[loopydate]

Hey, guys. I know it's a couple of months before the big show, but it's almost nomination season. What I'm going to do here is list all the top contenders (and one sleeper) for some of the bigger awards and see who everyone thinks will be nominated. You can list who you WANT to be nominated, if you'd rather. Write-ins are more than welcome. Ready? Here goes.

Best Picture
American Splendor
Big Fish
Cold Mountain
House of Sand and Fog
In America
The Last Samurai
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit
21 Grams
Sleeper pick ~ Finding Nemo

Best Actor
Paddy Considine - In America
Russell Crowe - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Tom Cruise - The Last Samurai
Johnny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Peter Dinklage - The Station Agent
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Dirty Pretty Things
Paul Giamatti - American Splendor
Ben Kingsley - House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law - Cold Mountain
Bill Murray - Lost in Translation
Jack Nicholson - Something's Gotta Give
Sean Penn - Mystic River
Sleeper pick ~ Jack Black - School of Rock

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - The Missing
Patricia Clarkson - The Station Agent
Jennifer Connelly - House of Sand and Fog
Jamie Lee Curtis - Freaky Friday
Hope Davis - The Secret Lives of Dentists
Scarlett Johansson - Girl With a Pearl Earring
Diane Keaton - Something's Gotta Give
Nicole Kidman - Cold Mountain
Helen Mirren - Calendar Girls
Samantha Morton - In America
Gwyneth Paltrow - Sylvia
Charlize Theron - Monster
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill: Volume 1
Naomi Watts - 21 Grams
Sleeper pick ~ Evan Rachel Wood - Thirteen

Best Supporting Actor
Sean Astin - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Kevin Bacon - Mystic River
Alec Baldwin - The Cooler
Paul Bettany - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Jeff Bridges - Seabiscuit
Chris Cooper - Seabiscuit
Benicio Del Toro - 21 Grams
Albert Finney - Big Fish
Djimon Hounsou - In America
Eugene Levy - A Mighty Wind
William H. Macy - Seabiscuit
Bill Nighy - Love Actually
Tim Robbins - Msytic River
Ken Watanabe - The Last Samurai
Sleeper pick ~ Peter Sarsgaard - Shattered Glass

Best Supporting Actress
Shohreh Aghdashloo - House of Sand and Fog
Maria Bello - The Cooler
Patricia Clarkson - Pieces of April
Hope Davis - American Splendor
Ellen DeGeneres - Finding Nemo
Marcia Gay Harden - Mystic River
Holly Hunter - Thirteen
Scarlett Johansson - Lost in Translation
Jessica Lange - Big Fish
Laura Linney - Mystic River
Geraldene McEwan - The Magdalene Sisters
Renée Zellweger - Cold Mountain
Sleeper pick ~ Emma Thompson - Love Actually

Best Director
Sofia Coppola - Lost in Translation
Clint Eastwood - Mystic River
Peter Jackson - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Anthony Minghella - Cold Mountain
Gary Ross - Seabiscuit
Jim Sheridan - In America
Peter Weir - Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Edward Zwick - The Last Samurai
Sleeper pick ~ Alejandro González Iñárritu - 21 Grams

Best Original Screenplay
The Barbarian Invasions - Denys Arcand
Dirty Pretty Things - Steven Knight
Finding Nemo - Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, and David Reynolds
In America - Jim Sheridan
The Last Samurai - John Logan
Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola
Love Actually - Richard Curtis
Something's Gotta Give - Nancy Meyers
The Station Agent - Tom McCarthy
Thirteen - Catherine Hardwicke and Nikki Reed
21 Grams - Guillermo Arriaga
Sleeper pick ~ A Mighty Wind - Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy

Best Adapted Screenplay
American Splendor - Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini
Cold Mountain - Anthony Minghella
Girl With a Pearl Earring - Olivia Hetreed
House of Sand and Fog - Shawn Lawrence Otto
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - Peter Weir
Mystic River - Brian Helgeland
Seabiscuit - Gary Ross
Sleeper pick ~ The Secret Lives of Dentists - Craig Lucas

I know that's a lot to wrap your head around, but I'm looking forward to everyone's picks!