My Oscar Nomination Predictions Are.......

.........Just wait, I'll tell you in a minute!

It's now 11:00 pm Monday, January 22nd. The Oscar nominations are going to be announced on live TV tomorrow morning at 8:30 am, by the lovely Salma Hayek.


I've got some thoughts on who will be picked, so I will definitely be watching.

I'm guessing that most of you probably won't even read this blog until after the announcements.....but I thought I would jot down my predictions anyways.

The Oscars will be presented on Sunday, February 25th.

Because I love movies and moviemaking so much......I'm a sucker for a show filled with movie stars, honoring movies.

Even as a kid in elementary school.....it's always been one of my favorite nights of the year. I used to make a deal with my parents to let me stay up late to watch the awards....as long as I took a nap after school.

I think that there are quite a few obvious picks this year..... (Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Martin Scorcese, Jennifer Hudson,The Departed, Babel) and some wild cards that I think just might sneak in there...... (Little Miss Sunshine, Ryan Gosling, Penelope Cruz, Emily Blunt).

This has been a great year for movies.....I've seen a lot of interesting films, and there are still a lot left that I want to see before Oscar night (No, "The Hitcher" isn't one of them.....).

Well, for whatever it's worth.... here are my picks for what (and who) will receive Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning:

Best Picture

Babel
The Departed
Dreamgirls
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Best Director

Bill Condon - Dreamgirls
Clint Eastwood - Letters From Iwo Jima
(or Flags of our Fathers, but I think it will be for "Letters")
Stephen Frears - The Queen
A.G. Inarritu - Babel
Martin Scorcese - The Departed

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole - Venus
Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker - The Last King of Scotland

Best Actress

Penelope Cruz - Volver
Judi Dench - Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren - The Queen
Meryl Streep - The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet - Little Children

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Arkin - Little Miss Sunshine
Djmon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy - Dreamgirls
Jack Nicholson - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel

Best Supporting Actress

Adriana Barraza - Babel
Cate Blanchett - Notes on a Scandal
Emily Blunt - The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin - Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

There you have it........my thoughts on who might be waking up very happy tomorrow morning....at 5:30 am California time.


(Helloooooo Leo, Jack and Marty......Oscar's calling!)

Once the nominations are announced, and it gets closer to the actual awards date, then I'll make my predictions about the winners.

I have a few ideas now, but I'm sure you all know......a lot can happen in Hollywood in a month.

Shoot, I think one of Drew Barrymore's marriages (the first one, I believe.....) lasted less than that!


Well, that's all for now from Oscar Central - Midwest Division (otherwise known as......my living room).

As my good friend Arnold once said (remind me to tell you the story sometime about my interesting dinner with he and Maria....in a Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica in 1982) ............


............. "I'll Be Back".