Yes, we’re only half way through the year, but we’re always thinking ahead to the next year (even as we are looking at the current Oscar season), so today we’re posting our second set of predictions for the 83rd Academy Awards.

Things will undoubtedly change between now and January 2011, but sometimes it’s fun just to see how much will change in the interim. Even in October our glimpses of the race may seem certain, but then the Critics prizes and the guild awards throw our conventional wisdom aside for new ventures. Thus, it is even more interesting to see what we would expect now and what we’ll expect then.

We’ll only be covering the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay races, but I will continue my annual Oscar Hopefuls page which has been posted. You can see it through the link near the bottom of the article. Below are all four contributors and their picks. Note that the ones that are common on multiple lists are highlighted in different colors.

NOTES: Tripp was not able to submit new predictions, so his remain unchanged. Wes Huizar, has once again gone above and beyond the request and provided his full list of updated predictions for all major categories. They are included below the standard section. Peter has put together some commentary regarding his predictions and this also is followed at the end of the article.

KEY:
Appears on Four Lists
Appears on Three Lists
Appears on Two Lists
Split Lead/Supporting Placement
Prediction Added
Prediction Removed

BEST PICTURE
Fair Game Hereafter How Do You Know? Inception Love and Other Drugs Secretariat (NEW) Somewhere (NEW) Toy Story 3 The Tree of Life True Grit The Ghost Writer (REMOVED) Robin Hood (REMOVED)	(NEW) 127 Hours Black Swan The Fighter Inception (NEW) The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech Love and Other Drugs (NEW) The Social Network (NEW) Toy Story 3 (NEW) True Grit Hereafter (REMOVED) London Boulevard (REMOVED) Somewhere (REMOVED) The Tree of Life (REMOVED) The Way Back (REMOVED)	The American Fair Game Hereafter The King’s Speech Miral The Social Network The Town The Tree of Life Toy Story 3 The Way Back	(NEW) Conviction The Fighter Howl Inception (NEW) The Kids Are All Right (NEW) The King’s Speech The Social Network The Tree of Life Toy Story 3 (NEW) The Way Back The Company Men (REMOVED) Kick-Ass (REMOVED) London Boulevard (REMOVED) Ondine (REMOVED)

BEST DIRECTOR
James L. Brooks – How Do You Know? Joel Coen, Ethan Coen – True Grit Clint Eastwood – Hereafter (NEW) Doug Liman – Fair Game Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life Roman Polanski – The Ghost Writer (REMOVED)	(NEW) Danny Boyle – 127 Hours (NEW) Joel Coen, Ethan Coen – True Grit Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech Christopher Nolan – Inception (NEW) David O. Russell – The Fighter Clint Eastwood – Hereafter (REMOVED) Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (REMOVED) Peter Weir – The Way Back (REMOVED)	Ben Affleck – The Town Anton Corbijn – The American Clint Eastwood – Hereafter Doug Liman – Fair Game Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life	David Fincher – The Social Network Christopher Nolan – Inception Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life David O. Russell – The Fighter (NEW) Peter Weir – The Way Back Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman – Howl (REMOVED)

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges – True Grit Matt Damon – Hereafter (NEW) Colin Firth – The King’s Speech Joseph Gordon-Levitt – I’m with Cancer Jake Gyllenhaal – Love and Other Drugs Jack Nicholson – How Do You Know? (REMOVED)	Colin Firth – The King’s Speech James Franco – 127 Hours (NEW) Ryan Gosling – Blue Valentine Jake Gyllenhaal – Love and Other Drugs Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter Colin Farrell – London Boulevard (REMOVED)	George Clooney – The American Matt Damon – Hereafter Colin Firth – The King’s Speech James Franco – Howl Sean Penn – Fair Game	(NEW) Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network (NEW) Colin Firth – The King’s Speech James Franco – Howl (NEW) Jim Sturgess – The Way Back Mark Wahlberg – The Fighter Ben Affleck – The Company Men (REMOVED) Johnny Depp – The Rum Diary (REMOVED) Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life (REMOVED)

