2013 Oscar Predictions: Who Will Be Nominated?

Who will receive a nod when Oscar nominations are announced Thursday?

ByABC News
January 9, 2013, 10:19 AM

Jan. 9, 2013— -- intro: The wait is nearly over. After months of speculation and second-guessing, Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone will reveal the 2013 Oscar nominations Thursday.

It has been a very good year for movies, not to mention a diverse one.

"You have these serious movies like 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Lincoln.' Then there's 'Argo' in the middle and 'Les Miserables' and 'Silver Linings Playbook' on the other end," Yahoo! Movies contributing editor Thelma Adams told ABCNews.com. "It's almost like apples and oranges. How do you compare?"

That's the job of the Academy. But it won't stop us from guessing who will make the cut.

Photos: 21 Stars Who've Never Been Nominated

Click through for our list of predictions for Oscar nominees.

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quicklist: 1title: Best Picturetext: Adams' picks: "Lincoln," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Argo," "Les Miserables," "Silver Linings Playbook," Amour," "Django Unchained," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Skyfall" and "Life of Pi"

Adams says there's a break between the films in the top 5, which are a definite shoo-in, and the ones that follow, which are less certain. She believes "Skyfall" will make the list as the one Hollywood blockbuster, especially after the blessing from the Producers Guild of America. "Beasts" and "Moonrise Kingdom," two indies that also received PGA nods, are more of a toss-up."

"Lincoln" is the current favorite, with "Zero Dark Thirty" filmmakers on the defensive about the torture scenes and the congressional inquiry into the film. If those two films go head-to-head, it's possible that "Argo" could slip through to win best picture, Adams said.

"No one has anything bad to say about 'Argo,'" she said.media: 17946969

quicklist: 2title: Best Actortext: Adams' picks: Daniel Day-Lewis ("Lincoln"), Bradley Cooper ("Silver Linings Playbook"), Hugh Jackman ("Les Miserables"), Denzel Washington ("Flight") and John Hawkes ("The Sessions")

"It's such a lock, it's pathetic," Adams said of presumed front-runner Day-Lewis.

Waiting in the wings as possible nominees: Bill Murray for his FDR portrayal in "Hyde Park" and "Joaquin Phoenix" for "The Master."media: 18171309

quicklist: 3title: Best Actresstext: Adams' picks: Jessica Chastain ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook"), Marion Cotillard ("Rust and Bone"), Naomi Watts ("The Impossible") and Emmanuelle Riva ("Amour")

"This one is tricky," Adams said. Beyond front-runners Chastain and Lawrence, there's less certainty. Surprise child star Quvenzhane Wallis from "Beasts of the Southern Wild" could earn a nod, although Adams doesn't see her ultimately winning. Rachel Weisz for "The Deep Blue Sea," Helen Mirren for "Hitchcock" and Kiera Knightley for "Anna Karenina" are potential upstarts. media: 18171208

quicklist: 4title: Supporting Actortext: Adams' picks: Tommy Lee Jones ("Lincoln"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("The Master"), Alan Arkin ("Argo"), Christoph Waltz ("Django Unchained") and Javier Bardem ("Skyfall")

Adams calls this the most competitive category, although Jones seems to have the edge. Other possible nominees include Robert Dinero for "Silver Linings Playbook," Matthew McConaughey for "Magic Mike" and Waltz's "Django Unchained" co-stars Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. media: 18171175

quicklist: 5title: Supporting Actresstext: Adams' picks: Anne Hathaway ("Les Miserables"), Sally Field ("Lincoln"), Amy Adams ("The Master"), Helen Hunt ("The Sessions") and Judi Dench ("Skyfall")

Adams said the first three are shoo-ins, with Hathaway the clear favorite to win. Hunt could earn a nod, although she won't win, Adams said. Dench could benefit from the "resurgent love" for "Skyfall," which has made so much money and could be the Bond movie that finally gets some respect. media: 17946878

quicklist: 6title: Best Directortext: Adams' picks: Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty"), Steven Spielberg ("Lincoln"), Ben Affleck ("Argo"), Ang Lee ("Life of Pi") and David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook")

"I'm betting my bias that Bigelow will win," said Adams, adding that the first four are likely to earn a nomination, but the fifth slot is still a tossup among these:

Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables"), Quentin Tarantino ("Django") or Austrian director Michael Haneke ("Amour") could wrestle the spot from Russell.media: 18171139

quicklist: 7title: Best Animated Featuretext: Adams' picks: "Brave," "Wreck-It-Ralph," "Frankenweenie," "ParaNorman" and "Rise of the Guardians"

Adams predicts the race will come down to "Brave" and "Frankenweenie."media: 16617786

quicklist: 8title: Best Screenplay (Original and Adapted)text: Adams' picks for original: "Zero Dark Thirty," "The Master," "Amour," "Django Unchained" and "Moonrise Kingdom"

Adams' picks for adapted: "Lincoln," "Argo," "Silver Linings Playbook," "Les Miserables" and "Life of Pi"

For original, other possible nominees are "Moonrise Kingdom," "Flight" and "Looper." Adams believes "Zero Dark Thirty" has the edge.

As for adapted, Tony Kushner has the lock for "Lincoln," Adams said. "It's Kushner! It's noble!" Other possible nominees are "Anna Karenina," "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and wildcard "Cloud Atlas."media: 18123946

quicklist: 9title: Best Foreign Filmtext: Adams' picks: "Amour (Austria)," "The Intouchables" (France), "A Royal Affair" (Denmark), "War Witch" (Canada) and "Kon-Tiki (Norway)"

Adams called it a really strong year for foreign films: "Some of the best I've seen in years."

After the first three, the race is open. Other possible nominees: "Beyond The Hills" (Romania) and "The Deep" (Iceland).media: 18171074