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Critics' Choice Movie Awards Predictions

Brad Pitt or George Clooney? Viola Davis or Meryl Streep? MTV News forecasts who'll take home the prizes tonight at 8 p.m. on VH1.

For those who love awards season, you are likely loving life this week since it's jam-packed with pretty people wearing pretty clothes. Within just five days, there are three major awards shows: last night's People's Choice Awards, the Critics' Choice Movie Awards on Thursday and the Golden Globes on Sunday.

The Critics' Choice Movie Awards air at 8 p.m. Thursday (January 12) on VH1. And since we're only hours away, it's time to evaluate the big categories and make some predictions about who will take home the pretty glass trophies. Since these awards are decided upon by movie critics, we're using the handy critic/review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes to determine which nominees have the best shot at winning.

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Without further ado, here are our predictions for the major categories:

Best Supporting Actor:

Albert Brooks will take this category no problem. "Drive" was a hit with critics, especially Brooks' performance. Its 93 percent fresh rating trumps the other nominees in the category, with the closest competition being Christopher Plummer in "Beginners" (84 percent fresh), Andy Serkis in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (83 percent fresh) and Kenneth Branagh for "My Week With Marilyn" (83 percent fresh).

Best Supporting Actress:

Although Bérénice Bejo theoretically leads the pack for "The Artist" with overwhelming critical praise and 97 percent fresh rating, Melissa McCarthy's performance in "Bridesmaids" (90 percent fresh) is one of the most talked-about of the year. This one could very likely go to McCarthy, and we think it should, as great comedic performances don't get enough props. Shailene Woodley is the dark horse for her turn in "The Descendants" (88 percent fresh).

Best Actor:

This category is a toughie, packed with A-list heavy-hitters who turned out six solid performances. Again, Jean Dujardin from "The Artist" has the edge by aggregate (97 percent fresh), but we're thinking it will come down to a bout between beloved real-life buddies George Clooney for "The Descendants" (88 percent fresh) and Brad Pitt for "Moneyball" (95 percent fresh).

Best Actress:

Our aggregate strategy needs to be overlooked for this category, since the highest rating for the nominated films here is 88 percent fresh for Elizabeth Olsen in the lesser-known "Martha Marcy May Marlene." Even with award favorites Meryl Streep for "The Iron Lady" (56 percent fresh), Charlize Theron for "Young Adult" (79 percent fresh) and Tilda Swinton for "We Need to Talk About Kevin" (83 percent fresh), we think Viola Davis will take home the trophy for her work in "The Help," the film's 76 percent fresh rating notwithstanding since the highest praise for the film went to the acting by Davis and the rest of the ensemble cast.

Best Director:

Another very tough call, given the nominations for Hollywood icons Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" (84 percent fresh) and Steven Speilberg's "War Horse" (78 percent fresh) and the continued love for Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist" (97 percent fresh). We're going to go with Rotten Tomatoes on this one and predict that Hazanavicius will win. The film stands out among its competition for being shot completely in black and white, with no dialogue. Critics love the unique and daring approach Hazanavicius took in making the film.

Best Picture:

Based on the fresh ratings for the films in this category, the front-runners here are "The Artist," "Hugo" and "Moneyball." Dark horses are "Drive" and "Midnight In Paris," both at 93 percent fresh. Really it comes down to the two films about film, "The Artist" and "Hugo." It's a decision between a unique, black-and-white silent picture and Martin Scorsese's first-ever foray into the family-friendly genre. How do you choose between such stellar nominees? We're going with "The Artist" and its crowd- and critic-pleasing 97 percent freshness.

What are your predictions for the 2012 Critics' Choice Movie Awards? Sound off in the comments section!

Stick with MTV News all night for the 2012 Critics' Choice Awards winners, and don't miss all the fashion from the red carpet!

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