Best Actor

Let's start with the men.  The Academy had these gentlemen to choose from.

Best Actor Nominees:
Bradley Cooper - Silver Lining Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Denzel Washington - Flight

Winner:  Daniel Day-Lewis will likely win this, he's won everything else. He truly became Lincoln, or what we perceive as Lincoln. People who play historical figures are nominated a lot. Though, I have to wonder why one of my favorites, John Cusack, was not nominated then for his role as Edgar Allen Poe in The Raven. The only movie I haven't seen is The Master. The others were all outstanding performances in their own right, but if anyone other than Daniel Day-Lewis wins this, I will likely faint.

Now, we all know that Oscar-worthy films aren't usually the ones that draw the big crowds, so aside from these great performances, here are a couple more that I think are award-worthy.

Dream Nominees: 
Josh Brolin - Men In Black III --he truly was the young Tommy Lee Jones.
Steve Carrell - Seeking a Friend for the End of the World -- I want to see him win for one of these roles I love him in.
Joseph Gordon Levitt -- Looper -- he was truly the young Bruce Willis
Daniel Craig -- Skyfall -- Someone should win for playing Bond, I think Craig is the best since Connery.
Robert Downey, Jr -- Avengers -- Tony Stark is the guy you love even though he's everything you hate.

Winner:  Tie between Josh Brolin and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  These two actors managed to do some of the best impression work since Rich Little.

So, what would you have picked? It was fun to pull some names together, and a lot harder than you might think! Up next: Best Actress