Oscar Nom Predictions

Below are my nominee predictions for the top eight categories for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. 

(My predictions are based on previous Golden Globe, SAG, BFCA, etc. nominations and wins) 

And the Nominees Will Be...

BEST PICTURE

**This year there will be five additional Best Picture slots to fill.

Avatar

The Hurt Locker

Inglourious Basterds

Precious

Up in the Air

(if there were only five slots, my guess is the five films above would be nominated)

An Education

Invictus

The Messenger (or District 9, both films have cult followings)

A Serious Man

Up

BEST ACTOR

Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)

George Clooney (Up in the Air)

Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Morgan Freeman (Invictus)

Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) 

*The fifth slot could also go to Viggo Mortensen for The Road

BEST ACTRESS

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Carey Mulligan (An Education)

Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)

Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

Helen Mirren (The Last Station)

*The fifth slot could also go to Emily Blunt for The Young Victoria

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Matt Damon (Invictus)

Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)

Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)

Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)

Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)

Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)

Mo'Nique (Precious)

Julianne Moore (A Single Man)

Samantha Morton (The Messenger)

*The fifth slot could also go to Penelope Cruz for Nine

BEST DIRECTOR

James Cameron (Avatar)

Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Clint Eastwood (Invictus)

Jason Reitman (Up in the Air)

Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)

*Outside contender is Precious's Lee Daniels

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

An Education (Nick Hornby)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson & Noah Baumbach)

Precious (Geoffrey Fletcher)

Up in the Air (Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner)

District 9 (Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatchell)

*The fifth slot could also go to Nora Ephron for Julie & Julia or Tom Ford for A Single Man

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Hurt Locker (Mark Boal)

Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)

A Serious Man (Joel & Ethan Coen)

Up (Bob Peterson & Pete Docter)

(500) Days of Summer (Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber)

*The fifth slot could also go to Nancy Meyers for It's Complicated

Watch the Academy's President, Tom Sherak, announce the nominees live on ABC tomorrow, February 2nd, at 5:30AM PST.  I know I will!!

Good luck to all the contenders!!  May the best men (& women!) be nominated!!