Year in Advance Oscar Oscar Predictions: Best Supporting Actor 2015

This time last year, J. K. Simmons came out of the gate strong when Whiplash debuted at Sundance and his inevitable march to victory went mostly unchallenged the entire year. (He was the only prediction I guessed correctly last year. But if you get one right, might as well be the winner!) One of the most talked about performances out of Sundance this year was Jason Segel's performance as Infinite Jest author David Foster Wallace in The End of the Tour, but I've ultimately left him off my predictions because of category confusion. The film focuses on Jesse Eisenberg as a magazine reporter working on a story about Wallace, so Segel's work could be seen as co-lead or supporting. I couldn't think who he could bump off from either list, so put him as a possibility outside of the five here. We'll have to see if is early buzz is enough to breakthrough. The five men I ultimately decided on are all from strong Best Picture contenders, with only two of the actors previous nominees. There's no frontrunner winner, like with Simmons. So for now, we'll just have to theorize how these actors could find themselves with Oscar nominations for their work this year.

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Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hardy The Revenant

Samuel L. Jackson The Hateful Eight

Liam Neeson Silence

Édgar Ramírez Joy

Seth Rogen Steve Jobs

Tom Hardy The Revenant

Hardy from "Lawless" Judging from the first pic from Leo in "The Revenant", Hardy will be much more bearded

The Role: Hardy plays John Fitzgerald a real-life frontiersman in the American West during the 1820s. While on a fur trading expedition with the film's protagonist Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), Glass was mauled and wounded by a bear. Believing him to be dead, Fitzgerald and his fellow travelers left Glass behind. Glass survived the attack and traveled more than 200 miles to seek revenge against Fitzgerald.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Coming off his recent big wins for Director and Picture for Birdman, Alejandro González Iñárritu's follow-up to that film, The Revenant, will certainly be one that the Academy will be watching out for. While I think Leo is a strong possibility in Best Actor, from what I hear, the best role in the film belongs to Hardy's character. I'm not sure how they'll play it - if Fitzgerald maliciously left Glass behind or generally felt remorse. But I'm really hoping that it's a fun villainous turn for Hardy to sink his teeth into. Hardy has always been one to watch and has done award-worthy work in Bronson and Locke, but hasn't really had a role yet that's interested the Academy. I think this project, with the talent involved, should be his ticket to the Dolby theater.

Samuel L. Jackson The Hateful Eight

The Role: Teaming up with writer/director Quentin Tarantino for their sixth film together, Jackson plays Major Marquis Warren aka The Bounty Hunter. Taking place just after the Civil War, Jackson's character was in the Union Calvary during the war and became known for burning Confederates during a prison escape. He along with other bounty hunters and ruffians (I don't know, there may be 8 of them) are trapped together in a stagecoach rest stop during a blizzard when murders begin happening among them... 

Why He'll Be Nominated: Jackson might be the actor with the highest grossing film total of all time, but he has only been nominated once for an Oscar - for 1994's Pulp Fiction, a role that Tarantino wrote specifically for the actor. Many thought that Jackson should have been nominated for his work in the last film he and Tarantino did together, Django Unchained. But co-star Christoph Waltz ended up with the supporting nom (even though he was clearly a lead) and ended up winning. This film has had a rocky start after the script was leaked online and Tarantino canceling production because of it. But after a live reading and some script adjustments, Tarantino changed his mind and the film was back on for a November 13th release date. With a cast that includes Kurt Russell, Channing Tatum, Bruce Dern, and Tim Roth, to name a few, it might be hard to stand out from the ensemble. But I'm counting on Tarantino regular Jackson, in another tailor-made role, to emerge as the film's MVP.

Liam Neeson Silence

The Role: Set in 17th century Japan, Neeson plays Father Ferreira, a Jesuit priest in a Japanese missionary that was a mentor to the film's main character, Father Rodrigues (played by Andrew Garfield). The young priest has come to Japan because of a rumor that Ferreira has renounced his faith, but encounters persecution of Christians in the country.

Why He'll Be Nominated: In the past couple of years, Neeson has redefined his career and experienced a surge in popularity with his work kicking ass in action films, like the Taken trilogy. Sometimes it can be hard to remember that Neeson is a great actor and even received an Oscar nomination for Schindler's List. Teaming up with Scorsese again (he also appeared in the director's Gangs of New York) might just be the vehicle he needs to remind us all of his skills as an actor. The part doesn't seem like it'll be that much screen time, but it was once set to star Daniel Day-Lewis - an actor that works so infrequently that certainly he wouldn't have considered it unless it was of significance. (Interestingly, Day-Lewis actually took over the part of President Lincoln once intended for Neeson. Both actors had to drop out of the respective films because they took too many years to develop.) Silence is filming now so hopefully it will be ready in time for this year and here's also hoping that Neeson's work will be worthy of being recognized by the Academy.

Édgar Ramírez Joy

Obviously not from the film, but for some reason the paparazzi aren't following him on set like J. Law...

The Role: The Golden Globe and Emmy nominee (for the miniseries Carlos), the Venezuelan actor plays Tony Miranne, a fellow classmate of Lawrence's Joy. The two eventually married and had three children, but Miranne later divorced her.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Ramírez might not be as famous as his fellow co-stars Lawrence, De Niro, and Bradley Cooper, but he's just as talented and hopefully this film will be able to take his career to the next level and grab Oscar's attention. It was hard to choose which of Joy's men would make my prediction (De Niro plays Joy's father, Cooper is a HSN executive), but the Academy loves when actresses play long suffering wives, so why not recognize the man behind the successful woman. I'm not sure of the timeline of their relationship in the film, but I'm guessing that Miranne probably leaves Joy when her success threatens his masculinity...Judging from the track record of the past couple David O. Russell films, it's a safe bet that one of three men in this film will be recognized in this category. And Ramírez was suggested for the part by De Niro himself (the two worked together on a boxing film set to also come out this year, Hands of Stone), so he already has one fan in the Academy. If the part is interesting and not as thankless and dull as poor Jeremy Renner's good guy among the crazies of American Hustle, Ramírez could be looking at his first nomination.

