Oscars....

Perhaps Melissa Leo may not get the Oscar. Perhaps, but I don't believe this.

Colin Firth will win his Oscar. This I know for sure. As will Natalie Portman and Christian Bale.

And, yes, King's Speech will take best picture. No question.

Tonight isn't about surprises of any kind. It's instead about Hollywood and us celebrating a phenominal year of films. A unexpected good year at the movies.

Where a little bit of genre went beyond convention to produce powerful art (Black Swan), and where a familiar face made us forget, for a moment, the name Darcy and appreciate simply the genius of his craft (Firth).

Where story -- narration that reveals the interior lives of complex folk -- seemed to matter more than blockbusters or pretention.