The Oscars are having trouble finding their identity. Two years ago, they increased the number of Best Picture nominees from five to 10. Last year, to appeal to a younger audience, they hired James Franco and Anne Hathaway as hosts, but that didn’t turn out so well. This year, to stay “fresh,” the Academy decided to be indecisive about the number of Best Picture nominees. To recap, there will be between five and 10 (inclusive) nominees. To be nominated, a picture must get at least 5 percent of the first place votes, and then some other manipulations will happen to pick the nominees. In other words, it is totally confusing. Nominees will be revealed tomorrow morning on ABC at 7 a.m. CST, and here are our best bets in the meantime, as well as some of our dream nominees. 

Best Picture:
• Best Bets: “The Artist,” “Hugo,” “The Descendants,” “The Help,” “Midnight in Paris,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Moneyball.” Due to the undetermined number of nominees, this category was hard to predict. We think the above seven films will make the cut, beating out the high profile “War Horse,” British spy drama “Tinker Tailor Soldier Dream,” and political drama “The Ides of March.”
• Dream Nominee: “Super 8.0” This summer drama perfectly captured the spirit of a childhood summer, even with a disastrous monster roaming around town.

Best Director:
• Best Bets: Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”), Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”), Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”). While these films are wildly different, ranging from the story of a Hawaiian landowner to a silent film to the history of the universe, none would have come together without these five men at the helm.  
• Dream Nominee: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive.” This film, a Cannes darling, unfortunately missed the major awards circuit, but we feel Refn should be honored for his work.  

Best Actor:
• Best Bets: George Clooney (“The Descendants”), Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”), Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), Gary Oldman (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”). Three Hollywood pros and two breakout stars will probably top this category. Pitt, Clooney, and Oldman continued to impress as the Oakland A’s manager, a heartbroken dad, and a British spy, whereas Fassbender and Dujardin shined as a sex addict and a silent film star.
• Dream Nominee: Ryan Gosling. Gosling had a breakout year with three leading roles in major movies (“The Ides of March,” “Drive,” “Crazy Stupid Love”), and we’d be happy if he got nominated for any of them.  

Best Actress:
• Best Bets: Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”), Viola Davis (“The Help”), Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”), Tilda Swinton (“We Need To Talk About Kevin”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”). Though the race seems to be between Streep and Davis, all five women deserve nominations in this category.  
• Dream Nominee: Charlize Theron, “Young Adult.” Theron is an Oscar award winner for 2003 film “Monster,” but she deserves another nomination for her portrayal of Mavis Gary, a high school monster who returns to her hometown to her steal back her now-married ex-boyfriend.  

Best Original Screenplay:
• Best Bets: “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “50/50,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Young Adult.” Though Woody Allen will probably win this award for “Midnight in Paris,” all these movies presented topics rarely done inventively these days.
• Dream Nominee: “Super 8.” Few adult films portray developed teenage characters in the way that “Super 8” did, and screenwriter (and director) J.J. Abrams deserved recognition.