"So I throw my hand into the air and it swims in the beams. It's just a brief interruption of the swirling dust sparkle jet stream. Well, I know I don't know you and you're probably not what you seem. But I'd sure like to find out, so why don't you climb down off that movie screen." ~counting crows

I love the Oscars. Love them. Seriously, one of my favorite nights of the year. I watch all awards shows with Nicole, and this time we're at her apartment. I'm in charge of dessert, so I made brownies. Not just any brownies, though. I made Crazy Heart brownies (go Jeff Bridges!) and movie theater popcorn brownies. I think they turned out pretty well.
I also made An Edu-cajun popcorn.

Here are my predictions/wants on the major categories.

Best Picture
'Avatar'
'The Blind Side'
'District 9'
'An Education'
'The Hurt Locker'
'Inglourious Basterds'
'Precious'
'A Serious Man'
'Up'
'Up in the Air'

Will win: It kills me to say it, but I think 'Avatar' has it. I would LOVE for an upset, though.
Should win: 'Up in the Air' (or 'An Education')

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow - 'The Hurt Locker'
James Cameron - 'Avatar'
Lee Daniels - 'Precious'
Jason Reitman - 'Up in the Air'
Quentin Tarantino - 'Inglourious Basterds'

Will win: I think Bigelow has it. I really, really hope so. If James Cameron wins I will throw something.
Should win: Kathryn Bigelow

Best Actor
Jeff Bridges - 'Crazy Heart'
George Clooney - 'Up in the Air'
Colin Firth - 'A Single Man'
Morgan Freeman - 'Invictus'
Jeremy Renner - 'The Hurt Locker'

Will win: Jeff Bridges
Should win: Jeff Bridges, Jeff Bridges, Jeff Bridges

Best Actress
Sandra Bullock - 'The Blind Side'
Helen Mirren - 'The Last Station'
Carey Mulligan - 'An Education'
Gabourey Sidibe - 'Precious'
Meryl Streep - 'Julie & Julia'

Will win: Sandra Bullock
Should win: Carey Mulligan
(I really do believe Mulligan is the most deserving, but I won't mind if Bullock wins. I think it would be cool for someone to win a Razzie and an Oscar in the same year. And I love that she showed up at the Razzies. By the way, I saw All About Steve in theaters. The day it opened. On my birthday. I'm one of the very few.)

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon - 'Invictus'
Woody Harrelson - 'The Messenger'
Christopher Plummer - 'The Last Station'
Stanley Tucci - 'The Lovely Bones'
Christoph Waltz - 'Inglourious Basterds'

Will win: No contest. Waltz has this in the bag. The surest bet of the night.
Should win: Christopher Waltz

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz - 'Nine'
Vera Farmiga - 'Up in the Air'
Maggie Gyllenhaal - 'Crazy Heart'
Anna Kendrick - 'Up in the Air'
Mo'nique - 'Precious'

Will win: Mo'nique. The second surest bet of the night.
Should win: Anna Kendrick

Best Animated Feature Film
'Coraline'
'Fantastic Mr. Fox'
'The Princess and the Frog'
'The Secret of Kells'
'Up'

Will win: 'Up'
Should win: 'Coraline'

Best Original Song
'Almost There' from 'The Princess and the Frog' - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
'Down in New Orleans' from 'The Princess and the Frog' - Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
'Loin de Paname' from 'Paris 36' - Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
'Take It All' from 'Nine' - Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
'The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)' from 'Crazy Heart' - Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Will win: "The Weary Kind" from 'Crazy Heart'
Should win: "The Weary Kind" (I love T-Bone)

Best Original Screenplay
Mark Boal - 'The Hurt Locker'
Quentin Tarantino - 'Inglourious Basterds'
Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman - 'The Messenger'
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen - 'A Serious Man'
Peter Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy - 'Up'

Will win: Mark Boal - 'The Hurt Locker'
Should win: Oh, I don't know.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell - 'District 9'
Nick Hornby - 'An Education'
Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche - 'In the Loop'
Geoffrey Fletcher - 'Precious'
Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - 'Up in the Air'

Will win: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - 'Up in the Air'
Should win: Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner - 'Up in the Air'

We'll see how I do.

I also have 2010 movies to report on, but I'll save those reviews for another time. Tonight's all about 2009 films. I'll just briefly say, though: Alice in Wonderland - underwhelming, Shutter Island - wonderful (although I must be a freakin' genius because I figured everything out long before I was supposed to. And I loved it anyway.)

Sandra at the Razzies: