Oscar Nominees: Best Director

My predictions: 4/5, picking David Fincher over Malick
My ballot: Come back next week!
The nominees: Michael Hazanavicius (The Artist), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life)

So much for the Directors Guild of America predicting this list. David Fincher’s out in favor of the guy who seemed like he was going to be out of the race for a while, Terrence Malick, nominated here for the second time ever, after 1998’s “The Thin Red Line.” It’s not a terrible choice, necessarily, and if his film hadn’t made the top list, which it probably wouldn’t have if there were still only five nominees, he’d qualify for lone director status. Instead, he joins the other four expected nominees, made up of first-time nominee Hazanavicius and three veterans. Allen and Scorsese have both won once, and this is Payne’s second nomination.

My current bet to win: A battle between Hazanavicius and Scorsese – I still think Hazanavicius will pull through for a sweep by “The Artist.”