My Predictions for Oscar Nominations On Tuesday

It’s always fun to try to predict not only the winners but the nominees for the Oscars (and for that matter, the Tonys and Emmys, too).

Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday and awarded on March 27, much later than in recent years but no doubt hoping that the pandemic prohibitions will ease to allow red carpet strolls and grand mass gatherings, perhaps even maskless.

Here are my predictions for the leading categories, but make way for “The Power of the Dog” dominance.

Outstanding Film:

“The Power of the Dog”

“West Side Story”

“Belfast”

“Macbeth”

“tick, tick… Boom!”

“Licorice Pizza”

“C’mon, C’mon”

“Don’t Look Up

“Passing”

“Being the Ricardos”

Also notable: “In the Heights,” “The Lost Daughter,” “Dune,” “Drive My Car,” “Encanto”

Actress:

Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”)

Olivia Coleman (“The Lost Daughter”)

France McDormand (“Macbeth”)

Ruth Negga (“Passing”)

Alana Haim (“Licorice Pizza”)

If McDormand is placed in the more appropriate category of featured actress, that could open a slot for Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”)

Actor:

Denzel Washington (“Macbeth”)

Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”)

Peter Dinklage (“Cyrano”)

Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick…boom!”

Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”)

I’m taking a chance that enough nominators have seen Dinklage in “Cyrano,” which has yet to even play Connecticut. If he doesn’t get the slot, then look for Will Smith (“King Richard”) to slip in or Joaquin Phoenix (“C’mon C’mon”) or long-shot Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights”)

Featured Actor:

Bradley Cooper (“Licorice Pizza)

Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”)

Ciaran Hinds (“Belfast”)

David Alvarez (“West Side Story”)

Robin de Jesus (“tick, tick…Boom!”)

Also notable: Mike Faist (“West Side Story”), Woody Norman (“C’mon, C’mon “) but most likely is that Jesse Plemons (“The Power of the Dog”) slips in if “The Power of the Dog” gets on a roll.

Featured actress:

Olga Merediz (“In the Heights”)

Jesse Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”)

Kristen Dunst (The Power of the Dog”

Adriana DeBose (“West Side Story”)

Rita Moreno (“West Side Story)

Also notable: Gaby Hoffman (“C’mon C’mon”), Dakota Johnson (“The Lost Daughter”)

Director:

Stephen Spielberg (“West Side Story”)

Jame Campion (“The Power of the Dog”

Paul Thomas Anderson (“Licorice Pizza”)

Joel Coen (“Macbeth”)

Kenneth Branagh (“Belfast”)

Rebecca Hall (“Passing”)

Also notable: Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Lost Daughter”), Lin Manuel Miranda (“tick…tick…Boom!”), Mike Mills (“C’mon C’mon”) and Jon M. Chu (“In the Heights”). And I loved Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” but long-shot for a nod, c’est la vie. I’ll check back to see how I did. There’s always a second chance of predicting the winners.

The Oscars will be held on March 27.