EDITORIAL: Final 2016 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

Last night, I correctly predicted 16 of the 24 winners, tied with last year for my lowest total. To conclude the awards season with a final update of the Awards Tracker data, here are the finishing tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions to the winners and losers.

2015, 2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 28, 20162015, 2016, 2016 Awards Tracker, 2016 Oscars, 2016 Oscar Predictions, 88th Academy Awards, 88th Oscars, Oscar snubs, Oscar nominations, Oscar hopefuls, Oscars, Oscar winners, Oscar bait, Oscar contenders, Oscar surprises, Oscar Predictions, 2015 films, Awards Predictions, Award Prediction, Awards Talk, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominees, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Academy Awards, Academy Award nominee, Editorial, Column, Website feature, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, movie commentary, film commentary, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Musical Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing, Best Edit, Best Visual Effects, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Feature, Best Live Action Short, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Directing, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Best Movies of 2015Comment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2016 Oscar predictions

The teas leaves have been read, the races have been broken down, and every category has been analyzed. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my complete and master list. Stick with me and I will win you that Oscar pool at home or at work! Use this as your checklist and cheat sheet of choice!

2016, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanFebruary 24, 20162016 Awards Tracker, 2016, 2016 Oscar Predictions, 2016 Oscars, 88th Oscars, 88th Academy Awards, Oscar Predictions, Oscar winners, Award Prediction, Awards Talk, Awards Predictions, Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award winner, Best Picture, Best Motion Picture, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director, Best Directing, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actress, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Or, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated Short, Best Screenplay, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Live Action Short, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hair-Styling, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score, Best Original SongComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2016: The writing and directing awards

Through several editorial features, here is my analysis to formulate my official Academy Award predictions. In this fourth post, we look at the writing and directing awards covering Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool!

COLUMN: Five snubs and five surprises from the 88th Academy Award nominations

As with any year, there are hot topics being debated immediately stemming from snubs and surprises. Here are my reaction and takeaways, consisting of five snubs and five surprises, coming out of this morning's nominations announcements.

2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 14, 20162016, 2015 films, Oscar surprises, Oscar snubs, Oscar nominations, Oscar contenders, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar bait, Oscar Predictions, Oscar winners, Oscars, 88th Oscars, 88th Academy Awards, Academy Awards, Academy Award winner, 2016 Academy Awards, Academy Award, Academy Award nominations, Academy Award nominee, Academy Award nominees, film commentary, movie commentary, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, Awards Predictions, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Directing, Don Shanahan, Donald Shanahan, Every Movie Has a Lesson, Minority performers, Michael B. Jordan, Creed, Mark Rylance, Sylvester Stallone, Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, The Revenant, The Big Short, Jacob Tremblay, Room, Benecio del Toro, Sicario, Paul Dano, Love and Mercy, Michael Shannon, 99 Homes, Michael Keaton, Spotlight, Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation, Inside Out, Anomalisa, Boy and the World, When Marnie Was There, The Good Dinosaur, The Peanuts Movie, Minions, Wiz Khalifa, Charlie Puth, Furious 7, See You Again, Lady Gaga, Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Titanic, Mad Max: Fury Road, Lenny Abrahamson, Todd Haynes, Carol, Ridley Scott, The Martian, Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl, Ex Machina, Straight Outta Compton, Bridge of Spies, Star Wars: The Force AwakensComment

COLUMN: Predicting the major 88th Academy Award nominations

The 88th Academy Award nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, January 14, 2016, hot off of the weekend's 73rd Golden Globe awards. I've been following the full awards season over on my Awards Tracker page. Using that data as the tea leaves and a truckload of hunches, I'm going to attempt to closely predict the Oscar nominations for the "Big 8" categories for the third year in a row.

2015, 2016, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanJanuary 13, 2016Best Picture, The race for Best Picture, Oscar Predictions, Oscar nominations, Oscar contenders, Oscar hopefuls, Oscar bait, 88th Academy Awards, 88th Oscars, Oscars, 2016, 2015, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Actor, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Big 8, Oscar snubs, Oscar surprises, Spotlight, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, The Big Short, Carol, Room, Brooklyn, The Martian, Bridge of Spies, Creed, Inside Out, Son of Saul, Straight Outta Compton, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, George Miller, Tom McCarthy, Todd Haynes, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Ridley Scott, Adam McKay, Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Ryan Coogler, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs, Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl, Matt Damon, Bryan Cranston, Trumbo, Johnny Depp, Black Mass, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Brie Larson, Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years, Jennifer Lawrence, Joy, Charlize Theron, Sarah Silverman, I Smile Back, Helen Mirren, Emily Blunt, Sicario, Sylvester Stallone, Mark Rylance, Michael Shannon, 99 Homes, Paul Dano, Love and Mercy, Jacob Tremblay, Benecio del Toro, Mark Ruffalo, Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation, Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina, Alex Garland, Rooney Mara, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria, Rachel McAdams, Josh Singer, Pete Docter, Meg LaFauvre, Josh Cooley, Oren Movermann, Michael Alan Lerner, Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel and Ethan Coen, Joel CoenComment

