Kellene's 2010 Oscar Nomination Predictions

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So here we go again. We’re in the middle of awards season with the granddaddy of them all still several weeks away. Academy Award nominations will be announced on February 2^nd. Until then it’s up to analysts (and psychics) to discuss and ultimately guess who will get a nod.

And that’s where I come in!

I do this to stretch my brain. I don’t work for PricewaterhouseCoopers; I don’t have some inside track. I just want to see how well I can guess. And the best way to prove my intentions is to post them on the web. Where else? The time stamp is proof I posted beforehand.

Best Picture

Up

Up in the Air

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Nine

Precious

Inglourious Basterds

The Hangover or The Blind Side

A Serious Man

An Education

New rules this year stipulate there will be TEN best picture nominees. Yes, you read that right – ten! The first five possible nominees were somewhat easy to choose, but it’s the second set that may doom me. Should ‘The Hangover’ be nominated? I really don’t think so, but when you widen the net it really could be nominated.

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart

George Clooney – Up in the Air

Robert Downey Jr. – Sherlock Holmes

Morgan Freeman – Invictus

Colin Firth – A Single Man

I’ve been on the fence for this one for months – until I saw Sherlock Holmes in early January. I was absolutely taken aback by Downey Jr.’s performance. It was nice seeing him back in his element. He deserves to win, but I also thought Mickey Rourke also deserved to win last year. (Instead Sean Penn won for Milk.)

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side

Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

Gabrourey Sidibe – Precious

Helen Mirren – The Last Station

Carey Mulligan – An Education

All year I’ve said Meryl Streep would win (and she still could); did you hear this woman’s voice as Julia Child? Oh my God, to die for! Only she could bring her to life as how we all remember her.

But now that some time has passed I’m starting to lean more towards Sandra Bullock. Ms. Streep has been nominated 1,000 times before and although the academy adores her, it’s nice to see someone else come up the ranks.

Best Supporting Actor

Matt Damon – Invictus

Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones

Woody Harrelson – The Messenger

Alfred Molina – An Education

No one really stood out for me until I kept seeing Christoph Waltz keep winning awards. Gotta go with him.

Best Supporting Actress

Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air

Mo’Nique – Precious

Penelope Cruz – Nine

Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air

Diane Kruger – Inglourious Basterds

I think this category has got to be a no-brainer unless you have lived under a rock this pas year.

Best Director

James Cameron – Avatar

Jason Reitman – Up in the Air

Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker

Lee Daniels – Precious

Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

Is there really any doubt on this one? The man disappeared for a decade only to resurface to break his own record! He now has directed two top grossing films of all time! If James Cameron doesn’t win I’ll lose all faith in humanity! (Mental note: pray things I write come true!)

Best Animated Feature

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Coraline

The Princess and the Frog

Pixar produces fabulous movies, but I think Up will get a best picture nod thanks to the new 10 nominee rule. With that said, this category really opens up to other interesting choices. I gotta go with the Fantastic Mr. Fox. (But notice I’m also banking on there will be three nominees like in years past.) We’ll see what happens.