The five nominees for Best Original Score this year are:
How To Train Your Dragon - John PowellTo me, the winner should be Hans Zimmer...I could listen to the score all day. Zimmer and Rahman have won before, for The Lion King and Slumdog Millionaire, respectively. This is Zimmer's 9th nomination and Rahman's 2nd. Desplat has been nominated four times (The Queen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The King's Speech) and never won. This is John Powell's first nomination.
Inception - Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech - Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours - A.R. Rahman
The Social Network - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
Trent Reznor is more well-known for his work with Nine Inch Nails. It is his first nomination as well. Reznor & Ross won the Golden Globe for Best Score, but if you actually sit down and listen to the score it is almost assaultive. I would be fine with Desplat winning, I think his work is the second best in the category.