Award shows are ultimately meaningless, but no other one assigns as much prestige to meaninglessness as the Oscars do. While the Grammys mostly stick to populist affairs and the Emmys remain stuck in the middle of commercially successful and critically acclaimed, the Academy Awards try to give off the impression that they're awarding true "Art." (Yes, that means we live in a world where Crash is considered "Art.")
Part of that could come from the voting body itself. Much discussion was had about the demographics of the Academy when the nominations rolled out and they were whiter than a picket fence in St. Petersberg, Missouri. You see, 94% of the Oscar voters are white, 74% are male, and the average member is 63 years old. And what are the two things old white dudes love the most? Taking themselves too seriously and not recognizing people of color. In all seriousness, I know one of those old white dudes in the Academy, and not only is he a cool guy, he has great taste in films too. Mostly, though, it seems like the voting body consists of people like this.
For the past few years, I've been making predictions about these awards, because it's fun and the trendy thing to do. In 2013, I got 21 out of 24 of the categories correct. Last year, I got 22 out of 24 correct. Will I get 23 correct this year? Probably not! Below I've listed each category, with all of the nominations in said category; along with what I think will win (meaning: my actual prediction), what I want to win, and a brief explanation of both answers.
