They are not that radically different from the rest of the pack. If not for “Bashir” this has got to be quite the boring year.

Best Picture:
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Director:
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

(I tried to argue two weeks ago that Stephen Daldry has the potential to throw a Polanski and win, but everyone said I was crazy and should drop it. So I did.)

Best Actor:
Sean Penn, “Milk”

(Many think that Mickey Rourke will beat him by a nose. I don’t).

Best Actress:
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

(Holocaust, an accent, a tragedy: she’s doing exactly what Meryl Streep did 20 years ago to win hers).

Best Supporting Actor:
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

(I don’t know, the academy is acting like a herd, with no independent thinking? I’d love a surprise here).

Best Supporting Actress:
Viola Davis, “Doubt”

(Many bet on Penelope Cruz here. I don’t quite know why - except for Woody Allen’s track record as a director of Supporting Actress winning roles. But Cruz is no Diane Wiest. Davis will be a token winner - a token for “Doubt”, the token African-American winner - for her token role).

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire”

(”The Dark Knight”’s screenplay was way better, but this is not about the writing, is it?)

Best Original Screenplay:
Andrew Stanton and co., “Wall-E”

(I was sure I’m going to pick “Milk” here. It’s the obvious choice. The Original Screenplay award is usually the consolation prize for a Best Picture nominee that won’t win, but was a critical darling with an independent voice. It dates all the way back to “Citizen Kane” but the more recent “Pulp Fiction”, “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Juno” are the adequate examples. And yet I went against my better judgment just because I think “Wall-E”’s script was superior, and this indeed a consolation prize for a Best Picture nomination that should’ve been).

Best Score:
A.R Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire”

(I would’ve preferred Thomas Newman, the best composer out there today, to win for “Wall-E”. Thing is, there were three reasons “Slumdog” was so enjoyable: the music, the cinematography and the editing. I believe it will win all of them).

Best Song
“O Saya”, A.R Rahman at al

(Actually, it’s a toss up. What would academy members like more the first song in the movie, in that wonderfully dizzying chase sequence, or the last one, with which you go out of the theater. I chose the first one, the one that makes you go “yup, I like this movie”).

Foreign Language Film:
“Waltz With Bashir”, Israel

(My home team. But last year the wonderful “Beaufort” was there and I didn’t bet on it, so it’s not about patriotism. “Bashir” has to win. It’s simply the best of the five. But will older academy voters go for an animated film? I hope they do. And if my predictions are correct and “Bashir” wins and “Wall-E” takes home at least three prizes this will be a banner year for animation).

Best Documentary:
“Man On Wire”

(Brilliant filmmaking in the Errol Morris idiom. A caper that’s actually about 9/11 without the words “9/11″ ever mentioned, a period piece about the Nixon regime, without the word “Nixon” ever uttered. A great metaphor of a movie).

Best Animated Feature:
“Wall-E”

Best Animated Short:
“Lavatory - Lovestory”

(I saw four of the five nominees. The Russian “Lavatory - Lovestory” has the biggest heart).

Best Live Action Short:
“New Boy”

(This is the only one I saw of the five but I thought it was wonderful).

Best Documentary Short:
“The Witness”

(I’m guessing. Haven’t seen any).

Art Direction:
“Benjamin Button”

(Though I’m not ruling out a “Dark Knight” takeover)

Costume Design:
“The Duchess”

(Remember last year’s “Elizabeth - The Golden Age”? it’s about the dresses, not the movie).

Sound Mixing:
“Wall-E”

(The “Dark Knight” - being the loudest - is the more obvious choice. But I hope academy members remember that voting for Ben Burtt’s recording is actually voting for the guy who voice the title character. In “Wall-E” the Sound Mixing category is actually an acting nod).

Sound Editing:
“The Dark Knight”

(Although a “Wall-E” double header would be great).

Special Effects:
“Benjamin Button”

Cinematography:
“Slumdog Millionaire”

(Tough one: will the beautiful “Benjamin Button” and the IMAX grandiosity of “The Dark Knight” lose to a hand-held shot film. I believe so).

Editing:
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Make Up:
“Benjamin Button”

There you have it. All 24 awards.

What do you think? With how many of these do you agree? Fell free to post links to your own Oscar Predictions in the comments.