Seth Rogen Steve Jobs

The Role: In a departure for the comedic actor, Rogen plays Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of Apple, Inc. and the creator of the company's first computers, which he designed single-handedly.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Perhaps getting jealous that friend Jonah Hill was getting attention from the Academy with two performances honored with nominations, it seems that Rogen decided to temporarily leave behind the frat boy humor and take a part in a dramatic film with an Oscar-winning director. It seems like a safe assumption that of all the nominees I predicted in this category that Rogen is the most likely to end up with a nomination next January. It just feels right. Oscar likes to reward actors that step outside of their comfort zone and it seems that Rogen as Woz is enough of a stretch tonally to do that (but still I have a feeling he'll still be a source of humor for the film). 

Other Possibilities: Bradley Cooper Joy, Robert De Niro Joy, Jason Segel The End of the Tour, Ken Watanabe The Sea of Trees, Forest Whitaker Southpaw

Year in Advance Oscar Predictions: Best Actress 2015

For being my favorite category (the past two Best Actress winners, Cate Blanchett and Julianne Moore, rank as some of my favorite actresses of all time), year after year, this is always my worst category in predicting. Unlike Best Actor, which is usually made up of big names in Best Picture contenders, Best Actress performance seem to be left out of the major categories far too often. Which makes trying to predict so far in advance more difficult for the lead actresses. Of the 5 contenders this past year, only one (Jones) was in a Best Picture nominated film and 3 out of the 5 (Cotillard, Moore, and Pike) were their film's sole nomination. And while it's great that the Academy is looking to diverse films to fill out this category, it does have a hint of prejudice about it - stories where women are at the center aren't seen as viable contenders for Screenplay, Picture, or Director. But like Blanchett said in her acceptance speech last year, movies with woman at the center are not a niche, people do want to see them. And as a self-identifying actressexual - boy, do I! The 5 women I've chosen as my year in advance predictions have all been nominated before and three of them have even won in this category, but they're all performances I'm eagerly anticipating. And even if they don't make Oscar's final five spots, with these women in the lead, they're sure to be fascinating.

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Best Actress

Cate Blanchett Carol

Jennifer Lawrence Joy

Julianne Moore Freeheld

Saoirse Ronan Brooklyn

Lily Tomlin Grandma

Cate Blanchett Carol

The Role: Blanchett plays the titular Carol. Set in 1950s New York City (but shot in Cincinnati, Ohio - go figure), Carol Aird is a wealthy Manhattan wife and mother trying to live the picture-perfect post-war life. She has had relationships in the past with women and she begins a romantic affair with a shopgirl (Rooney Mara). While divorcing her husband, Carol must decide if her relationship is worth losing custody of her young daughter...

Why She'll Be Nominated: Does all this sound familiar? Well, it should because I already predicted that Blanchett would be scoring her 7th career nomination for this performance...last year. I hesitated to include it last year because it hadn't started filming yet. Instead of trying to rush completion on it for the end of year 2014, the new plan seems to be to roll it out to film festivals this year before an eventual (awards season friendly) fall release. Cannes seems like the most likely debut for the film. With two wins already, Blanchett is definitely an Academy darling and the last time she worked with director Todd Haynes she scored a supporting nomination for playing a Bob Dylan-esque folk singer in I'm Not There. Blanchett has been compared to Meryl Streep often and it seems that if anyone can take on the Oscar Queen's title, it's her. She's already earning early raves for her villainous turn as Cinderella's stepmother in the Disney live-action film coming out in March. It seems very likely that the accolades will continue this year with this more Oscar-friendly performance.

Jennifer Lawrence Joy

The Role: The Best Actress winner teams up again with her Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle director David O. Russell starring as the real-life Joy Mangano, a Long Island single mother who hit it big with selling her inventions on QVC in the early '90s, particularly the Miracle Mop and the network's all-time best seller, Huggable Hangers.

Why She'll Be Nominated: Although I personally was not a fan of either of the films that Lawrence and Russell worked on previously, there's no denying that the Academy was crazy for them. Both films earned nominations for its stars in all four of the acting categories, including back to back nominations for Lawrence, making her the youngest actress to score three Oscar nominations. So it's safe to say that anything that pairs them together is definitely on the Academy's radar. At only 24, I'm not sure why Russell keeps casting Lawrence in these parts that she is clearly too young to play, but there's no denying her star power and goofy likability make her a favorite among critics and audiences. Thanks to the enormous success of The Hunger Games franchise, she's also a bonafide money maker. She's so popular that paparazzi are grabbing pictures of her every day on set for this film - a biopic about a woman and her mops. It seems pretty certain that she'll "mop the floor" with the other contenders to score a fourth nomination...(Are y'all prepared for more mop puns coming our way for the next awards season?)

Julianne Moore Freeheld

The Role: The newly crowned Best Actress winner (yay, Juli!) plays Laurel Hester, a New Jersey police officer. After being diagnosed with lung cancer, she takes on the Board of Chosen Freeholders in her town in New Jersey, fighting to have the right to leave her pension to her partner Stacie (Ellen Page). 

