2011 Academy Award Predictions: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress

By: Markos Papadatos, Reporter

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, are slated to take place on February 27, 2011 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California.

In the "Best Picture" category, ten films are up for the night's top prize. These motion pictures include "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit" and "Winter's Bone."

Analysis: The two films to watch out for are "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech." Both would be equally worthy of the top honor; "The Social Network" deals with the phenomenon of Facebook, and "The King's Speech" features stellar performances from an all-star cast: Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. If superb acting plays a factor in this year's "Best Picture" race, "The King's Speech" is automatically the frontrunner.

The "Best Actor" race features Javier Barden in "Biutiful," Jeff Bridges in "True Grit," Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network," Colin Firth in "The King's Speech" as well as James Franco in "127 Hours."

Analysis: It will not be Bridges since he won last year for "Crazy Heart," nor will it be Javier Barden, especially since his performance is in a foreign language film. The two male acting performances to watch out for are Franco's portrayal of Aron Ralston in "127 Hours," and Firth transforming into King George VI in "The King's Speech." Most likely it will be Firth! He is the most deserving nominee. Hopefully, if Franco continues to deliver top acting performances of this caliber, his time will come as well in the near future.

For "Best Actress," the nominees include Annette Bening in "The Kids Are All Right," Nicole Kidman in "Rabbit Hole," Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone," Natalie Portman in "Black Swan," as well as Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine."

Analysis: It is nice to see Michelle Williams in the "Best Actress" lineup. This marks her second career Oscar nomination since her heartbreaking supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain." Jennifer Lawrence was superb in "Winter's Bone," which resulted in her winning the "National Board of Review" award for "Best Actress"; however, the award this year is Natalie Portman's to lose. The only spoiler is Annette Bening. If Academy members base their vote on an actress' body of work, the Oscar will go to Bening.

2011 Academy Award Predictions: Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress

By: Markos Papadatos, Reporter

On Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011, the 83rd Academy Awards, hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, are expected to take place on at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

In the "Best Director" category, the five directors up for the award are Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," Joel and Ethan Coen (the Coen Brothers) for "True Grit," David Fincher for "The Social Network," Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech" and David O'Russell for "The Fighter."

Analysis: This race is between Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech" and David Fincher for "The Social Network." It's one of the most competitive categories on Oscar night, since there is no clear front-runner for the prize. Hooper won the BAFTA and the Director's Guild of America for directing "The King's Speech," but Fincher won The Golden Globe, as well as The National Board of Review. It should go to Fincher, especially after being nominated for his exceptional directing in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and for being overdue for a win.

In the "Best Supporting Actor" race the nominees include Christian Bale in "The Fighter," John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone," Jeremy Renner in "The Town," Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right" and Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech."

Analysis: Although "The Town" was a superb film, it won't be Renner since it was not his best acting performance; in fact, Ben Affleck's role was more memorable and Renner's leading performance in "The Hurt Locker" last year was far more superior. After sweeping the Golden Globes and the "National Board of Review" and multiple acting honors, the award is Christian Bale's to lose! His closest competition and the only possible spolier will be Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, who already has one Oscar under his belt for "Shine."

For "Best Supporting Actress" the five nominated women are Melissa Leo in "The Fighter," Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech," Amy Adams in "The Fighter," Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit" and Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdown."

Analysis: Hailee Steinfeld's nomination in this race is complete category fraud! She is by no means a "supporting actress," since she is in almost every scene of the "True Grit" film. Helena Bonham Carter won a BAFTA award for playing the Queen Mother in "The King's Speech," but her chances of winning the Oscar are not as likely, unless "The King's Speech" sweeps all categories. Based on acting ability the award should go to veteran Australian actress Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom." Roger Friedman from Showbiz411.com praised her performance for portraying "one of the most diabolical mothers in cinematic history." Weaver had won the "National Board of Review" honor for her exquisite performance; however, this Australian film is too small and may be overlooked in the Academy Awards. As a result, most likely it will go to Melissa Leo for playing the controlling mother in "The Fighter." If that does happen, it will be a consolation prize for Leo for being snubbed for her equally compelling lead performance in "Frozen River" a few years ago.

2011 Academy Awards Nominees: Director

1. Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan," 

Darren S. Aronofsky(born February 12, 1969) is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer. He attended Harvard University and AFI to study both live-action and animation film theory, where he met long-time collaborator Matthew Libatique. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, "Supermarket Sweep", starring Sean Gullette, which went on to become a National Student Academy Award finalist.

Aronofsky did not make a feature film until five years later, creating the concept for his debut feature, π, in February 1996. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; it won both a Sundance Film Festival award and an Independent Spirit Award. Aronofsky's followup, Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name written by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. After turning down an opportunity to direct Batman Begins, Aronofsky began production on his third film, The Fountain. The film was released to mixed reviews and poor box office results.

However, his next film, The Wrestler, rebounded with positive reviews and healthy box office. Both of the film's stars, Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei, received Academy Award nominations. Rourke also won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and Bruce Springsteen won for Best Original Song for his title song. Aronofsky's next film, Black Swan, received further critical acclaim, being nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director, four Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, a record 12 BFCA nominations and Directors Guild of America Award nomination. As of January 2011, his film The Wolverine, is scheduled to begin production in March.

2. David O. Russell for "The Fighter,"

David Owen Russell (born August 20, 1958) is an Academy Award-nominated American film director and screenwriter. He has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members.

After a six-year hiatus Russell returned with The Fighter, a biographical sports drama produced by and starring Mark Wahlberg. The film focuses on junior welterweight boxer Mickey Ward's rise to claim the WBU Light Welterweight title, as well as his difficult relationship with his mother, Alice Ward (Melissa Leo), and his older half-brother Dickie Eklund (Christian Bale). The film became a major critical and financial success, grossing $73 million as of January 26 and appeared on several critics' year-end top ten lists.^[14]
On January 25, 2011, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards. The Fighter received seven, including Best Picture and Best Director for Russell, the first of his career.

3. Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech," 

Thomas George "Tom" Hooper (born 1972) is an English film and television director. Hooper began making short films at the age of 13, and had his first professional short, Painted Faces, broadcast on Channel 4 in 1992. At Oxford University Hooper directed plays and television commercials. After graduating, he directed episodes of Quayside, Byker Grove, EastEnders and Cold Feet.

Into the 2000s, Hooper directed the major BBC costume dramas Love in a Cold Climate (2001) and Daniel Deronda (2002), and was selected to helm the 2003 revival of ITV's Prime Suspect series, starring Helen Mirren. Hooper made his feature film debut with Red Dust (2004), a South African drama starring Hilary Swank and Chiwetel Ejiofor, before directing Helen Mirren again in the Company Pictures/HBO Films historical drama Elizabeth I (2005). This began an association between Hooper and HBO; in 2006 he directed the Granada Television/HBO television film Longford and in 2007 the epic miniseries John Adams. Hooper returned to features with The Damned United (2009), a fact-based film about the English football manager Brian Clough (played by Michael Sheen). The following year saw the release of the historical drama The King's Speech (2010), starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush, which was met with critical acclaim after film festival screenings.

4. David Fincher for "The Social Network," 

David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven (1995), The Game (1997), Fight Club (1999), Panic Room (2002), and Zodiac (2007), Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and his 2010 film The Social Network, which also won him the Golden Globe and the BAFTA for Best Director.

Fincher directed the 2010 film The Social Network, about the legal battles of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. The film features a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, adapted from the book The Accidental Billionaires. Featuring a young cast ensemble, the film is produced by Scott Rudin, Kevin Spacey and Michael DeLuca. Filming started in October 2009 and was released a year later, to critical acclaim. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created the soundtrack for the film, Fincher had long been a fan of Reznor's work in Nine Inch Nails even putting a remix of "Closer" in the beginning of Seven and directing the music video for "Only". Fincher was awarded Best Director at the 2011 Golden Globes for this film. The film also won Best Original Score and Best Picture (Drama) at the same award show.

5. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for "True Grit"

Joel David Coen(born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957), known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are American filmmakers. The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. They are known in the film business as "the two-headed director", as they share a similar vision of their films. It is said that actors can approach either brother with a question and get the same answer.

