My Oscar Predictions

Best Actor

George Clooney in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)
Daniel Day Lewis in “There Will Be Blood” (Paramount Vantage and Miramax)
Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (Dreamworks and Warner Bros.)
Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah” (Warner Independent)
Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises” (Focus Features)

The Best Actor category definitely will be the closest race, each actor in each role was played very well. I do believe that Denzel Washington (“American Gangster”) and James McAvoy (“Atonement”). I think the voting will be close and not just between two nominees, but all five. Ultimately, Daniel Day Lewis will come away with the award because he has been the frontrunner in this competition. His character, Daniel Plainview is played with grit and I feel the definite anger that this man possesses; Day Lewis is very good at communicating with eyes and he does that very well in this film.

Will Win: Daniel Day Lewis
May Win: Any actor in the category
Should Win: Any actor in the category

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” (Universal)
Julie Christie in “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)
Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)
Laura Linney in “The Savages” (Fox Searchlight)
Ellen Page in “Juno” (A Mandate Pictures/ Mr. Mudd Production)

This is a two woman race between Julie Christie and Ellen Page. Two actresses were definitely robbed and should have been included in this category, and had they been nominated, they would have had a chance at winning. Angelina Jolie should have been nominated for her role as Mariane Pearl, the wife of Wall Street Journal Reporter Daniel Pearl who was captured by Al Qaeda and brutally murdered in “A Mighty Heart”. Keira Knightley should have been nominated for her role as Cecilia Tallis, a young star crossed lover in “Atonement”. Anyway, I have heard that Julie Christie is wonderful as Alzheimer’s patient Fiona, and Ellen Page (who is almost 21) is on the brink of superstardom thanks to her role as Juno, a 16 year old who faces an unplanned pregnancy after sleeping with her best friend one time.

Will Win: Ellen Page
May Win: Julie Christie
Should Win: Ellen Page or Angelina Jolie or Keira Knightley

Best Supporting Actor

Casey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Warner Bros.)
Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men” (Miramax and Paramount Vantage)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War” (Universal)
Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild” (Paramount Vantage and River Road Entertainment)
Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

I am 95% sure that Javier Bardem has this locked up. He plays Anton a ruthless killer with no compassion for human life. Hal Holbrook is the only nominee who stands a chance of stealing this award out from under Bardem. As a side note, Casey Affleck should have been nominated for his role in "Gone Baby Gone", a diamond in the rough as a movie that did not receive the credit it deserved.

Will Win: Javier Bardem
May Win: Hal Holbrook
Should Win: ?

Best Supporting Actress

Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There” (The Weinstein Company)
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster” (Universal)
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement” (Focus Features)
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone” (Miramax)
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton” (Warner Bros.)

Amy Ryan is amazing in this movie, the role of Helene was a real stretch for her. She absolutely had everything down packed in her role, right down to the Southie accent. There is really no one else who deserves the award more than her. She is tough, raw, and resilient in her role as a drug addicted mother whose four year old daughter is kidnapped; so believeable, I was thinking of going to visit her in Dorchester.

Will Win: Amy Ryan
May Win: no one else
Should Win: Amy Ryan