My Final Oscar Post Before the Big Day

So, you have my choices for who I think will win the Oscars on Sunday:

Best Picture - The Departed
Best Director - The Departed
Best Actor - The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress - The Queen
Best Supporting Actor - Dreamgirls
Best Supporting Actress - Dreamgirls
Best Original Screenplay - Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay - The Departed
Best Foreign Language Film - Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Cinematography - Children of Men
Best Film Editing - The Departed
Best Costume Design - Marie Antoinette
Best Art Direction - Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Original Score - The Queen
Best Sound Mixing - Dreamgirls
Best Sound Editing - Letters from Iwo Jima
Best Original Song - An Inconvenient Truth
Best Visual Effects - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Best Makeup - Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Animated Feature - Happy Feet

This year, the Academy's choices have kind of made me fall asleep at the wheel a little. Last year there was Brokeback Mountain to love and A History of Violence to be wildly happy for and Munich and Crash to hate. But this year I feel so underwhelmed by it all. Maybe it's that I'm not in Los Angeles where all the fun buzz is. The stakes seem a lot lower down here in Tally.
But if you look at the Academy's Top Five you'll see that only one is in my top ten. My favorite films of the year—Children of Men, United 93, Half Nelson, The Fountain, Volver—showed up on the Academy's lists, but not with any kind of strength.

However, I will be rooting for people on the big night, despite what I think their chances of winning are:

Best Picture - The Departed. I'm not sure why I want this picture to win. I liked The Queen a whole lot better, but I wanted The Departed to win anyway.
Best Director - The Departed. Duh.
Best Actor - The Last King of Scotland. I'm delighted Forest is going to win this. It's a terrifice performance.
Best Actress - Notes on a Scandal. I'd love for Judi to take this one home. She's consistently brilliant. And she never wins anything.
Best Supporting Actor - The Departed. You know I'm rooting for the Wahlberg.
Best Supporting Actress - Babel. I'm rooting for Adriana Barraza just because I'd like to see an upset.
Best Original Screenplay - Pan's Labyrinth. So much more imaginative than Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay - Children of Men. My favorite picture of the year.
Best Foreign Language Film - Water.
Best Cinematography - Children of Men. for sure. I think it will win, too, and I will be so happy for Emmanuel Lubezski
Best Film Editing - Children of Men
Best Costume Design - Marie Antoinette
Best Art Direction - Pirates of the Caribbean. Ha ha. Just kidding. I want Pan's Labyrinth to win this one.
Best Original Score - Notes on a Scandal. I'd love for Philip Glass to get an Oscar.

I am so sorry I don't get to have my annual party. Ah well! Happy viewing.