Animated Feature
Predicted: WALL-E
Winner: WALL-E
First, Jack Black, you are astounding. Great movie, great story and hated by the Right. It could do no wrong.

Original Song
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
This was a lock. Especially when you consider the emotional impact and plot-driving force of it. Could pretty much bank on Slumdog the entire night.

Editing
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Intensity, dynamism and heart. That’s what Dickens brought to the party and he brought more than anyone else. It’s not an important award as far as E! is concerned but it’s insanely important to film as an art. No one cares.

Cinematography
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
Gorgeous film. Stiller’s rendition of Pheonix was almost better though. And then the guy thanked everyone he’s worked with for twenty years so that was… a cop out.

Adapted Screenplay
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
This, like so many of the other categories where Slumdog is nominated, was almost a lock. (Full disclosure: I didn’t read or see any of the works adapted. Still, I’m a genius.)

Original Screenplay
Predicted: In Bruges
Winner: Milk
Ugh. Can this movie get dry-humped further? The story was awesome, yes. The events and plot and acting was stunning, yes. The politics were topical, yes. But the gorgeous symmetry of Bruges should have sold it. (It didn’t, apparently.) @SlashFilm‘s tweet said it all.

Directing
Predicted: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
Winner: Danny Boyle
He deserved it. (As he does consistently.) That is all.

Supporting Actress
Predicted: Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)
Winner: Penelope Cruz
Them announcing this one first was far more surprising than the actual winner. Still, with her performance, Tomei did a better job. The character was deeper and more intriguing but I guess Cruz winning just goes to show you… going crazy is second only to a mental/physical handicap when it comes to the gold statue. (Ask Angelina Jolie.) Tomei, you (and your nipples) should have taken it.

Supporting Actor
Predicted: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
Winner: Heath Ledger
‘Cause… duh. I mean, he was outstanding and it’s posthumous. The Academy can’t resist. The speech was poignant and beautiful.

Actress
Predicted: Kate Winslet (The Reader)
Winner: Kate Winslet
BOOM! She was up against a bunch of nobodies and first-timers with one woman who already has a few so the competition was thin but she still earned it. The speech was shakey but that’s understandable after so many nominations that came of nothing. Cheers, Kate, you’re gorgeous.

Actor
Predicted: Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)
Winner: Sean Penn
Penn was solid. I take nothing away from his performance but Rourke was better. Politics won over performance. Congrats, Penn, but, Rourke, you were robbed. The speech was just as political as you’d expect but at least he didn’t droll on and on and on…

Picture
Predicted: Slumdog Millionaire
Winner: Slumdog Millionaire
This was like the safe Ed Norton stored the gold in from Italian Job. The movies were good but Slumdog was great. Bringing everyone up and having so many there was epic. It’s heart-warming and jaw-dropping. Unreal.

All in all, it was a lame movie season. Really, as you can tell from the above, Slumdog, was about the only movie you need see. That goes to show you how small the crop of quality film was. (Yes, I’m looking at you Tropic Thunder.)

This was written during the awards show and just after. I don’t have clips of certain segments for that reason. For your own enjoyment, find Ben Stiller’s reenactment of Joaquin Pheonix.

Titles in italics will probably be winners. Titles in bold are ones I’m pulling for. *s are by ones I haven’t seen.

ANIMATED FEATURE

• Bolt *
• Kung Fu Panda *
• WALL-E

ORIGINAL SONG

• Slumdog Millionaire – “Jai Ho”
• Slumdog Millionaire – “O Saya”
• WALL-E – “Down to Earth”

EDITING

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon *
• Milk
• Slumdog Millionaire

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Changeling
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Doubt
• Frost/Nixon *
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Frozen River *
• Happy-Go-Lucky *
• In Bruges
• Milk
• WALL-E

DIRECTING

• Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
• Stephen Daldry (The Reader)
• David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) *
• Gus Van Sant (Milk)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Amy Adams (Doubt)
• Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
• Viola Davis (Doubt)
• Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Josh Brolin (Milk)
• Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder) *
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt)
• Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
• Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)

ACTRESS

• Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) *
• Angelina Jolie (Changeling)
• Melissa Leo (Frozen River) *
• Meryl Streep (Doubt)
• Kate Winslet (The Reader)

ACTOR

• Richard Jenkins (The Visitor)
• Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon) *
• Sean Penn (Milk)
• Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
• Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler)

PICTURE

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Frost/Nixon
• Milk
• The Reader
• Slumdog Millionaire

I doubt I’ll be as victorious as last year (sarcasm) but one can hope I’ll catch a few. It wasn’t a good season (tons of repeats on here) but the ones listed were fairly solid. (As you can tell from the above, I’m quite partial to Slumdog Millionaire.)

I know you can’t wait ’til the recap to fully appreciate my genius. I know it. (Delusion is the first step toward success, right?)

In case you think you’re smarter than I am (and probably are), pick a category or two and lay out your prediction in the comments. We’ll see on Monday who emerges with the prize.*

* There is no prize.