The Men Who Stare at Academy Awards

By Jordan R. Young

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/22/10 — In this corner, measuring 6 feet, 1 inch, Jeffrey Leon Bridges, aka The Dude… and in this corner, measuring 5 feet, 11 inches, George Timothy Clooney, aka Gorgeous George.

Lloyd Bridges and Rosemary Clooney probably never crossed paths in Hollywood’s glory days, but his son and her nephew are about to face off in what’s shaping up as one of the most closely watched contests of the awards season. One of them will best the other at Saturday’s SAG Awards, and go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor.

I first endorsed George Clooney as the likely victor for his performance as the corporate efficiency expert in “Up in the Air.” But after seeing the standing ovation for Jeff Bridges at the Golden Globes—a love fest of no small proportions—my money is on The Dude,

Clooney champ on the air

for his portrayal of the broken-down country music legend in “Crazy Heart.”

Clooney has acted his way to one Oscar win and one nomination (not counting one nom apiece for writing and directing) to Bridges’ four nominations. Ironically, they co-starred last year in “The Men Who Stare at Goats.”

Bridges has paid his dues, beginning with his 1970 film debut, “The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go.” The bizarre James Mason-Burgess Meredith comedy was made in Hong Kong, where the producer left the cast stranded when the money ran out; it was never theatrically released, but eventually escaped on home video.

From his early successes “The Last Picture Show” and “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot,” to “Starman” (which earned him a Best Actor nom), “The Fisher King,” the wacky cult favorite “The Big Lebowski” and more recently “The Contender,” Bridges has created a most impressive body of work.

Clooney’s first film efforts, “And They’re Off” and “Grizzly II: The Predator,” like Bridges’ debut were never released. He found himself submerged in sitcoms (“The Facts of Life”) and low-budget horror comedies (“Return of the Killer Tomatoes!”) before establishing himself on TV’s “ER.”

He’s since become a bona fide movie icon, of course, with his work in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “Oceans Eleven,” his hugely impressive “Good Night, and Good Luck” (on which he doubled as writer-director) and his same-year Academy Award-winning role in “Syriana.” Clooney followed this triumph with an Oscar nom for “Michael Clayton,” proving once and for all you can reinvent yourself in films after becoming known in television.

And the winner is… stay tuned.

More by Jordan R. Young:

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