Oscar Picks

Feb 23: Scorecard on my picks. Except for actor and supporting actress, where the Academy unexpectedly agreed with my personal pick, all of the top predictions were accurate. The last two, animated short and live action short, I totally missed, as neither my personal favorites nor my predictions won. I have to say I just don't get it. "La Maison on Petits Cubes" was shallow and over long. And "Spielzeugland" seems to validate the old canard that anything - no matter the quality - with a Holocaust theme will win the Oscar.

Here are my Oscar picks and predictions for the top categories:


1. Picture:
Pick: "Milk"
Prediction: "Slum Dog Millionaire"


2. Actor:
Pick: Sean Penn for "Milk"
Prediction: Mickey Rourke for "The Wrestler"


3. Supporting Actor:
Pick: Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight"
Prediction: Heath Ledger for "The Dark Knight"


4. Actress:
Pick: Anne Hathaway for "Rachel Getting Married"
Prediction: Kate Winslet for "The Reader"


5. Supporting Actress:
Pick: Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Prediction: Viola Davis for "Doubt"


6. Director:
Pick: Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire"
Prediction: Danny Boyle for "Slumdog Millionaire"


7. Animated Feature:
Pick: "WALL-E"
Prediction: "WALL-E"


8. Original Screenplay:
Pick: Dustin Lance Black ("Milk")
Prediction: Dustin Lance Black ("Milk")


9. Adapted Screenplay:
Pick: Eric Roth ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button")
Prediction: Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire")


10. Cinematography:
Pick: "The Dark Knight"

Prediction: "Slumdog Millionaire"



11. Art Direction:
Pick: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Prediction: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"



12. Animated Short Film:
Pick: "This Way Up"
Prediction: "Presto"



13. Live Action Short Film:
Pick: "Auf der Strecke" ("On the Line")
Prediction: "Auf der Strecke" ("On the Line")