Best Picture

The Aviator (Miramax), Finding Neverland (Miramax), Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.), Ray (Universal Pictures), Sideways (Fox Searchlight)

Prediction:

The Aviator - just too many nominations. And Hollywood loves a sweeping saga about their town.

Deserves to win:

Sideways. But, I know, it's too damn small for those big Academy voters. And who wants to look at neurotic people drinking wine?

Snubbed:

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Closer, I Heart Huckabees (like that's a surprise), Fahrenheit 9/11, Kill Bill Volume 2.

Best Director:

Martin Scorsese for The Aviator (Miramax) Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) Taylor Hackford for Ray (Universal Pictures) Alexander Payne for Sideways (Fox Searchlight) Mike Leigh for Vera Drake (Fine Line Features)

Prediction: Clint Eastwood - though this is a toughie. Eastwood is a favorite because I have a feeling The Aviator will get top prize. But then...Scorsese, politically speaking, is long overdue. So I could be wrong here.

Deserves to win: Martin Scorsese. I would say Alexander Payne but an unseen force is stopping me.

Snubbed: Michel Gondry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, David O Russell of Huckabees, Mike Nichols for Closer, Quentin Tarantino for KB2.

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Don Cheadle for Hotel Rwanda (United Artists) Johnny Depp for Finding Neverland (Miramax) Leonardo DiCaprio for The Aviator (Miramax) Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) Jamie Foxx for Ray (Universal Pictures)

Prediction: Jamie Foxx - Yeah, that's not too tough...like they're going to give it to Johnny Depp...he should have gotten one for Ed Wood.

Deserves to win: Jamie Foxx - He raised the movie beyond its sometimes overly sentimental direction. If an actor carries the entire movie, they deserve it. And sure, it may be easy playing a drug addict, but a blind musical genius on top of it? I don't think so.

Snubbed: Paul Giamatti-Come on! I love Johnny Depp but I thought he was better in Secret Window. (Can you imagine if he'd been nominated for that?) And Eastwood has been much, much better in other pictures. Paul Giamatti made a tough performance look so easy. Hilarious, poignant, borderline unlikable and pitch-perfect timing. Also, Jim Carrey, as usual...what is with the academy and Carrey? And then there's Adam Sandler for Spanglish but as I've said numerous times, he deserved the statue for Punch-Drunk Love.

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Alda for The Aviator (Miramax) Thomas Haden Church for Sideways (Fox Searchlight) Jamie Foxx for Collateral (Dreamworks SKG) Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) Clive Owen for Closer (Columbia Pictures)

Prediction: Clive Owen. It's a race between between Owen and Morgan Freeman but I've got a feeling voters want to give Closer some kudos. And...

Deserves to win: Though I love Thomas Haden Church in Sideways, Clive Owen gave a blistering performance. That saying, this may be a tie for me.

Snubbed: Mark Wahlberg in Huckabees (like he would ever get a nomination) but he should have been nominated and won.

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Annette Bening - Being Julia (Sony Pictures Classics) Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace (Fine Line Features) Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake (Fine Line Features) Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features)

Prediction: Annette Bening - Hollywood loves veterans. Especially in films about veterans.

Deserves to win: Kate Winslet.

Snubbed: Nicole Kidman in Birth. And I really wish she could have been nominated for Dogville but it wasn't technically the right year. Also, Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Volume 2.

Best Supporting Actress:

Cate Blanchett for The Aviator (Miramax) Laura Linney for Kinsey (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Virginia Madsen for Sideways (Fox Searchlight) Sophie Okonedo for Hotel Rwanda (United Artists) Natalie Portman for Closer (Columbia Pictures)

Prediction: Cate Blanchett - Though I'm struggling with this one since Natalie Portman nabbed the Golden Globe, I have a feeling the youngster may be upstaged by the gal who played Kate Hepburn.

Deserves to Win: Little, not so little anymore Natalie Portman...but then, playing Hepburn without going over the top would be a Herculean task...OK, tie again for supporting.

Snubbed: Here I go again with my Huckabees love but...Naomi Watts.

