Oscars run-in: Who will win?

Writer: Roy Lim Jian-Min

The nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards or better known as the Oscars which are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognise excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers.

This year, "127 Hours" actor James Franco and "Love and Other Drugs" actress Anne Hathaway are hosts for the first time in the 83rd Academy Awards which will be held at Kodak Theatre, Los Angeles, California.

"The King's Speech" leads all nominations with 12 nods, while western caper "True Grit" is your best bet from the rest of the pack with 10 nominations. Fan favourites "Inception" and "The Social Network" has eight nominations each, "The Fighter" has seven nominations while Danny Boyle's "127 Hours" has six nominations while "Black Swan" has five.

Best Actor

Nominees : Colin Firth "The King's Speech", James Franco "127 Hours", Jesse Eisenberg "The Social Network", Jeff Bridges "True Grit", Javier Bardem "Biutiful"

With a talented and diverse group of leading men in this year's category, from newcomers like to Jesse Eisenberg to old pros like last year's winner in this category – Jeff Bridges. There's a slight chance that way Bridges pulls a Tom Hanks or Spencer Tracy, the nomination is appropriate because of his taking an iconic John Wayne role and making it his own. James Franco is also a welcome addition, as he's quietly been compiling an impressive resume of work since his days spent menacing Spider-Man. Colin Firth seems to be a firm favourite to win, although the Golden Globes is not the ideal indicator - but the Screen Actor Guild award is a much clearer indicator for an Oscars nod.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees : Christian Bale in "The Fighter", John Hawkes in "Winter's Bone", Jeremy Renner in "The Town", Mark Ruffalo in "The Kids Are All Right", Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech"

A very diverse lot. Christian Bale's superb portrayal of "Dicky" Eklund in "The Fighter" is probably the most talked about, and most say it's a close fight between him and Geoffrey Rush in "The King's Speech". However Bale has the edge because he's never been nominated for an Oscar before.

Best Actress

Annette Bening "The Kids Are All Right", Nicole Kidman "Rabbit Hole", Jennifer Lawrence in "Winter's Bone", Natalie Portman "Black Swan", Michelle Williams "Blue Valentine"

This is could be a straight fight between Annette Bening and Natalie Portman but Nicole Kidman, who has won this for "The Hours" (2002), does have some claim with her role in "Rabbit Hole".

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams in "The Fighter", Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech", Melissa Leo in "The Fighter", Hailee Steinfeld in "True Grit", Jacki Weaver in "Animal Kingdom"

A quirky inclusion here is 15-year-old Hailee Steinfeld whose role as a teenager in search for her father killer with a US Marshall played by Jeff Bridges earned her a nod. Barring any surprises, it could be a straight fight between Amy Adams "The Fighter" and Helena Bonham Carter "The King's Speech" but with Melissa Leo "The Fighter" also getting nominations, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress could well be won by Helena Bonham Carter.

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky "Black Swan", David O. Russell "The Fighter", Tom Hooper "The King's Speech", David Fincher "The Social Network", Joel Coen and Ethan Coen "True Grit"

It's a pity that just one will walk away with the coveted Best Director prize. David Fincher lost out on this award for the critically-acclaimed "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" so let's see if that Facebook movie can win him the award at last. "The Social Network" is definitely a hot contender.

Best Picture

"Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "The King's Speech", "127 Hours", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", "Winter's Bone"

"The King's Speech" already won the Best Feature Film in the Producer Guild Awards but you can't dismiss "The Social Network" or "Inception". Anyway it's great that they expanded this category to include more titles that don't win, just so more recognition can be given. It would be surprising somewhat if "Inception" won – since not many people actually fully comprehend it!