The Oscars happen this weekend and for the first time in quite a few years, I haven’t seen any of the nominees. I’m a big movie buff, but sometimes you gotta prioritize a wife and a kid over a night out at the movies.

I still watch a lot of movies, though, I just don’t see them in the theater. Right now I’m catching all of last year’s nominees and saying, “Hey yeah, that one did deserve that award.”

That said, a good rule of thumb to remember when making Oscar predictions is it’s ALWAYS better to not have seen the movies when you make the predictions. Seeing the movies makes you have personal favorites that you can’t help but pick regardless of how likely that one is to win.

So if you have seen the Oscar movies, forget them all before you pick the winners! Keep your ear to the ground and listen to the buzz. This year, the buzz looks like this:

Best Picture - No Country For Old Men

Director - the Coen Brothers, No Country For Old Men
Actor - Daniel Day Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Actress - Julie Christie, Away From Her

Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem, No COuntry For Old Men

Supporting Actress - Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Original Screenplay - Juno

Adapted Screenplay - No Country For Old Men

Expect a near sweep for “No Country For Old Men.” Of course, if these turn out to be wrong on Monday morning, then of course next year you ignore the buzz and pick all your favorites…