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Oscar Nominees

It's that time of year again: we can make ourselves some buttered popcorn, shlump ourselves on the couch, and hiss venomously at the red carpet outfits come February 27th. While we may not (and, more likely, will never) agree with the Academy's selection we always seem to glue ourselves to the seat and watch the show unravel. Die-hards and curious cats alike will want to predict the winners this year. Unlike last year, the competition is high and intense for the 83rd Academy Awards. There are some interesting choices in the top categories, and while it's not necessarily a year for the underdogs, the Academy never fails to throw a few screwballs just for controversy's sake. No matter what the case there will be plenty of glamor, glitz, and poorly executed speeches to look forward to.

Top Contenders

These are the movies that have been getting the most buzz. Really it's because they're nominated for the most coveted awards. It's interesting to see the range of topic listed here. We got royal pains, psychopaths, techie snobs, and samedvd'>Hugh Jackman as host).

Actor in a Leading Role

'''Who Should Win''': James Franco. He carries the entire movie on his own in a very limited setting (a crevasse and a few flashbacks). Without his acting chops this movie would have been a total snore. '''Prediction''': Colin Firth. He is absolutely fantastic. He studied his subject very carefully and captures the essence of the real Prince Albert/King George VI. Throw in a British accent, a debilitating condition, and a defining life-changing moment, and you've got a shoe in.

Actor in a Supporting Role

'''Who Should Win''': Geoffrey Rush. He's not only earned his street cred, he's proven that he can play just about any character. And considering he's a class act it's amazing he plays a character so rough around the edges. '''Prediction''': Christian Bale. His doctor already told him he's going to die early if he keeps losing weight for roles like ''Batman series. Killing yourself for your art is another way to "guarantee" a win in this category.

Actress in a Leading Role

'''Who Should Win''': Natalie Portman. I know that the dark horse is Annette Bening who, to be fair, was absolutely lovely in ''The Kids Are All Right''. Quite frankly, the depth of her character just isn't as complicated to play as Portman's. Natalie Portman not only embraced the insanity of her character, but also trained in ballet for months for this role. '''Prediction''': Natalie Portman. Anyone who knows anything about the Oscars knows that actresses that play sexually quizzical youths with psychological problems will probably win the Leading or Supporting Actress category. Here's to fellow winners Angelina Jolie.

Actress in a Supporting Role

'''Who Should Win''': Hailee Steinfeld. This newcomer is a dark horse for this category. Things that she has going for her are an amazingly strong debut performance, her young age (14 years old!), and the backing of the Coen brothers. '''Prediction''': Melissa Leo. She's been the front runner of the other award shows, and was nominated for Leading Actress in ''Frozen River'' in 2009. This would be a second chance for her, and it's true that the Academy sometimes favors returning contenders. Also, like her costars, she did serious character study on the real person.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees: * ''127 Hours'' by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy * ''The Social Network'' by Aaron Sorkin * ''Toy Story 3'' by Michael Arndt; with story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich * ''True Grit'' by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen * ''Winter's Bone'' by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini '''Who Should Win''': ''Toy Story 3''. Out of all of the movies listed this year this is the only screenplay that made me laugh, feel thrills, and cry (I know I'm not the only one who got misty towards the end of it). As "smart" as the other films may be, they don't hold a candle to an emotional ride like ''Toy Story 3''. '''Prediction''': ''True Grit''. The Coen brothers have an impeccable record with winning the screenplay categories. The darker the tone of the film, the higher the chances that they'll get the award. ''True Grit'' is about as dark as you can get.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees: * ''Another Year'' by Mike Leigh * ''The Fighter'' by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson; with story by Keith Dorrington, Paul Tamasy, and Eric Johnson * ''Inception'' by Christopher Nolan * ''The Kids Are All Right'' by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg * ''The King's Speech'' by David Seidler '''Who Should Win''': ''Inception''. I dare anybody to write a script this complicated and convoluted and still have it make as much sense as this film does. This isn't the first time Nolan has played with chronology; he should have won for ''Memento'' back in 2002. '''Prediction''': ''The King's Speech'', although ''The Kids Are All Right'' could be a pleasant surprise win. When you get as many nods as ''The King's Speech'' you're guaranteed to get some of the major awards. Since Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter may be overlooked it means this category could make up for the lack of a sweep.

Best Director

'''Who Should Win''': Darren Aronofsky. ''Black Swan's'' fairly straightforward story is interesting because of his stylistic directing choices. He is artistic indvd'>Requiem For A Dream'' were completely snubbed; that's just a travesty. He's earned his place by now. '''Prediction''': David Fincher. He got the nod for ''Fight Club,'' all of which got critics chatting. Whether he gets good or bad reviews is irrelevant: he's a choice candidate for both controversy and press.

Best Picture

Nominees: * ''Black Swan'' (Produced by: Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin) * ''The Fighter'' (Produced by: David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg) * ''Inception'' (Produced by: Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan) * ''The Kids Are All Right'' (Produced by: Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray) * ''The King's Speech'' (Produced by: Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin) * ''127 Hours'' (Produced by: Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson) * ''The Social Network'' (Produced by: Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin) * ''Toy Story 3'' (Produced by: Darla K. Anderson) * ''True Grit'' (Produced by: Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen) * ''Winter's Bone'' (Produced by: Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin) '''Who Should Win''': ''Toy Story 3''. Although this movie is extremely unlikely to win, I will stand by my early comments that it is one of the only films to have touched me all year. It doesn't need the brains and bravado. It's pure emotional evocation. '''Prediction''': This is a tough one. I'm between ''The Social Network'' and ''The King's Speech'' for the win, but I'm going to go with ''The Social Network'' because if it fails to collect other nominations it's an indicator it will win this category.

Summary

You can expect a whole lot of the usual from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The only thing that could potentially shift the expected winners out of the circle is if the Academy figures out that people are getting sick of cliches and decide to go with a slew of underdogs. I say, "Fat chance."