Written by Mitch Cyrus

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Yes, it’s that time again when every critic bores you with who he thinks will win the statues in each category, who should have won it in his not-so-humble-opinion, and also some other tidbits of information that may or may not have anything to do with the price of beer at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

No exception at Swerb’s.

Best Supporting Actor:

The nominees: George Clooney for "Syriana", Matt Dillon for "Crash", Paul Giamatti for "Cinderella Man", Jake Gyllenhaal for "Brokeback Mountain", William Hurt for "A History Of Violence"

My Preference: George Clooney

My Guess for Winning: Clooney

Details: Clooney has had an incredible year with two major responsibilities with two films this year, “Syriana” and “Good Night and Good Luck”. He’s not going to win the award for “Best Director” (more on that later), so in a crowed field, he’ll get it for his non-pretty boy effort in the oil business thriller. Paul Giamatti may have a chance if the academy feels guilty for screwing him out of at least a nomination last year for his terrific performance in “Sideways”. Jake Gyllenhaal is disqualified for having the gayest cowboy moustache ever in “Brokeback Mountain”.

Who should have also received a nomination: Michael Jackson. Without WackoJacko, Johnny Depp would have had to channel someone else for his Willy Wonka role in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, and then it wouldn’t have been nearly as interesting.

Best Supporting Actress:

The nominees: Amy Adams for "Junebug", Catherine Keener for "Capote", Frances McDormand for "North County", Rachel Weisz for "The Constant Gardner", Michelle Williams for "Brokeback Mountain"

My Preference: Amy Adams

My Guess for Winning: Rachel Weisz

Details: A really tight race with Weisz, Adams, Keener and Williams having a legitimate chance at this. Adams is my favorite simply due to the fact that I’m a homer, and any movie filmed in and about Winston-Salem, NC is OK in my book, even if only 42 people have seen it. Williams also did an incredible job as the put upon wife of Heath Ledger, but since the movie isn’t about straight women, she doesn’t stand a chance.

Who should have also received a nomination: Jennifer Aniston. Without her doing whatever it was she was doing to chase Brad Pitt into Angelina Jolie’s arms, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” would not have had all that boffo chemistry that made you forget plot holes that even William Green could run through.

Best Actress:

The nominees: Judi Dench for "Mrs. Henderson Presents", Felicity Huffman for "Transamerica", Keira Knightley for "Pride and Prejudice", Charlize Theron for "North Country", Reese Witherspoon for "Walk The Line"

My Preference: Charlize Theron

My Guess for Winning: Reese Witherspoon

Details: More people have seen “Walk the Line” than the other four movies with a nominated actress combined. I haven’t seen a weaker group of five since Butch Davis was stocking the offensive line.

Who should have also received a nomination: Nicole Kidman for “Bewitched”. The fact that Nicole could actually show up for work every day and not constantly gag when she realized she was next to Will Ferrell AND ‘staring’ in one of the worst movies of the decade took skill beyond imagination.

Best Actor:

The nominees: Phillip Seymour Hoffman for "Capote", Terence Howard for "Hustle And Flow", Heath Ledger for "Brokeback Mountain", Joaquin Phoenix for "Walk The Line", David Strathairn for "Good Night, and Good Luck"
My Preference: Phillip Seymour Hoffman

My Guess for Winning: Hoffman

Details: I am most impressed with how Hoffman managed to shrink himself down from 5’10” to 5’2” for his role as Truman Capote. Amazing! But seriously, Hoffman was magnificent in the role, so he beats out a solid field as Howard, Phoenix and Strathairn are all worthy of the award. Heath Ledger’s mumble should be in a category all on its own.

Who should have also received a nomination: Drew Rosenhaus for his impression of a human being in the farce “Terrell Owens’ Press Conference”.

Best Director:

The nominees: George Clooney for "Good Night and Good Luck", Paul Haggis for "Crash", Ang Lee for "Brokeback Mountain", Bennett Miller for "Capote", Steven Spielberg for "Munich"

My Preference: Steven Spielberg.

My Guess for Winning: Ang Lee.

Details: Lee, the man who should not be forgiven for “Hulk”, has never met a two minute scene he couldn’t stretch out to 15 minutes. His ability to bore, as also witnessed in “The Ice Storm”, and “Sense and Sensibility”, should never be underestimated. If he gives a speech, you’ll need at least three cans of Red Bull in order to stay awake.

Who should have also received a nomination: Quentin Tarantino for the 10 minutes of “Sin City” that he directed. The scene with Benicio Del Toro talking to Clive Owen, despite a slit throat and gun barrel imbedded in his forehead was the highlight of that movie. Another should go to Garth Jennings for “Hitchhicker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. Anyone that can get that much jack for getting stoned and then making up weird shit to film deserves something. “So long, and thanks for all the fish!”

Best Picture:

The nominees: "Good Night and Good Luck", "Crash", "Brokeback Mountain", "Capote", "Munich"

My Preference: “Munich.”

My Guess for Winning: “Brokeback Mountain”

Details: This is one year when any of the films could be proud winners (as opposed to turkeys that won such as “Gladiator”, “The English Patient”, or the worst of all time “Titanic”). My top to bottom rankings would be “Munich”, “Crash”, “Capote”, “Good Night and Good Luck”, and “Brokeback Mountain”. “Crash” is the only other film that has a chance, but I don’t think the academy will buy into the recent buzz about the film and will go instead with the favorite.

What should have also received a nomination: Super Bowl XL. Yeah, technically it was in 2006, but under the rules, it gets in due to having the regular season being conducted in 2005 (mostly). This movie was everything. A comedy in regards to the performance of the players and the coaching, A horror show regarding the announcing; listening to John Madden ramble on scares the shit out of me. A farce in regards to the officiating. A drama in regards to wondering if one of the Rolling Stones would drop dead due to old age while performing. And finally a tragedy of the highest level as the evilness of a victory for the toothless Appalachians will haunt us for a long time to come.

Those are my guesses, and I’m sticking to them just like I stuck to taking the Browns and the points last year against Pittsburgh at home. Good thing that I leave the gambling to Swerb.