Whatever your reasons for tuning in, these are my predictions—or at least who I feel should win. The categories with the closest races are those looking at actors. This year has held some strong roles for the males, and this becomes even more obvious when looking at the nominees.

For best actor in a leading role, Jack Nicholson seems to be the front runner for About Schmidt as many rave about his performance. While others root for Michael Caine in the lesser known The Quiet American as the winning choice; others stand by Daniel Day-Lewis for his strong performance in Gangs of New York.

I will agree that these men all put on great performances very worthy of this title, but my choice is Nicolas Cage for his very surprising performance in Adaptation. This movie was strange in and of itself, and it certainly allowed Cage to stretch his horizons playing the very introverted main character, and his very extroverted brother. I feel it was something new and also a very different character for Cage, as opposed to the charismatic mainstream characters he usually plays.

Best actor in a supporting role has some big names vying for it, and many feel the race will go to Chris Cooper for Adaptation, which I in no way see that as a disappointment to see, because he definitely went all out in his role. My choice for winner is John C. Reilly for Chicago. This is mainly because, for once, this actor, who has always taken the lesser role and stood silently in the back while others shined, stood up and shined so brightly that even though he was only supporting his fellow actors, he definitely left a lasting impression.

Nicole Kidman seems to be the shoe-in for best actress in a leading role for her performance in The Hours, and that’s where my bets lie. But those nominated with her definitely deserve recognition for their performances. Salma Hayek, Diane Lane, and Renee Zellweger all fulfilled their roles to a prime in their movies. The only person who may have been forgotten is Julianne Moore for her performance in Far From Heaven, which definitely stood out for her and made a strong impression going beyond the call.

For a supporting actress win, the sources point to Meryl Streep for her performance in Adaptation, which was very intriguing for her, though many will root for Catherine Zeta-Jones and Queen Latifah for their performances in Chicago. But all in all these others had lesser roles that did not add up to Streep’s performance.

The best animated feature film award will probably go to Lilo & Stitch, as it is well animated and enjoyable for all ages, including us college-goers. Cinematography will most likely be taken home by Chicago for its very new and innovative way of displaying this well-known story. Costume design belongs to Gangs of New York, since this certainly took a lot of planning in comparison to the other nominees.

Best director is always a tough category to pick because each movie has a special touch put on by the director, and sometimes can make it stand out. This year Martin Scorsese not only put the special touch into his movie, Gangs of New York, but he also added years of research and imagination, going so far as to reconstruct an old New York landscape. He put a lot into and certainly deserves to get a lot out of this film by winning this title. It would be his first, and after putting out many quality films in previous years, it is well-deserved.

Adapted screenplay ironically should go to Adaptation. This movie certainly took a lot of planning to set it out correctly and put the whole story in place, and they accomplished this and more.

Original screenplay is a toss-up between Far From Heaven and Gangs of New York as both of these are extremely well-written and quite enjoyable to see. Maybe some will root for Far From Heaven since it has little chance of winning other titles, but does deserve some recognition.

Of course, the last but not least, very important category, best picture has many things that come into play. Chicago has the heads up since it did win the Golden Globe, while Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, will have its vast following rooting for it to step ahead. But Gangs of New York and The Hours are both still in the race. I am going to stand by the side of Chicago but we will all have to wait and see on Sunday night. Maybe I’m wrong, but maybe I’m right.