Greetings:

The February 6, 2004 Oscar Guide issue of ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY arrived today. On the cover a question was posed --- can BILL MURRAY beat SEAN PENN for BEST ACTOR?

Inside on pg. 34, SEAN PENN is featured --- among the plaudits he received was the following:

"Eastwood and Penn summoned up the sort of collaboration Elia Kazan and Marlon Brando had in ON THE WATERFRONT; for the mass audience that turned out for a complex, meaty thriller, it was Penn's master class in acting, and MYSTIC RIVER embodied one of his fundementals:

"Drama should end with a big question mark every time. When everything gets answered, it's fake. The mystery IS the truth."

--- Sean Penn, speaking about MYSTIC RIVER

On pg. 98 of the same issue, MYSTIC RIVER is reviewed. The following comment is made about SEAN PENN's performance in this film:

"Even if you don't agree with THE NEW YORK TIMES that Sean Penn delivers the greatest performance by an actor in 25 years, it's still owrthy of the word BRILLIANT, if not an Oscar."

The article also says the following about MYSTIC RIVER:

"MYSTIC RIVER, skillfully adapted by Helgeland from Dennis Lehane's novel, is an instant classic, both timeless in its' themes of tragedy begetting tragedy, and urgent in its' cautionary tale about people whose aching need for justic and closure can cloud wisdom and curdle compassion. Eastwood's direction has never been more elegant and precise --- but it's the acting that carries the film."

I will stick with my original assessment --- that the phenomenal Mr. Penn should start preparing for his first ever Oscar win.

P.S. --- The only possible problem may be his politics, but if Academy voters can put that out of their minds, and put his performance to the front of their minds, Sean Penn should have a landslide victory for BEST ACTOR.

KDB = Buffalo, NY USA