Why She'll Be Nominated: The true life story of Laurel and Stacie's struggle was already the subject of a 2007 documentary short film of the same name that won the Academy Award in that category. With the Oscar-winning material being brought to life with one of our finest actresses, it seems a reasonable assumption that Moore's portrayal is an Oscar contender. After 4 previous nominations without a win and no nominations since 2002 (despite work in The Kids Are All Right and A Single Man that seemed worthy of nominating), many had given up hope that Moore would ever be invited back by the Academy. That all changed on Sunday night when Moore won Best Actress for Still Alice. It seems that the win could actually help booster her profile with this film, reminding the Academy how long they had been overlooking her before and rewarding her with another nomination so soon after the win just to show that, yes, they neglected her too much in the past, but they wanna make it up to her. And her role in this film seems like it might be impossible to ignore.

Saoirse Ronan Brooklyn

The Role: Irish actress Ronan plays Eilis Lacey, a young Irish girl that leaves her home in Ireland to come to Brooklyn in the 1950s for a better chance at life. She falls in love with an Italian-American boy (Emory Cohen) even as another suitor back in her home country (Domhnall Gleeson) makes her decide where her heart lies.
   

Why She'll Be Nominated: The film, which already debuted at Sundance this past January, entered into a bidding war with the studios, eventually selling to Fox Searchlight for $9 million - the most for any film this year at the festival. The romantic melodrama earned wonderful reviews, almost all of which singled out Ronan's performance as the highlight of the film. A previous nominee in the supporting category for her work in Atonement (2007), Ronan also appeared in the recent Oscar winner The Grand Budapest Hotel, proving that even at her relatively young age, the Academy is well-versed in her work. Based on the novel by award-winning Irish author Colm Tóibín, adapted by Nick Hornby, and directed by Tony award nominated director John Crowley (his film work includes 2007's Boy A), the film might have flown under the radar if had not been for its reception in Sundance. But now that we are aware of Ronan's strong work in it, the Oscar buzz has an entire year to build. 

Lily Tomlin Grandma

The Role: Playing the grandma of the film's title, Tomlin is Elle Reid a feminist poet and lesbian that helps her granddaughter raise the funds necessary to have an abortion.

Why She'll Be Nominated: Lily Tomlin is just one award short of the elusive EGOT. For those of you not familiar (um, how did you get here then?!), it's winning all four of the major entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. The one award missing for her title? That would be the golden "O". Nominated only once before in Supporting Actress for her performance in Robert Altman's masterpiece Nashville, if she is nominated for her star turn in this character study, it will have been 40 years between nominations. Also shown at Sundance and judging from my friend Nathaniel at The Film Experience, it is certainly an Oscar-worthy performance from the legendary actress. And with her Netflix series alongside Jane Fonda also coming out this year, it could be a very good time to be a Lily Tomlin fan. I'd love to see her get nominated, especially if we get to see her reunited with Joy's David O. Russell at all the awards ceremonies. We all know how well the two of them get along... 

Other Possibilities: Angelina Jolie By the Sea, Carey Mulligan Suffragette, Zoe Saldana Nina, Meryl Streep Ricki and the Flash, Kate Winslet The Dressmaker 

Year in Advance Oscar Predictions: Best Actor 2015

This past Sunday, the Academy honored the best of 2014 (well, what they deemed the best anyway) and the performances of Eddie Redmayne, Julianne Moore, J.K. Simmons, and Patricia Arquette (all from Best Picture nominated films) were ultimately crowned the victors (all were first-time winners as well). While there were highs (Julianne Moore is an Oscar winner at last! Man, that performance of "Glory" from Selma sure stirred some emotions...And who knew I needed Lady Gaga signing a medley of songs from The Sound of Music in a faux British accent in my life?) there were also many lows (Hosting is a thankless job and sadly Neil Patrick Harris was not up to the task this year. Who invited Sean Penn to present Best Picture - was no one else available? And oh, creepy uncle John Trovalta, as screenwriter Graham Moore said in his acceptance speech, "Stay weird.") Now that we've closed the books on another year, it's time to...predict the acting nominees for next year! (duh)

It's an annual tradition I have here of selecting who I think - site unseen, months in advance - could potentially be nominated for the upcoming Oscars. It's all for fun (and who doesn't like to have some bragging rights?), so take it in, bookmark for when nominations are announced in January 2016, and see how well I did! The predictions begin with Best Actor and make sure to come back all this week for the other acting categories!

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Best Actor

Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs

Tom Hanks St. James Place

Tom Hiddleston I Saw the Light

Robert Redford Truth

Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl

Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs

The Role: Thanks to the Sony email hacks from December, the drama of casting the titular lead role in this Danny Boyle helmed film about the founder and CEO of Apple Inc. turned into headline news. After Leonardo DiCaprio eventually passed on it, Christian Bale was approached but declined. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, showing how out of touch he is with modern cinema, was eager to cast Tom Cruise (really?) and initially scoffed at the man who finally landed the part saying, "I don't know who Michael Fassbender is and the rest of the world isn't going to care."

Why He'll Be Nominated: Sorry, Mr. Sorkin, but I have a very good feeling that the Academy will definitely care about one of the best actors working today taking on such a well-known figure. After he failed to score an Oscar nomination for his performance in Shame (2011), the Academy finally honored Fassbender with a supporting nomination in Best Picture winner 12 Years a Slave (2013) and starring in such a high profile, prestige film like Steve Jobs is certainly more than enough to garner Oscar's attention again. It certainly helps that Fassbender is set to potentially have a banner year with no less than 5 other films set to open this year including one of Shakespeare's most famous characters, Macbeth, a part in one of legendary director Terrence Malick's films (well, if his part isn't completely cut), and a starring role in The Light Between Oceans, the next film from one of my favorite new director's Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines). But his best bet out of all of them for a nomination is certainly as Jobs. He's gotta fare better than Ashton Kutcher's take on the man at least...    

