See More Philip Hoffman, Judd Apatow

There are so many great performances and great work in 2007, I think that the Academy should add an annual achievement award (for this year only, at least). There are lots of contenders for it, but for me, the nominees would be:

• Ridley Scott (American Gangster, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and the release of the Blade Runner Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition DVD boxed set)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, Charlie Wilson's War)
• Judd Apatow (Superbad, Knocked Up, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story)
• Josh Brolin (American Gangster, In the Valley of Elah, Grind House, and No Country for Old Men)
  

And, since I'm making up awards and nominees, I might as well choose the winner. Philip Seymour Hoffman was amazing--he has a legitimate shot at multiple acting nominations. Still, there's no contest--Judd Apatow not only had a hand in arguably the three best comedies of 2007, it is clear that his work is going to re-define how comedies are made, raising the bar for the whole genre.