Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Original Score

The competition: BlacKkKlansman (Terence Blanchard), Black Panther (Ludwig Göransson), If Beale Street Could Talk (Nicholas Britell), Isle of Dogs (Alexandre Desplat), Mary Poppins Returns (Marc Shaiman)

Previous winners: The Shape of Water, La La Land, The Hateful Eight, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Gravity, Life of Pi, The Artist
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: Britell was nominated two years ago for his last collaboration with director Barry Jenkins, “Moonlight.” This is the tenth nomination for last year’s winner Desplat, who triumphed in 2017 for “The Shape of Water” and in 2014 for “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” Shaiman has three nominations from the 1990s in the now-defunct Original Musical or Comedy Score category for “The American President,” “The First Wives Club,” and “Patch Adams.” He also contends for the song from his film this year. The Golden Globe winner, “First Man,” didn’t end up getting nominated. In the past two decades, this award has gone to a film not nominated for Best Picture only three times.
Who should win: I didn’t remember the score from “Mary Poppins Returns” so fondly, but listening to it again, I can appreciate its energy. “BlacKkKlansman” was sufficiently moody, and I’m happy to see Blanchard finally earn his first nomination. I’m all for any of the other three taking this because they were both memorable and unique in their own ways.
Who will win: Without the Globe winner in the mix, I’m not so sure, but I think it might be the only win for Black Panther.