BackstageOL.com Oscar Predictions

And the award goes to…

We’ve heard those five words time and time again. And this Sunday, February 26, 2017, millions will tune in to watch the 89th Annual Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, a night where history could be made. Leading up to the awards show a backlash has been building against Damien Chazelle’s La La Land, as speculation mounts on whether or not it is deserving of all of its acclaim and record-tying 14 nominations (along with All About Eve and Titanic) or possible Best Picture win.

I do not fall into that camp, of course. My review proves this much.

But beyond the ballyhoo of La La Land dissension, we have some interesting races for Best Actor and Best Actress. Remember when it seemed that Natalie Portman was going to walk away with Best Actress for her portrayal as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Jackie? She has seemed to fallen off the radar and with her demotion Emma Stone and Isabelle Huppert have gained traction for their respective performances in La La Land and Elle. Huppert’s performance gives much to talk about but the subject matter may be too cold for Oscar voters. Stone is in a lighthearted musical and that may be the difference.

But what to make of the Best Actor race? Casey Affleck looked to be the odds on favorite with Manchester by the Sea but Denzel Washington is closing ranks with the platitudes received for his performance in Fences. Could he become the fourth actor in Oscar history to win a third Academy Award? If so, he’ll be in select company with Walter Brennan, Jack Nicholson, and Daniel Day-Lewis.

We also could have the first African-American filmmaker to win the Best Director prize (Barry Jenkins for Moonlight) and see three African-American thespians get trophies. While you should never count on sure things when it comes to making predictions, I would not bet against Viola Davis for Best Supporting Actress. Davis has been the frontrunner for so long that she’s probably lapped her competition twice already. It would be a deserving win for an exceptional actress, nominated twice previously for 2008’s Doubt (Supporting Actress) and 2011’s The Help (Best Actress).

While BackstageOL’s Dave Morales will make his Oscar predictions on Isiah Factor: Uncensored tonight, I will give you my picks for all twenty-four categories. Let’s see if I can pull off a clean sweep as I predict who the men and women of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will honor with Academy Awards.

Best Visual Effects
The Jungle Book

Best Film Editing
La La Land

Best Costume Design
La La Land

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Star Trek Beyond

Best Cinematography
La La Land

Best Production Design
La La Land

Best Sound Mixing
La La Land

Best Sound Editing
La La Land

Best Original Song
“City of Stars” from La La Land

Best Original Score
La La Land

Best Animated Short Film
Piper

Best Live Action Short Film
Timecode

Best Documentary – Short Subject
The White Helmets

Best Documentary – Feature
O.J.: Made in America

Best Foreign Language Film
The Salesman

Best Animated Feature Film
Kubo and the Two Strings

Best Adapted Screenplay
Moonlight

Best Original Screenplay
Manchester by the Sea

Best Supporting Actress
Viola Davis – Fences

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight

Best Actress
Emma Stone – La La Land

Best Actor
Denzel Washington – Fences

Best Director
Damien Chazelle – La La Land

Best Picture
La La Land