Tom Hanks St. James Place

The Role: Two-time Best Actor winner (and five-time nominee) Hanks takes on the role of real-life lawyer James Donovan, who in 1960 negotiated with the Soviet Union to release an American pilot that was shot down in their airspace. The U-2 Incident (named after the plane that was captured) was at the height of the Cold War between the two countries.

Why He'll Be Nominated: American treasure Hanks used to be a reliable Oscar favorite all through the '90s, but he hasn't received an acting nomination since 2000's Castaway. Despite what some saw as some of his strongest work to date in 2013's Captain Phillips (that scene where he breaks down after being rescued is probably his finest moment) and a guaranteed lock for his sixth nomination, Hanks found himself the odd man out in favor of Christian Bale in American Hustle. I think that snub will do well in securing him a nomination this year as a way of amending the oversight. Playing a character based on an actual person and teaming up for the fourth time with Academy favorite Steven Spielberg, (whose last film brought a Best Actor win for Daniel Day-Lewis) certainly seems like a good way of grabbing the Academy's attention. Plus, he'll also appear this year in the film version of Dave Eggers' A Hologram for the King, which is sure to be another great showcase for the actor. But I'm giving the edge to his work with Spielberg to garner him that sixth Best Actor nomination that eluded him two years ago.

Tom Hiddleston I Saw the Light

The Role: In this musical biopic, Tom Hiddleston plays one of the legends of country music, Hank Williams. Unable to read or notate music, Williams wrote such hit songs as "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and had 11 number one hits on the Billboard country charts. An alcoholic and addicted to prescription drugs, he died at the age of 29.

Why He'll Be Nominated: British born and classically trained British thespian Hiddleston doesn't immediately spring to mind as the first person to play a famous country singer (and at 34, he's already 5 years older than Williams was when he died), but the Academy loves when an actor is able to challenge themselves. Hiddleston, who will sing and play the guitar himself in the film, trained everyday for a month and even showed off his skills to audiences at a country music festival back in September. Hiddleston is part of the group of new British actors (made up of Cumberbatch and Fassbender) that have made a name for themselves as actors to watch over the past couple of years. His work as villain Loki in the Marvel films has proven he can bring considerable charm, skill, and gravitas to almost any project (and he'll do it again this fall in the genre, horror film from Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak). And while both of his fellow Brits have already been honored by the Academy with nominations, it seems that if Hiddleston is able to pull off his transformation as Williams, it'll be the right time to honor him as well.    

Robert Redford Truth

The Role: Hollywood legend Robert Redford tackles the role of news anchor Dan Rather in his final days at CBS news. Based on the book Truth and Duty by Rather's producer Mary Mapes (to be played in the film by Cate Blanchett), Rather found himself under fire during the reelection for George W. Bush when he reported that the President received special treatment to avoid serving in Vietnam.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Way We Were, All the President's Men, there's no doubt that Robert Redford has secured his cinematic legacy. And not content to just act, then he did it again as a director (winning Best Director for Ordinary People). But, surprisingly, Redford has only received one acting nomination from the Academy in his entire career (for 1973's The Sting). He came very close with his one man, almost wordless performance in 2013's All Is Lost, but like Hanks that same year, found himself without a nomination (it was a rough year for acting veterans). But like Hanks, that shut out should help him score points with his work this year. The Academy loves mimicry of well-known figures and this period in Rather's life is a juicy bit of storytelling. Paired with recent Best Actress winner Blanchett, it seems like something the Academy would be interested in rewarding. Political films can be hit or miss, but if the film is more Good Night and Good Luck or The Insider and less like Redford's own snoozer Lions for Lambs, it could surely score a second career acting nomination for the star.  

Eddie Redmayne The Danish Girl

The Role: The recent Best Actor winner (very recent, as in just two days ago) could find himself with back-to-back nominations (and perhaps even back-to-back wins) playing artist Einar Wegener, a transgender woman that became one of the first on record to have gender reassignment surgery.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Oscar tends to get crushes on certain actors for certain periods of time, nominating them for anything that appears worthy. And newly anointed victor Redmayne looks to be securing an afterglow nomination with his work for this film which pairs him up again with his Les Miz director Tom Hopper. His win on Sunday as Stephen Hawking shows that the Academy was impressed with his physical transformation as the physicist, but as Einar/Lili the actor will be challenged to transform himself again, physically and emotionally. The project was a passion of Nicole Kidman for over a decade, but she could never get it off the ground. Perhaps now is the right time, with shows like Transparent and actress Laverne Cox making discussions of trans people and their struggles for acceptance an important issue, to shine the light on this groundbreaking pioneer that made it possible for future individuals to live as they were intended. 

Other Possibilities: Don Cheadle Miles Ahead, Bryan Cranston Trumbo, Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant, Jake Gyllenhaal Demolition, Michael Shannon Midnight Special 

How I Did With My Year in Advance Predictions and Final Oscar Predictions

Tonight are the 87th Academy Awards and before the ceremony I thought it would be best to look back on my predictions for acting nominations made after last year's ceremony to see how well of an Oscar psychic I was. And also predict who will be taking home gold tonight. Three out of the four acting categories seem to be wrapped up (Yay! Julianne Moore!), but it seems like Best Actor is still up for grabs for a couple of actors (well, except for Carell. That's just not gonna happen). So let's dive right in...

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"I've been smelling an Oscar nomination since the first day of filming..."

