Predict the 2012 Oscars

The 85th annual Academy Awards (Oscars) broadcast will be Sunday, February 24, announcing the winners for the best movies of 2012.

This year's host is Seth MacFarlane, who told CNN "It’s a really bad match. I'm the wrong guy to do this." We'll see.


MacRumors Oscar Contest

This is the 11th annual MacRumors Oscar Contest. This year there are 122 nominations for 53 movies in 24 categories. The contestant (or contestants) with the most correct predictions wins the traditional prize: MacRumors bragging rights.

Here's how to vote:

• Copy the ballot from the next post below.
• Delete all but one line in each category, leaving 1 choice per category (your prediction).
• Post it in this thread.

I will check the predictions against the award winners and post the results after the telecast.

Contest rules:

• Post between now and 3:00pm Eastern time Sunday.
• Do not edit your post after voting.
• Only one ballot per person.
• Don't copy somebody else's ballot.
• You need not vote in every category but there's no penalty for guessing.

Good luck!

You can post other discussion of the Oscars in this thread, or in other related threads, including:

Previous MacRumors "Predict the Oscars" contests:

--- MacRumors Oscar Ballot ---

Best Actor: Denzel Washington for Flight
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix for The Master
Best Actor: Hugh Jackman for Les Misérables
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva for Amour
Best Actress: Quvenzhan'e Wallis for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Actress: Naomi Watts for The Impossible
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for Argo
Best Adapted Screenplay: Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Adapted Screenplay: David Magee for Life of Pi
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner for Lincoln
Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Animated Feature Film: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman for Brave
Best Animated Feature Film: Tim Burton for Frankenweenie
Best Animated Feature Film: Sam Fell and Chris Butler for ParaNorman
Best Animated Feature Film: Peter Lord for The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Best Animated Feature Film: Rich Moore for Wreck-It Ralph

Best Animated Short Film: Minkyu Lee for Adam and Dog
Best Animated Short Film: PES for Fresh Guacamole
Best Animated Short Film: Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly for Head Over Heels
Best Animated Short Film: David Silverman for Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Best Animated Short Film: John Kahrs for Paperman

Best Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer for Anna Karenina
Best Art Direction: Dan Hennah, Ra Vincent, and Simon Bright for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Art Direction: David Gropman and Anna Pinnock for Life of Pi
Best Art Direction: Rick Carter and Jim Erickson for Lincoln
Best Art Direction: Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson for Les Misérables

Best Cinematography: Seamus McGarvey for Anna Karenina
Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson for Django Unchained
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski for Lincoln
Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins for Skyfall

Best Costume Design: Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina
Best Costume Design: Joanna Johnston for Lincoln
Best Costume Design: Eiko Ishioka for Mirror Mirror
Best Costume Design: Paco Delgado for Les Misérables
Best Costume Design: Colleen Atwood for Snow White and the Huntsman

Best Director: Michael Haneke for Amour
Best Director: Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Director: Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Best Director: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Documentary Feature: Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi for 5 Broken Cameras
Best Documentary Feature: Dror Moreh, Philippa Kowarsky, and Estelle Fialon for The Gatekeepers
Best Documentary Feature: David France and Howard Gertler for How to Survive a Plague
Best Documentary Feature: Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn for Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Feature: Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering for The Invisible War

Best Documentary Short Subject: Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine for Inocente
Best Documentary Short Subject: Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider for Kings Point
Best Documentary Short Subject: Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan for Mondays at Racine
Best Documentary Short Subject: Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern for Open Heart
Best Documentary Short Subject: Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill for Redemption

Best Film Editing: William Goldenberg for Argo
Best Film Editing: Tim Squyres for Life of Pi
Best Film Editing: Michael Kahn for Lincoln
Best Film Editing: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Film Editing: Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Foreign Language Film: Amour - Austria
Best Foreign Language Film: Kon-Tiki - Norway
Best Foreign Language Film: No - Chile
Best Foreign Language Film: A Royal Affair - Denmark
Best Foreign Language Film: War Witch - Canada

Best Live Action Short Film: Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura for Asad
Best Live Action Short Film: Sam French and Ariel Nasr for Buzkashi Boys
Best Live Action Short Film: Shawn Christensen for Curfew
Best Live Action Short Film: Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele for Death of a Shadow
Best Live Action Short Film: Yan England for Henry

Best Makeup: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna, and Martin Samuel for Hitchcock
Best Makeup: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell for Les Misérables
Best Makeup: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater, and Tami Lane for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Best Original Score: Dario Marianelli for Anna Karenina
Best Original Score: Alexandre Desplat for Argo
Best Original Score: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi
Best Original Score: John Williams for Lincoln
Best Original Score: Thomas Newman for Skyfall

Best Original Screenplay: Michael Haneke for Amour
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Best Original Screenplay: John Gatins for Flight
Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom
Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Original Song: J. Ralph for "Before My Time" from Chasing Ice
Best Original Song: Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri for "Pi's Lullaby" from Life of Pi
Best Original Song: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer, and Alain Boublil for "Suddenly" from Les Misérables
Best Original Song: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for "Skyfall" from Skyfall
Best Original Song: Walter Murphy and Seth MacFarlane for "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" from Ted

