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OSCAR!

Knee deep into Oscar preparations. The Hungry Detective's better half is cleaning the house, and in a bit we will head to the grocery store. Trying to keep it healthy this year. Last year we had Chicken Wings. Oof!

Anyway here are my picks. Take these to the bank!
Best Picture
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

I think this is a mortal lock at this point. Lots of buzz about The Reader lately but this award was decided long ago.

Actor
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Not as big a lock for Mickey Rourke that everyone is thinking. Penn could nab this because Hollywood loves the bio-pic performance.

Actress
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, The Reader

This could go three ways. Anne, Meryl, and Kate. Probably Kate because Hollywood wants to give her this award.

Supporting Actor
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road

Gotta say that Heath Ledger is going to win, but I would not be surprised if Downey jumped in and got this award.

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

This awards just proves loud and shrill will always garner the most attention. The winner here should probably be Marisa Tomei, but Penelope will get it.

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

The Directors Guild of America gave their award to Boyle a few weeks a go. Only a handful of occasions has the Oscar gone to the non-DGA winner.

Foreign Film
The Baader Meinhof Complex, Germany
The Class, France
Departures, Japan
Revanche, Austria
Waltz With Bashir, Israel

Adapted Screenplay
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
David Hare, The Reader
Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Simon Beaufoy could easily win this award, but past history suggests that the either of the screenplay awards acts as the runner-up prize.

Original Screenplay
Courtney Hunt, Frozen River
Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, WALL-E

Toss up between In Bruges and Milk. However this could easily go to Milk

Animated Feature Film
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

If Wall-E does not win, this would be a huge upset.

Art Direction
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

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

Sound Mixing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Sound Editing
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted

Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Alexandre Desplat
Defiance, James Newton Howard
Milk," Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman
WALL-E, Thomas Newman

Original Song
Down to Earth from WALL-E, Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman and Gulzar
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire, A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Costume
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Documentary Feature
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

Documentary (short subject)
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness -- From the Balcony of Room 306

Film Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Animated Short Film
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory -- Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Live Action Short Film
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
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