My Absolutely, Totally, 200%, Completely Final Predix

This is my most important post of the year: the final predix. I am not allowing myself to change ANY of these. At all. Red for who WILL win. Blue for the runner-up. Underline for who SHOULD win. Here we go...

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – No Country for Old Men
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman – Juno
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney – Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones – In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away from Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney – The Savages
Ellen Page – Juno

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Chalrie Wilson’s War
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
Ruby Dee – American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Juno
Lars and the Real Girl
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
The Savages

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Atonement
Away from Her
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf’s Up

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM (No Should Win Applicable)
12
Beaufort
The Counterfeiters
Mongol
Katyn

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (No Should Win Applicable)
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
Taxi to the Darkside
War/Dance

BEST FILM EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
Sweeney Todd
There Will Be Blood

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
3:10 to Yuma
Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Raise it Up” – August Rush
“Happy Working Song” – Enchanted
“So Close” – Enchanted
“That’s How You Know” – Enchanted
“Falling Slowly” – Once

BEST SOUND MIXING
3:10 to Yuma
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
Transformers

BEST SOUND EDITING
The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

BEST MAKEUP
La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers

BEST ANIMATED SHORT (No Should Win Applicable)
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Meme les Pigeones vont au Paradis
My Love
Peter and the Wolf

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT (No Should Win Applicable)
At Night
The Substitute
Le Mozart des Pickpockets
Tanghi Argenti
The Tonto Woman

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT (No Should Win Applicable)
Freeheld
La Corona
Salim Baba
Sari’s Mother

A Look at Best Actor

The nominees are...

George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

I'VE SEEN: 4/5. All but Eastern Promises; it looks like a bit too much for me to handle...
I PREDICTED: 3/5. I said Johnny would be snubbed to make room for Ryan Gosling in Lars and the Real Girl, and, like everyone, I said Emile Hirsch instead of Tommy Lee Jones (happy to be wrong there).

CLOONEY-Everyone is placing him second...and I have no idea why. The problem is that his performance, much like the film, is liked by everyone, but loved by very few. He's a very, very dark horse no matter how you put it.DAY-LEWIS-A phenomenon of a performance. Everyone, even his fellow nominees, have said that he gave the best performance by an actor this year. He's got everything for him, and nothing against him. He'll be receiving his well-deserved second Oscar in a breeze.

DEPP-He hasn't gotten much precursor attention, and honestly, no one has said he gave this amazing performance. It's really hard to say...

JONES-A terrific performance in a terrible movie, but considering that the nomination itself was a huge surprise, he really poses no threat at all.

MORTENSEN-I actually think he is the most likely upset. He certainly has a strong fanbase and you could kind of argue that he's overdue. But it doesn't really matter, seeing as how Daniel Day-Lewis is a sure thing.

WILL WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
SHOULD WIN: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood

IN ORDER OF LIKELINESS:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2. Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
3. Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd
4. George Clooney - Michael Clayton
5. Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah

TOMORROW: Best Director (oh...my...god. We're almost there...)

TOP 5 FINAL PREDIX: Best Actor

BEST ACTOR

1. Daniel Day-Lewis-There Will Be Blood-Count on it.

2. George Clooney-Michael Clayton-The rest of these four spots could really go to any of the 5 additional contenders. Clooney, however, is the safest bet of that group.

3. Ryan Gosling-Lars and the Real Girl-He's scored every precursor he needs, essentially. I don't see why he wouldn't be included.

4. Emile Hirsch-Into the Wild-The buzz has been cut in half after the PGA snub, but I think he should make it in without much sweat.

5. Viggo Mortenson-Eastern Promises-He's received every precursor nod he needs...now all he needs is buzz. However, I am very attached to my theory that Johnny will be snubbed.