Annual Oscar Predictions

Well, the Academy Awards have arrived. Be sure to watch this weekend. You’re invited to my yearly Oscar party, but if you’re not in Manhattan on Sunday night, here are my annual predictions.

I know you’re used to a lot more chatter and opinions on the following predictions. Sorry. This year it’s a cut and dry affair. Blame the midterms. I am.







Best Picture
The Departed
The Queen
Little Miss Sunshine
Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima

Will Win: Babel
Should Win: The Departed







Best Achievement in Directing
Martin Scorsese The Departed
Stephen Frears The Queen
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu Babel
Paul Greengrass United 93
Clint Eastwood Letters From Iwo Jima

Will Win: Martin Scorsese
Should Win: Martin Scorsese







Best Actor
Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland
Peter O'Toole Venus
Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness
Leonardo DiCaprio Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling Half Nelson

Will Win: Forest Whitaker
Should Win: Peter O’Toole







Best Actress
Helen Mirren The Queen
Judi Dench Notes on a Scandal
Meryl Streep The Devil Wears Prada
Penelope Cruz Volver
Kate Winslet Little Children

Will Win: Helen Mirren
Should Win: Helen Mirren






Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy Dreamgirls
Jackie Earle Haley Little Children
Alan Arkin Little Miss Sunshine
Mark Wahlberg The Departed
Djimon Hounsou Blood Diamond

Will Win: Eddie Murphy
Should Win: Having not seen Dreamgirls, I am going to excuse myself from this category.







Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls
Cate Blanchett Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin Little Miss Sunshine
Adriana Barraza Babel
Rinko Kikuchi Babel

Will Win: Jennifer Hudson
Should Win: Having not seen Dreamgirls, I am going to excuse myself from this category.

Best Original Screenplay
Babel
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

Will Win: Babel
Should Win: Little Miss Sunshine

Best Adapted Screenplay
Borat
Children of Men
The Departed
Little Children
Notes on a Scandal

Will Win: The Departed
Should Win: Notes on a Scandal

Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Black Dahlia
Children of Men
The Illusionist
Pan's Labyrinth
The Prestige

Will Win: Children of Men
Should Win: Children of Men

Best Film Editing
Babel
Blood Diamond
Children of Men
The Departed
United 93

Will Win: The Departed
Should Win: United 93

Best Foreign-Language Film
Water - Canada
The Lives of Others - Germany
After the Wedding - Denmark
Days of Glory (Indigenes) - Algeria
Pan's Labyrinth - Mexico

Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Documentary Feature
Deliver Us From Evil
An Inconvenient Truth
Iraq in Fragments
Jesus Camp
My Country, My Country

Will Win: An Inconvenient Truth
Should Win: An Inconvenient Truth

Best Animated Feature Film
Cars
Happy Feet
Monster House

Will Win: Cars
Should Win: Cars

Best Art Direction
Dreamgirls
The Good Shepherd
Pan's Labyrinth
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
The Prestige

Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Letters From Iwo Jima

Will Win: Letters From Iwo Jima
Should Win: Letters From Iwo Jima

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Apocalypto
Blood Diamond
Flags of Our Fathers
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Dreamgirls

Will Win: Dreamgirls
Should Win: Dreamgirls

Best Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Poseidon
Superman Returns

Will Win: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Should Win: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Best Achievement in Makeup
Apocalypto
Click
Pan's Labyrinth

Will Win: Pan's Labyrinth
Should Win: Pan's Labyrinth

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Curse of the Golden Flower
The Devil Wears Prada
Dreamgirls
Marie Antoinette
The Queen

Will Win: Marie Antoinette
Should Win: Marie Antoinette

Best Original Score
Babel
The Good German
Notes on a Scandal
Pan's Labyrinth
The Queen

Will Win: The Queen
Should Win: The Queen or Notes on a Scandal

Best Original Song
'I Need to Wake Up' from An Inconvenient Truth
'Love You I Do' from Dreamgirls
'Our Town' from Cars
'Patience' from Dreamgirls
'Listen' from Dreamgirls

Will Win: 'Listen' from Dreamgirls
Should Win: Once again, I didn’t see Dreamgirls but with three nominations and all the buzz, 'Listen' should be a lock.

Honorary Oscar: Ennio Morricone
I’ve loved Morricone’s music since I was a kid. The Mission was one of the first scores I ever bought; I’m now up to something like 300 plus. He had a lot to do with that.