Travis Yanan Goes to the Movies - Oscars Predictions

First off... highest rated Oscar telecast in years (should the whole ABC thing get worked out in NY). Avatar is nominated for 9 categories. And, well, when Titanic, then champion of the popular / box office ticket vote, was up for its awards, Oscar hit something like 55 million viewers. And, in unadjusted box office, Avatar is bigger than Titanic, not to mention appealing to viewers Oscar doesn't usually reach so well: men. I see no reason Oscar shouldn't sail past 40 million viewers this year (especially with this year's trend of big award show ratings). Not to mention the bigger Best Picture field with other crowd pleasers like Up and The Blind Side.

Now, my "official" predictions... mostly so I have some record, somewhere, of what my ballot is at the viewing party I'm attending. Which I have to head off to, so no time for explanations except that I have not seen any of the short subject films and many of the technical categories are based on guild award winners. As for Best Picture... well... that's the big question of the evening, isn't it? Hurt Locker or Avatar? For the record, I loved The Hurt Locker and HOPE it wins... but I have serious doubts and thus put my money elsewhere.

Best Picture: Avatar

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds

Best Supporting Actor: Mo'nique, Precious

Best Animated Feature Film: Up

Best Foreign Film: The White Ribbon

Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Basterds

Best Adapted Screenplay: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, Up in the Air

Best Documentary Feature: The Cove

Best Original Score: Up

Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind," Crazy Heart

Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker

Best Cinematography: Avatar

Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria

Best Art Direction: Avatar

Best Makeup: Star Trek

Best Visual Effects: Avatar

Best Documentary Short Subject: China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province

Best Short Film, Animated: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Best Short Film, Live Action: The Door

Best Sound Editing: Avatar

Best Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker