Well, it’s finally over. Can you believe it? After months of intense speculation and anticipation, the winners have been revealed and the 79th Academy Awards are in the books. Though there were some minor injustices, by and large the award recipients were well deserved. It is a far cry from this time last year, when the Academy members disgraced themselves by succumbing to homophobia, annointing a mediocre film “Crash” over a true masterpiece (“Brokeback Mountain.”)

Like many others, we are truly happy with the recognition FINALLY bestowed to legendary director Martin Scorsese. “The Departed” may not be his…
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12:15: BEST PICTURE GOES TO THE DEPARTED! Well deserved. It was great to see Jack present the award to his own movie. You could tell by the duration of that standing ovation for best director that The Departed had a real chance to take home the biggest award of the night. Time to go to sleep and dream of Oscars 2008.

12:08: Best director goes to Martin Scorsese. Yippee!

12:05: Whitaker for best actor. Sorry about the site crashing.

11:54: Helen Mirren takes Best Actress. What’s the deal with the personal facts that are read as the…
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9:49: Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Departed. Oscar Frenzy is now 5 out of 9. Very soothing music as they kick William Monahan off stage.

9:43: Best Animated Feature goes to Happy Feet. Wow. We’re stinking up the place tonight. Oscar Frenzy is now 4 for 8 and keeping our fingers crossed that we don’t go below .500.

9:40: The last segment proved two things. Leonardo DiCaprio could be a great politician and Al Gore a great actor.

9:36: From Dave: So far the show has been real impressive. Moving along quickly, but not feeling rushed. Very…
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Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Best Foreign Language Film: Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Animated Feature Film: Cars
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Best Documentary Short Subject: Two Hands
Best Animated Short Film: The Little Matchgirl
Best Live Action Short Film: West Bank Story
Best Cinematography: Children of Men
Best Editing: Babel
Best Makeup: Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Art…
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Well, it all comes down to this. Our prediction for the biggest award of the night, in the most closely contested Best Picture race in decades. Over the past few weeks, we have narrowed it down to “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Departed.” We have considered everything that has occurred throughout this awards’ season. We have analyzed past trends and consulted with other experts and insiders in the industry. This is what we have arrived at. You may be surprised.

First, let’s do a quick review of what has transpired this year. This should really put things in perspective…
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For those of you with an early deadline for your Oscar pool, here’s what you need to know. Final predictions will be unveiled on Sunday.

Best Picture: The Departed
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, The Departed
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Best Actress: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Best Supporting Actor: Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Best Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Best Foreign Language Film: Pan’s Labyrinth
Best Animated Feature Film: Cars
Best Documentary Feature: An Inconvenient Truth
Best Documentary Short Subject: Two Hands
Best Animated Short…
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Here are two of the trickiest categories you’ll encounter, especially this year. In some years, one grand film will sweep these two awards, along with Visual Effects. “King Kong” did exactly that last year and other blockbusters like “The Matrix” and “Titanic” also pulled the hat trick. This year, one film is nominated across the board: “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Though “Pirates” scored major box office booty and featured very good effects, we’re not quite so sure it’s on the same level as “King Kong.” That said, let’s check out the nominees for Best Sound.

“Apocalypto”…
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And now for the main course. Or as it’s been for the last few years, the boring categories. With the exception of Best Picture, which we’ll unveil on Friday, the other major categories have been as predictable as they come. Consider this. When is the last time we had a competitive race for lead actor or actress? You would have to go three years back to 2004, when Sean Penn and Bill Murray slugged it out for Best Actor. Even the supporting categories have been a no-brainer recently, with a hint of suspense last year between golden boy George Clooney…
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Ever since the debut of this category at the Oscars, the winner has been usually spotted from a mile away. Past winners “Shrek,” “The Incredibles,” and “Wallace and Gromit” have coasted to victories, usually amidst lightweight competition. This year could be different. Let’s take a look at the nominees.

“Cars”
“Happy Feet”
“Monster House”

If you look at the trade publications or LA Times, you’ll notice that both studios have spent heavily in promoting their films. Why? Because “Happy Feet” has a better than average shot at pulling the upset. It’s fresh, it’s cute, and it involves penguins…
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