My Picks For The 79th Academy Awards

Performance by an actor in a leading role:

• Leonardo DiCaprio "Blood Diamond"
• Ryan Gosling "Half Nelson"
• Peter O'Toole "Venus"
• Will Smith "The Pursuit of Happyness"
• Forest Whitaker "The Last King of Scotland"

My pick: Forest Whitaker "The Last King of Scotland"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

• Alan Arkin "Little Miss Sunshine"
• Jackie Earle Haley "Little Children"
• Djimon Hounsou "Blood Diamond"
• Eddie Murphy "Dreamgirls"
• Mark Wahlberg "The Departed"
  

My pick: Eddie Murphy "Dreamgirls"

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

• Penelope Cruz "Volver"
• Judi Dench "Notes on a Scandal"
• Helen Mirren "The Queen"
• Meryl Streep "The Devil Wears Prada"
• Kate Winslet "Little Children"

My pick: Helen Mirren "The Queen"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

• Adriana Barraza "Babel"
• Cate Blanchett "Notes on a Scandal"
• Abigail Breslin "Little Miss Sunshine"
• Jennifer Hudson "Dreamgirls"
• Rinko Kikuchi "Babel"

My pick: Adriana Barraza "Babel"

Best animated feature film of the year:

• "Cars"
• "Happy Feet"
• "Monster House"

My pick: "Cars"

Achievement in art direction:

• "Dreamgirls"
• "The Good Shepherd"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "Pirate's of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
• "The Prestige"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Achievement in cinematography:

• "The Black Dahlia"
• "Children of Men"
• "The Illusionist"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "The Prestige"

My pick: "Children of Men"

Achievement in directing:

• Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu "Babel"
• Martin Scorsese "The Departed"
• Clint Eastwood "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• Stephen Frears "The Queen"
• Paul Greengrass "United 93"

My pick: Martin Scorsese "The Departed"

Best foreign language film of the year:

• "After the Wedding"
• "Days of Glory (Indigenes)"
• "The Lives of Others"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "Water"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Best motion picture of the year:

• "Babel"
• "The Departed"
• "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• "Little Miss Sunshine"
• "The Queen"

My pick: "Babel"

Original screenplay:

• "Babel"
• "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• "Little Miss Sunshine"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "The Queen"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"


The Oscars will take place this Sunday, February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. You can watch it at 8et/5pt on ABC.