Best Actor

Year in Advance Predictions

Chadwick Boseman Get On Up

Steve Carell Foxcatcher

Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game

Jack O'Connell Unbroken

Joaquin Phoenix Inherent Vice

The Actual Nominees:

Steve Carell Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper American Sniper

Benedict Cumberbatch The Imitation Game

Michael Keaton Birdman

Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything

How Many Correctly Guessed: 2/5

Last year was my best year yet in this category, just a Tom Hanks shy (my prediction instead of Christian Bale) of having all 5 of the Best Actor nominees correctly chosen. This year I've gone down considerably, but sadly it was still my best category in predicting. There had been early buzz for Carell's work in Foxcatcher for literally years (as it was supposed to come out in 2013), but I'm actually surprised that he found his way in the final five as I was not impressed by his performance (or the movie as a whole). It seemed the film was losing momentum, but Oscar voters were more enamored than I thought. Cumberbatch was always going to get in because of where he is in his career at the moment, the nature of the role, and the Harvey Weinstein factor. I knew at the time that predicting Boseman and O'Connell both was a little younger than what the Academy usually goes for in this category, but the baitiness of both roles just seemed right up their alley. Boseman's performance as James Brown was electric, but the film just never really found an audience and the August release, instead of building momentum, just made it fade from memory as the months passed. O'Connell is still one of my favorite discoveries of this past year and I hope he finds Oscar attention in the coming years because he's very talented. Unbroken seemed like such a sure-thing on paper, but Angie just hasn't found her voice yet as a director (O'Connell made my own list of Best Actor performances this year...but for Starred Up). And Joaquin, coming off great work in The Master and her, seemed like an easy call to make. But Inherent Vice was...I don't wanna say a disaster, but it's pretty unwatchable for me. I'm surprised it managed the few Oscar nominations it did.

Keaton had been in the running for my year in advance predictions, but I decided to leave him off because I wasn't sure how successful González Iñárritu, usually so dour, would be with what everyone was billing as a comedy. The film ended up being more satirical and more darkly funny than I had initially imagined it to be. And now it appears that Keaton could actually win the whole thing...if it wasn't for Eddie Redmayne. Redmayne, who is relatively young for this category, does the kind of performance that wins Oscars with the biopic synopsis and his difficult physical transformation. Both men have been sharing the precursor prizes, with the slight edge going to Redmayne who won at SAG (the past 10 SAG winners in this category have all gone on to win Oscars) and there's also late-breaking dark horse Bradley Cooper, who received his third nomination in a row and whose film has been a huge success. But for whatever reason, I think they're going with Keaton, not just because he's great in the film, which plays on the actor's own career, but because he might not have a shot again. This seems like his moment.   

My Ranking of the Nominees: Keaton, Redmayne, Cumberbatch, Cooper, Carell
Who Will Win: Tough call (and the only one of the night in the acting categories), but I'm going with Keaton
Who Should Win: Keaton

"Dear Diary, I'm surprised as you that Fincher has become a go-to for Best Actress nominations..."

Best Actress

Year in Advance Predictions

Amy Adams Big Eyes

Cate Blanchett Carol

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

Emma Stone Untitled Cameron Crowe Film

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

The Actual Nominees:

Marion Cotillard Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore Still Alice

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon Wild

How Many Guessed Correctly: 1.5/5 (The half is for Streep...in the wrong category.)

My early predictions would have had three of the five actresses just nominated in this category making their return, but luckily none of them made their way back here...well, at least in Best Actress. Meryl is always gonna find her way into Oscar's heart. Don't get me wrong, I love to be right, but It's nice that the Academy isn't so predictable, always nominating the same actresses. Although, it did seem like Amy Adams could've still made it in here. (I was even still predicting her as the final fifth nominee that thankfully went to Cotillard.) But her film was not well received and I think most felt if she was gonna get a 6th nomination, it might as well be something she has a shot at winning for. Blanchett's film was always an iffy call as it hadn't started filming until April, but I thought it would be ready in time. It wasn't, but she just might make an appearance on my predictions for this year...And Meryl is always a default nominee. After last year when she went lead when she could've gone either way, I thought she would do that again. The film is truly an ensemble and could've gone either way, she would've gotten the nom either way (although, I personally don't think it ranks as some of her best work) and I'm sure Felicity Jones is grateful she went supporting. Emma Stone was another person that seemed ready for an Oscar nomination and I was right in predicting she would receive one this year...but in the wrong film and the wrong category. This film won't even be released until May of this year now (finally titled Aloha) and, judging from the leaked Sony emails, not one of Cameron Crowe's best. Rosamund Pike was the only actress I successfully predicted, but I think that anyone that played that part would've been nominated because of the character and Fincher's involvement. (I don't, however, think that she was all that successful with her take on it.)

But I couldn't possibly have predicted who would eventually win for Best Actress this year because her film wasn't even on the radar a year ago. It didn't even have a distributor until this fall. But here she is, our Best Actress front-runner, Julianne Moore in Still Alice. Although her performance doesn't rank among her best work for me and I think both Cotillard (who barely made it in, but gives the best performance in this category) and Witherspoon are much stronger in their films, I am very happy that Juli will finally be an Academy Award winner. And not to say that she's bad in the film - she's actually very good - I've just seen her give better performances and the film itself does her no favors. But it's definitely Juli's time, there is no other competition for the win this year. And I'm just happy that she's finally winning! 

My Rankings of the Nominees: Cotillard, Witherspoon, Moore, Pike, Jones
Who Will Win: Julianne Moore will finally be able to add "Academy Award Winner" before her name
Who Should Win: Cotillard, who gave two amazing performances this year

"Nice job, on predicting me. The only thing I'll throw at you are accolades..."

