Kilcher has another strong plus in her favor: she plays a real person. That's something Reese Witherspoon has going for her in "Walk the Line," also a leading contender for best picture.

Witherspoon nails a good impersonation of June Carter, shows off impressive dramatic skills (a key aim for the star of the "Legally Blonde" comedies) and even sweetens the deal with her newfound singing chops.

That's makes Witherspoon a triple threat. Add in the fact she's portraying the long-suffering wife of an abusive genius — which worked well for recent supporting actress winners Jennifer Connelly and Marcia Gay Harden — and Witherspoon becomes tough to ignore.

Voters are also fond of pretty actresses who won't put up with any guff, especially when they do it with a sexy British accent. That could put Knightley within striking distance of a win, or at least a nomination, for "Pride & Prejudice."

That would be quite a turnaround, considering Knightley had been written off as a lightweight lovely starring in another dreary remake of a dusty British book about pouty aristocrats.

But when "Pride" reviews came in, journalists, including members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., fawned shamelessly over the former "Bend It Like Beckham" tomboy. Insiders say the 20-year-old Brit will definitely get a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a headstrong, class-defying young woman, and she might scale the same heights at the Oscars.

Another young actress, Claire Danes, has struggled to be taken seriously in the film world ever since becoming a breakout TV star at age 15 on "My So-Called Life." Despite critical raves for "Romeo + Juliet" and "Stage Beauty," she hasn't nabbed outright acclaim until this year's "Shopgirl."

Danes takes on the aching role of a young, forlorn department-store clerk who hopes to find emotional fulfillment in the arms of a rich man going through a midlife crisis. "Danes can fill a scene with one wounded glance," noted the Los Angeles Times in its review, "and her body language alone conveys a richness of character that makes an otherwise not very expressive character mesmerizing."

The 26-year-old Danes stars opposite 60-year-old Steve Martin in the film. So if it's true that many academy voters are older gents with a fondness for younger gals, "Shopgirl" could resonate with them in a slightly creepy way.

Similar sentiments could apply to Zhang's role in "Geisha," where she plays a teen coveting the attention of middle-aged the "Chairman" played by Ken Watanabe.

Of course, all of those young actresses may have to get past a red-hot 42-year-old desperate housewife before they can claim any awards.

Felicity Huffman's industry stock is at an all-time high right now. She recently pulled off a jaw-dropping upset at the Emmys, where she was considered an also-ran because the "Housewives" episode submitted to judges was considered so weak.

Huffman won because her performance was so good — and because voters were cheering on a longtime stage and screen stalwart who was overdue for a big bow.

That same feeling could prevail at the Oscars for Huffman's work in "Transamerica," in which Huffman portrays a homely guy desperately trying to become a gal via a surgeon's knife and hormone injections.

Oscar voters love gender-bending roles (think Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry"). And it doesn't hurt that Huffman's award campaign is being championed by Harvey Weinstein, who's out to prove his new shingle, the Weinstein Co., can be as formidable an Oscar warrior as his old Miramax.