Could Harry Potter be a Best Picture contender?

Possibly, according to E! Online:

Harry Potter was very, very good to Hollywood this past weekend.

Will Hollywood finally be very, very good to Harry Potter at the Oscars?

"Hopefully, it will be given the attention it deserves," Warner Bros. exec Dan Fellman told us Sunday.

The first seven Potter films combined to earn nine nominations and zero wins. More than that, not one of the movies was seriously in contention for Best Picture.

But if the history-making opening weekend of the franchise's finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, isn't enough of a game-changer, then the film's critical reception may be.

Said Fellman: "The reviews are sensational."

True enough, HP8 has a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the highest of any of the series' films, and higher than any of last year's Best Picture nominees, save Toy Story 3.

On the downside, the last film to burst out of the gate (nearly) as big and acclaimed as Deathly Hallows: Part 2 was The Dark Knight, which, of course, did not get nominated for Best Picture.

On the upside, Harry Potter is no Batman.

For one thing, post-Dark Knight, the Best Picture field was expanded to include 10 nominees (though since revised to include as many as 10 nominees).

For another thing, the ailing Hollywood of today owes the boy wizard more than the booming Hollywood of 2008 owed the Caped Crusader.

And then there's this: Per a tweet Sunday from Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger, Academy members have seen Deathly Hallows: Part 2, "and loved it."

So, yes, it's plausible, if not possible: Potter has one more trick up his sleeve.

Circuit Round-Up, 05/19

* Last week, John H. Foote weighed in on The Tree of Life and submitted his Oscar predictions.

* Joey’s DVD Pick of the Week is a, well, terrible movie, but he didn’t have a strong release slate this week at all. On the plus side, we (specifically John) have a quote on the DVD box for True Grit!

* I didn’t fare much better in previewing the new theatrical releases.

* But I suppose I shouldn’t complain; I never gave an amazing performance that was snubbed by the Academy like Maria Bello.

* Okay, okay, no more grouchiness. On the more positive side, Anna Belickis discovers a great actress that she’s unknowingly been a fan of for a long time for this week’s Women in Cinema.

* Also on a very positive note, our online community did a great job distinguishing themselves with some interesting and quality nominees for ACCA 2001. Well done, guys!

* Finally, The Awards Circuit extends its congratulations to Clayton Davis for celebrating his first Father’s Day as a proud parent himself!

Circuit Round-Up, 05/15

* Last week, Mike Ward gave a positive review of Thor, while Joey Magidson wrote a very positive review of The Beaver.

* Joey’s DVD Pick of the Week is hands-down one of the best films of 2010.

* I made a very rare plea in my preview of the weekend releases.

* I wrote two editorials last week; one about my frustration at demands for fidelity in adaptations, the other being worried about Christianity as a theme for mindless action films.

* I also reminisced about some of the brilliant performances of Paul Bettany’s career in Under the Circuit.

* Anna Belickis continues her coverage of "Dancing with the Stars."

* The Top Ten Funniest Female Film Performances are unveiled. What is your favorite comedic performance from an actress?

* Finally, our esteemed Editor Clayton Davis commenced his official predictions for next year’s Academy Awards, starting with Best Picture. Stay tuned for his predictions in the other categories!

The Awards Circuit Staff begin to let loose with some Oscar Predictions!

Yes, we're off and running with Staff Predictions on the Main Page. They may be up later than some of you would prefer, but they're still earlier than the vast majority of other sites, so just keep that in mind. Check out the predictions here, starting with mine (which have changed somewhat from my original ones on the blog...those can be seen here for comparison) and Robert's, with the rest to come very soon! As always, be sure to let us know what you think about them.

-What do you think of our predictions? What are your predictions?

Discuss!