The 79th Annual Academy Awards aired Sunday Night, February 25, 2007.

Below were my predictions for the winners in the major categories.  The actual winners were filled in after the Oscars were announced.

PREDICTIONS/WINNERS:

Best Picture:

Predicted: The Departed

Possible Upset: Babel or Little Miss Sunshine

Winner:  The Departed

Best Director:

Predicted: Martin Scorsese for The Departed

Possible Upset: Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima

Winner:  Martin Scorsese

Best Actor:

Predicted: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland

Possible Upset: Peter O’toole for Venus

Winner:  Forest Whitaker

Best Actress:

Predicted: Helen Mirren for The Queen

Possible Upset: Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal

Winner:  Helen Mirren

Best Supporting Actor:

Predicted: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine

Possible Upset: Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls

Winner:  Alan Arkin

Best Supporting Actress:

Predicted: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls

Possible Upset: Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal

Winner:  Jennifer Hudson

Best Foreign Language Film:

Predicted: Pan’s Labyrinth (Spain)

Possible Upset: The Lives of Others (Germany)

Winner:  The Lives of Others

Best Animated Feature:

Prediction: Happy Feet

Possible Upset: Cars

Winner:  Happy Feet

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Predicted: The Departed

Winner:  The Departed

Best Original Screenplay:

Predicted: Little Miss Sunshine

Winner:  Little Miss Sunshine

*For the record, I scored correctly 17 out of 24 predictions (a personal best), and most importantly, I was 8 for 8 in the majors (picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, adapted screenplay and original screenplay).

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…and now on to the important stuff…the Rules for the 79th Annual Academy Awards Drinking Game:

 

Drink everytime:

-Someone thanks their “agent, spouse, parents, or kids.”

-They cut off a person’s acceptance speech unceremoniously with the “exit” music.

-They cut to a shot of Jack Nicholson wearing shades.

-One of Ellen’s jokes falls flat.

-Somebody needlessly and awkwardly mentions something “political”–this calls for a social.

-Ellen changes wardrobe–this is a social if she changes into a dress!

-A winner says something to the effect of, “I can’t believe I won with all these other talented/wonderful people I was up against.”

-There is a completely unneccessary music/dance number.

-Social when they honor the people who died last year.

-Somebody gets a standing ovation.

Enjoy!  Wagering on the Oscars is encouraged.  And please drink irresponsibly…I mean, responsibly!

Written by David H. Schleicher