EDITORIAL: Final 2015 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

Let's put a bow on the 2014 Oscar race. Last night, I correctly predicted 16 of the 24 winners. In my final update of this year's Awards Tracker, here are the final tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions. The Oscar winners in each category are in bold. See you next year for another data session and awards season!

2014, 2015, Column, Editorial, SPECIALDon ShanahanFebruary 23, 2015Birdman, Boyhood, Whiplash, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Interstellar, American Sniper, Eddie Redmaybe, Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, Patricia Arquette, John Legend, Common, Glory, Selma, Everything is Awesome, The LEGO Movie, Gone Girl, The Imitation Game, Graham Moore, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Ida, Citizenfour, Feast, Best Animated Short, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, Best Animated FeatureComment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2015 Oscar predictions

Alright, folks! I've done all of the research I can. I've read all of the tea leaves and broken down every race. I've made my detailed picks in seven columns and editorials over the past week. Here's my master list. In the three years of writing these Oscar nominations and following the data on my website, my prediction score has improved every year. Last year, I correctly guessed 20 of 24 awards up from 19 and 17 from the two years before. I'm gunning for another 20+ night again.

2015, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanFebruary 18, 2015Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Short Film, Best Documentary, Best Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Song, Best Original Score, Boyhood, Birdman, Still Alice, Julianne Moore, Richard Linklater, Michael Keaton, J.K. Simmons, Whiplash, Patricia Arquette, Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Graham Moore, The Imitation Game, Ida, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Dam Keeper, The Phone Call, Citizenfour, Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Interstellar, American Sniper, The Theory of Everything, SelmaComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2015: The writing and directing categories

It's time to begin making my formal and official Oscar predictions. In this fourth post, we start to get the beginning three of "The Big 8" Oscar categories. Here, we look at the writing and directing awards for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Let's do this and pick some winners! I've said it all season. Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.

COLUMN: Predicting the major 87th Academy Award nominations

With the 87th Academy Award nominations being announced tomorrow morning, I'm cutting it close with my predictions of who and what names will hear their named called. I've been following the full awards season over on my Awards Tracker page, where I've been following the trends and reading the tea leaves. Using that data and a batch of hunches, here are my savvy predictions for tomorrow's nominations in the eleven major categories.

EDITORIAL: Final 2014 Awards Tracker and Oscar Reactions

In my final update of this year's Awards Tracker, here are the final tallies, Oscar winners, and my reactions. The Oscar winners in each category are in bold. See you next year for another data session and season!

2014, Column, EditorialDon ShanahanMarch 3, 2014Award Prediction, Awards Predictions, Awards Tracker, Awards Talk, 86th Academy Awards, Oscar nominations, Oscars, Oscar Predictions, 2014, 2014 Oscars, Best Motion Picture, Best Costume Design, Best Animated Feature, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Sound Mixing, Best Picture, Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, Best Sound, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Animated Short, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Original Score, Best Actress, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Original Song, Best, Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Original Screenplay, Best Animated Short Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Supporting Actress, Best Directing, Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Musical Score, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, The race for Best PictureComment

CHECKLIST: My full and official 2014 Oscar predictions

Alright, folks! I've done all of the research I can with my 2014 Awards Tracker. I've read all of the tea leaves and broken down every race. I've made my picks and here's the master list.

Don ShanahanFebruary 28, 2014Best Picture, Best Original Song, Best Animated Short Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Animated Short, Best Motion Picture, Best Documentary Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Actress, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Costume Design, Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Musical Score, Best Live Action Short Film, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Screenplay, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Directing, Best, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects, Best Original Score, Best Animated Feature, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Foreign Language Film, 12 Years a Slave, Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity, Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club, Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong'o, Spike Jonze, Her, John Ridley, The Hunt, Frozen, Get a Horse!, The Act of Killing, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, The Voorman Problem, Emmanuel Lubeski, The Great Gatsby, Steven Price, Let It Go, Donald Shanahan, Don Shanahan, Day at the Movies, Tim Day, The Sleepy SkunkComment

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2014: The writing and directing awards

It's time to make my formal predictions. In this fourth post, we are starting to get to the major award categories. Here are my picks for the two screenplay awards and Best Director. Let's go! Stick with me and I will win you your Oscar pool.