is just the icing on the cake. These 'civilians' haven't even seen most of the films in contention. She just figures she'll get more traffic if people keep checking back in to see the Sultans' weekly predictions. They don't mean a thing! A week ago cjkennedy was a troll on the Hollywood Elsewhere boards, and now he's a Sultan of Bling. Well congrats on the promotion big guy! P.S. I'll bet anyone a year's salary (in A-Rod dollars) that Diablo Cody doesn't win Original Screenplay for Juno.
Posted by: J | 11/19/2007 12:55:06 PM
Looking forward to the additional charts, Ryan.
Posted by: Kristopher Tapley | 11/19/2007 11:38:24 AM
As a Sultan I’d like to thank you for the supportive comments, Kris. I too wonder whether being outside the envelope might sometimes lead to greater objectivity. As for There Will be Blood, some of us have been lucky enough to see the movie. And we give it the same overall current ranking as one group of our professional counterparts - the Gurus of Gold. I think that despite striving for greater objectivity amateurs and professionals alike are inclined to find and give greater weighting to information supportive of their personal favorites. But amateurs are more likely to admit to bias.
Posted by: sartre | 11/19/2007 10:34:15 AM
Some of the Sultans may be amateurs, but over the last 25 years I've seen a lot of amateurs guess better than the so-called experts. Included among the sultans are a couple of psychologists, an attorney, a professor of film, and a former actor and theater producer. We expect the charts to expand in the future to other Oscar categories. Pierre de Plume Sultan of Bling
Posted by: Pierre de Plume | 11/19/2007 10:27:57 AM
Thanks Kris. We had so much fun with these major categories, we've already begun drawing up more charts. We plan to expand in sets of four. Next up, supporting roles and screenplays. After that you can bet we'll be tackling cinematography, editing, score, and maybe visual effects. Then, who knows... Best Kiss, stuff like that, I guess ;-)
Posted by: Ryan C. Adams | 11/19/2007 10:27:23 AM