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right Anne Hathaway – Love and Other Drugs (NEW) Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone (NEW) Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right Naomi Watts – Fair Game Reese Witherspoon – How Do You Know? (REMOVED) Robin Wright Penn – The Conspirator (REMOVED)	Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right Anne Hathaway – Love and Other Drugs (NEW) Lesley Manville – Another Year Natalie Portman – Black Swan (NEW) Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine Keira Knightley – London Boulevard (REMOVED) Naomi Watts – Fair Game (REMOVED)	Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone Julia Roberts – Eat, Pray, Love Naomi Watts – Fair Game	(NEW) Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right (NEW) Anne Hathaway – Love and Other Drugs (NEW) Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone (NEW) Hilary Swank – Conviction (NEW) Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine Angelina Jolie – Salt (REMOVED) Keira Knightley – London Boulevard (REMOVED) Rachel McAdams – Morning Glory (REMOVED) Helen Mirren – Brighten Rock (REMOVED) Mia Wasikowska – The Kids Are All Right (REMOVED)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale – The Fighter Josh Brolin – True Grit Ed Harris – The Way Back Paul Rudd – How Do You Know? Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right	Christian Bale – The Fighter (NEW) Sam Rockwell – Conviction Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right (NEW) Geoffrey Rush – The King’s Speech David Thewlis – London Boulevard Derek Jacobi – The King’s Speech (REMOVED) Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life (REMOVED)	Christian Bale – The Fighter Josh Brolin – True Grit Ed Harris – The Way Back Miles Teller – Rabbit Hole Tom Wilkinson – The Debt	Christian Bale – The Fighter (NEW) Andrew Garfield – The Social Network Ed Harris – The Way Back (NEW) Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right (NEW) Justin Timberlake – The Social Network Aaron Eckhart – The Rum Diary (REMOVED) Sean Penn – The Tree of Life (REMOVED) Patrick Wilson – Morning Glory (REMOVED)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – The Fighter Marion Cotillard – Inception Elle Fanning – Somewhere (NEW) Saoirse Ronan – The Way Back Evan Rachel Wood – The Conspirator Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right (REMOVED)	Amy Adams – The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech Elle Fanning – Somewhere (NEW) Kristin Scott Thomas – Nowhere Boy (NEW) Mia Wasikowska – The Kids Are All Right Rosemarie DeWitt – The Company Men (REMOVED) Julianne Moore – The Kids Are All Right (REMOVED)	Hope Davis – The Special Relationship Elle Fanning – Somewhere Rebecca Hall – The Town Bryce Dallas Howard – Hereafter Amy Ryan – Jack Goes Boating	Amy Adams – The Fighter (NEW) Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life Marion Cotillard – Inception (NEW) Elle Fanning – Somewhere (NEW) Dianne Wiest – Rabbit Hole Chloe Moretz – Kick-Ass (REMOVED) Anne Hathaway – Love and Other Drugs (REMOVED) Evan Rachel Wood – The Conspirator (REMOVED)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (NEW)
Hereafter How Do You Know? Inception Somewhere The Tree of Life	127 Hours The Fighter Hereafter The Kids Are All Right The King’s Speech		(NEW) Conviction The Fighter Inception (NEW) The Kids Are All Right The Tree of Life The Company Men (REMOVED) Ondine (REMOVED)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY (NEW)
Fair Game Toy Story 3 True Grit The Way Back Winter’s Bone	Love and Other Drugs The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter’s Bone		(NEW) Love and Other Drugs The Social Network Toy Story 3 (NEW) True Grit (NEW) The Way Back The Ghost Writer (REMOVED) Kick-Ass (REMOVED) London Boulevard (REMOVED)

Wesley Lovell

My Full Predictions

Peter J. Patrick

Best Picture
127 Hours – Danny Boyle’s first film since his Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire
Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky’s thriller set in the ballet world
The Fighter – David O. Russell’s bio of “Irish” Mickey Ward
Inception – Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi mystery
The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Choldenko’s domestic comedy, the best reviewed adult film of the year so far
The King’s Speech – Tom Hooper’s look at the British monarchy in the mid-1930s
Love and Other Drugs – Ed Zwick’s relationship comedy about a Viagra salesman and a woman with Parkinson’s disease
The Social Network – David Fincher’s film about the founders of Facebook
Toy Story 3 – the third animated feature nominated for Best Picture and the first third film in a trilogy to be so honored? Could be.
True Grit – another unnecessary remake or a new classic that only the Coen Bros. would dare to make? Time will tell.
Out: London Boulevard and The Way Back which have yet to acquire U.S. distribution deals; Somewhere and Hereafter which look disappointing and The Tree of Life which has had so many delays who knows if it will even see the light of day this year.
In: 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, Toy Story 3 and True Grit.

