With the Oscars ceremony beaming to our TVs tomorrow night, here at Screenhead we decided to put our analysis to the test and make some predictions for the despairingly predictable event.

This is the first year to have 10 nominees for Best Picture. It’s debateable if this decision is effective or not, as there are really only two contenders: Avatar and The Hurt Locker. Inglourious Basterds has been receiving some award buzz as of late, but the Tarantino flick seems too divisive in its appreciation to win for Best Film. Instead it’s the battle over the independent 16mm war film over the $500 million 3D extravaganza. Critics awards have been leaning heavily towards The Hurt Locker, but it’s hard to see such a small film win over James Cameron’s behemoth. Avatar practically saved the film industry this year by earning over $2.5 billion worldwide, and proving that 3D does indeed get asses back on cinema seats. And that’s not mentioning the largely positive reviews it has been getting, likening it to Return of the King‘s victory in 2004. So this year it seems that Goliath will stomp on David.

It’s common to see the same film win for Best Film and Director, but this year it’s likely to be an exception. James Cameron has been accused of being difficult to work with, and so it seems this year will see the first ever female director pick up the prestigious gong. Kathryn Bigalow started out as the outsider but her gender will more than likely ensure she’ll win for her direction of The Hurt Locker.

Best Actress will probably be the big upset of the night. Sandra Bullock is tipped to win for her role in The Blind Side, having nabbed the Golden Globe and received much acclaim. Yet, it seems unlikely that a generally liberal Academy will vote for a film that has been regarded as racially patronising. And while it’s possible that Meryl Streep will finally get an award after 16 nominations, I think Gabby Sibide will be the one waddeling up to the podium for her harrowing performance in Precious.

The men however, seem more predictable. Jeff Bridges is tipped to win an award for his role as a drunk country singer in Crazy Heart. It’s a good (but not career best) performance that may indeed earn him an award, but Hollywood darling George Clooney has a fighting chance for his role in Up in the Air. That said, Up in the Air will more than likely be the big loser of the night.

If there’s one category that will hold no surprises it’s for the Best Supporting Actress category. Ever since Precious was released the critics, even those of us who weren’t overly impressed by the movie, gushed about Mo’nique’s powerful performance as the jealous and violent mother of her pregnant teenage daughter. If anyone else were to win this award, there would be people fainting from shock.

For Best Supporting Actor, Chris Waltz seems to be certain to win as the Jew-hunting Nazi in Tarantino’s Basterds. Woddy Harrellson started as favourite but quickly lost steam, while the others (Stanley Tucci, Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer) are in movies that are suffering from critical backlash.

As a consolation prize, Up in the Air will probably win for its witty adapted script. And despite the recent law-suit (which only turned up in the news after the last day of Academy voting), The Hurt Locker should win for its original script.

In all technical categories you can expect Avatar to mop up: visual effects, editing, sound design, that sort of thing. The only challenger is in the cinematography, where the exquisitely shot The White Ribbon might surprise. And speaking of that film, it is a contender for Best Foreign Language Film. But considering the upset of last year’s Departures beating the likes of the superior Revanche, Waltz with Bashir, and The Class, who knows what will win. The overwhelmingly positive reviews of A Prophet make it the most likely.

And finally, there’s no real chance of any other animated film but Up wining for Best Animated Feature. The power of Pixar will reign once more, considering the flick was very well reviewed and performed exceptionally well in the box-office.