Oscar Predictions: Best Makeup and Hairstyling

This year, Oscar nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 16th. As a result, most of the corresponding guilds won’t have announced their picks by then, so I’m making predictions in advance without being able to take those into consideration. I’ll be offering detailed predictions in most of the major categories, saving some of the biggest categories for last.

Last year’s nominees: Hitchcock, The Hobbit, Les Miserables

This year’s locks: None

Very likely: American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club

Possible: The Great Gastby, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Lone Ranger, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

The rundown: There’s less mystery to this category since the field has already been narrowed down to seven contenders, three of which will be nominated. That doesn’t mean it’s immune to surprises, with nominees like “Norbit” and “Il Divo,” and other sure things like “Hugo” and “Lincoln” snubbed in the past. The sequel to last year’s nominated “The Hobbit” isn’t one of the seven, so it’s really anyone’s game. The lavish hairstyles of American Hustle make it the best bet, and Dallas Buyers Club should benefit from its transformative use of makeup. The Great Gatsby is my prediction for the third slot, though it could also go to the very popular The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I can’t imagine any of the other three finalists being nominated, but I suppose it could happen in this race: The Lone Ranger, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa, and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.

Forecasted winner: Emphasizing the latter aspect of this category, American Hustle.