Late-Breaking Magic 8-Ball Oscar Picks

Having finally located my Magic 8-Ball in one of the boxes that's cluttering my new bedroom (have I mentioned how much I hate moving? Oh, I have?), I have put this year's crop of Oscar nominees to it. The most positive response for each category is recorded here. Arbitrary? Sure, but so are the actual Oscar voters.

As always, base your picks on these at your own financial risk - but if they work out for you, do show some love to the oracle.

Picture
No Country for Old Men

Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Actress
Julie Christie, Away from Her

Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone

Directing
Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Adapted Screenplay
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Original Screenplay
The Savages

Animated feature
Persepolis

Art Direction
American Gangster

Cinematography
No Country for Old Men

Costume Design
La Vie en Rose

Doctumentary Feature
No End in Sight

Documentary Short
Salim Baba

Editing
No Country for Old Men

Foreign Language Film
12 (Russia)

Makeup
La Vie en Rose

Original Score
Marco Beltrami, 3:10 to Yuma

Original Song
"Falling Slowly" from Once

Animated Short
Moya Lyubov (My Love)

Live Action Short
Tanghi Argentini

Sound Editing
Transformers

Sound Mixing
Ratatouille

Visual Effects
Transformers


(And if you actually want to win? Look at the winners in a given category over the past few years and pick the nominee that most closely matches this time around. Films and performances come and go; Oscar voters stick around.)