Oscar Predictions: Best Makeup

Last year’s nominees: Barney’s Version, The Way Back, The Wolfman

This year’s contenders: The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, Hugo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Anonymous, The Artist, Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life

The rundown: This category, which includes three nominees, has been winnowed down to seven finalists, meaning that films like “J. Edgar” and “Super 8” won’t be making the cut. The obvious choice is “The Iron Lady,” and I suspect that “Albert Nobbs” will get in for the same reasons. Any of these films could make a play for a spot depending on what characteristics voters are looking to reward. Beware of “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life” since the unheard of “Il Divo” grabbed a slot two years ago. Since no “Harry Potter” film has ever placed here, I’ll hedge my bets on “Hugo” over “The Artist,” but this category is wildly unpredictable, and has no correlation with the Best Picture race.

Forecasted winner: “The Iron Lady”