Best Supporting Actor

Year in Advance Predictions

Benicio Del Toro Inherent Vice

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

Channing Tatum Foxcatcher

Christopher Walken Jersey Boys

Christoph Waltz Big Eyes

The Actual Nominees:

Robert Duvall The Judge

Ethan Hawke Boyhood

Edward Norton Birdman

Mark Ruffalo Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

How Many Guessed Correctly: 1/5

I knew after Sundance that Simmons was making his way here, but I didn't suspect that his road to victory would be so easy. The only actor that I successfully predicted, Simmons has dominated every Best Supporting Actor category this year coasting to an Oscar win tonight. The other four men that found their way in this category along Simmons have all been nominated here before, but Simmons is assured the win. I say it every year, but this category is always the hardest to predict a year in advance. And as the same 5 men kept being nominated over and over again this awards season, it seemed that no one seemed all that interested in it to begin with. I knew I should have gone with Ruffalo as the Supporting nominee from Foxcatcher since Tatum's category placement was so up in the air, but it just never felt right to put him in over Chan (who gives my favorite performance in the film). I should probably stop predicting Christopher Walken, it never seems to pan out. But his surprise nom from Catch Me If You Can makes him a default for me in predicting this category. And he was arguably the best part of a terrible movie. (God, Jersey Boys was just bad.) Benicio Del Toro is another one like Walken that I always want to include because I think he's an amazing actor, but his film was polarizing and his part in it was way too small to make an impact. If anyone was getting a nomination it would've been Josh Brolin, who obviously didn't. Two-time winner in this category, Christoph Waltz, paired with Amy Adams and Tim Burton seemed like a safe bet, but there was category confusion with his film, which was pretty much a non-starter (outside of Adams' outside chances) to begin with. 

My Rankings of the Nominees: Norton, Hawke, Ruffalo, Simmons, Duvall
Who Will Win: It's been Simmons all season
Who Should Win: Norton

"Don't you judge me. I've been playing your mother for 12 years and have a guaranteed Oscar - I'm celebrating."

Best Supporting Actress

Year in Advance Predictions

Emily Blunt Into the Woods

Viola Davis Get On Up

Marcia Gay Harden Magic in the Moonlight

Anna Kendrick Into the Woods

Rooney Mara Carol

The Actual Nominees:

Patricia Arquette Boyhood

Laura Dern Wild

Keira Knightley The Imitation Game

Emma Stone Birdman

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

How Many Guessed Correctly: 0/5 (whomp, whomp...)

So what happened here? I didn't get a single nomination correctly predicted. I always give early predictions to Keira Knightley (I did previously for A Dangerous Method and Anna Karenina) and it never works out, I debated with including her in my year in advance predictions for Imitation Game but figured my love for her as an actress just wasn't the same as the Academy's. I guess they chose this year to finally prove me wrong...Mara, a former nominee,  might've made it, if her film had actually come out this year. Into the Woods just wasn't as good as I wished it would be (which had no impact on Streep - it never does), but no one seemed to notice either Blunt (who campaigned in lead) nor Kendrick from the film. I actually prefer both over Streep in this, but am perfectly fine in not successfully predicting their nominations as neither were good enough to warrant nods. And poor Viola Davis and Marcia Gay, both exceptional actresses in thankless cameo roles. Davis fares a little better, nailing the one big scene she's in, and might've been more of a contender if the film had been more successful. But I just watched Magic in the Moonlight a couple weeks ago and can barely remember that Marcia Gay was even in it.

Of course, none of the actresses I predicted a year ago nor the ones that actually made it in the category stand a chance for the win against Patricia Arquette in Boyhood. Like Simmons and Moore, she was won almost every precursor award and hopefully will have memorized her speech for this evening. It took a little longer for people to catch-up with Hawke as a nominee, but almost since it was released this summer, Arquette's performance in Boyhood has been praised as one of the film's best elements - especially her speech when Mason goes off to college. It's a long way to come for an actress that made her debut in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 in 1987, but as her decade plus performance in Boyhood showed, Arquette excels at the long game.

My Rankings of the Nominees: Arquette, Dern, Stone, Knightley, Streep
Who Will Win: Arquette's 12 year performance that's the heart of Boyhood
Who Should Win: Of these nominees, Arquette. But I'm honestly not that excited about any of them

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Make sure to come back all this week as I make my Year in Advance Predictions for 2015!

A Year in Advance Oscar Predictions 2014: Best Supporting Actress

And so we've come to the end of my Year in Advance Oscar Predictions with my picks for Best Supporting Actress. This time a year ago, no one had ever heard of Lupita Nyong'o, let alone predicted her to win an Oscar. But the Academy loves a Cinderella story and this year's potential nominees literally could include Cinderella herself. She may be joined by another of her fairy tale co-stars looking to score her first nom, a previous winner in this category, and a couple of recent Best Actress nominees hoping midnight hasn't struck on their Oscar prospects.

* * *

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt Into the Woods

Viola Davis Get On Up

Marcia Gay Harden Magic in the Moonlight

Anna Kendrick Into the Woods

Rooney Mara Carol

Emily Blunt Into the Woods

The Role: Blunt reteams with her Devil Wears Prada co-star, Meryl Streep, in the movie version of Stephen Sondheim's musical. Blunt plays the part of the Baker's Wife. To break the spell cast on her by a Witch (Streep) to remain childless, she must bring back certain items from the woods. 

