For those of you who aren't into the whole "listen to a podcast for 45 minutes thing" OR for those of you who ARE into the whole "listen to a podcast for 45 minutes thing" but also enjoy getting to read along at home- here are Oscar Dahl and my complete prediction lists for the "Big 8" categories.

Please note: boldfaced nominees are NOT our predicted winners but rather the only predictions that Oscar and I differ on. Besides those, we are [more or less] in lock-step. And the fact that so many of these categories ARE so predictable doesn't speak very positively about the state of the awards circuit union, or, for that matter, about the films of 2011 as a whole...

Here we go:

PICTURE:

Matt Knudsen-

THE ARTIST

THE DESCENDANTS

THE HELP

HUGO

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

MONEYBALL

WAR HORSE

Oscar Dahl-

THE ARTIST

THE DESCENDANTS

THE HELP

HUGO

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

MONEYBALL

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

WAR HORSE

DIRECTOR:

MK-

Woody Allen

Michel Hazanivicius

Alexander Payne

Nicholas Winding Refn

Martin Scorsese

OD-

Woody Allen

Michel Hazanivicius

Alexander Payne

Martin Scorsese

Steven Spielberg

ACTOR:

MK-

George Clooney

Jean Dujardin

Michael Fassbender

Gary Oldman

Brad Pitt

OD-

George Clooney

Jean Dujardin

Michael Fassbender

Gary Oldman

Brad Pitt

ACTRESS:

MK-

Glenn Close

Viola Davis

Meryl Streep

Tilda Swinton

Michelle Williams

OD-

Glenn Close

Viola Davis

Rooney Mara

Meryl Streep

Michelle Williams

SUPPORTING ACTOR:

MK-

Kenneth Branagh

Albert Brooks

Nick Nolte

Patton Oswalt

Christopher Plummer

OD-

Albert Brooks

Ben Kingsley

Nick Nolte

Patton Oswalt

Christopher Plummer

SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

MK-

Berenice Bejo

Jessica Chastain

Melissa McCarthy

Janet Mcteer

Octavia Spencer

OD-

Berenice Bejo

Jessica Chastain

Carey Mulligan

Octavia Spencer

Shailene Woodley

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

MK-

THE ARTIST

BRIDESMAIDS

50/50

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

YOUNG ADULT

OD-

THE ARTIST

50/50

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

WIN WIN

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

MK-

THE DESCENDANTS

THE HELP

HUGO

MONEYBALL

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

OD-

THE DESCENDANTS

THE HELP

HUGO

MONEYBALL

TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

-So it appears that there are only 2 categories in which Oscar and I are in complete agreement- ACTOR and ADAPTED SCREENPLAY.

-Oscar made 43 predictions and I made 42- he believes the amorphous PICTURE category will elect 8 nominees while I think they will limp to 7 (if that).

-Oscar is far and away more optimistic about certain nominees than I am. The braggart in me hopes that I score more correct predictions than he does. The film fan in me hopes that he scores more than I do.

At 5:35am PST, tomorrow morning, all of these forgone conclusions will justify their own existence. Let's hurry this up, already!.

-MK- 1/23/12