“The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech” will ultimately duke out for the year’s top prize, but there are other nominations and categories to consider.

Here are my predictions, as well as a few long-shot picks that deserve more respect. Official predictions are in bold.

Best Picture
If there were only five nominees, it’d be easy: “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” “Inception” and “Black Swan.” They’ve all appeared in pretty much every Oscar precursor (Guild nominations, critics’ lists, etc.). The other good bets: “Toy Story 3,” “True Grit,” and “The Kids Are All Right.” The final two slots will go to one of these three: “Winter’s Bone,” “127 Hours,” and “The Town.” Gut feeling: Ben Affleck’s excellent heist film just misses the cut.

Needs More Respect: Edgar Wright’s brilliant video game epic “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” (more…)