Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Picture

The competition: Avatar, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air

Previous winners: Slumdog Millionaire, No Country for Old Men, The Departed, Crash, Million Dollar Baby
Who should win: Inglourious Basterds
Who will win: We’re now at the final stretch. For a while, it seemed like “Avatar” was a juggernaut and “The Hurt Locker” might be able to squeeze by with a surprising underdog win. Now the situation is reversed, and “The Hurt Locker” is the healthy frontrunner. Interestingly enough, a recent AwardsDaily.com poll puts “Avatar” in the #3 slot, with “Inglourious Basterds” edging it out at #2. What that signals to me is that “Avatar” doesn’t have nearly as good a chance as many think, and therefore the chance of “Inglourious Basterds,” or even “Up in the Air” or “Precious,” upsetting isn’t strong. The recent controversy about a producer sending angry e-mails to sway voters probably won’t factor in too much, and I still contend that “The Hurt Locker” is the most universally likeable film that I don’t see having many detractors. The reality is that any of those five films could win. The Hurt Locker is my pick, but don’t be surprised to hear “Avatar” announced as the year’s Best Picture.