TAHLEQUAH — Some contests may be fairly predictable, but it when it comes to the Academy Awards, surprises often are the rule rather than the exception.

If the Golden Globe winners are any indicator of who will go home with the Oscar, then fans of “Argo” will enjoy the Sunday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. TV event on ABC.

But the historic drama “Lincoln” has received eight Oscar nominations, while “Argo” received just three nods for best picture, supporting actor and film editing. The only Golden Globe taken home by “Lincoln” was by the actor Daniel Day Lewis, who portrays the film’s namesake. On the Academy Award scene, “Lincoln has been nominated for best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, cinematography, costume design and film editing.

Locally, the Victor Hugo tale “Les Miserables” is believed to be the favorite to win the Academy Award for best picture, and officially has received snared Oscar nominations for best picture, actor, supporting actress and costume design.

Michael Peters, theater director for Tahlequah High School, doesn’t like shows like the Academy Awards, due to the difficulty in comparing the different styles and genres and giving each its due respect and credit.

“How can you judge apples and oranges? Even if there is some criteria, it’s still difficult,” he said. “I would love to see ‘Les Mis’ win for best picture. It would be a great thing for a musical to win. It’s been quite some time.”

According to the American Movie Classic website FilmSite.org, only 10 musicals have won the Academy Award for best picture, with “Chicago” being the most recent in 2002. Others include “The Broadway Melody,” “The Great Ziegfeld,” “Going My Way,” “An American in Paris,” “Gigi,” “West Side Story,” “My Fair Lady,” “The Sound of Music” and “Oliver!”

Reasor’s Video Manager Shane Perry concurs with Peters in thinking “Les Miserables” will earn the Oscar for the year’s best film, but he’d like to see director and sometimes actor Quentin Tarantino acknowledged for “Django Unchained.”

“As far as best picture, who I think is going to win, and who I would like to win are probably going to be different ones, of course,” he said. “Just because I think it’s something that’s really, really interesting, I would honestly like to see ‘Django Unchained’ take best picture. I mean, it’s Tarantino. They’re not going to give it to him, I doubt. It’s a surprise they put him on the list to begin with because it just came out on Christmas Day.”

Daily Press Facebook friends weighed in on whom they prefer to win Oscars.

Gregory Holbird called for “Silver Linings Playbook” to offer up this year’s best actor and best actress.

“’Silver Linings Playbook’ surprised me,” he said. “I think best actor and actress should apply here. I never thought Bradley Cooper was more than a popcorn actor, but he blew me away in this movie, as did Jennifer Lawrence. Amazing.”

Melissa Brown responded to the poll question and offered some angles to notice when viewing “Les Miserables,” which she believes is not the best picture.

“I think ‘Les Mis’ is really a timely picture, but I don’t think it should win,” she said.

“It had serious problems with close-ups and some directional decisions. I love the show, but I don’t think the movie was the best picture this year.”

Theresa Coulter disagrees, and noted several reasons why “Les Miserables” is Oscar-worthy.

“’Les Miserables’ should win,” she said. “The cinematography was awesome. The costumes were wonderful. The acting was good. The music was heart-wrenching. Also, the film is especially poignant due to the financial and social shifting that is going on all over the world. It is uplifting to see good hearts triumph in the end.”