Oscar predictions: And the winner is ...

Here's a guilty admission: I didn't even watch the Academy Awards last year. Instead, I was taking a much-needed, deserved vacation in Florida and was nowhere near a television at the time.

That didn't stop me from making a few, Oscar-centric predictions before I left, though. And I did check later to see how I did. For those who are wondering, I correctly picked 13 of 18 races, which is pretty good, considering how many of them were supposed to be wide open.

But I will be watching this year. And I'll be hoping for big things from Sunday's ceremonies, which will be hosted by Jon Stewart, from Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." This will be his second stint.

Here are my picks in 18 of the 24 Oscar categories.

Best Picture

Nominated: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

Will win: "No Country for Old Men" goes in as the favorite, but there seems to be a sudden groundswell of support for "Juno."

Should win: I'd be amused to see The Little Comedy That Could, "Juno," knock off the big boys.

Best Actor

Nominated: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."

Will win: Day-Lewis, for his fascinating turn as a greedy oilman.

Should win: Day-Lewis, despite the silly, over-the-top turn at the end of the movie.

Best Actress

Nominated: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."

Will win: Christie and Linney are co-favorites, but the third time may be the charm for Linney.

Should win: Christie was absolutely heartbreaking as an Alzheimer's patient.

Best Supporting Actor

Nominated: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."