AND THE WINNER IS...

As I prepare to finalize my own predictions, I thought I'd make a few more calls to friends who are also Academy members to see who/what they ended up voting for on their ballots. I will add to this list as I hear back from them...

ACTRESS
A legendary star of the stage and screen who accumulated several Oscar nominations and one win during the Golden Age...

• Best Picture: Atonement
• Best Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
• Best Actress: Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)
• Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War)
• Best Supporting Actress: Ruby Dee (American Gangster)
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton (Atonement)
• Best Original Screenplay: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava (Ratatouille)

Other sentiments: "Really liked Atonement"; "loved Ratatouille"; had no reservations about watching La Vie En Rose due to subtitles; was not bothered by the ending of No Country; is supporting Dee "because of the performance," not any sense of debt

WRITER
A screenwriter who won an Oscar during the seventies...

• Best Picture: Juno
• Best Director: Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
• Best Actor: Tommy Lee Jones (In the Valley of Elah)
• Best Actress: Ellen Page (Juno)
• Best Supporting Actor: Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton)
• Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Ronald Harwood (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly)
• Best Original Screenplay: Nancy Oliver (Lars and the Real Girl)

Other sentiments: Thought Juno was "a wonderful film"; hated There Will Be Blood and "turned it off" before the end; found No Country to be glorification of violence; went into Diving Bell hating Schnabel and came out respecting his unique vision and Harwood's screenplay; was "thrilled" Tommy Lee Jones got nominated; "very tempted" to vote for Cody, but feels Oliver's screenplay was the toughest to make work, and that she succeeded

ACTOR
One of the greatest character actors ever who, ironically, won an Oscar for a leading role

• Best Picture: No Country for Old Men
• Best Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)
• Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)
• Best Actress: Julie Christie (Away from Her)
• Best Supporting Actor: Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild)
• Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (I'm Not There)
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men)
• Best Original Screenplay: Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton)

Other sentiments: "They don't make 'em like we used to make 'em," but No Country was "not too shabby"; "the young guy who played the oilman" did "a pretty terrific job"; Juno was "alright, but left you wanting more"; voting for Holbrook "because of his longevity, and he's done some mighty, mighty fine work... not for his performance or anything, although that wasn't bad either"