The Oscar nominations are COMING! this Thursday morning.  And I think I just might have some idea of who will make the cut.  Thanks to all the guilds for having already announced their noms and (possibly) clearing things.  My guesses are listed from most likely to be nominated to least likely.  I have included a few spots beyond the available number, i.e., those that I don’t think will quite make it but that I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.  It’s been a particularly strong year, so I think Best Picture will go all the way and post 10 nominations.

Best Picture
1. Zero Dark Thirty
2. Lincoln
3. Argo
4. Les Miserables
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. Life of Pi
7. Moonrise Kingdom
8. Beasts of the Southern Wild
9. Django Unchained
10. The Master

11. Amour
12. Skyfall
13. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
14. The Dark Knight Rises
15. Flight
16. The Impossible
17. Looper
18. Holy Motors

Director
1. Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
2. Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
3. Ben Affleck, Argo
4. Ang Lee, Life of Pi
5. Tom Hooper, Les Miserables

6. David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
7. Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
8. Paul Thomas Anderson, The Master

 

Lead Actor
1. Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
2. Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
3. Denzel Washington, Flight
4. Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
5. John Hawkes, The Sessions

6. Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
7. Richard Gere, Arbitrage

Lead Actress
1. Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
2. Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Naomi Watts, The Impossible
4. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
5. Quevenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

6. Emanuelle Riva, Amour
7. Rachel Weisz, Deep Blue Sea
8. Helen Mirren, Hitchcock

Supporting Actor
1. Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
2. Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
3. Alan Arkin, Argo
4. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
5. Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained

6. Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
7. Javier Bardem, Skyfall
8. Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike

Supporting Actress
1. Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
2. Helen Hunt, The Sessions
3. Sally Field, Lincoln
4. Amy Adams, The Master
5. Maggie Smith, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

6. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
7. Ann Dowd, Compliance
8. Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook