The climax of Awards Season is finally here – the Oscars are on Sunday!
While Hollywood has been breaking out the jewels, gowns, tuxes and spray tans, toofab's film fanatic Wendy Vinglinsky has been conducting copious amounts of research (watching movies is so hard, you guys!) to figure out who's going to win the trophies at the 85th Academy Awards this weekend. Do you agree with her picks?
Best Picture
Nominees: "Amour;" "Argo;" "Beasts of the Southern Wild;" "Django Unchained;" "Les Miserables;" "Life of Pi;" "Lincoln;" "Silver Linings Playbook;" "Zero Dark Thirty"
Will win: It may have seemed like a longshot heading into awards season, but my money is now on the trophy going to "Argo."
The Ben Affleck-produced, directed, and starring flick has swept the house -- winning Best Picture at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, BAFTAs, AFI Awards and Producers Guild Awards, plus top honors at the SAG Awards, Writers Guild Awards, Eddie Awards and Directors Guild Awards.
Ben's lack of an Oscar directing nod was considered the biggest snub of the year, and I see voters wanting to honor him however they can -- aka a Best Picture Oscar for producing the flick.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Nominees: Bradley Cooper, "Silver Linings Playbook;" Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln;" Hugh Jackman, "Les Miserables;" Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master;" Denzel Washington, "Flight"
Will win: Daniel Day-Lewis is set to take home his third Academy Award for his portrayal of our 16th President in "Lincoln." The 55-year-old Brit has already racked up over 30 Best Actor honors for his role as honest Abe, and I see the trend continuing on Oscar night.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Nominees: Jessica Chastain, "Zero Dark Thirty;" Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook;" Emmanuelle Riva, "Amour;" Quvenzhane Wallis, "Beasts of the Southern Wild;" Naomi Watts, "The Impossible"
Will win: At the ripe old age of 22, Jennifer Lawrence is poised to take home her first Oscar.
She's wowed us in drama ("Winter's Bone" which earned her her first Academy nom at age 20), sci-fi ("X-Men: First Class"), and as one of the biggest fantasy characters in recent memory (yes, she's Katniss in "The Hunger Games"). Now she shines in dark comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," where her funny, sarcastic, and sexy-yet-vulnerable portrayal of a recovering sex addict is outstanding ... and sure to be award winning.
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Nominees: Alan Arkin, "Argo;" Robert DeNiro, "Silver Linings Playbook;" Philip Seymour Hoffman, "The Master;" Tommy Lee Jones, "Lincoln;" Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
Will win: This is a tough one. Tommy Lee Jones in "Lincoln" had been the frontrunner until Christoph Waltz won the Golden for his amazing turn in "Django Unchained." Then Robert DeNiro goes and breaks down when discussing his role in "Silver Linings Playbook" and we all learned that he related because he has a bipolar son. Yeah, this category is tough.
For now I'm going with Tommy Lee. He picked up the SAG Award for the role, and since both that trophy and this one are decided by actors, I'm sticking with him.
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Nominees: Amy Adams, "The Master;" Sally Field, "Lincoln;" Anne Hathaway, "Les Miserables;" Helen Hunt, "The Sessions;" Jacki Weaver, "Silver Linings Playbook"
Will win: A single mom who turns to prostitution to support her out-of-wedlock child, then dies of tuberculosis? Anne Hathaway had this trophy on lock the second she signed on to play Fantine in "Les Miserables" ... plus she's won every other awards she's been up for in this role.
Achievement in Directing
Nominees: Michael Haneke, "Amour;" Ang Lee, "Life of Pi;" David O. Russell, "Silver LInings Playbook;" Steven Spielberg, "Lincoln;" Ben Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Will win: With Ben Affleck unceremoniously snubbed from this category, I think Steven Spielberg will pick up his fourth Oscar -- third in this category -- for his masterful work on "Lincoln."
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominees: "Brave;" "Frankenweenie;" "ParaNorman;" "The Pirates: Band of Misfits;" "Wreck-It Ralph"
Will win: He's gonna WRECK IT! And by wreck it I mean "Wreck-It Ralph" is going to take home the trophy. (Yeah that was super cheesy, apologies.) The Disney flick lost the Globe to "Brave," but then swooped up the Annie Award which is the top prize in animation. I think that means a win for Ralph and his pals.
Best Original Song
Nominees: "Before My Time" from "Chasing Ice," Music and Lyric by J. Ralph; "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from "Ted," Music by Walter Murphy, Lyric by Seth MacFarlane; "Pi's Lullaby" from "Life of Pi," Music by Mychael Danna, Lyric by Bombay Jayashri; "Skyfall" from "Skyfall," Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth; "Suddenly" from "Les Misérables," Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
Will win: Let's be honest, is there anything Adele can't do? We know she's probably going to conquer every facet of entertainment by the time she's 30, so let's start with her first Oscar for her haunting theme song for "Skyfall."
Find out the answer and all the big winners when the 85th Academy Awards air this Sunday on ABC!
Also, be sure to come back to toofab that day for our full coverage of the show, and click here for the list of nominees, best and worst dressed of past Oscar red carpets, and much more!