As Frodo says after destroying the One Ring while sitting on a boulder surrounded by rivers of lava in “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”: It’s done.

After two voting extensions prompted by the devastating Los Angeles wildfires, the nomination voting period for the 97th Academy Awards has officially closed. While the Producers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, and other key guilds have offered some insight into which films might dominate this year’s Oscars, one thing remains certain: surprises are practically guaranteed when it comes to the Academy.

For seasoned awards pundits, predicting the Oscars has always involved careful calculations, heated debates, and whispered, off-the-record conversations with Academy voters. These chats, typically brimming with insider insights and candid opinions, took on a different tone this year. Many pundits hesitated to reach out in the wake of wildfires that devastated parts of Los Angeles.