My Pics for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards

On Sunday night, over 6,000 members from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – a club consisting of the most prestigious artists working in the film industry today – will make history.

With the majority of Best Picture nominees also scoring at the box office, this is set to be one of the highest-rated Oscar telecasts in recent memory. So, what should your ballot look like? Here are my pics (not my personal choices, but who I think will win).

After taking home top honours from the Producers’, Screen Actors’ and Directors’ Guilds, The King’s Speech is the favourite to take Best Picture. Also count on Colin Firth to score his first Oscar for his deeply moving portrayal of King George VI (let's hope he doesn't stammer through his acceptance speech), and 73-year-old playwright David Seidler to take home a golden guy for his original screenplay. It would go against Oscar tradition for a prestigious historical drama not to win for either an art direction or costume design category, so expect the film to pick up the former.

The Social Network has its admirers, too, and due to its pre-nomination dominance, it will likely split the top honours with The King’s Speech. David Fincher should take Best Director, making it the fourth time in the last decade where a Best Director winner did not helm the Best Picture winner. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s rumbling, atmospheric score and Aaron Sorkin’s blisteringly sharp adapted screenplay are also favourites in their respective categories. Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall should also take home an editing honour – they deserve something for keeping us so clearly attuned to Sorkin’s whip-snap dialogue and the constant shifts in time.

In the acting categories, expect Christian Bale and Natalie Portman to pick up honours. Bale’s co-star Melissa Leo was the front-runner for supporting actress until a recent, self-launched “For Your Consideration” campaign backfired. She now looks desperate to win. Academy members are bound to choose 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld in Leo’s place (although I would choose Jacki Weaver for her devilishly good turn in the little-seen thriller, Animal Kingdom).

Inception, sans directing and acting nominations, will fare better in some of the technical categories. It could take Best Cinematography, but it has to beat True Grit’s Roger Deakins – winless after eight previous tries. Something tells me that the ninth time’s the charm.

Here are my pics for what and who I think WILL wiin at the 2010 Academy Awards:

Best Picture – The King’s Speech

Best Director – David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Original Screenplay – David Seidler, The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay – Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Animated Feature Film – Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film – Incendies (Canada)

Best Documentary Feature – Inside Job

Best Documentary Short Subject – Strangers No More

Best Animated Short Film – The Gruffalo

Best Live Action Short Film – Na Wewe

Best Film Editing – The Social Network

Best Cinematography – True Grit

Best Art Direction – The King’s Speech

Best Costume Design – Alice in Wonderland

Best Original Score – The Social Network

Best Original Song – “We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3

Best Visual Effects – Inception

Best Sound Mixing – Inception

Best Sound Editing – Inception

Best Makeup – The Wolfman