Maybe I’m just reading between the lines here, but sometimes that’s just what a devoted fan must do. With the Academy Award nominations being announced tomorrow morning, there is a lot of nervous anticipation about two very talented actors, both of whom gave performances very worthy of an Oscar. Much grumbling is being heard about speculations that these two actors, Michael Fassbender for SHAME and Michael Shannon for TAKE SHELTER, will be left off the Academy Awards ballots as nominees for Best Actor. Sure, we could all just write this off as absurd paranoia, but what happens when we look at the facts…

Exhibit A: Not one actor named “Michael” has EVER won an Academy Award for Best Actor, or for Best Supporting Actor.

Exhibit B: Actors named “Michael” have been nominated 5 times for the Academy Award for Best Actor, and actors named “Michael” have been nominated 8 times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Exhibit C: Even in Russian, the name “Michael” is cursed! In 1977, Mikhail Baryshnikav was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in THE TURNING POINT.

You don’t believe me? Here’s the stats:

Best Actor Nominations for Michaels:

2002 - *Michael Caine - THE QUIET AMERICAN

1983 - Michael Caine - EDUCATING RITA

1972 - Michael Caine - SLUETH

1966 - Michael Caine - ALFIE

1947 - Michael Redgrave - MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA

*The reigning king of snubbed Michaels.

Best Supporting Actor Nominations for Michaels:

2008 - Michael Shannon - REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

1999 - Michael Clarke Duncan - THE GREEN MILE

1991 - Michael Lemer - BARTON FINK

1980 - Michael O’Keefe - THE GREAT SANTINI

1974 - Michael V. Gazzo - THE GODFATHER PART II

1967 - Michael J. Pollard - BONNIE & CLYDE

1966 - Michael Dunn - SHIP OF FOOLS

1945 - Michael Chekhov - SPELLBOUND

There you have it. Maybe I am just reading too much into this. Maybe I am just unwilling to accept the possibility that actors named Michael aren’t really that good, but I don’t believe that. I suggest there’s a conspiracy at foot, and that Oscar secretly loathes Michael. Read the facts and decide for yourself.