Let It Begin...

I suppose I should jump back into the race of predicting, huh? The festivals have begun, Toronto has past, and a few individuals have seemingly locked their nominations already. Over the next few days I will update category by category, so let's start the madness...

BEST ACTOR:

Not necessarily as strong of a category as it has been in the past, but still showing a lot of promise. The players are old, new, and unexpected, showing that Oscar is never afraid to reward up-and-comers, comebacks, and regulars.

1. Forest Whitaker - The Last King Of Scotland.

After his touring of the festivals and early online reviews, it appears that nothing can stop Whitaker's turn as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin from being honored at the Kodak, possibly at the podium. It doesn't hurt that he is a Hollywood presence that has yet to be recognized by the Academy. We know how AMPAS loves to recognize respected under-the-radar character actors (cough Philip Seymour Hoffman cough). The film is being praised as the most important movie of the year, and will hold a lot of power come awards night.

2. Peter O'Toole - Venus

Ah, the comeback, how we love thee. Snubbed more times than Maria Bello and Paul Giamatti combined, O'Toole, one of the best actors to grace the silver screen, has never won an Oscar, but it seems he is at least on his way to another nomination. Nominations are something O'Toole is used to, but it would be nice to win after seven nominations and an Honorary Oscar. The performance is the only one to really contend with Whitaker right now.

3. Will Smith - The Pursuit of Happyness

Will Smith is loved, that much is obvious with the success of Hitch. But Will Smith acting with all his skill is astonishing. Smith renders a level of passion and heart to these roles that audiences live for. Just look at his previous Oscar nominated turn in Ali. His appearance in even the most mediocre of movies (I, Robot) brings audiences to the theatre in waves. The role looks baity, and heart-warming, and the fact that it might be the feel good movie of the year doesn't hurt. Looking forward to seeing this one.

4. Ryan Gosling - Half Nelson

Ryan Gosling exploded onto the scene with his critically acclaimed role in "The Believer" and kept "The Notebook" from being a tired and boring film. He has a charisma that makes him one of the most promising young actors today, and his performance in Half Nelson is no exception. Critics have been praising his work as the drug-addicted school teacher as being a performance of a lifetime. Perhaps Gosling is this year's Ledger: young, but powerful.

5. Matt Damon - The Good Shepherd

Ironically, I was debating between Damon in The Good Shepherd and Clooney in The Good German, but I don't think Clooney will get another year of nominations given his overexposure last year. Damon has had a mediocre post-win career, but has come back to the good graces of critics with The Bourne supremacy and The Departed. He seems to have great projects falling in line, and is due for an another acting nomination. The Good Shepherd is baity as all hell: government plots, the CIA, the "supporting wife character," Oscar pedigree cast (Baldwin, Pesci, De Niro, Jolie), and seems to have a good amount of buzz behind it. Damon needs to shine to pull this nomination off, but I think he can.

What out for these as well:

Jude Law - Breaking and Entering
Richard Gere - The Hoax
Leonardo Dicaprio - The Departed
Brad Pitt - Babel (Not sure about category yet)
George Clooney - The Good German
Patrick Wilson - Little Children
Robin Williams - Man Of The Year
Christian Bale - The Prestige (Please God!)
Nic Cage - WTC
Derek Luke - Catch A Fire
Ken Watanabe - Letters From Iwo Jima

Next Up: Actress