2009 Oscar Predictions: Slumdog Millionaire, Sean Penn and Kate Winslet to Win

2009 Oscar Predictions. The 81st Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood broadcast on ABC. The 2009 Academy Awards host will be Australian Hugh Jackman who will be performing that role for the first time. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonand Slumdog Millionaire lead the movie nominations with 13 and 10 respectfully. Animated film WALL-E received six nominations which tied it with Beauty and the Beast for being the most nominated animation in the history of the Oscars. The 2009 Oscar nominations followed suit with those of previous years of not including box office block busters with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button obtaining the highest gross of all 'Best Picture' candidates with $104.4 million. The following are predictions for the 2009 Academy Award winners for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

2009 Oscar Prediction - Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

No surprises here, Slumdog Millionaire comes into the 81st Academy Awards as the clear front-runner for the 2009 Oscar for best picture since it won four Golden Globes. The only potential threat to Slumdog finishing their clean-sweep of the 2009 awards is if there is a voter backlash from all of the early praise for this Indie hit movie. If it does, then The Reader or Milk could enter the forefront and win the award.

2009 Oscar Prediction - Best Actor - Sean Penn

Sean Penn has been the favorite for the 2009 Oscar for best actor since he picked up the Screen Actor's Guild award earlier this year. Many in Hollywood are predicint Mickey Rourke for his role in The Wrestler or Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon as darkhorses for nod at this year's Academy Awards. Although Rourke makes a great story, it will likely not be enough to overcome Penn's performance as a gay rights activist in Milk.

2009 Oscar Prediction - Best Actress - Kate Winslet

If Kate Winslet doesn't win this year after going 0-5 in her previous shots at winning the Oscar, then Hollywood just has no heart! Especially after she picked up two Golden Globes for her role in The Reader. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are potential darkhorses to win the 2009 Academy Award for Best Actress for their roles in Doubt and Rachel Getting Married, but the indications are that Hathaway peaked too early in her quest for the 2009 Oscar.