Oscar picks for 2013

My choices for the best in 2013 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year
“American Hustle”
“Frances Ha”
“Her”
“Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Nebraska”
“Short Term 12”
“The Spectacular Now”
“Stories We Tell”
*“12 Years a Slave”
“The Wind Rises”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
*Chiwetel Ejiofor in “12 Years a Slave”
Tom Hanks in “Captain Phillips”
Matthew McConaughey in “Dallas Buyers Club”
Joaquin Phoenix in “Her”
Miles Teller in “The Spectacular Now”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
*Greta Gerwig in “Frances Ha”
Brie Larson in “Short Term 12”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus in “Enough Said”
Emma Thompson in “Saving Mr. Banks”
Shailene Woodley in “The Spectacular Now”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Bradley Cooper in “American Hustle”
*Bruce Dern in “Nebraska”
Michael Fassbender in “12 Years a Slave”
James Gandolfini in “Enough Said”
Jared Leto in “Dallas Buyers Club”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Lawrence in “American Hustle”
*Lupita N’yongo in “12 Years a Slave”
Lea Seydoux in “Blue is the Warmest Color”
June Squibb in “Nebraska”
Oprah Winfrey in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

Best Achievement in Directing
*“12 Years a Slave”  Steve McQueen
“American Hustle”  David O. Russell
“Frances Ha”  Noah Baumbach
“Her”  Spike Jonze
“Nebraska”  Alexander Payne

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published
“The Broken Circle Breakdown”  screenplay by Carl Joos and Felix Van Groeningen
“Short Term 12”  screenplay by Destin Daniel Cretton
“The Spectacular Now”  screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
*“12 Years a Slave”  screenplay by John Ridley
“The Wind Rises”  screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen
“American Hustle”  written by Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
“Enough Said”  written by Nicole Holofcener
“Frances Ha”  written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach
*“Her”  written by Spike Jonze
“Nebraska”  written by Bob Nelson

Best Achievement In Art Direction
“Gravity”  Andy Nicholson, production design; Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woollard, set decoration
*“Her”  K.K. Barrett, production design; Gene Serdena, set decoration
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”  Philip Messina, production design; Larry Dias, set decoration
“Inside Llewyn Davis”  Jess Gonchor, production design; Susan Bode Tyson, set decoration
“12 Years a Slave”  Adam Stockhausen, production design; Alice Baker, set decoration

Best Achievement In Cinematography
“Gravity”  Emmanuel Lubezki
“Her”  Hoyte Van Hoytema
“Inside Llewyn Davis”  Bruno Delbonnel
“Nebraska”  Phedon Papamichael
*“12 Years a Slave”  Sean Bobbitt

Best Achievement In Costume Design
*“American Hustle”  Michael Wilkinson
“The Great Gatsby”  Catherine Martin
“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”  Trish Summerville
“The Invisible Woman”  Michael O'Connor
“12 Years a Slave”  Patricia Norris

Best Achievement In Film Editing
“American Hustle”  Alan Baumgarten, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers
“Gravity”  Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
“Her”  Jeff Buchanan, Eric Zumbrunnen
*“12 Years a Slave”  Joe Walker
“Upstream Color”  Shane Carruth, David Lowery

Best Achievement In Makeup
*“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
“Rush”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score)
*“Her”  Will Butler, Owen Pallett
“Oblivion”  Anthony Gonzalez, Joseph Trapanese
“12 Years a Slave”  Hans Zimmer
“Upstream Color”  Shane Carruth
“The Wind Rises”  Joe Hisaishi

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song)
*“Happy” from “Despicable Me 2”
“In the Middle of the Night” from “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”
“The Moon Song” from “Her”
“Oblivion” from “Oblivion”
“So You Know What It's Like” from “Short Term 12”

Best Achievement In Sound
“Captain Phillips”
*“Gravity”
“Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Star Trek Into Darkness”
“12 Years a Slave”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing
“All is Lost” 
*“Gravity”
“Pacific Rim”
“12 Years a Slave”
“Upstream Color”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects 
*“Gravity”
“Oblivion”
“Pacific Rim”
“Star Trek Into Darkness”
“Thor: The Dark World”

