Oscars 2021: Final Predictions For Nominations In Every Category

This year's awards circuit naturally feels like it's been going on for about a decade, given the Academy's decision to shift the Oscar calendar back by two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But with almost every major stop on the road to the 93rd Academy Awards having shown its hand by now, it falls to the Oscars to make their nominations announcement next week on Monday, March 15th.

This will certainly be an awards season that few are soon likely to forget, given the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent fact that the overwhelming majority of voters will have viewed all potential nominees from home.

There's also the byproduct of an extended season, whereby some of the more widely buzzed-about films from earlier in the cycle have effectively lost steam, and may well come up short either in nominations or on Oscar night itself.

More than any other year in recent memory, this slate of nominations has the potential to be the most disruptive and surprising, even though the various precursor awards shows should provide decent insight into what we should expect.

As such, these are the smart money picks for what should show up on the Academy's lists next week...

NOMINEES:

Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)

Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy)

Olivia Colman (The Father)

Amanda Seyfried (Mank)

Yuh-Jung Youn (Minari)

We begin with easily the most competitive and unpredictable category this year, given that some of the early frontrunners - Amanda Seyfried and Ellen Burstyn (Pieces of a Woman) - have seen their momentum cool in recent months.

But Seyfried likely has enough clout to carry her through to a nomination, while Olivia Colman and Yuh-Jung Youn are basically locks.

The general love for Maria Bakalova's turn in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm should serve her well here, and the Academy will nominate Glenn Close for reading the phone book, so her performance in Hillbilly Elegy should make the cut.

Don't be too surprised if Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian) or Helena Zengel (News of the World) edge out Bakalova and Close, though.