Whether you feel the Academy Awards mean nothing to the film industry, or you picture yourself winning a coveted Oscar one day, there’s no denying the attention given to the Super Bowl of Hollywood.

Bets have been made, critics have voiced their opinions and the nominees are frantically deciding what to wear.

Who will win? Who should win? Who might surprise everyone?

Best Motion Picture

Nominees: “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters from Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Queen”

All of the nominees for Best Picture this year have received many honors this year, making this category the toughest to predict.

“Babel” won the Golden Globe for best Dramatic Motion Picture, but “Little Miss Sunshine” won Best Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. “Letters from Iwo Jima” also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

However, “Babel” will probably win Best Picture with its seven Oscar nominations and praise from almost every prominent film critic. The plot delves into many issues of racism, human relationships and has many strong performances from Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt and Adriana Barraza.

Who will win: “Babel”

Possible upset: “Little Miss Sunshine”

Best Leading Actor

Nominees: Leonardo DiCaprio (“Blood Diamond”), Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson”), Peter O’Toole (“Venus”), Will Smith (“Pursuit of Happyness”) and Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”)

DiCaprio started this awards season ahead of the contenders with his multiple Golden Globe and SAG nominations, but since the winners have been named, he’s taken a backseat.

After earning critical praise throughout his career, Forest Whitaker now has his first Oscar nomination and probable win. Whitaker has already won nearly 15 awards for his portrayal of the Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin, whose power eventually drives him to insanity.

Acting veteran and legend O’Toole might be the upset. This is his eighth nomination, including his first for 1963′s “Lawrence of Arabia,” but he’s never taken home an Oscar (except for his Honorary Award in 2003). O’Toole, 74, has openly expressed his desire to win a real Oscar, and the Academy is notoriously sentimental.

Who will win: Whitaker

Possible upset: O’Toole

Best Leading Actress

Nominees: Penelope Cruz (“Volver”), Judi Dench (“Notes on a Scandal”), Helen Mirren (“The Queen”), Meryl Streep (“The Devil Wears Prada”) and Kate Winslet (“Little Children”)

Women over 40, even over 50, in films have found a new life. Three of the five nominees for Best Actress are over 50, and the winner will be too.

Dench, Streep and even Winslet are veterans of the Oscars with 25 nominations between them.

Mirren has two nominations in the Supporting Actress category, but this is her first in the Leading Actress category. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth during the time following Princess Diana’s tragic death is dignified while also painful and right on the money. Mirren has already won nearly every top award this year, including the Golden Globe and SAG.

Winslet’s subtle and vulnerable performance in “Children” might give her a surprise win after four previous Oscar nominations.

Who will win: Mirren

Possible upset: Winslet

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees: Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Jackie Earle Haley (“Little Children”), Dijimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”), Eddie Murphy (“Dreamgirls”) and Mark Wahlberg (“The Departed”)

The front-runner in this category is surprisingly the star of the recent movie, “Norbit.”

Eddie Murphy has gained his fame and fortune from roles in comedic movies like “Beverly Hills Cop” and “The Nutty Professor,” but lately, his films have been panned by critics. (Think “The Haunted Mansion” and “Daddy Day Care”). Now, his impressive turn as James “Thunder” Early in the acclaimed “Dreamgirls” has earned him a lot of praise.

With his first nomination since 1969, Arkin could come out ahead as the honest and lovable grandfather in “Sunshine,” who keeps a presence with the family, even while absent on screen.

Who will win: Murphy

Possible upset: Arkin

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees: Adrianna Barraza (“Babel”), Cate Blanchett (“Notes on a Scandal”), Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) and Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”)

Jennifer Hudson, the front-runner in the Best Supporting Actress category, is also a surprise success this year.

After losing TV’s “American Idol” in the third season, Hudson’s career has clearly skyrocketed. Now, she has over 20 various film awards, including a Golden Globe and a SAG award, under her belt and seems destined for Oscar.

Hudson outshines fellow cast mates Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles as the complex and intense Effie White. However, Hudson’s climb to the top almost seems too easy, and Blanchett could win for her intriguing role in “Notes.”

Who will win: Hudson

Possible upset: Blanchett

Best Director

Nominees: Alejandro González I�árritu (“Babel”), Martin Scorsese (“The Departed”), Clint Eastwood (“Letters from Iwo Jima”), Stephen Frears (“The Queen”) and Paul Greengrass (“United 93″)

If Martin Scorsese walks out of the 79th Academy Awards empty-handed, everyone in the auditorium will audibly gasp.

Scorsese is a Hollywood legend with now seven nominations and never a win. This year’s mob drama “The Departed” has put him back in the running and will surely bring him an Oscar. Scorsese has been nominated for films like “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas.”

“The Departed” might not be Scorsese’s best film, but he’s long overdue, and he assembled an all-star cast into a believable ensemble with the likes of Jack Nicholson, Leo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg.

Academy favorite Eastwood has a shot, but he has also voiced his own support for a Scorsese win.

Who will win: Scorsese

Possible upset: Eastwood

Best Animated Feature

Nominees: “Cars,” “Happy Feet” and “Monster House”

The Disney/Pixar hit “Cars” will most definitely win for Best Animated Feature. “Monster House” came and went without much notice, and “Happy Feet” made a lot of money at the box office, but it’s not half as clever or fun to watch as “Cars.”

Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt are just some of the talented actors who lend their voices to the humorous movie, good for a family or anyone else.

Who will win: “Cars”

Possible upset: There won’t be one