Last year, at approximately 3.30am one blustery February morning, I was in a cold sweat, writes our Movie Blogger Carl Jones.

The first five of my six Oscar night predictions had struck the jackpot, and I was one correct answer from landing a very handy few thousand quid from my £20 accumulator bet.

Some of them had been rank outsiders. I was on a lucky streak.

Then The Departed was named best film ahead of my leftfield choice, Little Miss Sunshine, and it went pear-shaped . . . I ended up with nothing.

So there are two ways of looking at my tips for success at the 2008 Academy Awards – either they are five-sixths of the way to being superb, or a total waste of time.

This year, I’m nailing my colours to the mast in a lucky seven categories.

For me, it’s going to be a disappointing night for Shropshire-connected Atonement, which could quite conceivably come home completely empty-handed.

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy have missed out on acting nominations already, and although best supporting actress is perhaps one of the most wide-open categories, I think young Irish star Saiorse Ronan will miss out
to Cate Blanchett for her role in I’m Not There.

Best actor – you can’t look past Daniel Day Lewis for his powerful, emotional and sometimes un-nerving role as an oil baron There Will Be Blood.

Best supporting actor – it simply has to be Javier Bardem for The Coen Brothers’ chase thriller No Country For Old Men. He’s right up there with the Hannibal Lecters in the pantheon of legendary Hollywood baddies.

Although Britain’s Julie Christie missed out at the Baftas, I think her heartbreaking role as an Alzheimer’s patient will earn her the best actress prize.

Which brings us to best films and directors. It should be a double for the Coen Brothers as director and best film for No Country For Old Men, and it’s impossible to look past Pixar’s genius offering Ratatouille in the best
animated feature category.

So there you have it . . . my seven tips for Oscars night success.

Am I off to the bookies this year to put my money where my mouth is?

Absolutely not . . . my picks are mostly the red-hot favourites, so it’s hardly going to rake me in a fortune.

But if they turn out to be correct, at least I have the satisfaction of having put my thoughts into print beforehand, allowing me the chance to say “I told you so”.

* Don’t miss Monday’s Shropshire Star for first news, reaction and pictures from the Oscars – and to see how well Carl’s predictions did