Best Feature Length Animated Film
*“The Wind Rises”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Blue is the Warmest Color”  France
“The Broken Circle Breakdown”  Belgium
“The Hunt”  Denmark
“Something in the Air”  France
*“The Wind Rises”  Japan

Best Documentary Film
“After Tiller”
“American Promise”
“The Square”
*“Stories We Tell”
“20 Feet From Stardom”

Special Awards:

Ensemble Cast: “12 Years a Slave”

Music Supervision: “Inside Llewyn Davis”

Voice Over Performance:  Scarlett Johansson in “Her”

And because limiting nominees isn't enough for acting categories, honorable mentions to the following performances...

Best actor: Robert Redford (“All is Lost”); Isaiah Washington (“Blue Caprice”); Oscar Isaac (“Inside Llewyn Davis”); Christian Bale (“American Hustle”); Ralph Fiennes (“The Invisible Woman”)

Best actress: Sandra Bullock (“Gravity”); Felicity Jones (“The Invisible Woman”); Amy Adams (“American Hustle”); Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”); Veerle Baetens (“The Broken Circle Breakdown”)

Best supporting actor: Danny McBride (“This is the End”); John Gallagher Jr. (“Short Term 12”); Daniel Bruhl (“Rush”); Tom Hanks (“Saving Mr. Banks”)

Best supporting actress: Mickey Sumner (“Frances Ha”); Sarah Paulson (“12 Years a Slave”); Julianne Moore (“Don Jon”); Adepero Oduye (“12 Years a Slave”)

Oscar picks for 2011

My choices for the best in 2011 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year
“The Descendants”
*“Drive”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Martha Marcy May Marlene”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Project Nim”
“Rebirth”
“The Skin I Live In”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
*George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Michael Fassbender in “A Dangerous Method”
Ryan Gosling in “Drive”
Owen Wilson in “Midnight in Paris”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Juliette Binoche in “Certified Copy”
Catherine Deneuve in “Potiche”
Keira Knightley in “A Dangerous Method”
Elizabeth Olsen in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
*Tilda Swinton in “We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Albert Brooks in “Drive”
John Hawkes in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Ben Kingsley in “Hugo”
Viggo Mortensen in “A Dangerous Method”
*John C. Reilly in “Terri”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Elena Anaya in “The Skin I Live In”
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Sarah Paulson in “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
*Shailene Woodley in “The Descendants”

Best Achievement in Directing
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
*“Drive” Nicolas Winding Refn
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Martha Marcy May Marlene” Sean Durkin
“The Skin I Live In” Pedro Almodóvar

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published
“A Dangerous Method” screenplay by Christopher Hampton
*“The Descendants” screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Drive” screenplay by Hossein Amini
“Hugo” screenplay by John Logan
“The Skin I Live In” screenplay by Pedro Almodóvar

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen
“The Artist” written by Michel Hazanavicius
*“Martha Marcy May Marlene” written by Sean Durkin
“Midnight in Paris” written by Woody Allen
“Take Shelter” written by Jeff Nichols
“The Tree of Life” written by Terrence Malick

Best Achievement In Art Direction
“The Artist” Laurence Bennett, production designer; Robert Gould, set decorator
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” Stuart Craig, production designer; Stephenie McMillan, set decorator
*“Hugo” Dante Ferretti, production designer; Francesca Lo Schiavo, set decorator
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Claude Paré, production designer; Elizabeth Wilcox, set decorator
“The Skin I Live In” Antxón Gómez, production designer; Carlos Bodelón, art director

Best Achievement In Cinematography
“Drive” Newton Thomas Sigel
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” Eduardo Serra
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Skin I Live In” José Luis Alcaine
*“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki

Best Achievement In Costume Design
*“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” Jany Temime
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Midnight in Paris” Sonia Grande
“Potiche” Pascaline Chavanne
“Water for Elephants” Jacqueline West

