Predicting the 2017 Oscars!

And here we are again, another year, another Oscars ceremony that will probably be filled with controversy, however unlike the previous two years, this controversy is not due to who was or wasn't nominated, but due to who the current President now is.

Whether you agree with my stance on this or not, I really wish actors and filmmakers could really leave their political opinions aside for one night. We at home want to be entertained and enjoy ourselves as the movies of 2016 are celebrated.  We know you don't like the President, and do you really think your acceptance speech is going to change America's mind one way or the other?  No, it won't.  My thinking has always been that politics and entertainment really shouldn't ever collide anyways, especially when it's entertainment made for the general audience at large, which the Oscars ceremony is.  Half of your potential audience probably voted for Trump, while the other half didn't.  By hewing too closely to the thinking of one half, you alienate the other half of your audience, which is why I'm against movie and TV mixing politics and entertainment unless it's a niche movie or TV show where the political ideas are crucial to the story or for the audience the story is designed for.  But I digress, getting back on track...

As is per usual, I like to predict the Oscars each and every year.  Unlike last year, there are very few up in the air categories.  The only real question is:  How many Oscars is La La Land going to win?  That and the question as to which actor will bring home Best Actor, Denzel or Casey Affleck.  The other acting races have all been sewn up for a while.  The only other real surprises could come in the form of Adapted Screenplay (Arrival or Moonlight), and in the tech categories.  The real enigma with the tech categories is figuring out if the Academy will spread the love or if they'll simply mark La La Land for every category it's nominated for, even if it's not the best choice.  I personally think La La Land will have a big haul, but I don't think it will break records like some are predicting.  La La Land will more than likely net 7 Oscars, but I don't think it will do more than 9, even if some of my left field predictions don't pan out.  As for predictions regarding the show itself, well, it's Jimmy Kimmel hosting, so we can at least know it will probably be funny.  He's the kind of guy who makes fun of anybody, so he is the person I am least worried about in regards to making an annoying political statement.

So without further ado, here are my predictions, with a few bold predictions in the crafts categories for fun!

Best Animated Short - Piper

Best Documentary Short - Joe's Violin

Best Live Action Short - Ennemis Interieurs

Best Sound Mixing - La La Land

Best Sound Editing - Hacksaw Ridge

Best Visual Effects - The Jungle Book

Best Makeup and Hairstyling - Star Trek Beyond

Best Costume Design - Jackie

Best Production Design - Arrival

Best Cinematography - La La Land

Best Film Editing - Hacksaw Ridge

Best Original Song - "City of Stars" from La La Land

Best Original Score - La La Land

Best Documentary - O.J.: Made in America

Best Foreign Language Film - The Salesman

Best Animated Feature - Zootopia

Best Adapted Screenplay - Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay - Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actress - Viola Davis, Fences

Best Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Actress - Emma Stone, La La Land

Best Actor - Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

Best Director - Damien Chazelle, La La Land

Best Picture - La La Land

And those are my predictions!  As always, remember to check back either later tonight or tomorrow for my thoughts on the Oscars ceremony and my personal reflections on how well I did or didn't do with my predictions.