Traffic cone.

Film Jennifer Lawrence fell over a traffic cone, something that students throughout the ages (or at least since traffic cones were invented) can relate to. Other than that, as usual I've enjoyed the ceremony through snatched videos and animated gifs and live blogs and I quite like that I have reconstruct the thing in my head.

Best Picture:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''12 Years a Slave"
Did win: "12 Years a Slave"

[The wait continues for a science fiction film (sorry Alfonso but it is) to win best picture.  My wait continues for the home release for Slave, assuming Lovefilm Amazon by-post prime whatever thingy is still available then.  ]

Actor:
Should win: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Will win: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Did win: Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyers Club"

[In my defence when I was making these choices I hadn't seen Dallas Buyers Club and still haven't.  So there's that.]

Actress:
Should win: Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"
Will win: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Did win: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"

[I still stand by this, though Sandy's been more than financially compensated for spending an entire shooting standing in a pillar box.  Plus this did mean that Cate went on a decent f-bomb on live television during the press conference so there's that too.]

Supporting Actor:
Should win: Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"
Will win: Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"
Did win: Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club"

[See above.  We now live in the world were Jordan won an acting Oscar before Angela.  Amazing.]

Supporting Actress:
Should win: Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"
Will win: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Did win: Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave"

[The weirdness of Hollywood acting profession and release schedules means now that the Liam Neeson actioner Non-Stop features an Academy Award winning actress playing a stewardess.]

Directing:
Should win: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"
Will win: Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"
Did win: Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity"

[I was weak.  These splits are happening more and more often now.  Time was whichever film was considered Best Director went on to win the big prize.]

Foreign Language Film:
Should win: "The Hunt," Denmark
Will win: "The Great Beauty," Italy
Did win: "The Great Beauty," Italy

Adapted Screenplay:
Should win: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke, "Before Midnight"
Will win: Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, "Philomena"
Did win: John Ridley, "12 Years a Slave"

[Well of course it did.  Seems like this wasn't the consolation prize category I thought it was.]

Original Screenplay:
Should win: Spike Jonze, "Her"
Will win: Woody Allen, "Blue Jasmine"
Did win: Spike Jonze, "Her"

[Well of course it did.  Seems like this was the consolation prize category I thought it was.]

Animated Feature Film:
Should win: "Ernest & Celestine"
Will win: "Frozen"
Did win: "Frozen"

Production Design:
Should win: "Gravity"
Will win: "American Hustle"
Did win: "The Great Gatsby"

Costume:
Should win: "American Hustle"
Will win: ''12 Years a Slave"
Did win: "The Great Gatsby"

[That was one of those mini-stories of the night, Gatsby winning in the prods and frocks categories over American Hustle, which didn't win anything despite being nominated in most categories.]

Original Song:
Should win: "Let It Go" from "Frozen," Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.
Will win: "Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
Should win: "Let It Go" from "Frozen," Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Documentary Feature:
Should win: "The Act of Killing"
Will win: "The Act of Killing"
Did win: "20 Feet from Stardom"

[Astonishing nobody who knows anything about the academy.  Which I clearly didn't.]

Makeup and Hairstyling:
Should win: "The Lone Ranger"
Will win: "Dallas Buyers Club"
Did win: "Dallas Buyers Club"

[At least it wasn't Jackass.]

Cinematography:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''Gravity"
Did win: ''Gravity"

Sound Mixing:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''Gravity"
Did win: ''Gravity"

Sound Editing:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''Gravity"
Did win: ''Gravity"

Original Score:
Should win: "Gravity," Steven Price
Will win: "Saving Mr. Banks," Thomas Newman.
Did win: "Gravity," Steven Price

Film Editing:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''Gravity"
Did win: ''Gravity"

Visual Effects:
Should win: ''Gravity"
Will win: ''Gravity"
Did win: ''Gravity"

[Sweep.  Sweeep.  The biggest surprise, perhaps, is score, but well deserved because as has been noted everywhere, with no sound in space it's an occasion when it was up to the composer to fill in the gaps.  Steven Price incidentally was music editor for three years on the BBC's Robin Hood, played guitar on the soundtrack of Who Do You Thing You Are? and is a long term collaborator with Edgar Wright.  His current film is Ant Man.  Amazing.]

I make that ten which is better than usual considering I still haven't seen most of these films but helped somewhat by having left out the short film categories.  Until next year, thank you.