It's time for final Best Picture predictions!

For the next week we'll be sharing final predictions for each Oscar category. We're starting with the big kahuna, Best Picture because it's the most crucial. It's a domino effect essentially since each year shows us that once voters favor your movie, they just favor it whether or not it's particularly worthy from one category to the next. We'll start with the not so obvious (if you ask me) question:

What would be nominated in a five film year?

Past statistics will tell you that that would be the DGA lineup (BlacKkKlansman, Green Book, Roma, A Star is Born, and Vice) because prior to 2010 when the Best Picture category expanded, the DGA lineup was slightly more predictive of Best Picture than of Best Director, as curious as that might seen. But it wasn't infallible, of course. And we don't think those would be the five this year. 

So let's take them in the order of strength after the jump...

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Mark Your Calendars!

Here's every important date (that we could find) for the remainder of awards season. It's totally here! Are you ready for it?

JANUARY 

"How awards season treats actual supporting actors" - this joke borrowed from twitter.

10 - Makeup and Costume Design Guild Nominees + Final Oscar Predictions begin right here one chart at a time
12 - Nathaniel's Film Bitch Award nominations announcement begins
13 - Critics Choice Awards Ceremony 
14 - Oscar nomination balloting ends...

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Top of the link to ya

• Filmotomy - I guest starred on a podcast there this week about Oscar punditry and Oscar hosting if you'd like to listen in. Thelma Adams was also in the mix.
• Slate -they may have avoided mentioning him on Globe night but Bryan Singer celebrated his Bohemian Rhapsody win on Instagram
• Next Best Picture - interesting play-by-play of the Visual Effects Oscar "bake-off" and how that might affect the impending nominations
• New York Times Billy Porter wanted to wear a dress to the Globes but fashion houses weren't having it. Boo!
• Washington Post - a profile of Karyn Kusama's 'dark times' in Hollywood and her latest, Destroyer

50 Days til Oscar, Ally!

Ladies and gentleman.... ALLY"

Not a still from the movie. They've actually put the Ally billboard up in Los Angeles in the same location it's supposed to be seen within the movie.

You have to hand it to the Warner Bros teams behind A Star is Born publicity both during its leggy run (now with a nearly $400 million global gross on a $36 million budget) and during awards season where it has consistently performed. They keep thinking of new ways to keep the film in people's minds, too, like this funny specific stunt pictured here. Will it feel like overkill by the time Academy members are voting. To some, sure, but those are likely the people who weren't going to vote for it anyway.

Oscar Charts!

A tip of the hat to you. Just letting you know that most of the Oscar charts have all been updated. 

This week sees gains for Stan & Ollie (especially all things John C Reilly and that wonderful makeup job to make him more Laurel-like), Ready Player One and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (given their multiple finalist list bids), A Quiet Place (given that it's still campaigning and got that absurd "supporting" actress nomination at SAG), and Bohemian Rhapsody all over the place (because, 'Facts are Facts America,' sometimes massive popularity makes quality a complete non-issue!)

Check 'em out, won't you? They're updated
INDEX |  PICTURE  
DIRECTOR |  ACTRESS | ACTOR  | 
SUPPORTING ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS |
 SCREENPLAYS | FOREIGN  FILM 
VISUAL | SOUND | ANIMATION / DOC