Why She'll Be Nominated: Although Joanna Gleason won the Leading Actress Tony for her performance as the Baker's Wife in the original production of Into the Woods on Broadway, I have a strong feeling that Blunt will be campaigned in the Supporting category here. As we've just recently witnessed with Julia Roberts in August: Osage County, even when you are the main protagonist and have more screen time, you NEVER try to compete for a Best Actress Oscar against Meryl fucking Streep. The Witch may have the catchiest songs and a fabulous transformation, but the Baker's Wife is really the heart of the story. As a new mother (Blunt just gave birth to daughter Hazel on February 16), the story of a woman's longing to have a child could resonant with voters. She may also not be the first to come to mind as the star of a musical, which only gives her the potential to impress with the quality of her singing voice. Even though she may have four Golden Globe nominations, it seems the never-nominated Emily Blunt is about due to receive her first Oscar nomination. 

Viola Davis Get On Up

The Role: In this biopic about the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, Davis plays his estranged mother Susie Brown. She was only 16 when she had him and  young James and his mother grew-up in extreme poverty. His mother left him when he was still a young boy to fend for himself.

Why She'll Be Nominated: The last time Davis worked with director Tate Taylor on another Southern drama, The Help, she earned her second Academy Award nomination (and some say robbed of a win) for her performance as a maid in 60's set Alabama. Hoping lightening strikes twice for the pair, Davis is looking to score her third career nomination (if she does, she would have more acting nominations than any other Black actress in history). With two Tony Awards and training from the prestigious Juilliard school, Davis is well-respected and highly regarded in the acting community. The fact that she recently lost the Best Actress Oscar could have voters giving her a make-up nomination here as a substitute. My only hesitation is if the role is large enough to merit attention, but her first nomination in Doubt come about with only 10 minutes of screen time. Needless to say, she is more than capable of making the most of any size part and her prominence in the just-released trailer is certainly promising.

Marcia Gay Harden Magic in the Moonlight

The Role: I don't know! Woody likes to keep the plots of his films under wraps. The actors in the film don't even know the complete story as they're only given the pages of the script that they're in. If I had to take a wild guess, I would say she plays the disapproving mother of Emma Stone's character that happens to find a romance of her own while on vacation in the South of France. 

Why She'll Be Nominated: History has shown us that it is virtually impossible for a successful Woody Allen film to be followed by another one of quality (Vicky Cristina Barcelona was followed by Whatever Works, To Rome With Love unfortunately followed Midnight in Paris). With a profitable box office (a female driven film making money? The world is round, people!) and Oscar love for last summer's Blue Jasmine, the odds aren't looking so good for Magic in the Moonlight. But the last time Woody set a film in the 1920's (we do know that much about the film), Dianne Wiest won in this category for Bullets Over Broadway and co-star Jennifer Tilly also received a nomination. And his last French set film (Midnight in Paris), was his all-time biggest box office champ. Working in a Woody Allen movie is also a great way to score a Best Supporting Actress nomination (his films have received 10 nominations and 4 wins in this category). So it seems like a safe bet that two-time nominee (and winner for Pollock) Marcia Gay Harden could be finding herself in this category once again.

Anna Kendrick Into the Woods

The Role: As the glass slipper-losing, fairy tale princess, Kendrick plays Cinderella in the movie musical. It's your typical rags to riches story. Oh, and she talks with birds. Here's her big number: "On the Steps of the Palace".

Why She'll Be Nominated: Oscar Nominee Anna Kendrick's profile certainly has risen since her Best Supporting Actress nomination for Up in the Air back in 2009. With the surprise success of Pitch Perfect and scoring a Top 10 Hit on Billboard Hot 100 with her performance of the movie's song "Cups", she seems to have secured her place as a hot, young star to watch. This year alone she has six new movies coming out including the movie version of another musical, The Last Five Years. But it seems the Tony-nominated actress's best attempts at a nomination this year will come from her supporting role in the high-profile Disney movie musical. The role of Cinderella brought awards recognition to Broadway star Laura Benanti during the most recent Broadway revival. Hopefully Kendrick can translate her new-found success, musical skills, and comedic timing to steal scenes and capture the Academy's attention. 

Rooney Mara Carol

The Role: In writer/director Todd Haynes' adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt, Rooney Mara plays department store shopgirl, Therese Belivet, in 1950's New York City. After seeing Carol (Cate Blanchett) in her store, Therese is immediately attracted to her (despite having a boyfriend) and forms a relationship with the older woman. 

Why She'll Be Nominated: There's been awards buzz surrounding this film since it was announced and it only just started filming yesterday! Mara, who already scored a Best Actress nomination for David Fincher's Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, took over this part from originally cast Mia Wasikowska. But the role would be an awards' magnet for whomever plays the lesbian lover opposite two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett and working alongside Oscar nominee Haynes in this period-set drama. She also has an advantage by playing a co-lead, giving her more material and time to develop a more complex character. Mara has worked with some impressive directors (Fincher twice, Steven Soderbergh, Spike Jonze, Terrence Malick) over the past few years and seems to be compiling a filmography that's the envy of every young actress in Hollywood. It seems likely that she'll continue to be on Oscar's radar in the upcoming years.

Other Possibilities: Annette Bening The Search, Jane Fonda This is Where I Leave You, Keira Knightley The Imitation Game, Jena Malone Inherent Vice, Sarah Paulson Carol

A Year in Advance Oscar Predictions 2014: Best Supporting Actor

I'll be the first to admit that, historically, this is my worst category at predicting so far in advance. It's always hard to know exactly which roles will land, how parts will be campaigned, and, most importantly, if there's enough there to warrant a nomination. The 5 men I've decided on consist of 3 previous winners in this category, a veteran character actor that seems to have a buzz-worthy role in a hit from Sundance, and a relatively new movie star trying to prove his worth as an actor by scoring his first Oscar nomination.

