Oscar Predictions for the 84th Academy Awards

 This has been a great year for international cinema and films categorized more in the "art house" category.  This is reflected with many of the guild awards (DGA, SAG, WGA etc) as well as the Academy's decisions for nominations at their 84th annual ceremony.
 The following is a list of my predictions for the Oscar winners of this year and does not necessarily reflect my personal opinions for what I think should win.  Though I have made some daring choices (specifically in the "Actress In a Leading Role" category), here are my predictions:


The full list of nominees can be seen here: http://oscar.go.com/nominees

Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash for The Descendants
Writing (Original Screenplay): Woody Allen for Midnight In Paris
Sound Editing: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Sound Mixing: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Film Editing: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Art Direction: Hugo
Costume Design: Jane Eyre
Makeup: The Iron Lady
Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Music (Original Song): "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets
Music (Original Score): Ludovic Bource for The Artist
Short Film (Animated): La Luna
Short Film (Live Action): Pentecost
Documentary Short: Incident in New Baghdad
Documentary Feature: Wim Wenders for Pina
Animated Feature Film: Gore Verbinski for Rango
Foreign Language Film: Asghar Farhadi for A Separation
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
Actress In a Supporting Role: Octavia Spencer (The Help)
Actor In a Supporting Role: Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Actress In a Leading Role: Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Actor In a Leading Role: Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist
Best Picture: The Artist