The 82nd Annual Academy Awards aired Sunday Night, March 7th, 2010.  Below were my predictions for the winners in the major categories.  The actual winners were filled in after the Oscars are announced.

Well, I scored a personal worst of only 11/24 this year (after a record shattering personal best score of 18/24 last year), but I’ve never been happier to have been so wrong.  The right film actually won for the first time since, well, I don’t know when!

Highlights of the evening included:

• A few genuine surprises in the screenplay categories and for foreign language film.
• Hosts (Baldwin and Martin) who were actually funny.
• No musical numbers spare for the humorous opening! (Though there was an annoying dance number for the best score nominees)
• The humility, humor, and quiet heartbreak of Sandra Bullock who knew she did not deserve to win but was so sincerely thankful.
• The humility of Kathryn Bigelow who knew she deserved to win (and made history in doing so) but also knew there are more important things and more important people to honor than films and filmmakers. 

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PREDICTIONS:

Best Picture:

Predicted: Avatar

Possible Upset: The Hurt Locker

Oh, Wouldn’t it be Fun if it Won: Inglourious Basterds

Winner: The Hurt Locker

Best Director:

Predicted: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Possible Upset: James Cameron for Avatar

Winner:  Kathryn Bigelow

Best Actor:

Predicted: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

Possible Upset: George Clooney for Up in the Air

Winner: Jeff Bridges

Best Actress:

Predicted: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side

Possible Upset: Carey Mulligan for An Education

Winner: Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor:

Predicted: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Possible Upset: No one

Winner: Christoph Waltz

Best Supporting Actress:

Predicted: Mo’Nique for Precious

Possible Upset: Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air

Winner: Mo’Nique

Best Foreign Language Film:

Predicted: The White Ribbon

Possible Upset: The Prophet

Winner:  El Secreto de Sus Ojos

Best Animated Feature:

Prediction: Up

Possible Upset: The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Winner: Up

Best Documentary Feature:

Predicted:  Which Way Home

Possible Upset:  The Cove

Winner: The Cove

Best Adapted Screenplay:

Predicted: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner for Up in the Air

Possible Upset: Nick Hornby for An Education

Winner: I don’t know, somebody for Precious (for real?)

Best Original Screenplay:

Predicted: Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Possible Upset: Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker

Winner: Mark Boal

**For the complete list of nominees and winners in every category, visit my friends at the IMDB.

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…and now on to the important stuff…

…the Rules for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards Drinking Game:

Take a shot when:

• Someone thanks their “agent, spouse, parents, or kids.”
• They cut off a person’s acceptance speech unceremoniously with the “exit” music.
• Steve Martin says something completely unfunny.
• Alec Baldwin looks like he is pissed off at Steve Martin, drunk and/or angry.
• Somebody needlessly and awkwardly mentions something political as a presenter or winner.
• 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.
• They honor the people who died last year.
• Somebody gets a standing ovation.
• Somebody makes a joke about the show’s length.

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Check out the winners in my annual alternatives to the Oscars, The Davies.

For more great Oscar coverage, check out the discussions at Wonders in the Dark.

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

Predictions, commentary and drinking rules by David H. Schleicher