It’s Raining Golden Men

Pop the popcorn and dim the lights, because the Oscars will be arriving in living rooms across the U.S. in just over a week. This means it’s time to place your bets on which actors and movies are going to go home with little gold men in their arms.

Best Picture

There are many fine nominees in this category, including the haunting “Black Swan,” the heartfelt “The Kids are All Right,” and the harrowing “127 Hours.” Now, “The Social Network” has been getting a lot of buzz and awards already this year, but a close contender is “The King’s Speech.” Who will win? Most likely, “The King’s Speech” will. It’s a well-acted film about the man who suddenly found himself king of England, conquered his speech impediment, and went on to lead his country into World War II. It’s got Best Picture written all over it.

Best Director

The Coen Brothers have won in this category before and are nominated again this year for “True Grit.” However, the real competition for the statue is (as it is so often this year) between David Fincher for “The Social Network” and Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech.” This award could truly go either way, but chances are David Fincher will take home the Oscar. It won’t be undeserved, given that he has such films as “Fight Club” and the much-anticipated “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” to his name, and was nominated for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” last year.

Best Actor

This too winds up as a showdown between Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network” and Colin Firth for “The King’s Speech.” James Franco makes a decent show in “127 hours” for his turn as Aron Ralstron, the hiker who was forced to cut off his own arm to survive. However, in the end, the Oscar will probably go to Firth, and it’s well deserved, considering his masterful performance as King George VI.

Best Actress

There are many great performances in this category, including Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole,” Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone,” and four-time Oscar-nominee Annette Bening for her performance in “The Kids Are All Right.” But after all the attention and awards showered on Natalie Portman for her performance as a perfection-obsessed dancer in “Black Swan,” there’s little chance of the Oscar going to anyone else.

Best Supporting Actor

Geoffrey Rush is nominated for his role in “The King’s Speech,” but this is one of the categories where I don’t see the momentum of that film carrying it very far. John Hawkes gives a chilling performance as Teardrop in “Winter’s Bone,” but it is Christian Bale’s turn as Dickie Eklund, the crack-addicted, down-and-out brother and trainer to Mark Wahlberg’s Micky Ward in “The Fighter” that will probably snag the statue.

Best Supporting Actress

Of all the categories listed here, this award is the one with the most potential for competition. “The Fighter” garnered two nominations—one for Amy Adams and one for Melissa Leo. Helena Bonham Carter is nominated for her role in “The King’s Speech,” and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld is up for her performance in “True Grit.” That said, who will win? It’s a difficult choice. Leo has been set up as the most likely, but many critics assert that Steinfeld could easily come from the background and grab the Oscar.

Best Animated Feature

Does it really need to be said? Ok, fine: “Toy Story 3.” Pixar has won the Oscar five times in the past seven years, and aren’t likely to lose this year either.

Best Documentary Feature

Documentaries are often the most difficult to predict for Oscar season. The current forerunner is “Restrepo,” a film that depicts soldiers stationed in the middle of the Afghan War. However, “Exit through the Gift Shop,” which features the attempts of two men to track down and form a friendship with the elusive graffiti artist Banksy, may end up with the Oscar. ?