Best Achievement In Film Editing
“The Descendants” Kevin Tent
*“Drive” Mat Newman
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Martha Marcy May Marlene” Zachary Stuart-Pontier
“The Skin I Live In” José Salcedo

Best Achievement In Makeup
*“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Insidious”
“Thor”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score)
“The Artist” Ludovic Bource
“Drive” Cliff Martinez
*“Hugo” Howard Shore
“The Skin I Live In” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song)
“Coeur Volant” from “Hugo”
“Lay Your Head Down” from “Albert Nobbs”
*“Life’s a Happy Song” from “The Muppets”
“Shelter” from “Take Shelter”
“So Long” from “Winnie the Pooh”

Best Achievement In Sound
“Drive”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
*“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Super 8”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing
*“Drive”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“We Need to Talk About Kevin”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol”
*“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Feature Length Animated Film
*“Arthur Christmas”
“Puss in Boots”
“Winnie the Pooh”

Best Foreign Language Film
“Certified Copy” France
“Pina” Germany
“A Separation” Iran
*“The Skin I Live In” Spain
“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” Thailand

Best Documentary Film
“The Interrupters”
“Pina”
“Project Nim”
*“Rebirth”
“Tabloid”

Special Awards:
Consistency in Performance: Jessica Chastain in “The Debt,” “The Help,” “Take Shelter” and “The Tree of Life”

Ensemble Cast: “Midnight in Paris”

Music Supervision: “Drive”

Stuntwork: “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol”

Voice Over Performance: Antonio Banderas in “Puss in Boots”

Special Achievement: Andy Serkis and WETA Digital for motion capture performance breakthroughs in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”

And because limiting nominees isn't enough for acting categories, honorable mentions to the following performances...

Best actor: Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter); Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”); Gary Oldman (“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”); Mel Gibson (“The Beaver”)

Best actress: Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”); Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”); Jessica Chastain (“Take Shelter”); Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”)

Best supporting actor: Ezra Miller (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”); Jeremy Irons (“Margin Call”); Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”)

Best supporting actress: Octavia Spencer (“The Help”); Elle Fanning (“Super 8”); Robin Wright (“The Conspirator”); Helen McCrory (“Hugo”)

Emmy picks 2011

Just for fun, my personal favorites...

Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire; Dexter; Friday Night Lights; Game of Thrones; The Good Wife; Mad Men

My vote: Sentimentally I'd favor "Friday Night Lights" since it's never won, but "Mad Men" had one of its strongest seasons and deserves to win again. (Haven't seen "Dexter," "Game of Thrones")

Should be nominated: "The Walking Dead," "In Treatment"

Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Kathy Bates, Harry's Law; Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights; Mireille Enos, The Killing; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men

My vote: Britton because she's never won and the role of Tami Taylor should've earned her at least one by now. But if she already won, I'd be torn between Margulies and Moss. (Didn't see Bates beyond the pilot; saw less than five for Hargitay)

Should be nominated: Katey Sagal, "Sons of Anarchy"

Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights; Michael C. Hall, Dexter; Jon Hamm, Mad Men; Hugh Laurie, House; Timothy Olyphant, Justified

My vote: Hamm all the way. (Haven't seen Hall, Laurie, Olyphant)

Should be nominated: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment"

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife; Michelle Forbes, The Killing; Christina Hendricks, Mad Men; Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire; Margo Martindale, Justified; Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife

My vote: Without seeing Martindale (who would probably get my vote), I'd go with Macdonald over the universally strong competition.

Should be nominated: Amy Ryan, "In Treatment"

Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Andre Braugher, Men of a Certain Age; Alan Cumming, The Good Wife; Josh Charles, The Good Wife; Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones; Walton Goggins, Justified; John Slattery, Mad Men

My vote: Haven't seen half the contenders here (Braugher, Dinklage, Goggins) which would force me to go with Cumming, a solid but not dominant contender.

Should be nominated: Michael B. Jordan, "Friday Night Lights"; Vincent Kartheiser, "Mad Men"; Irrfan Khan, "In Treatment"; Denis O'Hare, "True Blood"

Comedy Series
The Big Bang Theory; Glee; Modern Family; The Office; Parks and Recreation; 30 Rock

My vote: Easy call: "Parks and Recreation."

