I had my decomposing gall bladder removed this week just so I could read it to make my predictions. Against the wire, but here they are ...
Best Picture: Argo
A film that suggests Hollywood saved lives. Really, there's no contest here.
Leading Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Joaquin Phoenix is great doing what Day-Lewis did the last time around, a slash-your-wrists performance for Paul Thomas Anderson, but no one seems to like The Master much. Maybe it guilt trips Hollywood into thinking about the days when it used film. I don't know, but the other choices aren't worth much.
Supporting Actor: Robert Di Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
This should've gone to Leonardo DiCaprio, the best thing about Django Unchained; but no one seemed to notice, since he's not up for anything. As it stands, it'll probably go to De Niro for appearing to care enough to act this time around.
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Maybe political backlash over the film's pro-torture sentiment will kill her chances, but I'm thinking strong-willed woman in the middle of another of Bigelow's macho wank fantasies as tough-minded realism has something for everyone. Besides, the film won't win anything else.
Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Sally Fields is shrill and irritating -- at what point do people realize that she's not really playing a part? Hathaway can really sing, cut her hair and the Academy really likes her.
Animated Feature: Frankenweenie
The Oscar Nominees were just announced this morning at 5:30 AM. I seriously can't believe some of these nominees. And I am seriously blown away that Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow were not nominated for Best Director. I know that a lot of people are freaking out right now. I knew that Cloud Atlas would get nothing but I was really hoping a miracle could happen but it did not. The acting categories were all pretty much what we had expected. See how Jackie and I did with our predictions below. I put a "J" for Jackie and a "B" for Brad if we predicted the correct nominee. I gave us a lower case "j" and a lower case"b" if we picked it as one of our strong possiblities...
We are once again right in the middle of awards season. The Golden Globes are on Sunday, January 13th. The Oscar Nominations usually come out after the Globes are aired, but they are out a bit earlier this year. The Oscars take place on Sunday, February 24th this year. The Oscar Nominations come out this Thursday, the 10th of January. They came out last year on the 24th of January! So this is the time of year when I like to get together with my coworker Jackie and talk about what we think will be nominated. And also what we hope is nominated. I basically like to pretend that we are members of the Academy putting in our votes for the various Oscar categories. If you are feeling nostalgic for last year's Oscars, here is our 
This first-ever Sunset & Dine event on June 7th will be a community celebration of the amazing food, art, and businesses located in the Sunset & Vine Business Improvement District in Hollywood.
