It is that time of year again! The night of red carpets and golden nude men on platforms will commence March 2 on CNN at 7 p.m. The Oscars never fail to bring all of our favorite artists and performers together for a night of splendor and appreciation for the art of filmmaking. 

To honor this tradition of appreciation, here are The Alabamian’s 2014 Oscar predictions for the top categories:

Best Picture:

• “12 Years a Slave”
• “The Wolf of Wall Street”
• “Captain Phillips”
• “Her”
• “American Hustle”
• “Gravity”
• “Dallas Buyers Club”
• “Nebraska”
• “Philomena”

Prediction: “12 Years a Slave.” Everything about this movie screams entertainment and beautiful story telling. The acting is superb and the script is extremely well written. “American Hustle” comes to a close second.

Best Director:

• Steve McQueen — “12 Years a Slave”
• David O. Russell — “American Hustle”
• Alfonso Cuaron — “Gravity”
• Alexander Payne — “Nebraska”
• Martin Scorsese — “The Wolf of Wall Street”

Prediction: Alfonso Cuaron for “Gravity.” The whole concept of this movie is unlike any other. It is as difficult as Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” in execution, which won the Oscar for Best Director in 2013.

Best Actor:

• Bruce Dern — “Nebraska”
• Chiwetel Ejiofor — “12 Years a Slave”
• Matthew McConaughey — “Dallas Buyers Club”
• Leonardo DiCaprio — “The Wolf of Wall Street”
• Christian Bale — “American Hustle”

Prediction: Chiwetel Ejiofor for his spine chilling performance in “12 Years a Slave.” He is not a well-known actor, but he is extremely talented and deserves an award for his portrayal in this film.

Best Actress:

• Amy Adams — “American Hustle”
• Cate Blanchett — “Blue Jasmine”
• Judi Dench — “Philomena”
• Sandra Bullock — “Gravity”
• Meryl Streep — “August: Osage County”

Prediction: Cate Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine.” Her performance in this film is raw and powerful. She brings realism to the entertainment world.

Best Supporting Actor:

• Barkhad Abdi — “Captain Phillips”
• Bradley Cooper — “American Hustle”
• Jonah Hill — “The Wolf of Wall Street”
• Jared Leto — “Dallas Buyers Club”
• Michael Fassbender — “12 Years a Slave”

Prediction: Barkhad Abdi for “Captain Phillips.” This actor has made some long strides — once a cab driver and now an actor with an Oscar nomination. His performance was very frightening and yet relatable. He stayed true to his character, while adding true emotion to his portrayal.

Best Supporting Actress:

• Jennifer Lawrence — “American Hustle”
• Lupita Nyong’o — “12 Years a Slave”
• June Squibb — “Nebraska”
• Julia Roberts — “August: Osage County”
• Sally Hawkins — “Blue Jasmine”

Prediction: Jennifer Lawrence for “American Hustle.” She is a talented actress and really stood out in this role.

Best Original Screenplay:

• “American Hustle” — David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer
• “Blue Jasmine” — Woody Allen
• “Her” — Spike Jonze
• “Nebraska” — Bob Nelson
• “Dallas Buyers Club” — Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack

Prediction: David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer for “American Hustle.” It is one of the most unique and jaw-dropping scripts to premiere on screen this season.

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• “12 Years a Slave” — John Ridley
• “Before Midnight” — Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater
• “The Wolf of Wall Street” — Terence Winter
• “Captain Phillips” — Billy Ray
• “Philomena” — Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

Prediction: Billy Ray for “Captain Phillips.” The screenplay is raw and realistic that it is almost scary to comprehend everything Captain Phillips endured. The film captures the story beautifully.

Best Animated Feature:

• “The Wind Rises”
• “Frozen”
• “Despicable Me 2”
• “Ernest & Celestine”
• “The Croods”

Prediction: “Frozen.” It brought audiences across the nation together and continues to be the most loved film of the season.

Best Foreign Feature:

• “The Hunt” (Denmark)
• “The Broken Circle Breakdown” (Belgium)
• “The Great Beauty” (Italy)
• “Omar” (Palestinian territories)
• “The Missing Picture” (Cambodia)

Prediction: Italy’s “The Great Beauty.” It has beautiful cinematography and artistry in the storyline.

Best Music (Original Song):

• “Frozen”: “Let it Go” — Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
• “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”: “Ordinary Love” — U2, Paul Hewson
• “Her”: “The Moon Song” — Karen O, Spike Jonze
• “Despicable Me 2”: “Happy” — Pharrell Williams
• “Alone Yet Not Alone”: “Alone Yet Not Alone” — Bruce Broughton, Dennis Spiegel

Prediction: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez for the song “Let it Go” in the movie “Frozen.” This film has a sense of excitement and power within it’s notes. It is perfectly written for Idina Menzel’s voice.

Best Music (Original Score):

• “Gravity” — Steven Price
• “Philomena” — Alexandre Desplat
• “The Book Thief” — John Williams
• “Saving Mr. Banks” — Thomas Newman
• “Her” — William Butler and Owen Pallett

Prediction: John Williams for “The Book Thief.” His score added suspense and realness to the film that touched the hearts of audiences.

Best Cinematography:

• “Gravity” — Emmanuel Lubezki
• “Inside Llewyn Davis” — Bruno Delbonnel
• “Nebraska” — Phedon Papamichael
• “Prisoners” — Roger Deakins
• “The Grandmaster” — Phillippe Le Sourd

Prediction: Emmanuel Lubezki’s “Gravity” for its complicated nature, use of green screen and unique camera angles.

Best Costume Design:

• “The Great Gatsby” — Catherine Martin
• “12 Years a Slave” — Patricia Norris
• “The Grandmaster” — William Chang Suk Ping
• “American Hustle” — Michael Wilkinson
• “The Invisible Woman” — Michael O’Connor

Prediction: Catherine Martin for “The Great Gatsby,” for the beautiful jewelry she incorporated into the beading and overall appearance of the fashion of the time period.