"The Lord of the Rings" has been a major favorite novel of mine since my introduction to it in the 1970s. For about seven years, I read the trilogy annually.
I have revisited it infrequently since then, being familiar with the story, but always fascinated by its themes and its scope coupled with its great spirit of humanity and continuation, despite the fact that certain things pass away, giving way to others.
The trilogy is my favorite moviegoing experience. It's a fantastic experience, but never moreso than seeing the expanded versions of the first two films that not only increase the films' running times by about 40 minutes each but also dramatically increase the films' enjoyability. I can't wait for the expanded TROTK.
I had a sense that this film might sweep the Oscars, but I wanted it to happen so much that I didn't trust my feeling.
The iffiest awards were editing, song and screenplay.
As for "Lost in Translation," I remember when "Good Will Hunting" was a nominee. Affleck and Damon won the Oscar, but I kept reading things about how "others" had to have shaped the script into usable condition.
And now Sofia will apparently get some of that....
Bottom line: New talent WILL out and take over the business. Nobody in the business makes it on his or her talents alone.
Re: "Gigi" -- MGM always advertised the film as having won "9" Oscars because the Academy gave Maurice Chevalier a special Oscar that year for his contributions to motion pictures as a performer. But that Oscar was not one of the film's nominations and does not actually "count" in the Oscar total.
MGM also advertised "10" Oscars for "Gone With the Wind" which won only 8 of its nominations. Technicians received special Oscars, for which no nominations had been issued, which the studio touted as part of that film's total. One was for the tracking shot devised for the Atlanta train station, so I think it's perfectly legit that it was attributed as an Oscar the film won.
Ditto "Star Wars" which won, I think, 6 of its 10 nominations, but Lucas and Fox advertised "7" wins because Ben Burtt won a special Oscar for creating alien languages...NOT one of the film's nominations, but certainly attributable as an Academy Award win.