Yuku free message boards

cr. gena at mega3

EW Oscar prediction

BEST ACTOR
The pre-Oscar awards have been dominated by Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke, and Frank Langella. Brad Pitt should join that trio, as part of Benjamin Button's large overall tally. Leonardo DiCaprio was considered an early favorite - until Revolutionary Road was met with apathy from critics. The Screen Actors Guild recognized the very deserving Richard Jenkins for The Visitor, but we've learned never to count out Clint Eastwood when it comes to scoring a last-minute Oscar nomination.

BEST ACTRESS
The three sure things are Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Kate Winslet. Beyond that, there are five women fighting for two spots. Kristin Scott Thomas' buzz for I've Loved You So Long seems to be fading, and Benjamin Button's Cate Blanchett was overlooked by SAG and the Golden Globes. Frozen River's Melissa Leo is one of the indie standouts of the year, but the Academy may favor Angelina Jolie, whose film has been seen by many more people, and critical fave Sally Hawkins.

BEST PICTURE
At this point, you can put money on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire, Milk, and Frost/Nixon to make the cut. The fifth slot, leaving out dark horses like Revolutionary Road (too depressing), The Reader (too controversial), and WALL-E (too...cartoony), is looking like a race between two very different contenders: Doubt and The Dark Knight. The intimate, powerful Doubt racked up the most Screen Actors Guild nominations - but then again, so did Oscar also-ran Into the Wild last year. If Doubt fails to excite the non-acting majority of the Academy, a certain commercial and critical smash might just end up with a Best Picture nod to add to its half-billion dollar gross.