Oscar picks, the final version

 

Oscar nominees are supposed to be gracious and self-deprecating, never letting on even if they think they have the win all sewn up. At least, that's what their publicists tell them to do.

Now here we have the flip side, with Melissa Leo at yesterday's Spirit Awards saying, "I have no chance," because she thinks it'll be either Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet taking home the best actress honor. Leo did win the Spirit Award for her riveting single-mom-on-the-skids role in "Frozen River."

Anne Hathaway at the same event: "I'm not winning."

And if we had a nickel for every time we'd heard the veteran actor Richard Jenkins assess his odds at slim to none in the best actor race, we could buy a venti latte by now.

We loved all those performances but, alas, it's true. They probably can't win, and modesty becomes them. So what will take home The Little Gold Man at the "81st Annual Academy Awards" in a few hours?

Here are our picks:

Best picture: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best actor: Sean Penn, "Milk"

Best actress: Kate Winslet, "The Reader"

Best director: Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight"

Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

Best original screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"

Best adapted screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Best foreign language picture: "Waltz with Bashir"

Animated picture: "WALL-E"

Original song: "Jai Ho"

Musical score: A. R. Rahman, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Documentary feature: "Man on Wire"

Documentary short subject: "The Witness"

Animated short film: "Presto"

Live action short: "The Pig"

Art direction: Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle, "Slumdog Millionaire"

Costume design: Michael O'Connor, "The Duchess"

Film editing: "Slumdog Millionaire"

Makeup: Greg Cannom, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Sound mixing: "The Dark Knight"

Sound editing: "The Dark Knight"

Visual effects: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

We have a good feeling about this -- really, much better than our hit-and-miss-but-mostly-miss Emmy choices!