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Who among us hasn't dreamed at one time or another of winning an Oscar? Yes, I know it's just a popularity contest, but come on. We've all done the old trick of looking in the bathroom mirror, holding a shampoo bottle instead of an Oscar, and practiced our acceptance speeches. Just me? Ah, well, then pretend, dear readers. In the film community, whether we like it or not, the highest award someone can get is an Academy Award. The idea is simple: when you win an Oscar, your work is validated in front of millions of people who may not know your name yet. Moreover, with an Oscar under your belt, your career is going to soar, right? The biggest and best movies are ahead, aren't they?

Well...no. Not always. Perhaps not even for this year's presumed winners. If the night shakes out with Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Christoph Waltz, and Mo'Nique winning, their respective careers will take wildly divergent paths. Bridges will be in two highly anticipated December releases, even if they're very unique: the Tron sequel (and can someone tell me why this should be a big deal? Does anyone love the first Tron?) and the Coen Brothers' remake of True Grit. Waltz is starring as the villain in The Green Hornet opposite Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz, a movie directed by Michel Gondry. Bullock is taking time off. Mo'Nique is going to go back to hosting her BET talk show. The very idea of an Oscar guarantees nothing, in terms of potential quality.

This week's A-List is going to go through the sordid past of some recent Oscar winners, and profile five men and women whose careers post-Oscar went down, down, down. Some went down quickly, and some took their sweet time. There are a couple of obvious names, but there are a few that may surprise you just a bit. Hopefully, none of the people who win this year are going to find themselves with a similar fate; I'm worried most for Waltz, a brilliant actor who may have a juicy role in The Green Hornet. Conversely, Seth Rogen is starring as The Green Hornet, in a script he co-wrote. Cameron Diaz is playing his love interest. Something doesn't compute. Still, I hope all the best for Waltz and all of this year's Oscar winners. Read the following, friends, and learn from their mistakes.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner has had a very up-and-down career, it's safe to say. Even before he won an Academy Award for his 1990 hit Dances With Wolves, Costner starred in a few popular movies, such as Bull Durham, No Way Out, and the classic Field of Dreams. Also, after his win, he starred in the summer blockbuster Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and the Oliver Stone drama JFK. Unlike some Oscar winners whose careers go south, Costner had a very solid follow-up. But after 1991, things slowly but surely went down the tubes. He was the title character in Lawrence Kasdan's Wyatt Earp, a movie which, for some people, has not yet ended. He also starred in The Bodyguard, a movie that was initially successful, but is now only known as that movie where Whitney Houston sings I Will Always Love You. But it all paled in comparison to the most awesome failure of the past 20 years.

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