The nominations for the 80th Annual Academy Awards were announced January 2nd out in sunny, but at that time, somber Los Angeles. As of right now, Tinseltown is ready to party once more! While the WGA Strike has finally ended (Congrats, by the way!), the ongoing debate of whether the show would go as planned overshadowed the phenomenal nominees. Now that it’s back on and ready to go, I am more than thrilled to give you my predictions on winners in the categories below! Trust me, it’s been a tough call!
If you are jonesing for the list of all nominees and anything Oscar, be sure to take a look at the official website of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) at Oscars.org.
I had a pretty good track record last year with my predictions of who was getting the coveted award. How will I fare this year?
Best Supporting Actor: Massachusetts local Casey Affleck got his first Oscar nom this year, but my money is on Javier Bardem. As the antagonizing, calculating sociopath in No Country for Old Men, he positively outshines the other seasoned actors in this category.
Best Supporting Actress: Last year I was fixated on Jennifer Hudson’s phenomenal debut performance in Dreamgirls and then her not-so-surprising Golden Globe and Oscar wins. This year, I think one of the more well-established actors on this list will take it home. Between double-nominated Cate Blanchett, Ruby Dee, and Tilda Swinton, these ladies have got overflowing buckets of talent. My gut says either Blanchett or Tilda Swinton.
Best Actor: This one is going to be really hard to call. A five-way free-for-all! All these men are no stranger to A-list status, and it’s only fitting that they’re up against each other. However, Johnny Depp is long overdue for one of these bad boys! My personal vote is for Johnny, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel Day-Lewis walks up to that stage.
Best Actress: In my review for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I mentioned that if Cate Blanchett was denied both the nomination and win for this role a second time, I would be quite mad! I was ready for her to pick up the statue right then and there. That was my guess at that time, and I am sticking to it!
Best Director: That decision wasn’t hard to make! I’m betting on Joel and Ethan Coen. Again, they are such established and innovative filmmakers who always put forth 120% and like to mix things up.
Best Foreign Film: Unfortunately, I am not familiar with any of the nominees for this category, so I don’t think I could make an educated guess as to the winner. It looks like I’ll have to pass on this one until next year.
Best Picture: Here’s another major, major toss-up! Wonderful contenders all around! While I think that many are upset that Atonement was snubbed in the acting categories, I don’t think it will pick up this particular award. Sorry, but we aren’t having a Crash moment this year. I think that either No Country for Old Men or There Will Be Blood will win the biggest prize of the night.
So, there you have it, friends! The Oscars will be televised this Sunday, February 24th on ABC, and I will be glued to that television for the entire show! As for my picks, I will be back early in the week with my Academy Awards recap!
Release Date 11/14/2008 
