Oscar Prognostications 2009

In seven hours, the 81st Academy Award nominations will be announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. Movie blogs are buzzing with anticipation as to who will make the shortlist in each of the ten categories announced tomorrow morning, and this one is no exception. Here are my predictions for which films, actors, directors, and writers will snag nominations.

BEST PICTURE

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E

BEST DIRECTOR

Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight
Gus Van Sant, Milk

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

BEST ACTRESS

Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder
James Franco, Milk
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, Doubt
Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler
Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Peter Docter and Andrew Stanton, Wall-E
Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen, and Justin Theroux, Tropic Thunder
Dustin Lance Black, Milk
Robert D. Siegel, The Wrestler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire
Justin Haythe, Revolutionary Road
Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, and David S. Goyer, The Dark Knight
John Patrick Shanley, Doubt

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Revanche - (Austria)
The Class - (France)
The Baader Meinhof Complex - (Germany)
Waltz with Bashir - (Israel)
Everlasting Moments - (Sweden)

Look sharp for an Oscar nomination announcement post in the morning, complete with a link to the official web site of the Academy Awards. Sleep fast!