MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: Elizabeth Taylor (shown with Burt Lancaster) herself dismissed 1960’s "Butterfield 8," saying the film "stinks." That didn’t seem to matter to academy voters, who were seemingly swayed by tabloid headlines that put Taylor near death with a mysterious illness shortly before the Oscars. The iconic star, who had previously been a tabloid target for her role in the Eddie Fisher-Debbie Reynolds divorce, suddenly found herself back in favor, making her best actress honor almost a foregone conclusion.