The Oscars aren’t a precise science, they’re more speculation and guesswork- an aggregate of maybes based on a huge number of variables. But they’re fun to mess around with and try your hand at so these are my best bets for who we can expect to be nabbing noms come Thursday morning.

Best Picture:

• Argo
• Amour
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Django Unchained
• Lincoln
• Les Miserables
• Life of Pi
• Silver Lining Playbook
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Zero Dark Thirty

This year has some strong Oscar contenders, the real name of the game is guessing just how many will make the cut. Since it’s such a diverse year with wins heading all over the place, I went with the maximum 10. Is this a safe bet? No. It’ll probably end up being eight or nine but I guarantee those eight or nine will include these features.

Best Director:

• Steven Spielberg “Lincoln”
• Kathryn Bigelow”Zero Dark Thirty”
• Ben Affleck “Argo”
• Ang Lee “Life of Pi”
• Quentin Tarantino “Django Unchained”

I feel like it’s a lock for Spielberg, Bigelow and Affleck with Lee, Tarantino, O’Russell and Hooper battling over the last two spots. I’m going to go with Lee because he’s an old favorite amongst the industry and Hooper already won a few years back. I’m going with Tarantino because he deserves it and hopefully the academy recognizes that too. But you can pretty much can guarantee that it goes to O’Russell or Hooper over Tarantino…but I can dream.

Best Actor:

• Daniel Day Lewis “Lincoln”
• Hugh Jackman “Les Miserables”
• Bradley Cooper “Silver Linings Playbook”
• John Hawkes “The Sessions”
• Denzel Washington”Flight”

I feel like Joaquin Phoenix deserved a position here but it has been a very competitive year for lead actors. If I had my play, I’d swap him out for Hugh Jackman, who I didn’t love in Les Miserables.

Best Actress:

• Jessica Chastain “Zero Dark Thirty”
• Jennifer Lawerence”Silver Linings Playbook”
• Marion Cotillard”Rust and Bone”
• Quvenzhane Wallis “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
• Emmanuelle Riva “Amour”

These leading ladies all seem like locks but Naomi Watts is a really serious contender as well. If anyone’s going to grab a spot it’ll be her. When it comes to February though the battle is really between Chastain and Lawerence. On a side note, Wallis may just be one of the youngest Oscar contenders of all time at a mere nine years old.

Best Supporting Actor:

• Alan Arkin “Argo”
• Phillip Seymore Hoffman”The Master”
• Tommy Lee Jones “Lincoln”
• Robert De Niro “Silver Linings Playbook”
• Leonardo DiCaprio “Django Unchained”

We have four locks with Arkin, Hoffman, Jones and De Niro but that fifth slot could go five ways. I’m going to go with DiCaprio even though I would personally give it to Christoph Waltz. Matt McConaughey (“Magic Mike”) and Javier Bardem (“Skyfall”) are sitting in the wings as well for this one.

Best Supporting Actress:

• Anne Hathaway “Les Miserables”
• Sally Field “Lincoln”
• Helen Hunt “The Sessions”
• Amy Adams “The Master”
• Ann Dowd “Compliance”

This is the field I know the least about but feel the most sure of. Anne Hathaway is going to take it in the end, the only question is who will she be beating out come February? I’m sure Field will be included as will Hunt. Adams is pretty much a lock too leaving me with Ann Dowd from “Compliance,” a film I’ve yet to see but am anticipating. On the outskirts we have Jacki Weaver, Nicole Kidman, Maggie Smith and Samantha Barks.

Bringing our tally for these major award nominations to:

• Lincoln, 5
• Silver Linings Playbook, 4
• Zero Dark Thirty, 3
• Argo, 3
• Les Miserables, 3
• Django Unchained, 3
• The Sessions, 2
• Amour, 2
• Beasts of the Southern Wild, 2
• Life of Pi, 2
• The Master, 2
• Compliance, 1
• Rust and Bone, 1
• Flight, 1 

Check it periodically for more updates on the Award season and look for my Oscar predictions come February. 

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