Rethink.

Are you in need of some help for your office Oscar pool? Well have no fear because here are my official predicitions for the 82nd Academy Awards . My average rate of success is 75% and above. And I will note each category with a percentage of confidence to give you the best shot at winning your pool. This year, let me say, could be very predictable or very unpredictable. I'm going with both. Best motion picture of the year — 50% “Avatar” (20th Century Fox) — MY MONEY'S ON "AVATAR," BUT I'M JADED; I DID NOT LIKE "HURT LOCKER" AS MUCH “The Blind Side” (Warner Bros.) “District 9” (Sony Pictures Releasing) “An Education” (Sony Pictures Classics) “The Hurt Locker” (Summit Entertainment) — ALL THE PREDICTORS ARE THERE, BUT I CANNOT PUT THIS DOWN FOR THE WIN “Inglourious Basterds” (The Weinstein Company) “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” (Lionsgate) “A Serious Man” (Focus Features) “Up” (Walt Disney) “Up in the Air” (Paramount in a...

We are now three days out from the 82nd Academy Awards. Rethink. has been waiting for this day all year and counting down. In Hollywood, preparations are being made outside the Kodak Theatre along the stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, between N. Orange Drive and N. Highland Avenue. In the photo above, you can see a team of workers rolling out the Red Carpet Wednesday. You'll notice the tents are back this year after a one-year hiatus. If it's going to rain, awards show organizers know tents are a MUST, especially organizers for this year's Golden Globes . After deciding not to pitch the tents earlier that day, celebrities found themselves hovering under umbrellas and "Precious" star Gabourey Sidibe was among the many sporting dresses with splotches of rain. Suffice it to say it was not pretty. When I was a bleacher fan in 2008, my friends and I were bummed by the tents and inclement weather; however, we enjoyed not getting wet. Right now, Weather.com is forecast...

To start your weekend off right, I found an interesting read from USA Today's Anthony Breznican. The lucky reporter got permission from the Academy to chronicle the events leading up to Tuesday's announcement of the 82nd Academy Awards nominations . (Thus, he knew some of the nominees before the rest of world found out. Awesome!) Once inside the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' headquarters late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, depending on the staff member, there was no leaving and absolutely no communication with the outside world . Cellphones and smartphones were confiscated. No Internet access. Guards at the doors. From 8:58 p.m. Monday up to the announcement at 5:38 a.m. Tuesday, the lucky few prepare to tell the world how the Academy members have voted. "The accountants have the solemnity of undertakers, but the workers rip open the lids and pull out pages like overeager kids on Christmas morning ," Breznican writes. Find the article here...

Thought I would share a video from Megan Telles' coverage of Tuesday's nominations announcement . You might remember her name from last year when she was a finalist for the Academy's mtvU Correspondent contest. Rethink. ranked her No. 2 among the list of 10 talented pairs of undergrads vying for a spot on the red carpet. Telles' partner in crime, Andrew Huse , is again working the camera (Sony EX1, Canon 7D + 400mm f/2.8L IS USM) as the Palestra.net correspondent covers the announcement and interviews "Entertainment Tonight" film guru Leonard Maltin, Academy President Tom Sherak, Parade Magazine reporter Jeanne Wolf and telecast producers Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic.

This morning Anne Hathaway joined Academy President Tom Sherak in announcing the 82nd Annual Academy Awards nominations in 10 of the 24 categories. "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" were the two movies running the show. Both lead the race with nine nominations, but not by a landslide. " Avatar " was nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, Art Direction, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score) Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. " The Hurt Locker " was nominated in the following categories: Best Picture, Actor in a Leading Role, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Music (Original Score), Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Writing (Original Screenplay). " Inglourious Basterds " was next in line with eight nominations in these categories: Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role, Cinematography, Directing, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Writing (Original Screenplay). " Up in the Air ...