LAFCA predictions & actuals

BEST PICTURE
My pick: No Country for Old Men
My alternate: Atonement
Winner: There Will Be Blood

BEST DIRECTOR
My pick: Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
My alternate: The Coens, No Country for Old Men
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood)

BEST ACTOR
My pick: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
My alternate: Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises)
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis

BEST ACTRESS
My pick: Laura Linney (The Savages and/or Jindabyne)
My alternate: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
Winner: Marion Cotillard

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
My pick: Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
My alternate: Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men)
Winner: Vlad Ivanov (4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
My pick: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
My alternate: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
Winner: Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

BEST SCREENPLAY
My pick: Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)
My alternate: Christopher Hampton (Atonement)
Winner: Tamara Jenkins (The Savages)

BEST FOREIGN FILM
My pick: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
My alternate: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Winner: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days

BEST ANIMATED FILM
My pick: Ratatouille
My alternate: Persepolis
Winner: Ratatouille & Persepolis (tie)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
My pick: Lust, Caution
My alternate: Atonement
Winner: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

BEST SCORE
My pick: Atonement
My alternate: Lust, Caution
Winner: Once (except it was a "music" award)

NEW GENERATION AWARD
My picks: Diablo Cody and Ellen Page (Juno)
My alternate: Sam Riley (Control)
Winner: Sarah Polley (Away From Her)

Damn, I SUCKED at these. I got only two categories right (best animated and best actor), and those were fairly obvious (especially considering TWBB's dominance). Speaking of Anderson and TWBB, the buzz on it had been so quiet that I never considered it here. Good for it, though. Now Anderson at least is in prime position for a lone director nod... assuming the film doesn't make it in for best pic. Its new status as the critics' darling definitely makes the race more interesting.

But if I couldn't predict the L.A. awards, my predictions here in pic/director were right on for the Boston awards! Ironically. And Blanchett won the NYFCO. The really interesting thing, though, is all this Amy Ryan love. Is she becoming the frontrunner for the oscar? I could actually see her still not getting nominated at all (Peter Sarsgaard, anyone?). But again, she's making this much more interesting.