Should be nominated: "Bored to Death"; "Louie"

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Linney, The Big C; Melissa McCarthy, Mike & Molly; Martha Plimpton, Raising Hope; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

My vote: Poehler is the best part of the best comedy on TV. But Linney is nearly as good, which says a lot. (Didn't see McCarthy or Plimpton beyond their pilots)

Should be nominated: Lea Michele, "Glee"

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; Louis C.K., Louie; Steve Carell, The Office; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

My vote: I wouldn't object to Carell finally winning but without seeing "The Office," I go with CK. (Haven't seen either "Big Bang" actor)

Should be nominated: Danny McBride, "Eastbound and Down"; Jason Schwartzman, "Bored to Death"

Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Julie Bowen, Modern Family; Jane Krakowski, 30 Rock; Jane Lynch, Glee; Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Kristen Wiig, Saturday Night Live; Betty White, Hot in Cleveland

My vote: Vergara.

Should be nominated: Heather Morris and Naya Rivera, "Glee"; Merrit Wever, "Nurse Jackie"

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Ty Burrell, Modern Family; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men; Chris Colfer, Glee; Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Modern Family; Ed O'Neill, Modern Family; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

My vote: Colfer, though my "Modern Family" vote would go to Burrell, even better in the show's second season. (Haven't seen Cryer)

Should be nominated: Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis, "Bored to Death"; Rob Lowe (foolishly submitting himself as lead) and Nick Offerman, "Parks and Recreation"

TV movie or miniseries
Cinema Verite; Downton Abbey; The Kennedys; Mildred Pierce; The Pillars of the Earth; Too Big to Fail

My vote: Richly cinematic "Mildred Pierce" over elegantly addictive "Downton" (Haven't seen "Pillars" or "Too Big"; suffered through just a partial episode of "The Kennedys")

Should be nominated: "Carlos"; "Luther"; "Sherlock"

In TV movie/mini-series acting I'd go with Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos"), Kate Winslet ("Mildred Pierce"), Guy Pearce ("Mildred Pierce") and Maggie Smith ("Downton Abbey").

Should be nominees:
Actor - Benedict Cumberbatch ("Sherlock")
Supporting Actor - Martin Freeman ("Sherlock"); Brendan Coyle ("Downton Abbey")
Supporting Actress - Ruth Wilson ("Luther")

Oscar picks for 2010

My choices for the best in 2010 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year
“Black Swan”
“Blue Valentine”
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“Inception”
“The Kids Are All Right”
*“127 Hours”
“Shutter Island”
“The Social Network”
“Toy Story 3”
“Waiting for ‘Superman’”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Leonardo DiCaprio in “Shutter Island”
Michael Douglas in “Solitary Man”
Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”
*James Franco in “127 Hours”
Ryan Gosling in “Blue Valentine”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening in “Mother and Child”
Julianne Moore in “The Kids Are All Right”
*Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
Emma Stone in “Easy A”
Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christian Bale in “The Fighter”
Andrew Garfield in “The Social Network”
Kevin Kline in “The Extra Man”
*Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”
Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
*Kerry Washington in “Mother and Child”
Olivia Williams in “The Ghost Writer”

Best Achievement in Directing
“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
“Inception” Christopher Nolan
*“127 Hours” Danny Boyle
“Shutter Island” Martin Scorsese
“The Social Network” David Fincher

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published
“How to Train Your Dragon” screenplay by William Davies, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
“127 Hours” screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
“Shutter Island” screenplay by Laeta Kalogridis
*“The Social Network” screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
“Toy Story 3” screenplay by Michael Arndt; story by John Lasseter and Andrew Staton & Lee Unkrich

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen
“Black Swan” written by Mark Heyman and Andrés Heinz and John McLaughlin
“Blue Valentine” written by Derek Cianfrance & Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis
“Inception” written by Christopher Nolan
*“The Kids Are All Right” written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
“Please Give” written by Nicole Holofcener

