So, I batted .385. That's not really good. But I'm always better at the Oscars (I was 2 for 3 last year), so I'll always have that, I guess.

Now, on to the surprises...

I think Howard Shore winning for The Aviator was only a surprise because he won last year for Lord of the Rings. Now I'm sure he'll win next year for King Kong.

I guess I should have seen Sideways coming for Best Screenplay. It was wishful thinking on my part that Kaufman (who actually showed up!) would finally get props. Think he's gonna be really pissed at Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor now? (That's the second time he's lost to them).

I really didn't see Clint getting the win for Director. He has two already, plus two honorary awards. On the other hand, he's a helluva director, so I don't exactly begrudge the Press.

The Closer awards are the ones that really threw me. I thought New York was the only town that really respected that flick. Now it's back in play. However, the PGA, DGA, WGA, and - most notably - SAG have all dissed this flick so the chances are still slim that it'll get nods, much less a win.

Annette Bening I really didn't see coming. You have to understand, she's gotten virtually no buzz for a while now. At first there was some Oscar talk, but it died down quickly. Now her chances at an Oscar nod are a virtual lock, when you throw in her SAG nom.

Hilary is now not only a nom lock, but a virtual win as well.

At first I thought Giamatti was gonna be Foxx's main competition for Best Actor, but now it's looking like Leo's gonna give him a run.

At least I got the two big awards, Best Picture Comedy and Drama. And that's pretty much the ballgame. The Aviator vs. Sideways. We'll see how some of these guild awards (esp. PGA) turn out before we make any hasty predictions. Then, of course, I'll make some hasty predictions.