At the Movies:
2006 Academy Award Nomination Predictions

"...I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."
-Graham (Crash)

Now, just 12 hours away from the announcements of this years Oscar nominations, I bring to you my final predictions:

Best Picture:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Walk the Line

Getting snubbed: Munich
Dark horse: The Constant Gardener
Should be there, but won't: Junebug

These feel like pretty safe bets; Munich could slide in there. However, its chances seem to be fading fast, as it has failed to receive enough widespread support.

Best Director:
George Clooney (Good Night, and Good Luck.)
Paul Haggis (Crash)
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener)
Steven Spielberg (Munich)

Getting snubbed: Bennet Miller (Capote)
Dark horse: David Cronenberg (A History of Violence)
Should be there, but won't: Stephen Gaghan (Syriana)

The dark horse in this race, truly is Fernando Meirelles. I decided to do a swap in my predictions; Meirelles for Cronenberg.

Best Actor:
Ralph Fiennes (The Constant Gardener)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)
Joaquin Phoenix (Walk the Line)
David Strathairn (Good Night, and Good Luck.)

Getting snubbed: Russell Crowe (Cinderella Man)
Dark horse: Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow)
Should be there, but won't: Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale), Alex Etal (Millions), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Mysterious Skin)

I, just now, while writing this, changed my Russell Crowe prediction to Ralph Fiennes. Could it be a mistake? Sure. But, sometimes you have to go with your gut. That slot could also very well belong to Terrence Howard, and I feel as though I'm going to shoot myself for not shortlisting him. Oh, well.

Best Actress:
Judy Dench (Mrs. Henderson Presents)
Felicity Huffman (Transamerica)
Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice)
Charlize Theron (North Country)
Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line)

Getting snubbed: Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha), Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger)
Dark horse: Q'Orianka Kilcher (The New World)
Who should be here, but won't: Amy Adams (Junebug)

Any of those top seven actresses could wind up with a slot. Most likely to drop off, would be Knightley (although, I believe that would be a shame), and replaced by either, Zhang or Allen.

Best Supporting Actor:
George Clooney (Syriana)
Matt Dillon (Crash)
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man)
Terrence Howard (Crash)
William Hurt (A History of Violence)

Getting snubbed: Don Cheadle (Crash), Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
Dark horse: Frank Langella (Good Night, and Good Luck.)
Should be there, but won't: Benicio Del Toro (Sin City)

Yes, I am leaving Jake Gyllenhaal off of my list! Is it a stupid move? Probably. But bold predictions are always fun when you can brag and say you were right and everyone else was wrong.

Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams (Junebug)
Maria Bello (A History of Violence)
Catherine Keener (Capote)
Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain)
Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener)

Getting snubbed: Frances McDormand (North Country)
Dark horse: Laura Linney (The Squid and the Whale)
Should be there, but won't: Thandie Newton (Crash)

Best Original Screenplay:
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck.
The Squid and the Whale
Syriana

Getting snubbed: Match Point
Dark horse: Cinderella Man
Should be there, but won't: Junebug (I've been predicting this to be up there in the top five, but when it comes time to go through with it, I can't quite convince myself.)

I seriously hope the Academy has some balls and puts The 40-Year-Old-Virgin up there; it seems unlikely, but I'm sticking with it.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
The Constant Gardener
A History of Violence
Munich

Getting snubbed: Walk the Line
Dark horse: Pride & Prejudice
Should be here, but won't: Walk the Line

Best Cinematography:
Brokeback Mountain
The Constant Gardener
Good Night, and Good Luck.
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha

Getting snubbed: Crash
Dark horse: Munich
Should be here, but won't: Syriana

Best Editing:
The Constant Gardener
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
Syriana

Getting snubbed: Capote
Darkhorse: A History of Violence
Should be here, but won't: A History of Violence

Best Art Direction:
Brokeback Mountain
The Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Cinderella Man
King Kong
Memoirs of a Geisha

Best Cosume Design:
Batman Begins
The Chronicals of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Cinderella Man
Memoirs of a Geisha
Pride and Prejudice

Best Original Score:
Brokeback Mountain
Cinderella Man
Memoirs of a Geisha
Munich
Syriana

Best Original Song:
Brokeback Mountain
Elizabethtown
Hustle & Flow
The Producers
Transamerica

Best Sound Mixing:
King Kong
Munich
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith
Walk the Line
War of the Worlds

Best Sound Editing:
King Kong
Walk the Line
War of the Worlds

Best Visual Effects:
The Chronicals of Narnia
King Kong
Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

Best Make-Up:
The Chronicals of Narnia
A History of Violence
The New World

Best Foreign Language Film:
Joyeux Noel
Paradise Now
The Promise
Tsotsi
Bluebird

Best Documentary Feature:
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Favela Rising
Mad, Hot Ballroom
The March of the Penguins
Murderball

Best Animated Feature:
Chicken Little
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

There you have it. Check back tomorrow for the full results. It's gonna be exciting! Nominations to be announced, Tuesday, 5:30 a.m. Pacific time. I'll post them as soon as possible. And on a prejudice note: "Go, Constant Gardener"!