You can still participate in Cinemascope’s 2008 “Guess the Oscars” quiz. Here’s the ballot. A DVD of “Beaufort”, Israel’s nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, will be mailed to the one who gets the highest score.

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It was supposed to be so simple. With No Country taking best film, best director(s), best supporting actor and best adapted screenplay. And Julie Christie and Cate Blanchett slated for the wins in the female acting categories. Then it all kinda started to shuffle around. With some even predicting “Juno” snatching the Best Picture prize (which makes me furious because although I enjoyed “Juno” tremendously, I think “Knocked Up” and “Superbad” were superior in both the writing and the direction, and if “Juno” wins I demand John Hughes getting a lifetime achievement Oscar as soon as next year, and Ferris Bueller getting the Irving Thalberg award).

My gut feeling tells me that “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “La Vie En Rose” will be bigger winners on Sunday than most anticipate. (Remember? I said this year the Oscar will go French).

So I’ve tried throwing in the occasional wild-card into my predictions.

The top ten categories:

Best Picture:
“No Country for Old Men”
(If I were an Academy member I would’ve voted for “There Will Be Blood”, but even if NCFOM wins this will be the first year a genuine American masterpiece wins since “The Deer Hunter”. If “Juno” wins I will be as mad as hell).

Best Director(s):
Ethan & Joel Coen, “No Country for Old Men”
(But Julian Schnabel can pull a great upset here, mark my words).

Original Screenplay:
Diablo Cody, “Juno”
(Personally I would’ve voted for the brilliant Billy-Wilderish script for “Ratatouille”, honest to blog).

Adapted Screenplay:
Ronald Harwood, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”
(Yup, there will be an upset here. But poetic justice will be made if Paul Thomas Anderson wins this one.)
=Download and read the nominated scripts here=

Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, “There Will Be Blood”

Best Actress:
Marion Cotillard, “La Vie En Rose”
(If Julie Christie lost the BAFTA on her home turf to Cotillard, what chance does she have in an away-game? Cotillard is this year’s Reese Witherspoon/Jamie Fox winning for her transformation into a real-life, but dead, singer).

Best Supporting Actor:
Javier Bardem, “No Country for Old Men”
(Just as Kevin Spacey won for playing Keyser Soze, so will Bardem will win for portraying Anton Chigurh).

Best Supporting Actress:
Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton”
(Again, I think the BAFTA settled it).

Foreign Language Film:
“The Counterfeiters”, Austria
(Naturally, I’m rooting for my home team, the Israeli “Beaufort”, but if they lose at least I’ll comfort myself with a perfect Oscar prediction ballot).

Animated Feature:
Ratatouille

The next 8:

Cinematography:
Janusz Kaminski, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Documentary Feature:
“No End In Sight”
=Watch “No End In Sight” here=

Original Song:
“Falling Slowly”, from “Once”
=Listen to the nominated songs here=

Original Score:
Alberto Iglesias, “The Kite Runner”
(After the double win of Gustavo Santaolalla it seems academy members are in the mood for some Spanish-guitar mood music, which Iglesias delivers).
=listen here=

Editing
“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”

Makeup
“La Vie En Rose”

Visual Effects
“The Golden Compass”

Costume design:
“La Vie En Rose”
(A posthumous award to the late Marit Allen)

The final six, I’m shooting in the dark here:

Art Direction
“There Will Be Blood”

Sound Editing
“No Country For Old Men”

Sound Mixing
“Transformers”

Live Action Short Film
“The Mozart Of Pickpockets”

Documentary Short Subject
“Freeheld”

Animated Short
“Madam Tutli-Putli”
=watch the animated shorts here=