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• Albert Brooks- Drive
  
• John Hawkes- Martha Marcy May Marlene
  
• Ben Kingsley- Hugo
  
• Christopher Plummer- Beginners
  
• Max von Sydow- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress:

This category is perhaps most exemplary of being a combination of Oscar frontrunners and popular stars. Octavia Spencer is the former, and Melissa McCarthy is the latter, so both should easily get in here. Shailene Woodley also looks pretty comfortable, especially as the only young actress in contention. I suspect that The HFPA will love The Artist, which means Berenice Bejo has a very good chance of being here. That leaves one spot for the big star, the veteran, and the up-and-comer to fight over. Will it be Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) or Jessica Chastain (The Help or Take Shelter)? If there are any surprises here, look for Janet McTeer to sneak in for Albert Nobbs, HFPA favorite Carey Mulligan to get a huge Oscar bump for her role in Shame (if the HFPA can handle such a dark film), or even a nomination for beloved veteran Judi Dench, for either J. Edgar or My Week with Marilyn.

• Berenice Bejo- The Artist
  
• Sandra Bullock- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
  
• Melissa McCarthy- Bridesmaids
  
• Octavia Spencer- The Help
  
• Shailene Woodley- The Descendants

Best Director:

You wouldn't think star power would be as important here as in the acting categories, but it is, and more importantly, the HFPA always looks to nominate people they love. They love Steven Spielberg, Stephen Daldry, and David Fincher. They really love Martin Scorsese (nominated seven times) and Alexander Payne (director nominations for both Sideways and About Schmidt). That makes this category very packed, especially because Michael Havanizicius, director of The Artist, will almost certainly get one of these spots. If for some reason the Globes doesn't fall behind one or more of these contenders (they might not care for Hugo, Dragon Tattoo or Extremely Loud), then there might be room for Terrence Malick, Thomas Alfredson, or even Nicolas Winding Refn. But odds are this category will be packed with beloved veterans. Which of them won't make the cut is anybody's guess.

• David Fincher- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  
• Michael Havazanicius- The Artist
  
• Alexander Payne- The Descendants
  
• Martin Scorsese- Hugo
  
• Steven Spielberg- War Horse

Best Screenplay:

As much as the HFPA likes to nominate the big fan favorites, being limited to five screenplays tends to make them go conservative; they occasionally squeeze in a romantic Comedy, but generally it is just the Oscar contenders, and mostly the dramas. The Artist and The Descendants are the two most certain picks, but beyond that a number of films are vying for the very few spots. War Horse, Extremely Loud and Dragon Tattoo are all based on prestigious and popular works, which gives them an edge. Woody Allen has, surprisingly enough, not gotten a lot of love from the Globes of late, with only Match Point his only nomination here for over 20 years. Midnight in Paris seems likely to change that trend, though. If the HFPA is going to embrace an aspect of Moneyball, it will be its screenplay, and if they can find any room for comedies, Bridesmaids and Young Adult both have good shots.

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