10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5? How Many Best Picture Nominees Will There Be?

The Academy Awards have had changed the number of nominees for their Best Picture Award throughout its history. 1927/28 had three nominees.  From 1929-1931 there were five nominees.  From 1932-1943 there were ten nominees.  The most consistent period of time was 1944-2008 where the Academy went back to five nominees.  2009 and 2010 both went back to the 10 nominees.  This year based on the the new rules listed below there is no set specific number of nominees.

New Rules for Best Picture nominees

1. A Reminder List of all eligible motion pictures shall be sent with a nominations ballot to all active and life members of the Academy who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five pictures.


2. The pictures receiving the highest number of votes shall become the nominations for final voting for the Best Picture award. There may not be more than ten nor fewer than five nominations; however, no picture shall be nominated that receives less than five percent of the total votes cast.

3. The individual(s) who shall be credited for Academy Award purposes must have screen credit of “producer” or “produced by.” Persons with screen credits of executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, line producer, produced in association with or any other credit shall not receive nominations or Academy statuettes. The nominees will be those three or fewer producers who have performed the major portion of the producing functions. The Producers Branch Executive Committee will designate the qualifying producer nominees for each of the nominated pictures. The committee has the right, in what it determines to be a rare and extraordinary circumstance, to name any additional qualified producer as a nominee.

4. Final voting for the Best Picture award shall be restricted to active and life Academy members.

The key piece of information listed above is in section 2 which states that a Best Picture nominee must have five percent of the total votes cast.  This means that when Academy Award members are voting a film with a significant number of number one votes will get a Best Picture nomination.  Sounds overly complicated!  You are probably asking why not set a specific number?  I like the variable, but I think this just creates inconsistency.

So how many nominees will their be, and what will they be?  Two films are a lock, The Artist and The Descendants, which each won Best Film at The Golden Globes.  Hugo, The Help, and Midnight in Paris are also locks, they have a lot of support from the Globes, and the guild awards.  This makes five.  The next question is will their be more?  Dave Karger from Entertainment Weekly has stated he thinks there will be only five.  While I appreciate his rationale, I think he is incorrect about the number.  The number five is out!

What other films have a shot at the Best Picture nomination? Bridesmaids, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,The Ides of March, Moneyball, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and War Horse.  Let's start with ten nominees and work back to the five to figure out the most likely scenario.  With Eleven options, and potentially The Tree of Life as as twelfth, what would the ten nominees be?  This is the simplest scenario to predict.

10 nominees
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
War Horse

Predicting the the tenth nominee is the toughest thing to do.  I would say the weakest films are Bridesmaids, The Ides of March, and War Horse.  Bridesmaids has a lot of guild support, and War Horse has the second most.  I would say the tenth nominee is between Ides and Tinker.  Ides is more traditional fair while Tinke did impressively at BAFTA.

9 nominees


The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help 
Hugo
Midnight in Paris 
Moneyball
War Horse



8 nominees

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help 
Hugo
Midnight in Paris 
Moneyball
War Horse


7 nominees

The Artist
The Descendants
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Help 
Hugo
Midnight in Paris 
Moneyball


Picking 10 is going to be tough, but when you get down to 6 nominees it's even harder.  What gets eliminated from the 7 is it Moneyball or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo?  I am going to take cop out answer and state that there will be no less than seven nominees (if I had to pick I would get rid of Dragon Tattoo.)  My prediction is 8 nominees, and it will be the eight I picked.  I would love to see War Horse get booted off the list, but I do think it will end up as a Best Picture nominee.

In Memoriam: Etta James

One January 20, 2012 legendary lady of soul Etta James passed away from complications of leukemia.  This woman's voice is one of the most soulful, and she has one of the most recognizable songs of all time "At Last."  While many people will simply remember this crooner for this song, James was so much more, and her blend of soul, R&B, and rock has defined her as one of the most inspirational female vocalists of all time.

The Associated Press stated "Despite the reputation she cultivated, she would always be remembered best for “At Last.” The jazz-inflected rendition wasn’t the original, but it would become the most famous and the song that would define her as a legendary singer. Over the decades, brides used it as their song down the aisle and car companies to hawk their wares, and it filtered from one generation to the next through its inclusion in movies like “American Pie.” Perhaps most famously, President Obama and the first lady danced to a version at his inauguration ball."  James is a timless presence in the world of entertainment, and she has influenced many vocalist today.

