2013 Oscar Preview

The day is finally here. Probably the tightest Oscar race in years concludes tonight, in perhaps a not so surprising way. Lincoln leads all nominees with twelve, followed by Life of Pi with eleven. There were so many great movies this year that I get the feeling many movies are going to go home tonight with at least one win, and there isn't going to be one movie that dominates most of the categories. I personally enjoy years like this. It shows that the Oscars recognize how great of a year it's been for movies, and while only one can walk away with Best Picture, many more are recognized throughout the night.

I'm personally very excited for the broadcast. The past few Oscar telecasts have been pretty boring, to say the least. I think the choice of Seth MacFarlane will not only bring a more modern vibe to the event, but also bring in younger viewers who may not have tuned in otherwise. There are also plenty of rumors surrounding various appearances at the show, with I think the most exciting being the rumor that all six men to play James Bond will appear. Adele is set to perform her song, "Skyfall", from the newest Bond movie of the same name, and there is also a planned tribute to the 50th anniversary of the character. Many people have speculated this would mean that the six men to play Bond on the big screen, Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, will all appear together to kick off the tribute. It would be the first time ever all six men have appeared at a tribute for the character. However, early talk made it seem as if Connery was the lone man to not want to do it, but a part of me thinks he may have come around to the idea. Commercials for the Oscars have begun to focus on the Bond tribute, which makes me believe even more that something big is set to happen. I think if it were to happen, it would end up being one of the best moments in the history of the Oscars. Imagine the reaction if all six walk out on stage as Adele is wrapping up "Skyfall", with a montage of the character's best moments playing on the big screen.

Host Seth MacFarlane

However, the big reason we watch the show is to find out who will win. Like I said earlier, there are a lot of great movies up for awards tonight and it really could go in several different directions. Lincoln and Argo are the two frontrunners, but don't be surprised if smaller movies like Amour and Silver Linings Playbook walk away with some bigger prizes. Everyone has talked that, without Ben Affleck nominated for Best Director, it's a two way race between Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) and Ang Lee (Life of Pi). While these two are the most likely, don't be surprised if Michael Haneke sneaks in with a win for Amour, which is as much a lock as there is in the Best Foreign Language category. Anne Hathaway is pretty much a sure thing as well for Best Supporting Actress for her terrific performance in Les Misérables, but watch out for an upset from Sally Field in Lincoln. There's also the question of whether or not Pixar can still dominate the Best Animated Feature category. While I think Brave is one of their better movies, moviegoers seemed to enjoy Wreck-It-Ralph more. Pixar didn't even have a movie nominated last year (Cars 2 was really that bad), so it'll be interesting to see if they can reclaim their throne.

Below are my predictions for tonight's winners. I've also included my personal picks on who should win, and for the bigger categories, highlight some movies and performances that the Oscars missed out on nominating. Be sure to watch the telecast tonight at 8:30 on ABC!

Best Picture
Will Win: Argo
Should Win: Argo
Left Out: Moonrise Kingdom, Skyfall

Best Director
Will Win: Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Should Win: Ben Affleck, Argo (not nominated)
Left Out: Affleck, Kathryn Bigelow Zero Dark Thirty, Quentin Tarantino Django Unchained

Best Actor
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Should Win: Day-Lewis
Left Out: John Hawkes, The Sessions




Best Actress
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Should Win: Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Left Out: Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

Best Supporting Actor 
Will Win: Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Should Win: Honestly, any of them are deserving.
Left Out: Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables

Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Should Win: Hathaway
Left Out: Judi Dench, Skyfall

Best Original Screenplay
Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty
Should Win: Django Unchained
Left Out: Looper

Best Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: Argo
Should Win: Argo
Left Out: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

These predictions for the "lesser" categories will just include my winner predictions:

Best Animated Feature
Brave

Best Animated Short
Paperman

Best Foreign Language Film
Amour

Best Feature Documentary
Searching for Sugar Man

Best Documentary Short 
Open Heart

Best Cinematography
Skyfall

Best Production Design
Anna Karenina

Best Costume Design
Anna Karenina

Best Original Score
Life of Pi

Best Original Song
Skyfall

Best Editing
Argo

Best Sound Editing
Skyfall

Best Sound Mixing
Les Misérables

Best Visual Effects
Life of Pi

Best Live Action Short
Curfew

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Les Misérables