Oscar Predictions 2012

No bets on this years Oscars, so I won't be up til all hours clutching my betting slip and hoping fervently that outsider comes good to boost my earnings.
So, instead I'll simply predict the winners for this year in the big categories, as well as in the smaller categories which will be less calculated (ie wild guesses).

Best Picture
"The Artist"
Why?
a) It has won everything else to date
b) It celebrates Hollywood and the film industry
c) People want to see the dog in a dickie-bow
Any hope for anyone else?
No.
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"
Why?
a) Picture and Director usually go hand-in-hand
b) He won the DGA award, the most reliable indicator of the winner
c) He speaks with a funny French accent - Oscar loves that.
Any hope for anyone else?
Martin Scorsese maybe. Hugo got a lot of love in the nominations and people still feel a bit guilty for giving him Best Director for The Departed.
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Actor
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"
Why?
a) The Artist's momentum will see him nudge past Clooney to the gong
b) Clooney has already won an Oscar for Syriana
Any hope for anyone else?
George Clooney can't be discounted. It's a straight race between these two.
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Actress
Viola Davis, "The Help"
Why?
a) She has overtaken Meryl Streep in the pre-Oscar awards
b) Wins for both her and co-star Octavia Spencer will make a nice political statement for the Academy
c) She is prettier than Streep - gotta think of those photo-shoots
Any hope for anyone else?
Meryl Streep who was front-runner until a few weeks ago. The US didn't take to The Iron Lady, though
Right or Wrong? Wrong - Meryl came good after all, almost 30 years after her last win.

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"
Why?
a) He's old
b) He has never won before
c) He plays a gay character - how brave!
Any hope for anyone else?
Max Von Sydow is also old and Oscar-less. Unfortunately for him he only plays a mute character - needed to be a mute, gay character.
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Supporting Actress
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"
Why?
a) Won everything in sight in the lead-up
b) She is pretty - gotta think of the magazine shoots, remember?
Any hope for anyone else?
No.
Right or Wrong? Right


Best Original Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"
Why?
Perennial Oscar Favourite, due another win.
Any hope for anyone else?
If enough people have seen A Separation, then Asghar Farhadi could well sneak it. Let's hope so.

Right or Wrong? Right

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxton, Jim Rash, "The Descendants"
Why?
It has to win something. If it's not Clooney, it'll be this.
Any hope for anyone else?
John Logan, "Hugo", if the nominations have to translate into a win.
Right or Wrong? Right

AND THE REST

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
A Separation
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Animated Feature
"Rango"
Right or Wrong? Right

Original Score
"The Artist," Ludovic Bource
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Original Song
"Man or Muppet," The Muppets; Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Achievement in Art Direction
"The Artist"

Right or Wrong? Wrong - Hugo snaffled it.

Best Achievement in Cinematography
"The Artist"
Right or Wrong? Wrong - Hugo snaffled it too

Best Achievement in Costume Design
"The Artist"
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Documentary Feature
"Hell and Back Again"
Right or Wrong? Wrong - "Undefeated" ended up, er, undefeated.

Best Documentary Short Subject
"Incident in New Baghdad"

Right or Wrong? Wrong - "Saving Face" won

Best Achievement in Film Editing
"The Artist"
Right or Wrong? Wrong - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" won

Best Achievement in Makeup
"The Iron Lady"
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Animated Short Film
Fantastic Flying Books of Morris Lessmore
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Live Action Short Film
"The Shore"
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
"Hugo"
Right or Wrong? Right

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
"Hugo"
Right or Wrong? Right


Best Achievement in Visual Effects
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes"
Right or Wrong? Wrong - Harry Potter Part 7 Part 2 won.

Final Tally : 17/24