BAFTA Award Nominations Highlight The Artist, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Hugo

Today the British Academy of Film Television Arts (BAFTA) announced their nominations.  BAFTA is the UK's version of the Academy Awards. These awards typically help give a good perspective on the Academy Awards.  


British films/actors typically are always given nominations, and these nominations do not always follow to the Oscars, like Judi Dench's nomination for My Week with Marilyn, which is a throw away nomination.  Meanwhile BAFTA also picks some pretty great surprises with Brit Lynne Ramsey nominated for Best Director for We Need to Talk About Kevin.


Two films received a major boost here, Drive, and Tinker Tailor  Soldier Spy.  Spy has the second most nominations with 11 including Best Picture.  Meanwhile Drive garnered 4 nominations, including the Best Picture race too.


The Artist has solidified its front runner status with a total of 12 nominations.  Meanwhile The Descendants which won at the Globes only received 3 nominations setting this film back a bit.  The other big surprise in the world of frontrunners is that Hugo received 9 nominations and no Best Picture nomination.  Hugo is still a serious threat but this weakens its chances. At the middle ground My Week with Marilyn (a British film) received 6 nominations The Help had 5, and War Horse had 5 nominations.


This award show tends to have an impact or helps to predict the winners, it can also help predict some surprise nominations because many of the members of the Academy are British.  Here is the complete list of nominations:

BEST FILM

• THE ARTIST – Thomas Langmann
• THE DESCENDANTS – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
• DRIVE – Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
• THE HELP – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

DIRECTOR

• THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
• DRIVE Nicolas – Winding Refn
• HUGO – Martin Scorsese
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay

LEADING ACTOR

• BRAD PITT – Moneyball
• GARY OLDMAN – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• GEORGE CLOONEY – The Descendants
• JEAN DUJARDIN – The Artist
• MICHAEL FASSBENDER – Shame

LEADING ACTRESS

• BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist – Film
• MERYL STREEP – The Iron Lady
• MICHELLE WILLIAMS – My Week with Marilyn
• TILDA SWINTON – We Need to Talk About Kevin
• VIOLA DAVIS – The Help

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – Beginners
• JIM BROADBENT – The Iron Lady
• JONAH HILL – Moneyball
• KENNETH BRANAGH – My Week with Marilyn
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Ides of March

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• CAREY MULLIGAN – Drive
• JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Help
• JUDI DENCH – My Week with Marilyn
• MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids
• OCTAVIA SPENCER – The Help

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
• SENNA – Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
• SHAME – Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – _Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo, Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno, Rory Stewart Kinnear

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

• ATTACK THE BLOCK – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
• BLACK POND – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
• CORIOLANUS – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
• SUBMARINE – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
• TYRANNOSAUR – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

DOCUMENTARY

• GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – Martin Scorsese
• PROJECT NIM – James Marsh, Simon Chinn
• SENNA – Asif Kapadia

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
• BRIDESMAIDS – Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
• THE GUARD – John Michael McDonagh
• THE IRON LADY – Abi Morgan
• MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Woody Allen

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
• THE HELP – Tate Taylor
• THE IDES OF MARCH – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
• MONEYBALL – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• INCENDIES – Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw
• PINA – Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
• POTICHE – François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
• A SEPARATION – Asghar Farhadi
• THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

ANIMATED FILM

• HE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Steven Spielberg
• ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Sarah Smith
• RANGO – Gore Verbinski

ORIGINAL MUSIC

• THE ARTIST – Ludovic Bource
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• HUGO Howard – Shore
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Alberto Iglesias
• WAR HORSE – John Williams

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• THE ARTIST – Guillaume Schiffman
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Jeff Cronenweth
• HUGO – Robert Richardson
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Hoyte van Hoytema
• WAR HORSE – Janusz Kaminski

EDITING

• THE ARTIST – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
• DRIVE – Mat Newman
• HUGO – Thelma Schoonmaker
• SENNA – Gregers Sall, Chris King
• TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER – SPY Dino Jonsater

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• THE ARTIST – Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
• HUGO – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
• WAR HORSE – Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

