The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Another year has come and gone, and I had my best ever year in Oscar predictions!  Hooray, especially when I feared this year would be my worst in a while.

The show itself ran over 35 minutes thanks to tons of musical performances.  This year was a tribute to the musicals, and boy did we get our share.  Performers from Chicago (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), and Les Miserables (2012) belted out the showstopping tunes, though there are better movie musicals they could have used.  Where was Singin' in the Rain (1952), arguably the best movie musical of all time?  I know that movie was shunned, but the Oscars usually have no shame parading classics, even if they didn't reward them at the time.

MacFarlane was a capable host, and a fantastic singer.  Always sporting a smile, it was hard not to like him, even if it felt like he was reaching at times.  His opening bit with Shatner was a bit odd, but the Boobs song was bold and inspired, and he kept the energy going throughout the night, even singing a closing song over the end credits after Best Picture.  Helped bring some closure to the show, which usually just randomly ends.

There was also a tribute to Bond, which I loved of course, and a member of my alma mater represented on the Oscar stage handing out statues.  Jennifer Lawrence did a face plant, and Russell Crowe sang live (though he wasn't that bad).  The show ran long, so my only advice would be to try and bring it back to 3 hours like last year.  For instance, Shirley Bassey could have sung Goldfinger under the Bond montage and Babs could've sung The Way We Were under the In Memoriam instead of singing it after the fact.  Little things like that would have saved about 5 minutes.

But I digress.  Here now are my predictions matched with what won.

Original Screenplay
Prediction: Amour
Winner: Django Unchained

Adapted Screenplay
Prediction/Winner: Argo

Visual Effects
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Sound Mixing
Prediction/Winner: Les Miserables

Sound Editing
Prediction: Life of Pi
Winners: Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall

Live Action Short Film
Prediction/Winner: Curfew

Animated Short Film
Prediction/Winner: Paperman

Production Design
Prediction: Anna Karenina
Winner: Lincoln

Original Song
Prediction/Winner: "Skyfall" from Skyfall

Original Score
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Makeup and Hairstyling
Prediction/Winner: Les Miserables

Foreign Language Film
Prediction/Winner: Amour

Film Editing
Prediction/Winner: Argo

Documentary Short
Prediction: Open Heart
Winner: Inocente

Documentary Feature
Prediction/Winner: Searching for Sugar Man

Directing
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Costume Design
Prediction/Winner: Anna Karenina

Cinematography
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Animated Feature
Prediction: Wreck-It Ralph
Winner: Brave

Supporting Actress
Prediction/Winner: Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables"

Leading Actress
Prediction/Winner: Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Supporting Actor
Prediction: Robert DeNiro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Winner: Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

Leading Actor
Prediction/Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"

Best Picture
Prediction/Winner: Argo

That's all!  Next year I'll try and do even better!