Best Achievement In Art Direction
“Black Swan” Thérèse DePrez, production designer; Tora Peterson, set decorator
*“Inception” Guy Hendrix Dyas, production designer; Larry Dias, Doug Mowat, set decorators
“The King’s Speech” Eve Stewart, production designer; Judy Farr, set decorator
“Shutter Island” Dante Ferretti, production designer; Francesca Lo Schiavo, set decorator
“TRON: Legacy” Darren Gilford, production designer; Lin MacDonald, set decorator

Best Achievement In Cinematography
*“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
“Inception” Wally Pfister
“127 Hours” Enrique Chediak, Anthony Dod Mantle
“Shutter Island” Robert Richardson
“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth

Best Achievement In Costume Design
“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
*“Black Swan” Amy Westcott
“Burlesque” Michael Kaplan
“Inception” Jeffrey Kurland
“The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan

Best Achievement In Film Editing
“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
“Blue Valentine” Jim Helton, Ron Patane
*“Inception” Lee Smith
“127 Hours” Jon Harris
“Shutter Island” Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Achievement In Makeup
“Alice in Wonderland”
“Black Swan”
*“Shutter Island”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score)
“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
“Inception” Hans Zimmer
“Let Me In” Michael Giacchino
“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
*“The Social Network” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song)
“Black Sheep” from “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
“If I Rise” from “127 Hours”
*“Shine” from “Waiting for Superman”
“Sticks & Stones” from “How to Train Your Dragon”
“You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” from “Burlesque”

Best Achievement In Sound
“Black Swan”
*“Inception”
“127 Hours”
“Shutter Island”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing
“Black Swan”
*“Inception”
“127 Hours”
“Toy Story 3”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1”
*“Inception”
“TRON: Legacy”

Best Feature Length Animated Film
“How to Train Your Dragon”
“Tangled”
*“Toy Story 3”

Best Foreign Language Film
*“Dogtooth” Greece
“Lebanon” Israel
“A Prophet” France
“7 Days” Canada
“Vincere” Italy

Best Documentary Film
“Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer”
“Exit Through the Gift Shop”
“Inside Job”
“The Tillman Story”
*“Waiting for Superman”

Special Awards
Ensemble Cast: “Mother and Child”

Stuntwork: “Inception”

Voice Over Performance
Jay Baruchel in “How to Train Your Dragon”
Ned Beatty in “Toy Story 3”
*Steve Carell in “Despicable Me”
Mandy Moore in “Tangled”
Donna Murphy in “Tangled”

Youth Performance: Kodi Smit-McPhee in “Let Me In”

And because limiting nominees isn't enough for acting categories, honorable mentions to the following performances...

Best actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network); Ryan Reynolds (Buried); Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In); Stephen Dorff (Somewhere)

Best actress: Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Vincere); Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone); Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole); Hye-ja Kim (Mother)

Best supporting actor: John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone); Zach Galifianakis (It’s Kind of a Funny Story); Vincent Cassel (Black Swan); Matt Damon (True Grit)

Best supporting actress: Amanda Peet (Please Give); Elle Fanning (Somewhere); Vanessa Redgrave (Letters to Juliet); Rebecca Hall (Please Give)

Favorite albums of 2010

• "The ArchAndroid," Janelle Monae
• "Body Talk," Robyn
• "High Violet," The National
• "The Lady Killer," Cee Lo Green
• "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," Kanye West
• "Odd Blood," Yeasayer
• "Plastic Beach," Gorillaz
• "Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty," Big Boi
• "The Suburbs," Arcade Fire
• "Treats," Sleigh Bells

"Contra," Vampire Weekend; "This Is Happening," LCD Soundsystem; "New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh," Erykah Badu; "Record Collection," Mark Ronson & the Business Intl; "Hands," Little Boots

Oscar picks for 2009

My choices for the best in 2009 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year:
“Funny People”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Moon”
“Ponyo”
*“Precious”
“A Single Man”
“Sugar”
“Summer Hours”
“Up in the Air”
“Where the Wild Things Are”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
*Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Matt Damon in “The Informant!”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Sam Rockwell in “Moon”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Abbie Cornish in “Bright Star”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Catalina Saavedra in “The Maid”
*Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Zach Galifianakis in “The Hangover”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christian McKay in “Me and Orson Welles”
Brad Pitt in “Inglourious Basterds”
*Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Melanie Laurent in “Inglourious Basterds”
*Mo’Nique in “Precious”
Paula Patton in “Precious”

