The Oscars: Who Will Win

While an easy year to predict the Oscars might be good for your betting pool, it's never much fun. That's why I've gotten quite a kick out of this Oscar season. My picks just kept changing and changing.

At first, I saw "Precious" as the frontrunner. It opened with an amazing amount of festival buzz and strong opening numbers. Suddenly, it's box office glow began to fade and an unfortunate backlash followed. Then, "Up in the Air" became the critical smash of December and seemed to be the perfect Best Picture material. Then "Avatar" came along and broke every box office record imaginable and picked up a few Golden Globes on the way. At that point, "Avatar" was unstoppable.

But then, an underdog with very little Oscar qualities suddenly jumped ahead. "The Hurt Locker," indeed a fantastic and worthy film, seemed like it would just have to be happy with a nomination. It grossed a mere $12 million (it's the second lowest grossing Best Picture nominee this year, after "A Serious Man"), and first released in theaters last July. However, praise was beginning to overshadow clout. As "The Hurt Locker" swept the Guilds and every critics' award imaginable, it was clear what this year's frontrunner was.

Here now, are the films, filmmakers, actors, writers, and crew members you can bet on to take home the gold this Sunday night. I will present my predictions commentary free because I believe I've analyzed most of the following to death at this point:

Best Picture: The Hurt Locker

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique

Best Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air

Best Animated Film: Up

Best Documentary: The Cove

Best Foreign Film: A Prophet

Best Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Cinematography: The Hurt Locker

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Best Score: Up

Best Song: The Weary Kind

Best Sound Editing: Avatar

Best Sound Mixing: Avatar

Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria

Best Makeup: Star Trek

Best Art Direction: Avatar

Best Live Action Short: The New Tenants

Best Documentary Short: Music By Prudence

Best Animated Short: A Matter of Loaf and Death