Oscar nominations that MUST happen...

Adam Beach
Flags of our Fathers
Best Supporting Actor

How Beach was not nominated for a Golden Globe is criminal, and the reason had better be because Flags wasn't a mass/global appeal type of film that would appeal to the Hollywood Foreign Press. Simply put, Beach should win for Supporting Actor hands down. His only viable challengers are Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy. Just because the press has hitched their wagon to Letters from Iwo Jima and has a short memory shouldn't mean that Beach gets left out.

Rinko Kikuchi
Babel
Best Supporting Actress

Babel is a good film, no doubt. Not great, but good. However, of the three stories that interweave to form its plot, Kikuchi's is easily the most compelling, saddest, hardest to watch, and most rewarding. And whaddaya know - she is pretty much the only character onscreen during her story. Sure, others are there to interact with her, but the whole point of her character's story is to demonstrate how isolated she is as a result of (amongst other things) her deafness. She is the story.

Forest Whitaker
The Last King of Scotland
Best Actor

Okay, so this is a foregone conclusion, as Whitaker will be nominated. However, his inclusion here is for me to declare that he MUST win. His lead performance is hands down the best of the year, and a perfect role for Whitaker to play. Terrifying, charming, funny, disturbing, genius, villain, hero - he plays all of these roles simultaneously. Wow.

Others that really should happen, but I won't hurt anyone if they don't:

• Children of Men, Best Adapted Screenplay
• Pan's Labyrinth, Best Original Screenplay
• Pan's Labyrinth, Best Foreign Film (if not for Best Picture)
• Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal, Best Actress
• Helen Mirren, The Queen, Best Actress
• Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat, Best Actor
• Kate Winslet, Little Children, Best Actress

Nominations come out Tuesday the 23rd...