Best Original Screenplay:

The Aviator (Miramax) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Focus Features) Hotel Rwanda (United Artists) The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar) Vera Drake (Fine Line Features)

Prediction: The Aviator. Just because.

Deserves to win: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Nothing else is like this...

Snubbed: Huckabees. Really, truly nothing like this film.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Before Sunset (Warner Independent Pictures) Finding Neverland (Miramax) Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) The Motorcycle Diaries (Focus Features) Sideways (Fox Searchlight)

Prediction: Million Dollar Baby. They wanna heap more on Clint.

Deserves to win: Sideways. Maybe it'll nab one, but I doubt it.

Best Foreign Language Film:

As it is in Heaven- Sweden The Chorus - France Downfall - Germany The Sea Inside- Spain Yesterday- South Africa

Prediction: The Sea Inside-it's the only one Academy voters probably saw.

Deserves to win: The Sea Inside-but only because it's the one film I saw on this list. So really, I should not make any judgment call here. But I can say...

Snubbed: House of Flying Daggers. The one I reckon really deserves to win.

Best Animated Feature Film:

The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar) Shark Tale (Dreamworks SKG) Shrek 2 (Dreamworks SKG)

Prediction: Well, that's a no-brainer - The Incredibles.

Deserves to win: It's certainly not Shark Tale. Again, a no-brainer - The Incredibles.

Achievement in Cinematography:

The Aviator (Miramax) House of Flying Daggers (Sony Pictures Classics) The Passion of the Christ (Newmarket Film Group) The Phantom of the Opera (Warner Bros.) A Very Long Engagement (Warner Independent Pictures)

Prediction: The Aviator

Deserves to win: House of Flying Daggers or The Passion. What if they give it to The Passion? It's possible since the guy walking up to the podium would not be Mel Gibson but Caleb Deschanel-and he worked with Hal Ashby in Being There. His daughter, Zooey, is also incredibly beautiful, but I digress...

Snubbed: Collateral, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

Best Documentary Feature:

Born into Brothels (ThinkFilm) The Story of the Weeping Camel (ThinkFilm) Super Size Me(Roadside Attractions / Samuel Goldwyn Films) Tupac: Resurrection (Paramount Pictures) Twist of Faith

Prediction: Born Into Brothels. Calcutta kids in peril of the sex trade? I think so.

Deserves to win: Born Into Brothels-I love that this film is not only about the plight of children in the red light district of Calcutta but about photography as well. Some of these children are incredibly gifted making their stories all the more heartbreaking.

Snubbed, but not technically: Fahrenheit 9/11-yeah...well, he did go up for Best Picture and all. Also Metallica: Some Kind of Monster--why? This was so much better than Tupac: Resurrection. I mean, Metallica in therapy? It's too priceless.

Best Film Editing:

The Aviator (Miramax) Collateral (Dreamworks SKG) Finding Neverland (Miramax) Million Dollar Baby (Warner Bros.) Ray (Universal Pictures)

Prediction: The Aviator

Deserves to Win: Collateral-should have also been nominated for cinematography with its gorgeous, icy, nourish vision of Los Angeles (and on DV no less).

Snubbed: Kill Bill Volume 2

Best Original Song:

"Accidentally In Love" - Shrek 2 (Dreamworks SKG) "Al Otro Lado Del Río" - The Motorcycle Diaries (Focus Features) "Believe" - The Polar Express (Warner Bros.) "Learn To Be Lonely" - The Phantom of the Opera (Warner Bros.) "Look To Your Path (Vois Sur Ton Chemin)" - The Chorus (Miramax)

Prediction: "Learn to Be Lonely"-This song sucks, but it's Andrew Lloyd Webber and people think that's classy or something.

Deserves to win: No idea. I am sure all of these songs are terrible. Ever since Elliot Smith lost to Celine Dion, I give up.

Snubbed: John Brion's "Knock Yourself Out" from I Heart Huckabees. But did you think they'd actually nominate a bonafide great song by a brilliant musician?