True Grit, based on the novel by Charles Portis, was released in 2010.Filming was done primarily in Granger, Texas with some filming done in Austin, Texas. Jeff Bridges, who starred in the Coens' The Big Lebowski, stars as Marshal Rooster Cogburn. Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, and Hailee Steinfeld also appear in the movie. True Grit was nominated for ten Academy Awards

2011 Academy Awards Nominees: Supporting Actress

1. Amy Adams in "The Fighter,"

Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress and singer. Adams began her performing career on stage in dinner theaters before making her screen debut in the 1999 black comedy film Drop Dead Gorgeous. After a series of television guest appearances and roles in B movies, she landed the role of Brenda Strong in 2002's Catch Me If You Can, but her breakthrough role was in the 2005 independent film Junebug, playing Ashley Johnsten, for which she received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Adams subsequently starred in Disney's 2007 film Enchanted, a critical and commercial success, and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as Princess Giselle. She received her second Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations the following year for her role as a young nun, Sister James, in Doubt. Though she has appeared in a range of dramatic and comedic roles, Adams has gained a reputation for playing characters with cheerful and sunny dispositions. Adams starred in Sunshine Cleaning with Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin, and the following year appeared as Amelia Earhart in Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. She appeared in Julie & Julia in 2009 portraying writer Julie Powell followed by Leap Year in 2010. Her recent role as Charlene Fleming in The Fighter earned Adams her third Academy Award nomination, her third Golden Globe Award, second BAFTA Award, and fourth Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

2. Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech,"

Helena Bonham Carter (born 26 May 1966) is a British actress. Bonham Carter made her film debut in the K. M. Peyton film, A Pattern of Roses, before appearing in her first leading role in Lady Jane. She is known for her portrayals of Lucy Honeychurch in the film A Room with a View, Marla Singer in the film Fight Club, Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter film series, her BAFTA-nominated performance as Enid Blyton in Enid, her portrayal of the Red Queen in the new Alice in Wonderland, her Golden Globe-nominated performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, as well as her other collaborations with Tim Burton, her domestic partner since 2001. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her roles as Kate Croy in The Wings of the Dove and as Queen Elizabeth in the 2010 film The King's Speech, along with winning a BAFTA in 2011 for The King's Speech.

3. Melissa Leo in "The Fighter," 

Melissa Chessington Leo (born September 14, 1960), also known as Margaret May II or Margaret May, is an American actress known for playing Det. Sgt. Kay Howard as a series regular on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993–1997. As of 2011, she is on the television series Treme, having previously been a regular on All My Children and The Young Riders. Her feature films include A Time of Destiny, Last Summer in the Hamptons, 21 Grams, Confess, and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. In 2009, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her role in Frozen River. She received her second Oscar nomination in 2011, for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Fighter. Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer hailed her as "one of America's most underrated character actresses"

4. Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit," 

Hailee Steinfeld (born December 11, 1996) is an American actress who played the role of Mattie Ross in the Coen brothers' 2010 adaptation of True Grit, for which she has received an Academy Award nomination

Steinfeld was born in Tarzana, Los Angeles, the daughter of Cheri, an interior designer, and Peter Steinfeld, a personal fitness trainer. She has an older brother, Griffin, and her uncle is fitness trainer Jake Steinfeld. Her father is Jewish and her mother is of mixed white, Filipino and black ancestry.Steinfeld was raised in Agoura Hills and later in Thousand Oaks, California, attending Ascension Lutheran School, Conejo Elementary, and Colina Middle School. She has been home-schooled since c. 2008

5. Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom"

Jacqueline Ruth "Jacki" Weaver (born 25 May 1947) is an Australian theatre, film and television actress. She is best known outside Australia for her performance in Animal Kingdom, for which she was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Weaver was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Her father, Arthur, was a Sydney solicitor, and her mother, Edith (née Simpson), a migrant from northern England. She attended Hornsby Girls' High School.Weaver has won three Australian Film Institute awards and a National Board of Review award for her role in Animal Kingdom. Weaver also won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role.