Here's my list of Oscar picks and dark horse contenders. Let's hope Ellen can keep the show rolling and on time so I can have something for you on monday (knock on wood).
Performance by an actor in a leading role
My pick: Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of
Scotland” (Fox Searchlight)
Dark Horse: Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (THINKFilm)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
My pick: Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Dark Horse: Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role
My Pick: Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)
Dark Horse: Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Performance by an actress in a supporting role
My Pick: Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Dark Horse: Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Best animated feature film of the year
My Pick: “Cars” (Buena Vista) John Lasseter
Dark Horse: “Monster House” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan
Achievement in art direction
My Pick:“Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse)
Dark Horse: “The Prestige” (Buena Vista)
Achievement in cinematography
My Pick: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) Guillermo Navarro
Dark Horse: “The Black Dahlia” (Universal) Vilmos Zsigmond
Achievement in costume design
My Pick: “Curse of the Golden Flower” (Sony Pictures Classics) Yee Chung Man
Dark Horse: “Marie Antoinette” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Milena Canonero
Achievement in directing
My Pick:“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese
Dark Horse: “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best documentary feature
My Pick: “An Inconvenient Truth” (Paramount Classics and Participant Productions)
Dark Horse:“Jesus Camp” (Magnolia Pictures)
Best documentary short subject
My Pick: “Recycled Life”
Dark Horse: “The Blood of Yingzhou District”
Achievement in film editing
My Pick: “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Dark Horse: “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Best foreign language film of the year
My Pick:“Pan’s Labyrinth” Mexico
Dark Horse: "The Lives of Others” Germany
Achievement in makeup
My Pick: “Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse) David Martí and Montse Ribé
Dark Horse: “Apocalypto” (Buena Vista) Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
My Pick:“The Good German” (Warner Bros.) Thomas Newman
Dark Horse: “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight) Philip Glass
Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
My Pick:“
Love You I Do” from “Dreamgirls”
Dark Horse:“
I Need to Wake Up” from “An Inconvenient Truth”
Best motion picture of the year
My Pick: “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)
Dark Horse: “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Best animated short film
My Pick:“The Danish Poet” (National Film Board of Canada)
Dark Horse: “Lifted” (Buena Vista)
Best live action short film
My Pick: “The Saviour” (Australian Film Television and Radio School)
Dark Horse: “West Bank Story”
Achievement in sound editing
My Pick: “Apocalypto” (Buena Vista)
Dark Horse: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Achievement in sound mixing
My Pick: “Apocalypto” (Buena Vista)
Dark Horse: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Achievement in visual effects
My Pick: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (Buena Vista)
Dark Horse: “Superman Returns” (Warner Bros.)
Adapted screenplay
My Pick: “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)
Dark Horse: “Borat Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (20th Century Fox)
Original screenplay
My Pick: “
Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)
Dark Horse: “
Pan’s Labyrinth” (Picturehouse)
Three films last year pretty much swept the board at the Razzies this year. Basic Instinct 2 (dubbed - Basically, it stinks, too! with 4 trophies), Little Man(with 3 trophies)and Lady in the Water (with 2 trophies) all had multiple “wins” and they were certainly deserved. The other films that were dishonored Saturday night were: RV, Date Movie and Scary Movie 4. Here’s the list of Razzies for 2006. Enjoy! 
