The Oscar Narrative: Final Nomination Predictions - Best Actor and Best Actress

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed "Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Anthony Hopkins "The Father"

Gary Oldman "Mank" 

Steven Yeun "Minari"

Other Contenders - Tahar Rahim "The Mauritanian", Mads Mikkelson "Another Round", Delroy Lindo "Da 5 Bloods", Kingsley Ben-Adir "One Night in Miami"

Commentary - Riz Ahmed, Chadwick Boseman, and Anthony Hopkins have run the gamut of voting, and the Oscar is between those three. Although to be honest, I would be shocked if Boseman doesn't win. Gary Oldman surprisingly missed out a BAFTA nod, but that new voting system has sent shockwaves. I think here, where we got a Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice nod, he has a much better shot. In the final slot, I am going with Steven Yeun. He got the SAG nod, and the film is doing so well across the board. But BAFTA nods Tahar Rahim and Mads Mikkelson feel like contenders that could do well with actors, even beyond the juried system of BAFTA. Finally, while I don't think it is going to happen, I am still holding out hope that Delroy Lindo makes the cut. He surely deserves a nod. 

Best Actress

Viola Davis "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Andra Day "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"

Vanessa Kirby "Pieces of a Woman"

Frances McDormand "Nomadland"

Carey Mulligan "Promising Young Woman"

Other Contenders - Radha Blank "The Forty-Year-Old Version", Sophia Loren "The Life Ahead", Amy Adams "Hillbilly Elegy"

Commentary - I feel like these five feel pretty solid. Viola Davis, Carey Mulligan, Frances McDormand, and Vanessa Kirby have done well across the season. Despite Mulligan's odd snub at BAFTA (again chalk it up to a different voting system), I also still think she is the front runner, but any of these four could be in the running. In the fifth slot, Globe winner Andra Day has shot into this race with a surprise win. I'm not sure if she can repeat at the Oscars, but I would not be shocked. Beyond those five, I would love to see Radha Blank repeat her BAFTA nod, but again, different voting systems will lead to different results. Also, SAG nominated Amy Adams, and Sophia Loren is an Oscar-winning legend.