Oscar nominations—our predictions for winners

The nominations for this year's Oscars awards have been announced. The official results will be announced Sunday, March 7. We won't bore you with the entire list of nominees (see it here), so here's the official Yes/No Films guide to what will win awards at the Oscars. Check back March 8 to see if we were right or wrong!

Best Picture
There are ten nominations, and our money is on "Avatar." It's grossed close to $600 million and got a glowing review from us. Moreover, there's been so much hype over the special effects in James Cameron's epic 3D film that it seems like a sure thing.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
We'd really like to see George Clooney win for "Up in the Air", but our actual prediction is that Jeff Bridges will win for his role in "Crazy Heart." Bridges already won Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes awards.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Meryl Streep's performance in "Julia and Julia" will almost certainly win this category. There were strong performances by Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious" and, yes, Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side", but "Julia and Julia" pleased audiences almost universally.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
We're picking Christoph Waltz, who played Colonel Hans Landa in "Inglorious Basterds." His monologues were delivered flawlessly and he was the film's indisputable scene-stealer. The other nominees—Matt Damon, Woody Harrelson, Christopher Plummer, and Stanley Tucci—were good, but not quite Hans Landa good.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
This is tough, because the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal was outstanding in "Crazy Heart." She didn't bring home any awards from the SAG or Golden Globe awards, though. So our vote goes to Mo'Nique's performance in "Precious", in part because she's also been nominated for a BAFTA for best supporting actress in "Previous."

Best Animated Feature Film
It will without a doubt go to "Up." The Disney film, shown in 3D, appealed to both kids and adults with its quirky humor and engrossing storytelling. None of the other nominess—"Coraline", "Fantastic Mr. Fox", "The Princess and the Frog", or "The Secret of Kells"—managed to grab the hearts and minds of moviegoers like Disney. That being said, the obscure "Kells" has won several awards in Europe, so it could be the surprise in this category.

Best Original Screenplay
It's a pretty sure bet to say the epic "Inglorious Basterds" will win this category. As with many other Tarantino efforts, the dialogue in this film was just incredible. Couple that with a gripping multi-layered plot and you have a sure-fire winner. Then again, critics love "The Hurt Locker", so there's a strong chance it could oust the Basterds.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Liz thinks "Up in the Air" will win, with "Precious" coming in a close second. Jake's betting on "District 9" because he thinks it was original enough to catch the judges' attention. We'll see...

There you have it, our picks for some of the biggest categories at this year's Oscars celebrations. Disagree with our choices? Sound off in the comments.

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