Best Achievement in Directing:
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
*“Precious” Lee Daniels
“Summer Hours” Olivier Assayas
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman
“Where the Wild Things Are” Spike Jonze

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published:
“Coraline” screenplay by Henry Selick
*“Precious” screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“A Single Man” screenplay by Tom Ford, David Scearce
“Up in the Air” screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner
“Where the Wild Things Are” screenplay by Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen:
“Funny People” written by Judd Apatow
*“Inglourious Basterds” written by Quentin Tarantino
“Moon” written by Nathan Parker, story by Duncan Jones
“Sugar” written by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
“Summer Hours” written by Olivier Assayas

Best Achievement In Art Direction:
“Avatar” Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, production designers; Kim Sinclair, set decorator
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Stuart Craig, production designer; Stephanie McMillan, set decorator
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” David Warren, Anastasia Masaro, production designers; Caroline Smith, set decorator
*“Inglourious Basterds” David Wasco, production designer; Sandy Reynolds Wasco, set decorator
“Where the Wild Things Are” K.K. Barrett, production designer; Simon McCutcheon, set decorator

Best Achievement In Cinematography:
*“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“Precious” Andrew Dunn
“A Single Man” Eduard Grau
“Where the Wild Things Are” Lance Acord

Best Achievement In Costume Design:
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Chéri” Consolata Boyle
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
*“Inglourious Basterds” Anna B. Sheppard
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Best Achievement In Film Editing:
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Moon” Nicolas Gaster
*“Precious” Joe Klotz
“A Single Man” Joan Sobel
“Up in the Air” Dana E. Glauberman

Best Achievement In Makeup:
“District 9”
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”
*“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score):
“Moon” Clint Mansell
“Ponyo” Joe Hisaishi
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“A Single Man” Abel Korzeniowski
*“Up” Michael Giacchino

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song):
“All is Love” from “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Hideaway” from “Where the Wild Things Are”
“Only You” from “The Young Victoria”
“Somebody Else” from “Crazy Heart”
*“The Weary Kind” from “Crazy Heart”

Best Achievement In Sound:
*“Avatar”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing:
“2012”
*“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Star Trek”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects:
“2012”
*“Avatar”
“District 9”

Best Feature Length Animated Film: “Ponyo”
(Honorable mention: “Coraline”)

Best Foriegn Language Film:
“Afghan Star” U.K.
“The Headless Woman” Argentina
“The Maid” Chile
*“Summer Hours” France
“Thirst” South Korea

Best Documentary Film:
*“Afghan Star”
“Collapse”
“Food, Inc.”
“The Garden”
“More Than a Game”

Special Awards:
Ensemble Cast: “Precious”

Music Supervision: “Crazy Heart” / “Inglourious Basterds”

Voice Over Performance: James Gandolfini in “Where the Wild Things Are”

Youth Performance: Max Records in “Where the Wild Things Are”

Favorite albums of 2009

For the, um, record...

• "Fantasies," Metric
• "Actor," St. Vincent
• "Merriwether Post Pavilion," Animal Collective
• "Revolution," Miranda Lambert
• "Manners," Passion Pit
• "It's Blitz!," Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• "It's Not Me, It's You," Lily Allen
• "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix," Phoenix
• "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand," Franz Ferdinand
• "The Blueprint 3," Jay-Z

Oscar picks for 2008

My choices for the best in 2008 film.

Top picks denoted with a (*).

