Film critic Lou Lumenick predicts who will win Sunday.

BEST PICTURE

– “Babel”

* “The Departed”

– “Letters From Iwo Jima”

– “Little Miss Sunshine”

– “The Queen”

Scorsese’s probable win gives it the edge in an incredibly closely matched field. But I wouldn’t be shocked if “Little Miss Sunshine” or “Babel” won instead.

BEST DIRECTOR

– Clint Eastwood, “Letters from Iwo Jima”

– Stephen Frears, “The Queen”

– Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Babel”

– Paul Greengrass, “United 93”

* Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”

It’s finally Marty’s year; fortunately, he doesn’t have Harvey helping him. It doesn’t hurt that “The Departed” is the most commercially successful movie of his career.

BEST ACTRESS

– Penelope Cruz, “Volver”

– Judi Dench, “Notes on a Scandal”

* Helen Mirren, “The Queen”

– Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”

– Kate Winslet, “Little Children”

Is this the Oscars or a second coronation for QE 2? Even Ladbrokes stopping takes bets on the unstoppable Mirren months ago.

BEST ACTOR

– Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”

– Ryan Gosling, “Half Nelson”

– Peter O’Toole, “Venus”

– Will Smith, “The Pursuit of Happyness”

* Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.”

Awards across the board for this veteran, who deserved an Oscar for “Bird” decades ago. And, no, it wasn’t exactly a stretch for O’Toole to play a dying elderly actor.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

– Adriana Barraza, “Babel”

– Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”

– Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”

* Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”

– Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel”

Newcomers often reign in this category. But if the “Dreamgirls” backlash results in a “The Color Purple”-style shutout, Breslin could pull off an upset.

SUPPORTING ACTOR

* Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine.”

– Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”

– Djimon Hounsou, “Blood Diamond”

– Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”

– Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed”

“Norbit” + lousy acceptance speeches + “Dreamgirls” backlash = Eddie Murphy getting passed over for an award he deserves.

ANIMATED FEATURE

– “Cars”

* “Happy Feet” (top)

– “Monster House”

George Miller’s eco-friendly ‘toon blockbuster would seem a better fit to Academy liberals than Pixar’s gas-guzzling “Cars.”

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

– “After the Weddding”

– “Days of Glory”

– “The Lives of Others”

* “Pan’s Labyrinth”

– “Water”

Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece boasts five craft nominations, including cinematography, and terrific U.S. box office.