I offer up the probable candidates for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ highest honors, the Oscars. The actual nominees for the 78^th Annual Academy Awards will be announced Jan. 31 at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

Best Picture

Brokeback Mountain

Capote

Crash

Good Night, and Good Luck

Munich

A multitude of movies, including Cinderella Man, The Constant Gardener, A History of Violence, King Kong, Match Point, The Squid and the Whale and Walk the Line have a chance at stealing the spotlight away from Capote, Crash and Munich. Brokeback Mountain and Good Night, and Good Luck are pretty much the only ones that are locked in as nominees; it will most definitely be neck and neck between those two films for the winner.

Best Director

Woody Allen, Match Point

George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck

Peter Jackson, King Kong

Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain

Steven Spielberg, Munich

Lee and Clooney have been nominated for and won several awards so far. Academy members will be unable to resist nominating favorites like Allen, Jackson and Spielberg, or maybe even Ron Howard for Cinderella Man. Lee will most likely be the one going home with the little golden man on Oscar night.

Best Actor

Russell Crowe, Cinderella Man

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote

Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain

Joaquin Phoenix, Walk the Line

David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck

The only nomination that’s iffy here is Oscar-winner Crowe for his turn as a depression-era boxer in Cinderella Man. Jeff Daniels (The Squid and the Whale), recent Oscar fave Johnny Depp (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow) all have good chances of replacing Crowe. The other four actors have pretty much been nominated for or won every award so far. It will be Hoffman (with an outside chance for Ledger) walking up on stage Mar. 5.

Best Actress

Judi Dench, Mrs. Henderson Presents

Felicity Huffman, Transamerica

Keira Knightley, Pride & Prejudice

Charlize Theron, North Country

Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line

These actresses are the only five that are consistently getting nominated for or winning awards. Joan Allen (The Upside of Anger), Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Proof) and Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha) each have a chance of replacing Knightley. This race comes down to Huffman and Witherspoon as far as who will win.

Best Supporting Actor

George Clooney, Syriana

Matt Dillon, Crash

Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man

Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain

William Hurt, A History of Violence

Again, these five actors are the only ones that are consistently getting nominated or winning. Dillon's Crash co-star Terrence Howard also has a chance for a nom in this race. It will be Giamatti vs. Gyllenhaal for the trophy.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, Junebug

Maria Bello, A History of Violence

Catherine Keener, Capote

Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener

Michelle Williams, Brokeback Mountain

Adams, Bello and Williams are getting high praise for their performances in these indie films. Look for Shirley MacLaine (In Her Shoes) or Frances McDormand (North Country) as a possible replacement for either of the other two actresses.

The 78^th Annual Academy Awards will take place Mar. 5 and will air on ABC. To keep up-to-date on the latest Oscar and other awards buzz, visit MovieCat Cinema’s Awards Central.

-Catherine Krummey, MovieCat Cinema