  As a guide, I have also added Blue Square's odds. I was going to try and put an accumulator bet on, but they only take single bets. That means there are only a few where it's worthwhile putting some cash on. Anyway, here's my predictions. Tell me if you agree or disagree. Best Picture Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (1/3) Lost in Translation (11/2) Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (12/1) Mystic River (7/2) Seabiscuit (33/1) Having seen a whopping one of these films, I can't really judge artistically. However, it can be presumed that since none of the other LOTR films have been nominated, the Academy, never a friend of sequels (except one. Prize for the first to name it), have probably been saving up to give the accolades to the final film.
My pick: LOTR: The Return of the King Best Director Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2/5) Sofia Coppola - Lost in Translation (5/1) Fernando Meirelles - City of God (12/1) Peter Weir - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (14/1) Clint Eastwood - Mystic River (4/1) I would go for LOTR again, especially since none of the actors involved seem no be worthy of nomination (shame for Astin and Andy Serkis).
However, Hollywood tends to favour "actor-based" films when it comes to award times, so I wouldn't be too shocked if Sofia Coppola got it. My pick: Peter Jackson Best Actor Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (20/1) Sir Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog (10/1) Jude Law - Cold Mountain (8/1) Bill Murray - Lost in Translation (6/4) Sean Penn - Mystic River (4/6) I would love Johnny Depp to win this, but with it being a populist 'summer' movie, I can't see him winning. I would go for Bill Murray, for his years of unrewarded service. Despite Blue Square, I think Sean Penn has zero chance in the political climate ("No repeats of the Moore thing, thank you very much"). My pick: Bill Murray Best Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes - Whale Rider (16/1) Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give (5/2) Samantha Morton - In America (10/1) Charlize Theron - Monster (4/9) Naomi Watts - 21 Grams (7/1) The nomination of Castle-Hughes is pretty cool, and would make a nice 'Anna Paquin' moment.
However, I see Keaton getting the nod, with possibly Charlize Theron, who is unrecognisable in the film, as an outsider. My pick: Diane Keaton Best Supporting Actor Alec Baldwin - The Cooler (5/1) Benicio Del Toro - 21 Grams (11/4) Djimon Hounsou - In America (6/1) Tim Robbins - Mystic River (8/11) Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai (10/1) My pick: From what I hear, Watanabe saves "Dances With Ninjas" from becoming another Cruise-wankfest, so he must be in with a chance.
Alec Baldwin has been getting great reviews though, and it would be nice for him to finally show Kim how to polish a statuette. My pick: Ken Watanabe Best Supporting Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Sand and Fog (8/1) Patricia Clarkson - Pieces of April (11/2) Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River (11/2) Holly Hunter - Thirteen (9/2) Renee Zellweger - Cold Mountain (4/7) Since I don't see Cold Mountain picking up too many in the other categories, I would have to go for Zellweger, who apparently steals the film from Kidman. As an outside bet, go for Holly Hunter as the Academy like her. My pick: Renee Zellweger 