COSTUME DESIGN

• THE ARTIST – Mark Bridges
• HUGO – Sandy Powell
• JANE EYRE – Michael O’Connor
• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jill Taylor
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Jacqueline Durran

SOUND

• THE ARTIST – Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
• HUGO – Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
• WAR HORSE – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

• THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Joe Letteri
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
• HUGO – Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
• RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
• WAR HORSE – Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

MAKE UP & HAIR

• THE ARTIST – Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
• HUGO Morag – Ross, Jan Archibald
• THE IRON LADY – Marese Langan
• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jenny Shircore

SHORT ANIMATION

• ABUELAS – Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
• BOBBY YEAH – Robert Morgan
• A MORNING STROLL – Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe

SHORT FILM

• CHALK – Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
• MWANSA THE GREAT – Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
• ONLY SOUND REMAINS – Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
• PITCH BLACK HEIST – John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn
• TWO AND TWO – Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen

ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD

• ADAM DEACON
• CHRIS HEMSWORTH
• TOM HIDDLESTON
• CHRIS O’DOWD
• EDDIE REDMAYNE

The Iron Lady Shows a Woman Strong her Beliefs While the Film Shows a Female Director and Writer who are not Strong Enough to Tackle this Material

The Iron Lady (1 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Mamma Mia!)

Written by Abi Morgan (Shame, Brick Lane)

Starring Meryl Streep and Jim Broadbent

As I was walking out of the theater one woman stated "This was like The King's Speech" meets The Notebook."  In the simplest terms the girl was close to being correct, the only difference is both of those films are much better than Lady, and that the combination of these two elements made one bad film.

The film starts with Thatcher going to to buy milk at grocery store in her post Prime Minister days.  The ironic part is that no one in the store recognizes her and considers her to just be some old lady.  Margaret Thatcher was so much more.  The film shows Thatcher as she has grown old and her mind has started to go.  The film shows her senility as she talks to her deceased husband, and while doing so she remembers moments from her past.  The memories start with a young Margaret Thatcher during World War II and progress from a woman who would not remain silent, stood up for gender, her political party, fought to become Prime Minister, and did all of these things because of her belief in the ideals she had, not her own personal feelings; she would say feelings are the problem with this generation.

The same thing can be said for this film, no one used a coherent thought process while creating this film.  Phyllida Lloyd who directed the train wreck Mamma Mia, took the helm and attempted to direct this serious bio-pic; her attempt was valid, but she failed.  This film had Lloyd's stylistic ploys written all over the film.  The prime example was during the montage when Thatcher was doing well as the Prime Minister and she was dancing with Reagan etc. this just looked tacky.  Morgan's screenplay is not safe here either; she jumped all over the place, and while had a good sense of Thatcher's convictions I felt as thought there were pieces missing, or if they had focused on certain aspects of her tenure the film would have been much better.  I want to know about Thatcher's relationship with her son, I understand it was strained, but why?  The film never explains that, and it does not show enough about her younger days either.  I wanted a rounder portrait of this woman.

The only thing that saved this film was Streep's performance.  Streep is great in the role and capture the mannerisms and qualities of Thatcher impeccably.  While Streep is good in the role, I can't help but feel as though the performance strays more into being an impersonation than acting in certain moments.  I also think the the quality of the film drags her down further.  While Streep tries to give a complete picture of this woman and her politics, the people behind the scenes did not.

Thatcher was a true conservative woman and the film did not explore this concept enough for fear that it would isolate leftist audience members.  I myself welcome an open and honest portrayal of the woman who believed in more than a flat tax.  Sure the film delves slightly into her opposition of the unions, and wanting to defend the Empire during the crisis in the Falkland Islands, but like as I have stated this hallow film just did not do much to make me feel as though this was a lazy take on this interesting woman's life.

The Weinsteins Controlled the Film Winners While the Golden Globes did Pretty well by TV

Tonight was the anything unpredictable could happen, and not much really did.  Ricky Gervais started out the evening with a lot of laughs, which included jokes at the expense of Jodie Foster and her beaver, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  To me this show is not always about host, while Gervais does add to evening.  This award show is about the celebrities being able to drink and giving entertaining speeches.  Gervais hosting does add to that mentality.