Best Picture: Margaret Menegoz, Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, and Michael Katz for Amour
Best Picture: Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney for Argo
Best Picture: Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, and Michael Gottwald for Beasts of the Southern Wild
Best Picture: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin, and Pilar Savone for Django Unchained
Best Picture: Gil Netter, Ang Lee, and David Womark for Life of Pi
Best Picture: Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy for Lincoln
Best Picture: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, and Cameron Mackintosh for Les Misérables
Best Picture: Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, and Jonathan Gordon for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Picture: Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, and Megan Ellison for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Sound Editing: Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn for Argo
Best Sound Editing: Wylie Stateman for Django Unchained
Best Sound Editing: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton for Life of Pi
Best Sound Editing: Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for Skyfall
Best Sound Editing: Paul N.J. Ottosson for Zero Dark Thirty

Best Sound Mixing: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, and Jose Antonio Garcia for Argo
Best Sound Mixing: Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill, and Drew Kunin for Life of Pi
Best Sound Mixing: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, and Ronald Judkins for Lincoln
Best Sound Mixing: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, and Simon Hayes for Les Misérables
Best Sound Mixing: Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, and Stuart Wilson for Skyfall

Best Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin for Argo
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln
Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Master
Best Supporting Actor: Robert De Niro for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Supporting Actress: Sally Field for Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams for The Master
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables
Best Supporting Actress: Helen Hunt for The Sessions
Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver for Silver Linings Playbook

Best Visual Effects: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, and R. Christopher White for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Visual Effects: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer, and Donald R. Elliott for Life of Pi
Best Visual Effects: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams, and Dan Sudick for Marvel's The Avengers
Best Visual Effects: Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley, and Martin Hill for Prometheus
Best Visual Effects: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould, and Michael Dawson for Snow White and the Huntsman

--- MacRumors Oscar Ballot ---

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis for Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio for Argo
Best Animated Feature Film: Rich Moore for Wreck-It Ralph
Best Animated Short Film: John Kahrs for Paperman
Best Art Direction: Eve Stewart & Anna Lynch-Robinson for Les Misérables
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Best Costume Design: Jacqueline Durran for Anna Karenina
Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Best Documentary Feature: Malik Bendjelloul & Simon Chinn for Searching for Sugar Man
Best Documentary Short Subject: Kief Davidson & Cori Shepherd Stern for Open Heart
Best Film Editing: William Goldenberg for Argo
Best Foreign Language Film: Amour - Austria
Best Live Action Short Film: Shawn Christensen for Curfew
Best Makeup: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater, & Tami Lane for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Best Original Score: Mychael Danna for Life of Pi
Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Best Original Song: Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth for "Skyfall" from Skyfall
Best Picture: Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, & George Clooney for Argo
Best Sound Editing: Paul N.J. Ottosson for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Sound Mixing: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, & Simon Hayes for Les Misérables
Best Supporting Actor: Tommy Lee Jones for Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Misérables
Best Visual Effects: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer, & Donald R. Elliott for Life of Pi

--- Comments ---

My opinions this year were less influenced by BAFTA and the Golden Globes. I think they were leaning strongly toward European films, which isn't a surprise and means they aren't an ideal guide to Oscar voting. The best example is Best Picture, where BAFTA liked Amour and the Globes liked Les Misérables, while the movie that made me most inclined to clap was Argo. Another example: BAFTA picked Emmanuelle Riva over Jennifer Lawrence. They were both great performances but Lawrence had to show a wider range of emotions, which I think will resonate more. BAFTA also liked Les Misérables for Makeup & Hair, but I think the Academy voters will go with The Hobbit.

The Motion Picture Sound Editors picked Life of Pi, the Writers Guild of America picked Zero Dark Thirty, and the American Society of Cinematographers picked Skyfall, but often the professional associations don't match up with the Oscars in their categories. And of course we can't take the Director's Guild recommendation for Ben Affleck since he wasn't nominated for the Oscar!

I liked all of the animated short films, Head Over Heels being especially clever. But I voted for Paperman because the animation was so graceful and served the simple theme so well.

I'm pretty sure that Skyfall will win for Best Original Song -- it's a good song and the type that wins, not to mention that there's a Bond tribute this year -- but when I pick a song that I want to listen to more than once I actually like "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" better.

The toughest call for me was Best Animated Feature Film, where we've got multiple movies distributed by Disney, a pretty good but not great Pixar entry, and a sentimental favorite in Tim Burton. Technically I think "Brave" tops them all, and perhaps female empowerment is a theme that many voters can get behind, but regular movie-goers seemed to have had more fun at Wreck-It Ralph. Will Academy members vote with their heads or their hearts? I took a guess.

Easiest call: Best Visual Effects. That tiger in Life of Pi was more alive than a real tiger!

Fun Facts

More than one quarter (31) of the 122 nominations this year were for movies starting with the letter L (Lincoln, Life of Pi, and Les Misérables). That's a rather unusual coincidence.

(If you call David O. Russell's movie "Linings Playbook, Silver" and spell "Skyfall" backward, which I'm sure you're likely to do, then the letter L would have 44 out of 122, or more than a third of the nominations.)

The only winner for Best Picture that started with an L was Lawrence of Arabia in 1962. If you allow a leading "The" then you get four more:

stridemat said:

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained

Click to expand...

stridemat was the only forum member to predict the first award correctly!

Contest results

Congratulations to swiftaw, our repeat champ!

MacRumors 2012 Oscar contest results

Incredible as it may seem, everyone was in the Top 10!

Random facts:


In case bragging rights aren't enough of a reward, I hereby present the Oscar for best Oscar predictions to swiftaw.

Yes, that's a real Oscar. And that's me holding it. The photo is from an event in January where I got to hold a real Oscar statuette for a very brief moment. That was royally cool. But for some reason they didn't let me keep it, so I won't be able to send it to swiftaw. Sorry.