It seems weird doing an Oscar prediction article only a few days after the last one, but with the nominations coming out next Thursday morning I felt it was best to do another update today and then again next Wednesday morning just before the noms are announced. On top of that, this past week threw me for a loop and – among other things – I can’t seem to get the idea of Kate Winslet sweeping the Oscars out of my head even though I still don’t have her at the top of either the Best Actress or Supporting Actress categories.
I have also continued to shift my predictions for the Best Supporting Actor category and I am almost entirely comfortable with this update as I refuse to remove Michael Shannon from the list, no matter what everyone else says. I am probably the only one left that still has David Fincher ahead of Danny Boyle for Director, but mind you that margin is ever so slim. Same goes for Best Actress as I was damn near certain Meryl Streep had it in the bag before her and Hathaway went and tied at the BFCAs and then Winslet shocked the world with her double win at the Globes.
I am quite confident in my Best Actor top five even though DiCaprio and Jenkins are still knocking on that door. Best Original Screenplay is an absolute nightmare to figure out. Why does buzz tell me Woody Allen’s script for Vicky Cristina Barcelona is going to win yet the film isn’t even being talked about for Best Picture? Wouldn’t it make sense that an Oscar nominated script with actors such as Bardem, Johansson, Cruz and that performance turned in by Rebecca Hall under the direction of Woody Allen would be something to talk about for Best Picture? And speaking of Best Picture you will see I have lined up the troops to attack those number four and five spots and I have a feeling if any film gets ousted, it is going to be Frost/Nixon.
With all that said, welcome to Oscar Predictions 7.5 as we have only one week to go until the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards are announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. You can keep up with all my Oscar coverage in my “The Contenders” section right here.
Click on the Next Page link to take a look at the predictions and