On to why I watch these shows, the awards themselves.  My friend Keith and I decided to do shots every time we did not predict the right winner, I only had to do 5 shots (most of them because of the TV categories).  While the game was not as much fun, partly because I did not have to drink as much.  I wish the show provided a few more surprises in the film categories.  It seems as though the Weinstein company is putting a lot of weight behind its films, especially The Artist for Best Picture.

Ricky Gervais may have been right all along about the HFPA taking bribes or being crooked because the Weinstein Company has seemed to have a hold on the winners for the last two years.  This year the Weinstein Company had six major wins in the film categories.  The Weinstein's swept the Comedy/Musical category with The Artist taking Best Comedy/Musical and its star Jean Dujardin winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical, and the film won for Best Original Score. The Artist won the most trophies for the night.  Michelle Williams took home the trophy for Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical.  Williams was not the only person who benefited from the Weinstein name, Meryl Streep beat out her tight competitor Viola Davis for Best Actress in a Drama.  I am predicting Davis will still win the SAG thus making predicting the best Actress category incredibly difficult.  The Weinstein's did also help cause another upset in the Best Song category, Madonna won the prize for her film W.E., the song is ruled ineligible for the Oscars.

While The Artist was a solid film and it is the clear front runner with its win tonight, I can not see mainstream movie audiences embracing a silent film.  With a lack of popular audience appeal (this influences voters to an extent)  I have a hard time believing this film will win the Best Picture award, btu I could be wrong.  I also have a hard time believing The Descendants can win.  The Descendants won the award for Best Film (Drama) and Best Actor in Drama.  While I think Clooney will win, I also think Brad Pitt has a strong shot.  Clooney and Pitt seemed to show more affection for each other than I have ever seen two actors show.  Clooney has his Oscar and may champion for his friend to get his first win.

The biggest  surprise came in the Best Director category, although I predicted it, Martin Scorsese won for Hugo.  This will help Hugo a lot!  This film could be a major spoiler.  Midnight in Paris also could be a spoiler, it wont Best Screenplay Award.  The reason why I do not think Paris will win is because its director just does not show up to award shows.  Meanwhile the winners in supporting categories were cemented tonight and they will be Christopher Plummer for Beginners and Octavia Spencer from The Help.  The only thing I predicted wrong was the Best Song winner.

In the TV world the Globes stuck to mainly honoring new shows.  In the Drama categories the brilliant new Showtime show, Homeland won Best Drama Series and Claire Danes won for Best Actress.  Meanwhile Kelsey Grammer won Best Drama Actor for the Starz show Boss.  The comedy categories picked two winners from shows in their first year on HBO and Showtime.  Laura Dern won for Enlightened which was the only show picked up by HBO recently because of their Globe nominations.  Matt LeBlanc won for basically playing himself in the Showtime show Episodes.  Modern Family was the only returning show that won a prize at the Globes, it won Best Comedy Series.

In the movie/miniseries category, Downton Abbey won the top prize.  Kate Winslet won the trophy for Lead Actress in a movie/miniseries for Mildred Pierce, and Idris Elba won the Lead Actor Prize for Luther.

My one pet peeve about the Globes is that they lump the supporting actors from everything in one category, mainly in order to cutdown on awards to present.  I would not have them do this in the film categories, but the TV and movie/mini-series awards should be separate.  In recent years the stars of TV series have dominated.  This year continued that pattern Peter Dinklage won for Game of Thrones and Jessica Lange won for American Horror Story.  I did not predict Dern, Lange, Grammer, or Homeland to win.

Overall the show and the winners were predictable, but it was worth a drinking game.  I have to start getting worse at picking or my friend and I need to come up with a better game while watching this show.

My one pet

Golden Globe Winner Predictions (TV)

I decided to post my television predictions in a different post, namely because this website was being difficult-I will not give any rationale to the winners here.  The HFPA has their own weird way of picking winners in the TV categories, but here are my best guesses.

