Oscars 2011: 10 Who Will Win (and Who SHOULD!)

Will and should win: Toy Story 3

Anyone who bets otherwise is insane, pure and simple.

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Will win: The King’s Speech
Should win: The Kids Are All Right

With more overall support, Speech will take this prize over Writers Guild winner Inception. But Kids deserves props for taking a familiar film genre — the intimate family drama — and turning it on its ear.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will and should win: The Social Network

Aaron Sorkin’s masterful screenplay isn’t just talky, it’s nothing short of brilliant. And he’s one of the biggest locks of the night.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will win: 127 Hours (”If I Rise”).
Should win: Country Strong (”Coming Home”)

Let’s face it: It wasn’t a great year in this category. The Dido-performed ”If I Rise” is probably the hippest choice and has a good shot of topping Toy Story 3‘s ”We Belong Together” by Randy Newman. But ”Coming Home” is really the only tune that you keep humming days after hearing it.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will win: Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Should win: Amy Adams, The Fighter

The safe money is definitely still on Melissa Leo, but an upset certainly seems possible. The impressively precocious Steinfeld would be a fine choice, but I’d love to see the award go to Adams for her memorable and relatable bartender.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will and should win: Christian Bale, The Fighter

Barring a Geoffrey Rush upset, it’s looking like we’ll have the first U.K. mini-sweep of the male acting categories since 1965, when Rex Harrison and Peter Ustinov won.

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Will win: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Should win: Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

Are you sick of my praising Blue Valentine yet? Natalie Portman certainly delivered a fantastically creepy performance, but it’s Williams whom I still can’t shake, nine months after first seeing her devastating film.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will and should win: Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

A respected actor at the top of his game scoring his second consecutive Best Actor nomination after starring in the most nominated film of the year? How can he lose?

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will and should win: David Fincher, The Social Network

Usually the DGA winner also takes the Oscar, which bodes well for The King’s Speech filmmaker Tom Hooper. But with such strong contenders in the mix, I’m really feeling a split this year.

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

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Will and should win: The King’s Speech

Only six other times has a movie won the hat trick of Producers Guild, Directors Guild, and SAG awards. And in five of those cases, it went on to pick up Best Picture as well. I personally love Speech and The Social Network equally, but I’m selfishly rooting for Speech so that I don’t look dumb by sticking with it all this time!

Predict the winners in our Battle of the Ballots game

Click for a printable 2011 Oscars ballot