by Neha Aziz

The 85^th Annual Academy Awards are right around the corner and this year’s Oscar race is the tightest it has been in years. Let’s see how many categories ORANGE predicts correctly!

Best Picture:
The Academy can pick between 5-10 films for Best Picture and settled on 9 this year.

“Amour”
“Argo
“Beasts of the Southern Wild”
“Django Unchained”
“Les Misérables”
“Life of Pi”
“Lincoln”
“Silver Linings Playbook”
“Zero Dark Thirty”

This category is the hardest to predict. At the beginning of the year “Lincoln” looked like the clear front-runner without a doubt. It’s a biopic, Steven Spielberg directed it and each major cast member has an amazing pedigree. However, “Argo” has now become the leader, winning The Golden Globe, The Critic’s Choice, the BAFTA and Best Ensemble (Best Picture Equivalent) Screen Actors Guild Award.  Does the film have historical inaccuracies? Of course, its Hollywood; but Ben Affleck turned a little known fact about history and into an edge-of-your-seat thriller. A possible drawback for “Argo” is Affleck that is not nominated for Best Director; he along with Katherine Bigelow got snubbed. Best Picture and Best Director almost always go hand in hand, but a split is predicted this year.

Should Win: “Argo” or “Zero Dark Thirty”
Will Win: “Argo”

Best Director:

“Amour” Michael Haneke
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Benh Zeitlin
“Life of Pi” Ang Lee
“Lincoln” Steven Spielberg
“Silver Linings Playbook” David O. Russell

Ben Affleck is sadly not nominated for this award. There is no clear front runner in this race, but Spielberg seems to have an edge since he is an Academy favorite.

Should Win: David O. Russell
Will Win: Steven Spielberg

Best Actor:

Bradley Cooper in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln”
Hugh Jackman in “Les Misérables”
Joaquin Phoenix in “The Master”
Denzel Washington in “Flight”

This award belongs to Daniel Day Lewis, hands down. He has won every award this season. Cooper could upset because “Silver Linings Playbook” is his first real film where he has depth.

Should Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis

Best Actress:

Jessica Chastain in “Zero Dark Thirty”
Jennifer Lawrence in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Emmanuelle Riva in “Amour”
Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Naomi Watts in “The Impossible”

Lawrence and Chastain have been neck and neck throughout the awards season. Riva, who turns 86 on the big night, could be an upset.

Should Win: Jessica Chastain or Jennifer Lawrence
Will Win: Jennifer Lawrence

Best Supporting Actor:

Alan Arkin in “Argo”
Robert De Niro in “Silver Linings Playbook”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “The Master”
Tommy Lee Jones in “Lincoln”
Christoph Waltz in “Django Unchained”

All five of these men have already won an Oscar and any one of them could win Sunday night. Jones won the SAG, Hoffman the Critics Choice, and Waltz won the Globe and the BAFTA.  Waltz was nothing short of brilliant as the dentist turned bounty hunter in “Django Unchained” and he is a strong contender for the trophy. Hoffman was electrifying in “The Master” but the film has been slowly falling off the radar.

Should Win: Christoph Waltz
Will Win: Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams in “The Master”
Sally Field in “Lincoln”
Anne Hathaway in “Les Misérables”
Helen Hunt in “The Sessions”
Jacki Weaver in “Silver Linings Playbook”

This award is Hathaway’s; she had been unbeatable this award season. Although her presence in “ Les Miserables” is brief, she was the best part about the sub-par adaptation.

Should Win: Anne Hathaway
Will Win: Anne Hathaway

Best Original Screenplay:

 “Amour” Written by Michael Haneke
“Django Unchained” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“Flight” Written by John Gatins
“Moonrise Kingdom” Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
“Zero Dark Thirty” Written by Mark Boal

“Moonrise Kingdom” was one of the most adorable and whimsical films of the year but the Academy does not go for whimsical. “Django” is wildly entertaining and sharply written – characteristics that are usually more favorable by the Academy.

Should Win: “Django Unchained”
Will Win: “Django Unchained”

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Argo” Screenplay by Chris Terrio
“Beasts of the Southern Wild” Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
“Life of Pi” Screenplay by David Mage
“Lincoln” Screenplay by Tony Kushner
“Silver Linings Playbook” Screenplay by David O. Russell

It’s a three-way tie between “Argo,” “Lincoln” and “Silver Linings Playbook.” “Argo won the Writers Guild Award and O. Russell won the BAFTA and Kushner is one of the most celebrated writers out there.

Should Win: “Silver Linings Playbook” or “Argo”
Will Win: “ Argo”

Place your bets!