It’s that time of year again, when Hollywood gathers to celebrate the year’s best movies. I love everything about the Oscars. From the red carpet to the opening monologue to the actual presentation of the awards. I love pretending to be part of the fashion police and I love predicting who will win each award. I love the Oscars!
I am especially excited for this year’s broadcast. I am a HUGE Seth MacFarlane fan and I am so excited for him to host. His offbeat humor will be much welcomed to an often stuffy show. Will he sing? Will he dance? I can only hope. Whatever he does though, I truly hope that he is true to himself and makes some outrageous observations. Plus, there is also Adele’s much anticipated performance of “Skyfall,” for which she is nominated for in the Best Song category (she’ll get it no question). As an avid Adele fan I’m always eager to see her perform on any stage.
So, as part of the Oscar celebration, I thought it would be fun to share with you who I think will win tonight and who I think should win in 6 of the major categories.
Best Actor – in a Leading role
Bradley Cooper – Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis – Lincoln
Hugh Jackman – Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix – The Master
Denzel Washington – Flight
Who Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Who Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis. Um, did you see Lincoln? Clearly the man is a master of his trade.
Best Actress – in a Leading role
Jessica Chastain – Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence – Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuella Riva – Amour
Quvenzhane Wallis – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts – The Impossible
Who Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence
Who Should Win: Fresh off the award circuit with several wins (Golden Globes, SAG, etc), Jennifer Lawrence definitely deserves this one. Although Jessica Chastain has been applauded for her work in Zero Dark Thirty, there is just something about the raw emotional performance of Jennifer Lawrence that will capture the Academy’s votes.
Best Actor – in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin – Argo
Robert DeNiro – Silver Linings Playbook
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – The Master
Tommy Lee Jones – Lincoln
Christoph Waltz – Django Unchained
Who Will Win: Tommy Lee Jones
Who Should Win: This is a really tough category. All of these men had a fantastic year. Really, any one of them could win. I loved Robert DeNiro in Silver Linings. It’s on rare occasion that we get to see him play such a vulnerable character. Though, Tommy Lee Jones’ role as congressman Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln was just as good. If either of these two men win. I will be happy.
Best Actress – in a Supporting role
Amy Adams – The Master
Sally Field – Lincoln
Anne Hathaway – Les Miserables
Helen Hunt – The Sessions
Jacki Weaver – Silver Linings Playbook
Who Will Win: Anne Hathaway
Who Should Win: I know, I’m going against a lot of people this year, but I don’t think Anne Hathaway deserves this award. Not for this role. Was her performance good? Sure. She sang that song with raw emotion and it appealed to the audience the way a song should. BUT, if she gets this award it is only because she sang one great song. Nothing else about her performance in Les Miserables (all 15 minutes of her screen time) screams Oscar! Now, Sally Field on the other hand, deserves it. Her portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln was beautiful. She developed her character and she became her character. She did a whole lot more than sing one good song.
Best Director
Michael Heneke – Amour
Benh Zeitlin – Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee – Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg – Lincoln
David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook
Who Will Win: David O. Russell
Who Should Win: This is also another tough category. Because of the major snub of Ben Affleck (Argo), there doesn’t seem to be a clear front-runner. I think the major contenders are Spielberg and Russell. With Silver Linings Playbook taking several of the major awards at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Spirit Awards my thoughts are that it has a good chance of taking this one. So, I’m going to go with David O. Russell.
Best Picture
Amour Life of Pi
Argo Lincoln
Beasts of the Southern Wild Silver Linings Playbook
Django Unchained Zero Dark Thirty
Les Miserables
Who Will Win: Argo
Who Should Win: Argo. How sweet it will be for Ben Affleck to walk away with a Best Picture award despite his directing snub. He deserves it.