Best Drama
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

My Prediction-Game of Thrones

Best Actor in a Drama
Steve Buscemi-Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston-Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer-Boss
Jeremy Irons-The Borgias
Damien Lewis-Homeland

My Prediction-Bryan Cranston-Breaking Bad


Best Actress in a Drama
Claire Danes-Homeland
Mirielle Enos-The Killing
Julianna Marguilles-The Good Wife
Madeline Stowe-Revenge
Callie Thorne-Necessary Roughness

My Predictions-Claire Danes-Homeland

Best Comedy or Musical Series
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family
The New Girl

Prediction-Modern Family

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin-30 Rock
David Duchovny-Californication
Johnny Gallecki-The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane-Hung
Matt LeBlanc-Episodes

My Prediction-Matt LeBlanc-Episodes

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Laura Dern-Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel-The New Girl
Tina Fey-30 Rock
Laura Linney-The Big C
Amy Poehler-Parks and Recreation

My Prediction-Zooey Deschanel-The New Girl


Miniseries or Movie-Downton Abbey
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Movie-Idris Elba-Luther
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Movie-Kate Winslet-Mildred Pierce
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Movie-Peter Dinklage-Game of Thrones
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Movie-Maggie Smith-Downton Abbey

Golden Globe Winner Predictions (Film)

Well I am in New York City for a long weekend, but I need to take time to predict the winners for tonight's Golden Globe ceremony.

Best Picture (Drama)

The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

My Predictions-The Descendants, with reservations.  The Globes tend to pick their most nominated films, but from what I have heard the Globes loved Hugo.  I think Hugo has a shot here, but I will stick with the safe bet of The Descendants. 

Best Picture Comedy or Musical
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight In Paris
My Week with Marilyn

Prediction: The Artist- I think they will want to rubber stamp this film, but this is not a done deal.  Midnight in Paris has a shot, but I think if the Globes pick a different film from The Artist they will pick Bridesmaids.

Best Director
Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

My Prediction-Hugo-I think they they will give this to Marty, I am a little torn on who they will pick for best Drama between Hugo and The Descendants.  I do not think people like The Descendants as much as we think.  I pick Marty here, but I did that for the Critics choice too and Hazanavicius won, which is the other option.

Best Actress, Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

My Prediction-Meryl Streep-The Iron Lady-I think the Globes will rubber stamp Streep.  Davis could win, but I have a feeling she will win at SAG, while Meryl and Williams winning here, thus making this a tougher race to predict

Best Actor, Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

My Prediction-George Clooney-The Descendants-They will honor George Clooney here, but I still have a sneaking suspicion Brad Pitt is going to creep up and potentially take away the win from his best pal.

Best Actress Comedy or MusicalJodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

My Prediction-Michelle Williams-My Week with Marilyn-Easiest category to predict, but Theron is the one with the real comedic chops.

Best Actor Comedy or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

My Prediction-Jean Dujardin-The Artist-Another near lock, but if anyone will spoil is Joseph Gordon Levitt, a name the HFPA know is on the rise in Hollywood.

Best Actor Supporting
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

My Prediction-Christopher Plummer-Beginners-This is another easy prediction, Plummer is poised to finally win the Oscar.

Best Actress Supporting
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain , The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

My Prediction-Octavia Spencer-The Help-I think the supporting categories have their winners sewn up, Spencer is solid in this film, but I do wish Chastain would pick a different film.

Best Foreign Language Film
A Separation (Iran)
The Flowers Of War (China)
The Kid With The Bike (Belgium)
In The Land Of Blood and Honey (USA)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)

My Prediction-A Separation (Iran)- While this category is always a wild card, I think they will pick the obvious choice.

Best Animated Feature
TinTin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

My Prediction-Rango-This is the best in the category, and it will win.

Best Screenplay
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
The Ides of March, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Moneyball, Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

My Prediction-Midnight in Paris-They love Woody Allen!  I think this is where this film will be honored.  Moneyball has a shot, it's the second best screenplay in this category, but they will go with Woody.

Best Score
The Artist, Ludovic Bource
W.E., Abel Korzeniowski
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo, Howard Shore
War Horse, John Williams

My Predictions-The Artist-Ludovic-Bource-This won at the Critics Choice and I think it will win here too, but I would like to see Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross win (from this group).  I think this is an award this film will win at the Oscars too.

Best Original Song
“Hello Hello” – “Gnomeo & Juliet – Elton John
“Lay Your Head Down” – “Albert Nobbs” – Sinead O’Connor
“The Living Proof” – “The Help” – Mary J. Blige
“The Keeper” – “Machine Gun Preacher” – Gerard Butler
“Masterpiece” – “W.E.” – Madonna

My Prediction-"The Living Proof"-The Help-Mary J. Blige-No Idea here, but the song from The Help seems to make sense.