Movieline's Celeb Oscar Predictions: The Last Exorcism's Patrick Fabian Crowns King's Speech

Before Patrick Fabian turned heads as a quasi-corrupt reverend named Cotton Marcus in last year's horror film The Last Exorcism, he was probably best known for playing Zack Morris' "cool" college teacher, Professor Lasky, on Saved By the Bell: The College Years. Or maybe from some of the dozens of other television credits he's accumulated since coming to Hollywood and waiting tables at a place that just so happened to be right near an old Oscar venue.

"When I first got to Los Angeles, the Oscars were held downtown at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and I was a waiter in a restaurant nearby," Fabian recounts in an email to Movieline, "and the night before the show, they would have these giant Oscar's laid out in the street on their sides. I loved getting off my shift and going up and wandering through them, hoping and dreaming."

Patrick's picks for Sunday night are as follows:

Best Picture: The King's Speech

"Even though he's the King and ultimately not like us at all, this movie manages to have the audience rooting for him; the film conveys a timelessness of struggle, yearning & acceptance that really connects."

Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech

"He's put in so many wonderful performances over the years and in The King's Speech, he's absolutely heartbreaking to watch. To get an audience to feel the shame/pain of his stutter is a truly remarkable feat."

Best Director: David Fincher, The Social Network

"How he crafts a thrilling ride out of story of talking heads is fantastic, especially because we already know the outcome. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. (Aaron Sorkin's writing doesn't hurt, either.)"