The Oscars® are Hollywood’s biggest night of the year. Every nominee walks the red carpet hoping that in a few short hours they will be backstage, bombarded with congratulations and a statue in hand. No one knows for sure if they will win, but when it comes to the Oscars®, everyone has a hunch. While the nominees shift in their seats, forcing nervous smiles and congratulatory nods whenever the camera looks their way. We will all be at home, hoping our favorite films and actors from this year will be honored with a coveted Academy Award…That, or we will all be hoping our office Oscar® pools finally hit this year. Even if you have not seen any of this year’s best picture nominees, or care for any of the nominated actors, that doesn’t mean you cannot fill out an Oscar® ballot. Guessing which film will dominate, which actor will win, and who will have the most disappointing night, is part of the fun of Oscar® night.
This type of Oscar® year is especially fun, because there are no guaranteed winners. When there are no blockbusters like Titanic or Avatar, and no art house front-runners like The King’s Speech or Shakespeare in Love; that leaves the awards up for grabs. Sure there are favorites like The Artist, The Descendants, and Hugo, but how confident are you that George Clooney will take home the best actor Oscar®? And how much would you bet Meryl Streep finally wins her third Oscar® in 17 nominations? It is all up in the air.
Below are my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. A couple spoiler predictions for this year: despite the talent and one-of-a-kind ability of Meryl Streep, I think Viola Davis will take home the statue. That would make her the second African-American woman ever to win Best Actress; the first being Halle Berry back in 2007. It is ridiculous to think there has been only one black best actress award so far, and adding Ms. Davis to that list would be an honor for the category. The other spoiler prediction is George Clooney might win an Oscar, but not for best actor. Jean Dujardin and Clooney were both in films that featured an exorbitant amount of close-ups. The Descendants was like watching a slide-show of Clooney’s head shots set to a Hawaiian background. Clooney was charismatic and pensive, but Dujardin’s charming smile and emotive face will be too hard to overlook.
If you do not have one already, print out your own blank Oscar® ballot and predict who you think will win. Then watch the 84th annual Academy Awards live on ABC at 7pm EST/4pmPST on Sunday, February 25th to find if you were right.
And the winners could be…
** = Winner
BEST PICTURE
** The Artist ** - Thomas Langmann, Producer
The Descendants - Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Scott Rudin, Producer
The Help - Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
Hugo - Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
Midnight in Paris - Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
Moneyball - Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
The Tree of Life - Nominees to be determined
War Horse - Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
FRONT RUNNER: The Descendants
LONG SHOT: Moneyball
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Demián Bichir - A Better Life
George Clooney - The Descendants
** Jean Dujardin ** - The Artist
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt - Moneyball
FRONT RUNNER: George Clooney
LONG SHOT: Gary Oldman
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill - Moneyball
Nick Nolte - Warrior
** Christopher Plummer ** - Beginners
Max von Sydow - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
FRONT RUNNER: Nick Nolte
LONG SHOT: Kenneth Branagh
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Glenn Close - Albert Nobbs
** Viola Davis ** - The Help
Rooney Mara - The Girl with the Dragon Tatt oo
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn
FRONT RUNNER: Meryl Streep
LONG SHOT: Glenn Close
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Bérénice Bejo - The Artist
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer - Albert Nobbs
** Octavia Spencer ** - The Help
FRONT RUNNER: Bérénice Bejo
LONG SHOT: Melissa McCarthy
ANIMATED FEATURE
A Cat in Paris - Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
Chico & Rita - Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
** Kung Fu Panda 2 ** - Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Puss in Boots - Chris Miller
Rango - Gore Verbinski
FRONT RUNNER: Rango
LONG SHOT: Puss in Boots
ART DIRECTION
The Artist - Production Design: Laurence Bennett, Set Decoration: Robert Gould
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Production Design: Stuart Craig, Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
** Hugo ** - Production Design: Dante Ferretti, Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris - Production Design: Anne Seibel, Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse - Production Design: Rick Carter, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
FRONT RUNNER: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
LONG SHOT: War Horse
CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist - Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo - Robert Richardson
**The Tree of Life** - Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse - Janusz Kaminski
FRONT RUNNER: Hugo
LONG SHOT The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
COSTUME DESIGN
Anonymous - Lisy Christl
The Artist - Mark Bridges
** Hugo ** - Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre - Michael O’Connor
W.E. - Arianne Phillips
FRONT RUNNER: The Artist
LONG SHOT: Jane Eyre
DIRECTING
** The Artist ** - Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Alexander Payne
Hugo - Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen
The Tree of Life - Terrence Malick
FRONT RUNNER: Martin Scorsese
LONG SHOT: Terrence Malick
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
** Hell and Back Again ** - Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front - Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory - Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
Pina - Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
Undefeated - TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
FRONT RUNNER: If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
LONG SHOT: Undefeated
DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement - Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
God Is the Bigger Elvis - Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
Incident in New Baghdad - James Spione
Saving Face - Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
** The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom ** - Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
FRONT RUNNER: Incident in New Baghdad
LONG SHOT: Saving Face
FILM EDITING
The Artist - Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants - Kevin Tent
** The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ** - Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo - Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball - Christopher Tellefsen
FRONT RUNNER: Hugo
LONG SHOT: Moneyball
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Bullhead - Belgium
Footnote - Israel
In Darkness - Poland
Monsieur Lazhar - Canada
** A Separation ** - Iran
FRONT RUNNER: Bullhead
LONG SHOT: Footnote
MAKE-UP
Albert Nobbs - Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
**Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2** - Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
The Iron Lady - Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
FRONT RUNNER: The Iron Lady
MUSIC (Original Score)
The Adventures of Tintin - John Williams
** The Artist ** - Ludovic Bource
Hugo - Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Alberto Iglesias
War Horse - John Williams
FRONT RUNNER: War Horse
LONG SHOT: Hugo
MUSIC (Original Song)
**Man or Muppet** - The Muppets, Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Real in Rio - Rio, Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown, Lyric by Siedah Garrett
SHORT FILM (Animated)
Dimanche/Sunday - Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
**La Luna** - Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll - Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
Wild Life - Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
FRONT RUNNER: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
LONG SHOT: A Morning Stroll
SHORT FILM (live Action)
Pentecost - Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
Raju - Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
**The Shore** - Terry George and Oorlagh George
Time Freak - Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic - Hallvar Witzø
FRONT RUNNER: Raju
LONG SHOT: Time Freak
SOUND EDITING
**Drive** - Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Ren Klyce
Hugo - Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
War Horse - Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
FRONT RUNNER: Hugo
LONG SHOT: War Horse
SOUND MIXING
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
Hugo - Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
Moneyball - Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush
and Peter J. Devlin
**War Horse** - Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
FRONT RUNNER: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
LONG SHOTt: Moneyball
VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and
John Richardson
Hugo - Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
Real Steel - Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
**Rise of the Planet of the Apes** - Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
FRONT RUNNER: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
LONG SHOT: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
WRITING (Adapted Screenplay)
**The Descendants** - Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
Hugo - Screenplay by John Logan
The Ides of March - Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
Moneyball - Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan
FRONT RUNNER: The Ides of March
LONG SHOT: Moneyball
WRITING (Original Screenplay)
The Artist - Written by Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids - Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
Margin Call - Written by J.C. Chandor
**Midnight in Paris** - Written by Woody Allen
A Separation - Written by Asghar Farhadi
FRONT RUNNER: Bridesmaids
LONG SHOT: The Artist
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