The Oscar Race

“Oscar Buzz”- A phrase we hear all year long, which becomes more and more relevant in the first few months of the year. With the Golden Globes out of the way already, the Oscars are the next big award show, airing in March. Although nominations have yet to be announced, now is a great time to start making bets and predictions. Here’s my two cents about how I think the Oscars might go down.

Best Picture
Some sure nominees are Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Both have won awards already, with Avatar swiping the Golden Globe and The Hurt Locker taking the Critics’ Choice Award for this highest honor. While I thoroughly enjoyed both films, I think The Hurt Locker will win in this category at the Oscars. The battle for Best Director is another thing. Other nominees might include Precious, Up in the Air, and Nine.

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges has been pretty consistent in winning this award this season, and it’s fair to say that he is the most likely winner at the Oscars as well. While the Globes snubbed Jeremy Renner from The Hurt Locker, I suspect he will get an Oscar nod. George Clooney, Daniel Day Lewis, and Morgan Freeman are also contenders, but my bet remains with Bridges.

Best Actress
Meryl Streep and Sandra Bullock are at the center of Oscar buzz. They actually tied in this category at the Critics’ Choice Awards, and both won in their respective categories at the Globes (Bullock for Drama, Streep for Comedy or Musical). At the Oscars, there is only one Best Actress category, so one of them will have to come out ahead. The Academy loves Meryl Streep, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see her win. This is probably the toughest call, but I would say that Streep is going to take it for Julie and Julia (She was nominated for It’s Complicated at the Globes as well). Other nominees will likely include Emily Blunt, Marion Cotillard, and Gabourey Sidibe.

Best Supporting Actress
Mo’nique seems a sure thing at this point, as she has won both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. Also, there aren’t many other actresses generating half as much buzz. Vera Farmiga from Up in the Air, Julianne Moore and Penelope Cruz are likely contenders as well.

Best Supporting Actor
Similar to Mo’nique, Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds has won both the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award in this category, and I suspect that his brilliant performance will take the Oscar as well. Matt Damon and Woody Harrelson are likely to snag nominations.

Best Director
In this category, the battle between Avatar and The Hurt Locker returns. While I think the latter will take the Best Picture award, James Cameron should win for Best Director at the Oscars. The amount of creativity he put into this film is simply unparalleled. Kathryn Bigelow from The Hurt Locker won the Critics’ Choice, while Cameron got the Globe, and he will likely take the Oscar, too. Quentin Tarantino and Clint Eastwood will surely be nominated.

Best Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino will likely win for Best Original Screenplay, as he did at the Critics’ Choice, while Up in the Air writers Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner are my bet for Best Adapted Screenplay. The writers of District 9 and The Hurt Locker will surely be close contenders.

While the Blockbuster hit Avatar may just end up taking home the highest number of awards, as it will likely win in categories such as Best Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing, it is my contention that the remaining categories will be somewhat split in terms of film. The Hurt Locker is sure to win at least one Oscar, while movies such as Up in the Air and Nine may snag several nominations, but go home with only one or fewer awards. At the same time, Nine could end up being the wildcard winner, as the Academy has seemed partial to musicals in the past.

Be sure to check out the nominations when they come in and get ready to place your bets!