Final Oscar Predictions

The votes have been procured, and I see 12 nods for Lincoln.

On Thursday, January 10, the Academy Award nominees will be announced by Emma Stone and Oscar host Seth MacFarlane, marking the first time a host will announce the nominations. (Thanks to AwardsDaily for the heads up!)

Sticking to nominee predictions only, I've gone out on a limb or two, but this Oscar race is unlike any I've ever witnessed. This is a year in which Skyfall could get a Best Picture nomination and Matthew McConaughey could get a Best Supporting Actor nod. Who could've predicted that? Of course, they might not get in. Still, this has been an exciting Oscar season, and I can't wait to see what surprises the Academy hit us with on Thursday.

Note: These predictions are my entry into Film Actually's Oscar Prediction Contest. Good luck, fellow prognosticators!

Best Picture:
--Argo
--Django Unchained
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln
--The Master
--Les Misérables
--Silver Linings Playbook
--Zero Dark Thirty

I'm predicting eight nominees, but I'm really close to predicting a full lineup. Though, The Master or Django Unchained could lose out to Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall, or even Amour.

Best Director:
--Ben Affleck, Argo
--Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
--Tom Hooper, Les Misérables
--David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
--Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

I'm guessing Russell gets the fifth spot, but Ang Lee, Michael Haneke, and Quentin Tarantino are still in the race.

Best Actor:
--Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
--Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
--John Hawkes, The Sessions
--Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
--Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

I've been thinking that Washington is out for a while, and I'm sticking with that prediction. Otherwise, Phoenix (if nominated) might get in over Hawkes, or possibly Cooper.

Best Actress:
--Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
--Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
--Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
--Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
--Naomi Watts, The Impossible

This lineup probably won't happen. It's too safe, as someone like Emmanuelle Riva, Rachel Weisz, or Helen Mirren could sneak in.

Best Supporting Actor:
--Alan Arkin, Argo
--Javier Bardem, Skyfall
--Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
--Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
--Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

I'm guessing De Niro will miss here, and Bardem/DiCaprio will get in. Or maybe McConaughey or Waltz.

Best Supporting Actress:
--Amy Adams, The Master
--Sally Field, Lincoln
--Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
--Helen Hunt, The Sessions
--Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

Apart from Kidman and possibly Adams, this also feels too safe. Expect a surprise here (maybe). Maggie Smith or Judi Dench, perhaps?

Best Adapted Screenplay:
--Argo
--Beasts of the Southern Wild
--Lincoln
--The Perks of Being a Wallflower
--Silver Linings Playbook

Perks isn't a sure thing, as Life of Pi or The Sessions could get in instead.

Best Original Screenplay:
--Amour
--Django Unchained
--The Master
--Moonrise Kingdom
--Zero Dark Thirty

This appears to be a solid category, but a surprise like The Intouchables or Arbitrage could happen.

Best Production Design:
--Anna Karenina
--Cloud Atlas
--Lincoln
--The Master
--Les Misérables

Cloud Atlas and The Master are vulnerable, and could lose out to Django Unchained, Skyfall, Argo, or Moonrise Kingdom.

Best Cinematography:
--Anna Karenina
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln
--Skyfall
--Zero Dark Thirty

The Master and Django Unchained are also possible. If the Academy love it, even Les Misérables could get in.

Best Costume Design:
--Anna Karenina
--Django Unchained
--Lincoln
--Les Misérables
--A Royal Affair

Mirror Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman also have a shot.

Best Film Editing:
--Argo
--Lincoln
--Les Misérables
--Skyfall
--Zero Dark Thirty

Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django Unchained are lurking just outside.

Best Original Score:
--Anna Karenina
--Argo
--Beasts of the Southern Wild
--Life of Pi
--Lincoln

Cloud Atlas and The Master are wishful thinking, but this looks like the final lineup.

Best Original Song:
--"Learn Me Right", Brave
--"Skyfall", Skyfall
--"Still Alive", Paul Williams: Still Alive
--"Suddenly", Les Misérables
--"Who Did That to You?", Django Unchained

Who knows? Maybe only one or two of these get nominated.

 Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
--The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
--Lincoln
--Les Misérables

Hitchcock or Men in Black 3 could also happen.

 Best Sound Mixing:
--The Dark Knight Rises
--Django Unchained
--Les Misérables
--Skyfall
--Zero Dark Thirty

The Dark Knight Rises could be snubbed entirely. Lincoln, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Prometheus, or The Avengers could replace it.

Best Sound Editing:
--The Avengers
--The Dark Knight Rises
--Django Unchained
--Skyfall
--Zero Dark Thirty

Les Misérables, Prometheus, and The Avengers are also contenders.

Best Visual Effects:
--The Avengers
--Cloud Atlas
--The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
--Life of Pi
--Prometheus

The Dark Knight Rises or even Skyfall could get in over Cloud Atlas.

Best Animated Feature Film:
--Brave
--Frankenweenie
--The Painting
--ParaNorman
--Wreck-It Ralph

Rise of the Guardians could get in after all, but the animation branch likes to surprise.

Best Documentary Feature Film:
--The Gatekeepers
--How We Survived a Plague
--The Imposter
--Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
--Searching for Sugar Man

The Invisible War has a chance, but you never know what will be nominated here.

Best Foreign Language Feature Film:
--Amour (Austria)
--The Intouchables (France)
--No (Chile)
--A Royal Affair (Denmark)
--War Witch (Canada)

This category is never a sure thing. Norway's Kon-Tiki or Switzerland's Sister could also sneak in.