Sweet little "Juno" is in the big leagues

"Juno" stands alone among this year's best-picture nominees for several reasons. It's the only comedy, in a sea of dour tragedies. It's the only film written by a first-time screenwriter (Diablo Cody, also nominated) and helmed by a director who, at the time of shooting, was still in his 20s (Jason Reitman, also nominated). And it's the only film of the five to have earned a substantial amount of money at the box office. Last weekend "Juno" crossed the $100 million barrier; the next-highest earner among the five nominees, "No Country For Old Men," has earned barely half that.

While the "Juno" nomination — and Reitman's — was something of a surprise, the film surely comes to the Oscars with plenty of momentum on its side. Audiences have been flocking to this sardonic-but-with-a-heart tale of an extremely self-possessed pregnant teenager (Ellen Page, nominated for best actress) who decides to give her baby to a yuppie couple. It's a movie that leaves its audiences very happy — but can that translate into Oscar gold?

If you look at the history books, the answer is "probably not." Comedies rarely win Oscars, and scrappy little sardonic comedies virtually never do. "Little Miss Sunshine" had this slot last year: It won for screenplay and supporting actor but lost the best-picture statuette to the far grimmer "The Departed." Look for "Juno" to be acknowledged with a screenplay award but probably not the big prize — unless Oscar voters just happen to be in a mood to laugh.

Oscar trivia

Last week's Oscar Watch, in honor of young Saoirse Ronan's nomination, asked who was the last Irish person to win an acting Oscar. If you don't count Peter O'Toole's honorary Oscar in 2003 (he's been nominated eight times but never won), the most recent Irish winner was Brenda Fricker, who won best supporting actress in 1990 for "My Left Foot." For male actors, you have to go all the way back to Barry Fitzgerald, who won best supporting actor in 1944 for "Going My Way" and made a little history in the process: He was nominated for best actor and best supporting actor, for the same role. (The rules have since been changed, so such a double nomination wouldn't happen today.)

And here's this week's question: Ruby Dee, nominated at age 83 for "American Gangster," is this year's oldest first-time nominee (Hal Holbrook, nominated for "Into the Wild," is a mere child at 82). Her long and distinguished career has included several roles in television soap operas ("Guiding Light," "Peyton Place"). Who else among this year's acting nominees has turned up on a TV soap? (Hint: more than one.)

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com