The writers are ALSO joining the chorus tomorrow, following on the heels of last week's USC Scripter nominations announcement. Here's a look:

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA (WGA) Predictions

Best Adapted Screenplay:
"The Departed," William Monahan
"The Devil Wears Prada," Aline Brosh McKenna
"The Illusionist," Neil Burger
"Notes on a Scandal," Patrick Marber
"Thank You for Smoking," Jason Reitman
(alt.: "Little Children," Todd Field, Tom Perotta)

Best Original Screenplay:
"Babel," Guillermo Arriaga
"Borat," Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Dan Mazer
"Little Miss Sunshine," Michael Arndt
"The Queen," Peter Morgan
"Stranger than Fiction," Zach Helm
(alt. "A Prairie Home Companion," Garrison Keillor)

If there's anything the WGA appreciates, it's comedy. This is a guild who extended nominations to films like "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Bend it Like Beckham," "Mean Girls," and "The Station Agent" in years past. So it goes without saying that anything that tickles the funnybone - well - at least anything that does so successfully and creatively, is bound to have a leg to stand on.

The WGA also isn't the sort of group to try and predict their own category at the Oscars, let alone the eventual Best Picture line-up. Sometimes Best Picture nominees are simply left out to pasture here. You're dealing with a lot of television folks who really just want to recognize what they like the most, and more often than not, that means thinking outside the box. I applaud them for that.

Be sure to check out the ASC and CDG previews below. We'll forecast the American Cinema Editors tomorrow.