Countdown to the Oscars

I'm sure by now you know the Oscars are coming up on the 25th of February. There's more hype for this awards ceremony than even the Superbowl, with everyone generating buzz and predicting winners. Everywhere you look there's speculation about the nominees. The worst is the Internet, where each blog writes their opinions on the categories without any professional credentials. It just gets ridiculous.

So what I'll be doing is breaking down the nominees and making predictions on who will win.

And to get you started, before we jump right into the various awards, I'm going to post my top ten of 2006. Get the old, giant Raiders of the Lost Ark ball rolling. This year's summer blockbuster lineup was relatively disappointing, but it was still a great year in film. Keep in mind I have yet to see a few key movies that might sneak their way into the top ten later, like The Fountain. So if you're wondering what to see, and you take the advice of a random Internet blog, then check out my favorites:

1. Children of Men
2. The Departed
3. Little Children
4. Blood Diamond
5. The Prestige
6. Little Miss Sunshine
7. Pan's Labyrinth
8. Stranger Than Fiction
9. Thank You For Smoking
10. V for Vendetta