Rob’s Oscar Winner Prediction Contest

One of my favorite television events of the year is the Academy Awards, informally known as The Oscars. I love the whole event — the red carpet arrivals, the presenters, the acceptance speeches, and the musical performances.

When I lived in Colorado, I used to host some sort of annual Oscars party.  None of my friends ever get into it quite like I do, but they love just about any excuse for a party. This year, however, now living in the remote forest outside of Gallup, New Mexico, I have neither the venue to host nor the guest list to invite.

My favorite part of the party is having a “Predict the Winners” contest. This year, in lieu of an actual party, I’ve decided to hold the contest on my blog. The winner receives two AMC movie gift certificates. These are each good for one admission at any AMC theater in the United States for any film showing, including special engagements, with no date or time restrictions and no expiration date.

Here’s how to play, and the rules of my contest:

1. Copy the nominee list below and paste it as a comment on this blog entry. Erase all but one nominee in each category, leaving the nominee you think will win in each category. (Remember, this is “pick who you THINK will win,” not “pick who you WANT to win.)
2. Entries must be received by 12:00pm (noon) MST on Sunday, February 22, 2009. Late entries don’t count.
3. The person who correctly predicts the most Oscar winners correctly will win the prize.
4. In the event of a tie, the winner will be the person who submitted their entry the earliest.
5. If you leave more than one nominee in a category, your guess for that category doesn’t count.
6. Anybody can play. You don’t have to know me to participate. Tell your friends.
7. Only one entry per person, and no changing your entry after it’s submitted.
8. Make sure you put a valid email address in the appropriate field so I have a way to contact you to get your address in case you win.
9. I reserve the right to add or modify the rules, and I am the sole judge in determining the winner.
10. I also reserve the right to substitute prizes if necessary. Prize will be sent via USPS first-class mail.

Ready to play? Here’s the list of nominees, as obtained from Oscar.com:

Best Leading Actor: 1) Richard Jenkins in The Visitor, 2) Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon, 3) Sean Penn in Milk, 4) Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 5) Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best Supporting Actor: 1) Josh Brolin in Milk, 2) Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder, 3) Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt, 4) Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, 5) Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Best Leading Actress: 1) Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married, 2) Angelina Jolie in Changeling, 3) Melissa Leo in Frozen River, 4) Meryl Streep in Doubt, 5) Kate Winslet in The Reader

Best Supporting Actress: 1) Amy Adams in Doubt, 2) Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 3) Viola Davis in Doubt, 4) Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 5) Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Best Animated Feature: 1) Bolt, 2) Kung-Fu Panda, 3) WALL-E

Best Art Direction: 1) Changeling, 2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 3) The Dark Knight, 4) The Duchess, 5) Revolutionary Road

Best Cinematography: 1) Changeling, 2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 3) The Dark Knight, 4) The Reader, 5) Slumdog Millionaire

Best Costume Design: 1) Australia, 2) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 3) The Duchess, 4) Milk, 5) Revolutionary Road

Best Directing: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) Frost/Nixon, 3) Milk, 4) The Reader, 5) Slumdog Millionaire

Best Documentary Feature: 1) The Betrayal (Nerakhoon), 2) Encounters at the End of the World, 3) The Garden, 4) Man on Wire, 5) Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short: 1) The Conscience of Nhem En, 2) The Final Inch, 3) Smile Pinki, 4) The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Film Editing: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) The Dark Knight, 3) Frost/Nixon, 4) Milk, 5) Slumdog Millionaire

Best Foreign Language Film: 1) The Baader Meinhof Complex, 2) The Class, 3) Departures, 4) Revanche, 5) Waltz with Bashir

Best Makeup: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) The Dark Knight, 3) Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Original Score: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) Defiance, 3) Milk, 4) Slumdog Millionaire, 5) WALL-E

Best Original Song: 1) “Down to Earth” from WALL-E, 2) “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, 3) “O Saya” from Slumdog Millionaire

Best Picture: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) Frost/Nixon, 3) Milk, 4) The Reader, 5) Slumdog Millionaire

Best Short Film, Animated: 1) La Maison en Petits Cubes, 2) Lavatory – Lovestory, 3) Oktapodi, 4) Presto, 5) This Way Up

Best Short Film, Live Action: 1) Auf der Strecke (On the Line), 2) Manon on the Asphalt, 3) New Boy, 4) The Pig, 5) Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Best Sound Editing: 1) The Dark Knight, 2) Iron Man, 3) Slumdog Millionaire, 4) WALL-E, 5) Wanted

Best Sound Mixing: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) The Dark Knight, 3) Slumdog Millionaire, 4) WALL-E, 5) Wanted

Best Visual Effects: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) The Dark Knight, 3) Iron Man

Best Screenplay, Adapted: 1) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2) Doubt, 3) Frost/Nixon, 4) The Reader, 5) Slumdog Millionaire

Best Screenplay, Original: 1) Frozen River, 2) Happy-Go-Lucky, 3) In Bruges, 4) Milk, 5) WALL-E