Favorites
Amy Adams, "Enchanted"
Helena Bonham Carter, "Sweeney Todd"
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
Julie Christie, "Away From Her"
Angelina Jolie, "A Mighty Heart"
Nicole Kidman, "Margot at the Wedding"
Keira Knightley, "Atonement"
Laura Linney, "The Savages"
Ellen Page, "Juno"
Spotlight: In addition to the strength of her performance as a doomed lover in "Atonement," Keira Knightley may have an edge in the best actress race. Some Oscar pundits believe her movie is the best picture front-runner. If true, voters often like to give the winning film a corresponding acting award, sometimes in supporting (Juliette Binoche, "The English Patient"; Jennifer Connelly, "A Beautiful Mind"), but preferably in lead (Hilary Swank, "Million Dollar Baby"; Gwyneth Paltrow, "Shakespeare in Love"). However, Knightley has limited screen time in "Atonement." She's campaigning in the lead race but does she really belong in supporting? Could she fall between the two? That's what happened to Jack Nicholson in last year's best picture, "The Departed."
Possible
Halle Berry, "Things We Lost in the Fire"
Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Keri Russell, "Waitress"
Spotlight: If the Oscars are really all about hugs -- and they are (who's in the club, who's out; who's hot, who's not) -- academy members may be eager to embrace Halle Berry again, considering the painful lesson she recently got in Hollywood humility. Within three years, she went from winning an Oscar as best actress ("Monster's Ball") to a Razzie as the worst ("Catwoman"). Shrewdly, she showed up to accept the latter, gushing, "Thank you so much! Never in my life did I think I'd be up here!" Brandishing her Oscar statuette before the crowd, she shouted, "No I don't have to give this back! It's got my name on it!"
Long shots
Jodie Foster, "The Brave One"
Ashley Judd, "Bug"
Charlize Theron, "In the Valley of Elah"
Naomi Watts, "Eastern Promises"
Spotlight: Could Charlize Theron be one of those automatic Oscar nominees? After winning best actress for "Monster," she received a new bid for her next big, serious film, "North Country." Now her latest, "In the Valley of Elah," has major Oscar pedigree: It's the first big, serious film written and directed by Paul Haggis after his "Crash" won best picture. Considering she got largely good reviews (Rolling Stone called Theron "dynamite" in "Elah"), don't be surprised if her name pops up on the ballot again, even though her movie disappointed at the box office.