Best Picture of the Year:
*“The Dark Knight”
“Pineapple Express”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“The Visitor”
“WALL-E”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role:
Clint Eastwood in “Gran Torino”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Synecdoche, New York”
*Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”
Sean Penn in “Milk”
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role:
Juliette Binoche in “Flight of the Red Balloon”
*Melissa Leo in “Frozen River”
Meryl Streep in “Doubt”
Michelle Williams in “Wendy and Lucy”
Kate Winslet in “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role:
Aaron Eckhart in “The Dark Knight”
James Franco in “Pineapple Express”
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt”
*Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”
Haaz Sleiman in “The Visitor”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role:
Hiam Abbass in “The Visitor”
*Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis in “Doubt”
Rosario Dawson in “Seven Pounds”
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler”

Best Achievement in Directing:
*“The Dark Knight” Christopher Nolan
“Pineapple Express” David Gordon Green
“Slumdog Millionaire” Danny Boyle
“The Visitor” Thomas McCarthy
“WALL-E” Andrew Stanton

Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced or Published:
“The Class” screenplay by François Bégaudeau
“The Dark Knight” screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David Goyer
“Let the Right One In” screenplay by John Ajvide Lindqvist
*“Slumdog Millionaire” screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
“Tell No One” screenplay by Guillaume Canet

Best Screenplay Written Directly For the Screen:
“Pineapple Express” written by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, story by Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
“Synecdoche, New York” written by Charlie Kaufman
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona” written by Woody Allen
“The Visitor” written by Thomas McCarthy
*“WALL-E” written by Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon, story by Andrew Stanton & Pete Docter

Best Achievement In Art Direction:
*“The Dark Knight” Nathan Crowley, production designer; Peter Lando, set decorator
“The Fall” Ged Clarke, production designer; Riccardo Pugliese, Cynthia Sleiter, set decorators
“Slumdog Millionaire” Mark Digby, production designer; Michelle Day, set decorator
“Synecdoche, New York” Mark Friedberg, production designer; Lydia Marks, set decorator
“WALL-E” Ralph Eggleston, production designer

Best Achievement In Cinematography:
“Changeling” Tom Stern
“Che” Peter Andrews
“The Dark Knight” Wally Pfister
“Let the Right One In” Hoyte Van Hoytema
*“Slumdog Millionaire” Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement In Costume Design:
“Changeling” Deborah Hopper
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Jacqueline West
“The Dark Knight” Lindy Hemming
“The Duchess” Michael O’Connor
*“The Fall” Eiko Ishioka

Best Achievement In Film Editing:
*“The Dark Knight” Lee Smith
“Let the Right One In” Tomas Alfredson, Dino Jonsäter
“Pineapple Express” Craig Alpert
“Slumdog Millionaire” Chris Dickens
“WALL-E” Stephen Schaffer

Best Achievement In Makeup:
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
*“The Dark Knight”
“Synecdoche, New York”

Best Achievement In Music (Original Score):
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Alexandre Desplat
“The Dark Knight” Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
“The Reader” Nico Muhly
“Slumdog Millionaire” A.R. Rahman
*“WALL-E” Thomas Newman

Best Achievement In Music (Original Song):
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E”
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“Little Person” from “Synecdoche, New York”
“O…Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
*“The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler”

Best Achievement In Sound:
*“The Dark Knight”
“Quantum of Solace”
“Slumdog Millionaire”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Achievement In Sound Editing:
“Cloverfield”
*“The Dark Knight”
“Iron Man”
“WALL-E”
“Wanted”

Best Achievement In Visual Effects:
*“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“The Dark Knight”
“The Incredible Hulk”

Best Feature Length Animated Film: “WALL-E”
(Honorable mention: "$9.99")

Best Foriegn Language Film:
“The Class” France
“The Counterfeiters” Austria
*“Let the Right One In” Sweden
“Reprise” Norway
“Tell No One” France

Best Documentary Film:
“Bigger, Stronger, Faster*”
“Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father”
“Man on Wire”
“Religulous”
*“The Unforeseen”

Special Awards:
Ensemble Cast: “The Dark Knight”

Voice Over Performance: Dustin Hoffman in “Kung Fu Panda”

Youth Performance: David Kross in “The Reader”

Memo to idiotic Emmy voters

Hour long shows can be comedies too.

This was a really strange year for TV and overall the nominations aren't terrible.

But these picks are way better.