Oscar Predictions

Before the big show begins I wanted to make some mind blowing predictions. First - best dressed will be Anne Hathaway, with Kate Winslet a close second. I think Hugh Jackman will be a charming and affable host. There won't be any shockers, although I think Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie will have an epic cat fight at the Governor's ball.

The official picks:

Best picture - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actress - Kate Winslet (because she followed her own advice from extras and did a holocaust movie)
Best Actor - Sean Penn (although Mickey Rourke could also easily take it)
Best Supporting Actress - Penelope Cruz (normally I think she is too mosquito-like to enjoy her performances but she is hilarious in Vicky Christina Barcelona)
Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger...duh
Best Director - Danny Boyle (because he didn't win for trainspotting and everyone seems to love Slumdog)

Well that is it. We will have to wait and see if I come close. The only real lock is the catfight, really.

Master Nerd tackles the Oscars

Probably most of you don´t know the guy in this picture. Congratulations; you are not a political science nerd, a baseball geek or you don´t live with one.

He is Nate Silver, the mastermind behind one of the best political blogs you can find, Five Thirty Eight. His claim to fame is being good with numbers. Really, really good. So good, in fact, that his site was an oracle that completely nailed the election results both in the primaries and the general election. Before delving into statistical modeling of elections and politics, Silver was famous for being one of the best baseballs annalists out there, also using a very empirical, numbers heavy approach.

What is Silver doing here, in the Culture Dump? Well, the guy is a firm believer on the power of numbers to predict stuff. Today, we have his Oscar prediction.