Oscar Week: And the winner should and will be...

Best Supporting Actress:
Berenice Bejo The Artist
Jessica Chastain The Help
Melissa McCarthy Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer Albert Noobs
Octavia Spencer The Help

Will win: Octavia Spencer. This race has been sewn up since the nominations were announced.

Should win: I want to say Berenice Bejo for her performance as Peppy but I just can't. Spencer was just too good.

Could Win: Bejo would be the dark horse. Just don't count on it.

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Brannagh My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill Moneyball
Nick Nolte Warrior
Christopher Plummer Beginners
Max Von Sydow Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Will win: Christopher Plummer. Entertainment Weekly put Von Sydow as the second closest contender but the critics of his film were far too negative to hand over any awards. Plummer walks away with this one.

Should win: Plummer. Jonah Hill impressed the world with the idea that he could actually act. The nomination is his win. Nolte was great but essentially played himself. Again.

Could win: No close call here, just Plummer.

Best Actress:
Glenn Close Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis The Help
Rooney Mara The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams My Week With Marilyn

Will win: Viola Davis. People like to pretend this race is close and that Streep has a chance. She doesn't. Davis will run away with this award and mark the first time two African Americans won acting Oscars for the same movie.

Should win: Michelle Williams. A lot of people are denying her performance because she doesn't look enough like Marilyn Monroe. I have seen plenty of Monroe films and feel that Williams nailed every aspect of the character and showed why it was so easy for the world to become infatuated with Monroe.

Could Win: Davis, Davis, and Davis. The rest of the field should be happy they were nominated.

Best Actor:
Demian Bichir A Better Life
George Clooney The Descendants
Jean Dujardin The Artist
Gary Oldman Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt Moneyball

Will win: George Clooney. This one is not a runaway. In fact I hesitate typing in a prediction here. Sadly, I think the Academy awards Clooney since they missed the chance for his much stronger performances in Michael Clayton and Up in the Air.

Should win: Jean Dujardin I think. Maybe Brad Pitt. Maybe Gary Oldman. This category was just so strong this year I loved each performance.

Could win: Dujardin. I hope this race is close and I hope this is the outcome. Nothing against Clooney or The Descendants but Dujardin put on the better performance.

Best Director
Woody Allen Midnight in Paris
Michel Hazanavicius The Artist
Terrence Mallick The Tree of Life
Alexander Payne The Descendants
Martin Scorcese Hugo

Will win: Michel Hazanavicius. Another tight race but this one goes to the newcomer instead of the veterans. A black and white, silent film made in modern day society is no easy task and it deserves to be recognized.

Should win: Terrence Mallick. Love it or hate it, you must respect the scope of The Tree of Life. Essentially a silent film in it's own right, there was never a moment that the film wasn't making you think.

Could Win: Martin Scorcese. Hugo had a major marketing problem that has really hurt it. Scorcese mastered 3D and made a kids movie for adults.

Best Picture:
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Will win: The Artist. Any supposed backlash happening against The Artist started far too late to prevent it from winning.

Should win: The Tree of Life. Did you even have to ask what I would put here? It isn't easy to get through and it may make you question your existence but it was perfection.

Could win: The Help has been getting a push late but too many people were hot on the performances and cold on the actual film. The Descendants has been running out of steam lately according to a lot of outlets but I still think it's the dark horse. If anything is going to beat The Artist it's The Descendants but the smart money says that won't happen.

And finally my ballot that the Academy forgot to ask for:
The Tree of Life
Moneyball
The Artist
Hugo
The Descendants
Midnight in Paris
The Help
War Horse

I choose to believe only eight films were nominated because the ninth is worthy of a Razzie. Not an Oscar.