Oscar predictions..

            The Oscars, aside from the Golden Globes, are the only awards show that I care about.  I usually trust the film industry to choose well-deserving, appropriate candidates that aren't appointed for popularity and intake of money.  The Black Eyed Peas were nominated for the Grammys, again?  At least, Justin Timberlake didn't win any major awards..  And, the Red Hot Chili Peppers?  I'll stick to their old stuff.

            What I also enjoy about the Oscars is predicting the winner.  Here's my account of *whom I want to win, and **who probably will.

Best Picture:

Babel
The Departed *
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine **
The Queen

Best Actor:

Leonardo DiCaprio *
Ryan Gosling
Peter O'Toole
Will Smith
Forrest Whitaker **

Best Actress:

Penelope Cruz
Judi Dench
Helen Mirren **
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet *

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin
Jackie Earle Haley
Djimon Hounsou
Eddie Murphy **
Mark Wahlberg *

Best Supporting Actress:

Adriana Barraza
Cate Blanchette
Abigail Breslin
Jennifer Hudson **
Rinko Kikuchi *

Best Director:

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Martin Scorcese* **
Clint Eastwood
Stephen Frears
Paul Greengrass

Some of my choices are biased because I haven't seen many of the Oscar-nominated movies.  I would like to see "The Departed" win because it is a fantastic film, but Little Miss Sunshine has surprisingly been taking in many accolades lately, so there may be an upset there.
I believe Leonardo DiCaprio would've had a chance at Best Actor had he been nominated for "The Departed", rather than the little-seen "Blood Diamond."  He's really established himself as an actor, and I never doubted him (watch him in his first Oscar-nominated role as Arnie in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?") even with all the "Titanic" hoopla.  When I first started seeing the trailer for "The Last King of Scotland", I knew that Forrest Whitaker would get an Oscar nomination; and anyway, he and Mirren have been winning nearly every single award.  Once again, Will Smith got noticed for being "serious" and Ryan Gosling got recognition for "Half Nelson"!  Peter O'Toole may get a long overdue win, but Whitaker is the front-runner here.
It's nice to see Ms. Cruz nominated as she had been cursed with a string of bad movie choices ("Sahara", anyone?), but my personal favorite of the bunch is the lovely Kate Winslet.  She is an incredible actress, and I need to watch "Little Children" soon!  The perennial favorite Meryl Streep (this is her record 14th nomination, I believe!) probably won't win because comedy isn't taken as seriously as drama.  And finally, much-buzzed about Helen Mirren has been collecting nearly every award available basically which confirms that she will win the golden man, as well.
Alan Arkin was a bit of a surprise nomination since fellow co-star Steve Carrell seemed to have been gaining notice and praise.  Haley returns to the spotlight after decades of not being able to find work due to the "child actor curse", so his nomination should be plenty enough.  Hounsou has rarely been discussed, so he most likely will not win.  I chose Marky Mark because I feel that Matt Damon should've been nominated in his place; his acting's more phenomenal, especially in "The Departed", but gotta support the Beantown boys.  Eddie Murphy seems the likeliest winner although there has been talk that his underwhelming "Norbit" will hurt his chance; however, he's still been garnering many awards.
Again, a win may occur judging by how many awards an actor has won.  Case in point, Jennifer Hudson.  She went from being unknown in American Idol to an Oscar-nominated actress!  She's won much praise for "Dreamgirls" so she is the likely candidate.  Ms. Blanchette is an Oscar favorite as well; she, at least, has a better chance than Barraza and especially 12-year-old Breslin (who still has time to win).  I chose Kikuchi because well, she's Japanese, so Asian represent!
Please, please let this year be Martin Scorcese's.  I'm glad that he isn't nominated for recognition because "The Departed" is one of the best movies I've seen; and he is sooooooo long overdue for an Oscar ("Raging Bull"!).

"Pan's Labyrinth" has 6 nominations in lesser-known categories.  I hope they win all of them, especially for Best Foreign Language Film of the year.