Oscah picks.

OK, all two of you, it's time for NB's Oscar nomination picks! Tomorrow the nominations for the year's "best" in film are announced, and it's always semi-fun to try to guess what's going to triumph. OK, it's not fun at all, but, seriously, since we've already covered Carson dying, there's not much else out there. There's a new Bjork video featuring a cat, but the link doesn't work presently. Consider yourselves so lucky.

Anyway, since you haven't asked, here are the predictions:

Best Picture
Sideways
Million Dollar Baby
The Aviator
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Ray

Duh to the first three. The Academy always likes to pick one movie from early in the season, so ESotSM gets the vote, even though it's a loathesome movie. And Ray has blacks. You're saying, so does Hotel Rwanda. True. But Ray Charles died this year, and the Rwanda massacres happened under Clinton. As for Finding Neverland, this year the blacks trump the kids. Proudly, I've only seen two of these films and disliked one.

Best Director
Alexander Payne
Clint Eastwood
Martin Scorsese
Taylor Hackford
Marc Forster

Again, the first three are a lock. Hackford's directed a few other movies, so they'll throw him a bone for Ray. The Academy always likes to nominate one director whose movie is not up for Best Picture, so they'll give it to the Finding Neverland guy. Michel Gondry doesn't have a chance.

Best Actress
Hilary Swank
Annette Bening
Imelda Staunton
Kate Winslet
The girl from Maria Full of Grace

The first three are locks. Kate Winslet dyed her hair and looked frumpy, so she "worked." And the girl from Maria Full of Grace is the Academy's chance to recognize work in smaller movies, even if those movies are not worth recognizing.

Best Actor
Jamie Foxx
Leo
Paul Giamatti
Don Cheadle
Javier Bardem

Obviously Jamie Foxx will win for impersonation, though Paul Giamatti deserves it for acting.

Best Supporting Actress
Ginny Madsen
Natalie Portman
Cate Blanchett
Laura Linney
Meryl Streep

They loves the Streep.

Best Supporting Actor
Thomas Haden-Church
Clive Owen
Morgan Freeman
Jamie Foxx (Collateral)
James Garner (The Notebook—it came out last summer. You didn't see it.)

Blacks, oldies, black oldies, TV actors and a devastatingly beautiful man. A cornucopia of talent.

There they are. Feel free to add your own predictions and laugh at mine. And, remember, it's not what's best, it's what's shiniest.