Angie's Oscar Chances? Better Than You'd Think

Angelina Jolie might have to hire a babysitter or two (or six) come Oscar night since it looks like she's still got some fans on her side. "Sure-thing Oscar nominations," E!'s own cutie film critic Ben Lyons professionally dished to us, impossibly snitty Academy voters notwithstanding. "Angie will get nominated for Changeling; I think Brad Pitt will be nominated for Ben Button...This year is the best year for blockbusters that make you think, like Iron Man and The Dark Knight."

Love how Ben's already on a nickname basis with Benjamin Button, but whatever, dude's got a point: Big-budget popcorn flicks are taking a cue from thinking-man movies, and special effects are sharing celluloid space with actual content.

Honestly, tho, don't know why we even need Oscar predictions when the nominations themselves are so friggin' predictable, year after year. Check out A.T.'s fail-proof Oscar picks, after the jump:

Best Picture

• Slightly Subversive Blockbuster: The Dark Knight
• Movie That Must Be Good Because It's Based on Real Life: Frost/Nixon
• Little Indie That Could: Slumdog Millionaire
• Mediocre Movie With Lots of Celebrity Clout: Changeling
• Anything Based on a Piece of Literature: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Actress

• Young, Pretty Actress Playing Ugly: Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
• Actress Embarrassingly Overdue for an Oscar: Kate Winslet in Revolutionary Road
• Really Hot Celebrity Nominated to Get People to Watch the Oscars: Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Amazing Actress Who Will Never Be Heard From Again: Melissa Leo in Frozen River
• Actress Who's Becoming the Susan Lucci of the Oscars Despite Have Two Already: Meryl Streep in Doubt

Best Actor

• Guy Playing Retarded or Gay (in H'wood's eyes, same thing): Sean Penn in Milk
• Dead Guy Who Was Beloved by All: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
• Guy Doing a Fabulous Impersonation, but an Impersonation Just the Same: Josh Brolin in W.
• Hugely Promising Foreign Guy: Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire
• Anybody But: Tom Cruise (who the Academy knows should win one day, but is delaying the process as long as it humanly can)

—Additional reporting by Becky Bain