A Jefferson City woman is the first person in 24 years to guess all Academy Award winners correctly in the News Tribune's annual contest.
Marilyn Rooney, a local film enthusiast, won the contest and received $100 for her first-place finish. She grew up in Jefferson City, then went on to study speech and drama at Webster University in St. Louis and received her master's degree in English from Northwestern University.
She said she was excited to win, despite seeing few of the nominated films.
"I'm thrilled I won," she said. "It's hard to believe."
Rooney said she watched "Revenant," "Bridge of Spies" and "Concussion" before the 88th Academy Awards, which took place Feb. 28. Though she wasn't too impressed with "Concussion," a movie about a Nigerian doctor that raises awareness about the brain trauma, Rooney said she felt the starring actor, Will Smith, should have been nominated for best actor.
"He was really convincing and good in the movie, and I expected him to get nominated; and I was disappointed that he didn't," she said.
Without watching "Spotlight," Rooney said she still felt it was going to earn the Best Picture award because of its subject matter. As she discovered on Oscar night, she was right.
"I thought it would win because it's about child abuse in the Catholic Church, and I'm Catholic, so I'm interested to see what it says," Rooney said.
Like many Americans, she was happy to see Leonardo DiCaprio, star of "The Revenant," win an Oscar after three nominations for Actor in a Leading Role and one nomination for Actor in a Supporting Role for the 1993 film, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape."
"I think he was really good, but I wasn't too excited about the movie itself," Rooney said. "There wasn't much dialogue, but he was good. I think he deserved the Oscar."
Second place in the 2016 local contest went to Brenda Wilson, of Jefferson City. She said she has participated in the contest for the past 15 years, and this year is the first time she's placed, winning $50. The only answer she got wrong was the Best Supporting Actor category, in which she guessed Sylester Stallone, who won the Golden Globe for his role in the boxing movie, "Creed."
Though she usually views all the nominated films, she was too busy to go to the movie theater this year. Wilson said she stayed in the know by reading reviews and articles about Oscar buzz.
"I like to be surprised sometimes about who the winners are," she said. "I look forward to the Oscars. It's an evening in which you get to see all the stars and watch them giving nods to their fellow actors and actresses."
A highlight of Oscar night for Wilson was when Brie Larson won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of a young woman held captive with her son, played by 9-year-old Jacob Tremblay.
"You could see that both of them were so happy she won," Wilson said. "It seemed very genuine."
Peggy Quigg, of Jefferson City, placed third in the contest. A friend of Rooney's, they frequently see movies together and talked about which movies and actors would be honored.
Like Wilson, she thought Stallone would take home the supporting role award.
"I think sometimes people underestimate him," she said. "He's a lot smarter than people think. He's been able to sustain a character with his "Rocky' and "Rambo' movies."
Quigg said she knows how she will spend her $25 cash prize.
"The money is going to go back to seeing more movies," she said.
Jim Dyke, News Tribune artist and contest organizer, said the contest attracted a "good turnout" for another year.