Brad Brown, RTV6 sports reporter and pop culture expert, breaks down the race for Best Actor:

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS is winning.

His performance in "Lincoln" is simply epic. This is the kind of movie they’ll keep around a hundred years from now and say “that’s President Lincoln”.

So what about the other 4 nominees?

BRADLEY COOPER – "Silver Linings Playbook"
Too bad he saved the best role of his career for this year. If Lincoln hadn’t happened, he’d win.

HUGH JACKMAN – "Les Miserables"
Give him another Tony for this performance, but no Oscar this time.

JOAQUIN PHOENIX – "The Master"
Another great character for a talented actor, but not enough to get the votes.

DENZEL WASHINGTON – "Flight"
I’m not sure he was as good as the reviews made it out to be. Certainly not good enough to win.

Full list of celebrity picks  |  Oscars special section