Everyone loves the Golden Globes. And not just because all the actors drink before the telecast, so things can actually get interesting during the acceptance speeches.

Although that helps.

Part of why we love the Globes is that who actually wins can be unpredictable. So I won’t be so crazy as to try to predict who’ll nab the awards during Sunday’s ceremony. But here’s who I’d vote for if I were a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press.

Best Motion Picture — Drama
   Nominees: Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, Up in the Air
   "Avatar" is all the rage right now, but its momentum can’t obscure the fact that "Precious" was the most powerful movie of the year.
 
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
   Nominees: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side; Helen Mirren, The Last Station; Carey Mulligan, An Education; Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
   Playing smart ain’t easy. In "An Education," Carey Mulligan conveys her character’s sharp intelligence with utter believability. She holds the center of this movie, against the likes of Peter Sarsgaard and Alfred Molina, and portrays with grace the transition from starry-eyed girl to wised-up woman.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
   Nominees: Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart; George Clooney, Up in the Air; Colin Firth, A Single Man; Morgan Freeman, Invictus; Tobey Maguire, Brothers
   I am abstaining in this category until "Crazy Heart" and "A Single Man" open here. So there.

Best Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical
   Nominees: (500) Days of Summer; The Hangover; It’s Complicated; Julie & Julia; Nine
   Can we give half the award to the jubilantly life-affirming "Julia" part of "Julie & Julia" and the other half to "(500) Days of Summer" for its quirky charm?

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical
   Nominees: Sandra Bullock, The Proposal; Marion Cotillard, Nine; Julia Roberts, Duplicity; Meryl Streep, It’s Complicated; Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia
   No question. And I’m betting the Golden Globes will go the same way. Meryl Streep’s Julia Child was sheer genius.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Comedy Or Musical
   Nominees: Matt Damon, The Informant!; Daniel Day-Lewis, Nine; Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, (500) Days of Summer; Michael Stuhlberg, A Serious Man
   "A Serious Man" was one of my favorite movies of the year, and yet it’s gotten very little Golden Globes love. So here’s hoping they give this award to Michael Stuhlbarg for becoming the movie’s Job-like center.

Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
   Nominees: Penelope Cruz, Nine; Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air; Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air; Mo’nique, Precious; Julianne Moore, A Single Man
   Talk about a total transformation. There wasn’t a millisecond of Mo’nique’s performance as the malevolent mother in "Precious" that didn’t feel real. She was never Mo’nique playing a character, she WAS the character — a tall order even for thoroughly experienced actors, but it’s even more surprising for someone best-known as a comic.

Best Performance by an Actor In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
   Nominees: Matt Damon, Invictus; Woody Harrelson, The Messenger; Christopher Plummer, The Last Station; Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones; Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
   Christoph Waltz’s turn as a sly, evil Nazi in "Inglourious Basterds" was one of the most effective performances of the year, supporting OR lead.

Best Director — Motion Picture
   Nominees: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker; James Cameron, Avatar; Clint Eastwood, Invictus; Jason Reitman, Up in the Air; Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
   I have to give James Cameron props for shepherding the behemoth that is "Avatar" to the screen. And to think that, like "Titanic," this film was a huge undertaking whose chances of success seemed questionable before it opened. So, even though I thought Quentin Tarantino’s control of tone and handling of the sprawling narrative of "Inglourious Basterds" was masterful, I say give the award to Cameron.

Who would you vote for?