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But what about Star Trek? Star Trek, if it makes its way onto the list, will do so because of personal preference. Unlike just about every other movie on this list, Star Trek does not have a message. Think about it. District 9? Apartheid. Avatar? Imperialism. Up? Being widowed (bit of a stretch, I know, but not nearly that much). The Hurt Locker? The horrors of war. Invictus? The lasting effects of apartheid. Precious? Racial relations. But what about Star Trek? There's no message there. Star Trek is just plain fun. And it's only about making you entertained. If we can imagine some people putting a movie like Drag Me To Hell on their Oscar ballots, why not Star Trek? The movie has showed up on some guild lists, but not as many as District 9. Still, Star Trek could land on the list, though it will be challenged by movies such as (500) Days of Summer and The Messenger. Don't count it out.

For Best Director, my predictions are that James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Jason Reitman, Quentin Tarantino, and Neill Blomkamp are going to be the nominees, for Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Up in the Air, Inglourious Basterds, and District 9, respectively. Again, I'm seeing District 9 as a shocker here. Why? In some years past, the Academy has nominated directors whose films either don't show among the Best Picture nominees, or movies that are more mainstream. Granted, this year, it's almost completely impossible that the Best Director nominees won't be represented in the Best Picture nominees. Still, that doesn't mean that the five movies considered Best Picture frontrunners - Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, and Up in the Air - are all going to have their directors nominated. Lee Daniels is the odd man out, in my opinion.

For Best Actor, my predictions are that Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, and Jeremy Renner will be the nominees, for Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, A Single Man, Invictus, and The Hurt Locker, respectively. Bridges is, as I've said recently, now the man to beat in the category, having won some major awards in the last couple of weeks. He's riding a tide of good fortune and good timing, having made a movie that reminds people of his consistently awesome acting, while also reminding Oscar voters that he's never been an Oscar winner before. The idea that Bridges could win for the first time in his illustrious career is probably what will push him over. That said, Clooney could always surprise. Freeman and Renner are the shakier contenders; Invictus has not been getting lots of love in the guilds, and Renner, despite being awesome, is not being pushed as hard as the movie he's in.

So, if not Freeman and Renner, who could be the surprise nominees? If it's not the five I've listed above, my official predictions, then Joseph Gordon-Levitt, in (500) Days of Summer, or Viggo Mortensen, for The Road, could show up. However, I feel like the Best Actor category is one of the more solid and potentially unsurprising categories Oscar has this year. That's not to say that it's set in stone, but there are fewer surprise contenders here (and I'm sorry to disappoint anyone hoping I'd keep up the District 9 love by mentioning Sharlto Copley as a potential dark horse; his chances are minuscule at best). More than that, Bridges is the likely winner here, making this category something of a snooze.

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