Every February, millions of people across the globe gather around their television sets to watch one of the watch one of the most popular awards shows for the previous year in film. The ceremony was first held in 1929, and since then it continues to be one of the most watched events on television. In 2012, a powerhouse of great films were made, and for most categories, the Oscar could go to any of the nominations. That being said, I do have an idea for who I think will win each category. Here I have listed my thoughts on the winners of the some of the “bigger” or more “popular” categories. Best Picture: Les Misérables While I do think that Lincoln has a fairly decent shot at winning this, I think that Les Misérables will take the cake and win. Les Misérables is one of the most beloved stories of all-time and this adaptation of it was outstanding. What’s more important, though, is that critics seem to love it. With its outstanding performances from Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Russell Crowe, I think it will edge out Lincoln and win best picture. Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis ( Lincoln ) Everybody knows that Daniel Day-Lewis is probably one of the best, if not the best, working actors today. After all, he is a five-time nominee for best actor (including Lincoln ); winning two of them, and most likely a third. Everytime Day-Lewis was on-screen, it didn’t even feel like you were watching him. It felt like you were watching Abraham Lincoln himself, just going about his usual business. While I do think that Hugh Jackman gave an outstanding performance in Les Misérables , I think Daniel Day-Lewis will walk away with a third Oscar. Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva ( Amour ) This one could go a number of ways. Besides Riva, there are two other actresses that have a fair shot at winning. Those are Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook, and Jessica Chastain for Zero Dark Thirty. However, I think most people who’ve seen all three of these movies would agree that Riva’s performance was far superior to the other two’s. Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz ( Django Unchained ) In my opinion, this one is very close. Let me start by saying that I think that Christoph Waltz is one of the finest actors working today, right up there with Daniel Day-Lewis. When he made his american film debut with Inglourious Basterds, everyone was blown away, and this was evident with Django Unchained. However, I think that Robert DeNiro has a pretty fair shot at winning for his heart-wrenching performance in Silver Linings Playbook, and obviously, the academy loves DeNiro. That being said, I think that Christoph Waltz will win his second academy award for best supporting actor. Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway ( Les Misérables ) To me, this one is a no-brainer. If anybody says that they didn’t shed a tear during the scene where she sings “I Dreamed a Dream,” they are lying. Her performance was both heart-breaking, and outstanding. I don’t think that there is any way that she won’t win the oscar. Best Director: Steven Spielberg ( Lincoln ) Steven Spielberg is a film legend. He has already won the academy award for best director twice with five other nominations (including Lincoln ). While Ang Lee seems to be pretty strong competition with Life of Pi, I think that Spielberg is the clear winner. Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino ( Django Unchained ) Quentin Tarantino is well-known for his witty, cool, and often humorous dialogue as well as his often violent subject matter. Both of these elements are very evident in his latest film about an ex-slave turned bounty hunter. While I do think that Michael Haneke has a pretty decent shot at winning for Amour, Quentin Tarantino appears to be the clear winner to me. Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony Kushner ( Lincoln ) In my opinion, this one is also very close. To me, Tony Kushner is the clear winner, but given the large hype surrounding David O Russel’s Silver Linings Playbook, and given how many other oscars it has been nominated for, this award could either way. With these two probably being the biggest competition, I think Tony Kushner will eventually walk away victorious. Best Cinematography: Janusz Kaminski ( Lincoln ) This man is a genius, and this prediction is probably based entirely on personal bias. However, I do think he has a large shot at winning. While many people will probably predict Claudio Miranda for Life of Pie or Roger Deakins for Skyfall to win, they seem to forget that the academy loves Kaminski. This man has already won two oscars and been nominated three more times and besides, the visuals in Lincoln were incredible. However, the academy seems to love Deakins as well, considering he’s been nominated 10 times (including Skyfall) . I still think Kaminski will walk away with the Oscar. Snubs : Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Argo