Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo’Nique (Precious)
I think this is as close to a ‘gimme’ as you are going to get this year.

BEST SUPPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Again, this is a category where the winner is rather obvious. I love how Christopher Plummer says ‘I am happy to be nominated,’ but Christoph Waltz takes this one.

BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) or Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
It’s a flip of the coin for me. I would like to see Meryl Streep win because I think she took Julia Child and turned her into an actual person rather than a caricature, but Sandra Bullock has been making amazing speeches. She took a movie that was deeply average and turned it into something that was Oscar-worthy.

BEST ACTOR: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
He is Hollywood royalty. He has put in an unbelievable performance that has thrown vanity out the window.

BEST DIRECTOR: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
This is a race between the first two: James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow, and I think Kathryn Bigelow is going to take this one.

BEST PICTURE: Avatar
It has been living at the very centre of popular culture since it came out, and not only has it made billions of dollars, but it has also changed the way Hollywood is doing business now.

Steve Gow

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Mo’Nique (Precious)
She really is a fantastic character in this movie. Great villain, which Hollywood really loves.

BEST SUPPPORTING ACTOR: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
The only chance that he won’t get it is that maybe some of the voters out there are sort of thinking that everyone else is going to vote for him so they kind of pick a secondary person.

BEST ACTRESS: Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia) or Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
This is a really interesting category. Some might vote for Meryl, some for Sandra. And up the middle you might see someone like Carey Mulligan.

BEST ACTOR: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
(The Academy) loves these kinds of roles where you see the star acting outside their element and a little grungy.

BEST DIRECTOR: Katherine Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
I think voters really like that there is that ex-husband factor as well in James Cameron (he and Bigelow were married) … I think they really want to see her sort of beat him.

BEST PICTURE: Avatar
Maybe it is my heart here, but I kind of hope The Hurt Locker wins.