Best Director
Danny Boyle for 127 Hours – he’s on a streak
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for True Grit – always a threat
Tom Hooper for The King’s Speech – the new kid on the block
Christopher Nolan for Inception – considered due in some circles
David O. Russell for The Fighter – the bad boy cleans up his act
Out: Clint Eastwood for Hereafter (no buzz), Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life (distribution issues) and Peter Weir for The Way Back (distribution issues)
In: Danny Boyle (127 Hours); The Coen Brothers (True Grit) and David O. Russell (The Fighter)

Best Actor
Colin Firth as George VI in The King’s Speech
James Franco as the real-life mountain climber who amputates part of his arm to survive in 127 Hours (directed by Danny Boyle)
Ryan Gosling as the husband in the marital drama Blue Valentine
Jake Gyllenhaal as the Viagra salesman in Love and Other Drugs
Mark Wahlberg as “Irish” Mickey Ward in The Fighter
Out: Colin Farrell in London Boulevard (release issues)
In: Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine
A roster with four under 40 actors is unusual but it would be difficult at this point to take out Franco, Gosling, Gylenhaal or Wahlberg for anyone else. Firth, the old man of the group, a nominee last year playing a recent British monarch with a stutter would seem to be the odds-on favorite at this point.

Best Actress
Annette Bening as the stronger of two mothers in The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway as the woman with Parkinson’s disease in Love and Other Drugs
Keira Knightley as the reclusive actress in London Boulevard
Lesley Manville as the family friend in Another Year
Natalie Portman as the ballerina with murder on her mind in Black Swan
Michelle Williams as the wife in the marital drama, Blue Valentine
Out: Keira Knightley in London Boulevard (release issues) and Naomi Watts in Fair Game (doesn’t seem to be generating much buzz).
In: Lesley Manville in Another Year and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale as the brother who helps “Irish” Mickey Ward achieve his success in The Fighter
Mark Ruffalo as the biological father of Bening and Moore’s children in The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush as the speech therapist in The King’s Speech
Sam Rockwell as the wrongfully accused convict in Conviction
David Thewlis as Keira Knightley’s manager in London Boulevard
Out: Derek Jacobi in The King’s Speech (part likely too small) and Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life (release issues)
In: Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech and Sam Rockwell in Conviction.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams as Mark Wahlberg’s wife in The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth in The King’s Speech
Elle Fanning as the estranged 11 year-old daughter of a hard living actor in Somewhere
Kristin Scott Thomas as John Lennon’s aunt in Nowhere Boy
Mia Wasikowska as the eldest child in The Kids Are All Right
Out: Rosemarie DeWitt in The Company Man (no buzz) and Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right (despite early reports to the contrary she is a bona fide lead)
In: Kristin Scott Thomas in Nowhere Boy and Mia Wasikowska in The Kids Are All Right.

Best Original Screenplay
127 Hours (Simon Beaufoy, Danny Boyle – if the film’s it good, the script has to be as well)
The Fighter (David O. Russell, et. Al. – Russell’s due for a comeback)
Hereafter (Peter Morgan previously nominated for The Queen and Frost/Nixon)
The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, Stuart Blumberg – the new “kids” on the block)
The King’s Speech (David Seidler – his big break after a long drought)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Love and Other Drugs (Ed Zwick, et. Al. – need I say more?)
The Social Network (Aaron Sorkin – 3 Golden Globe nominations, no Oscar nods yet)
Toy Story 3 (John Lasseter, et. al. – maybe not a Best Picture nod, but surely a writing one)
True Grit (The Coen Brothers but only if it’s an obvious improvement over the original)
Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini – let the new kids in)

Wes Huizar

Best Animated Feature
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

Best Film Editing
The Fighter
Inception
The Social Network
Tron Legacy
The Way Back

Best Cinematography
Inception
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Tree of Life
The Way Back

Best Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Inception
Shutter Island
The Tree of Life
Tron Legacy

Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
The Conspirator
The King’s Speech
The Tree of Life
The Way Back

Best Makeup
Alice in Wonderland
The Fighter
Splice

Best Sound Mixing
The Fighter
Inception
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
Tron Legacy

Best Sound Editing
How to Train Your Dragon
Inception
Iron Man 2
Toy Story 3
Tron Legacy

Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Inception
Iron Man 2
Tron Legacy

Best Original Score
Inception – Hans Zimmer
The Social Network – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
The Tree of Life – Alexandre Desplat
True Grit – Carter Burwell
The Way Back – Burkhard Dallwitz