(43-215) My 2011 Oscar Predictions

I previously told you that I was the Queen of PLANNING; but that certainly was NOT the case this weekend...  Had I thought better of it; I wouldn't have made my big, New York announcement yesterday; knowing that I was going to be occupied with all things Oscar today; but I was excited; I couldn't wait to share my VERY Big News.

I awoke happily to emails and comments about my impending trip; and as much as I would have liked to respond in greater detail, I had baked potato salad to make, brownies to bake, I had to finish my Oscar research, transpose emailed ballots to printed ballots, take call in ballots, email my picks to the pool participants, AND write my blog.

I did far less research this year than I usually do, but I'm feeling somewhat confident about my picks.  I was on the fence about Original Song; but after listening to all of the nominees, I finally went with "Coming Home" from "Country Strong;" mostly because it didn't depress me like "If I Rise" from "127 Hours" did; "I See The Light" From "Tangled" was not my favorite song from that pic; AND "We Belong Together," from "Toy Story 3"  did nothing for me.  
I had a difficult time choosing the best director because I'm going with "The King's Speech" for best picture, but David Fincher was the favorite for director.  You'd think that if something was the Best Picture, the director would have had a lot to do with why; however, I'm going to follow the pack and split my vote.
The last category that caused me to overthink, was Original Screenplay.  I know that historically, the winner of Best Original Screenplay doesn't win the Best Picture; ie: "Good Will Hunting," "Juno," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Lost In Translation" just to name a few; so I was unsure if I should choose "The King's Speech" as Best original Screenplay when I wanted it for Best pic.  Ultimately I rationalized that if "The King's Speech" somehow didn't win Best Picture, and I didn't chose it for best screenplay, then I could lose two categories; so I'm taking a chance that it's going to win both.

With all of that being said; for better or worse, here are my 2011 Oscar predictions:

Leading Actor: Colin Firth
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale
Leading Actress: Natalie Portman
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo
Animated Feature: "Toy Story 3"
Art Direction: "The King's Speech"
Cinematography: "True Grit"
Costume Design: "The King's Speech"
Directing: "The Social Network"
Doc. Feature: "Inside Job"
Doc. Short: "Strangers No More"
Film Editing: "The Social Network"
Foreign Language Film: "In A Better World"
Makeup: "The Wolfman"
Original Score: "The King's Speech"
Original Song: "Coming Home"
Animated Short: "Day & Night"
Live Action Short: "Na Wewe"
Sound Editing: "Inception"
Sound Mixing: "Inception"
Visual Effects: "Inception"
Adapted Screenplay: "The Social Network"
Original Screenplay: "The King's Speech"
Best Picture: "The King's Speech"

I'm playing for a $90 pot, and I'd love to win so I could put that money towards my New York trip.  I'm wishing the best of luck to anyone who's participating in an Oscar pool; and I hope that you enjoy the show if you watch.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING