By Charly SHELTON

Thats right folks, its Oscar time again.  The Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 4 p.m., and before the red carpet is unfurled or the Kodak Theatre is decked out in all its regalia, you get to choose who you think will win.  For the past few years, since CVWeekly has been publishing, we have held an Oscar Ballot contest.  And while the awards are only a month away, it is still a little early to cast your votes.  So instead, you have a chance to catch up on some movies from awards season that you may have missed.  For example, “The Artist” is up for best picture.  Can a silent movie compete in a world of huge special effects films such as “Hugo” or against films that pull at the heartstrings like “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” which deals with the aftermath of 9/11?

Or consider that “The Artist” is up for best original score.  Being that it is a silent film, it has only a few lines at the very end of the film, the story is driven by visual performances and by score.  But up against heavyweights such as Howard Shore, for “Hugo,” and John Williams for both “War Horse” and “The Adventures of Tintin,” it will be interesting to see how this category plays out.

Scan the QR Code or visit our website to see the link to the official Oscar website, and to download the nominee list so you can catch up on some of these films before voting time comes around.

And check back at cvweekly.com and in the paper on the issue of  Thursday, Feb. 9 to get more details about the ballot contest and for instructions on downloading your ballot.

  Charly Shelton