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio Del Toro Inherent Vice

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

Channing Tatum Foxcatcher

Christopher Walken Jersey Boys

Christoph Waltz Big Eyes

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Benicio Del Toro Inherent Vice

The Role: Del Torro teams up with Joaquin Phoenix in Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel. He plays a character named Sauncho Smilax, the attorney to main character Doc (Phoenix), who is called upon time and time again to get his friend and client out of scraps.   

Why He'll Be Nominated: Del Toro is just one of those actors that I tend to always choose for nominations. He's so talented that I feel anytime he's involved with something, it's worth taking notice. Nominated twice before (and a winner for Traffic), it seems the Academy likes him as well (although, he hasn't been nominated in over 10 years). I haven't read the novel yet, but hear the part he plays is relatively small–with the potential to steal scenes. Anderson has apparently said the film feels like a Cheech and Chong movie. If anyone could make the Academy take notice of a stoner flick, it's him. Hopefully, Del Toro's turn in the film will be just the sort of tasty treat the Academy will crave.

J.K. Simmons Whiplash

The Role: Reprising his role from the award-winng short on which the film is based, Simmons plays a hard-ass, profanity spewing...jazz instructor that challenges Miles Teller to be the best damn jazz drummer he can be.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Whiplash, which was already a hit at Sundance last year when it won the Jury prize for best short film, was a big winner at the festival again this year when it took home the top Audience and Grand Jury prize for dramatic film. Almost all of the reviews have singled out Simmons for his performance in the film as a definite standout. The actor, who has been working steadily for years in television and commercials and been giving solid supporting turns in Oscar nominated films like Juno and Up in the Air seems to have finally found a role that allows him to shine. If the film's Sundance success translates to wider audiences, it seems that Simmons could be looking at his first Oscar nomination. 

Channing Tatum Foxcatcher

The Role: Taking on the real-life role of Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler Mark Schultz, Tatum plays the brother of fellow Olympian and murder victim Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). Dave was shot by millionaire John du Pont (Steve Carrell) on his estate where the brothers trained. The film is based on the autobiography that Mark wrote about the event.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Already named the Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine, it seems that being just a pretty face (and abs and ass and...) just isn't enough for Channing Tatum. Although he's shown himself to be a talented actor in both comedy and drama (he's especially good in his Indie Spirit nominated role in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints), it seems that tackling this part could bring him the kind of respect afforded other handsome male stars, like Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise before him, that had to prove their worth with the Academy. 21 Jump Street co-star Jonah Hill scored his first Oscar nomination working with director Bennett Miller. Perhaps the director will be the key to scoring Tatum's first nomination as well. Just imagine the ads if the two make a third Jump Street film...  

Christopher Walken Jersey Boys

The Role: The Oscar winner plays Gyp DeCarlo, the New Jersey crime boss that had ties to The Four Seasons (the real DeCarlo was also involved with Frank Sinatra). This is the film version of the Tony award-winning musical based on the lives of the popular singing group.

Why He'll Be Nominated: Although this particular role was not an awards magnet when the show was on stage, the reason I think Walken could score here is for the simple fact that he's Christopher Walken. This category tends to go for performances from seasoned actors and Walken, being directed by Clint Eastwood, and the only known "name" in the film could be the kind of performance that the Academy goes for. I'm just hoping that this performance is as good as his charmingly sinister role as the tap-dancing pimp in Pennies From Heaven, which should have brought a nomination in this category years ago...

Christoph Waltz Big Eyes

The Role: Playing opposite Oscar hopeful Amy Adams in this Tim Burton film, Waltz plays "artist" Walter Keane. Keane became a celebrity in the 60s due to the popular paintings he claimed ownership for that were, in fact, created by his wife.

Why He'll Be Nominated: After winning a pair of Oscars in this category for roles that were arguably leads, it seems that Waltz may find himself with a third nomination (it would be his first for a non-Tarantino film) for a another role that could potentially be a lead as well. We'll have to wait to see whom exactly the focus of the film is on. It sounds like more of Margaret Keane's story to me. And if Harvey Weinstein wants to make the campaign all about getting Amy a win, it seems logical that putting Waltz in supporting would put the focus more on her. Waltz who seems to take delight in playing villainous roles, could find himself rewarded once again for taking on this unlikable figure. 

Other Possibilities: Josh Brolin Inherent Vice, Johnny Depp Into the Woods, Robert Duvall The Judge, Garrett Hedlund Unbroken, Mark Ruffalo Foxcatcher

A Year In Advance Oscar Predictions 2014: Best Actress

My picks for Year in Advance Oscar Predications continue with a look at Best Actress. There are definitely some familiar faces on my list this year, with no less than 3 out of the 5 women that just competed in this category this past year. Is it too soon for them? Well, one of them is named Meryl Streep, so...And Oscar favorites Cate Blanchett and Amy Adams will be hard to ignore with these roles. Throw in an It girl about to have a busy year and an underrated actress set to potentially hit big with an anticipated adaption of a wildly popular book and you have the actresses that make up my early choices.

Best Actress

Amy Adams Big Eyes

Cate Blanchett Carol

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

Emma Stone Untitled Cameron Crowe Film

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

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Amy Adams Big Eyes

The Role: Adams plays real-life artist Margaret Keane who created kitschy paintings of children with large eyes that became all the rage in the 1960's. The only problem was that her husband (Christoph Waltz) took all the credit for their creation and success. After their divorce, she sued him for plagiarism and the case made its way all the way to federal court where the two had  to compete in a live paint-off.

Why She'll Be Nominated: With 5 nominations and no win yet, Adams is rapidly approaching "overdue" territory. She just received her first nomination in this category for American Hustle where she was seen as the only viable option to dethrone Cate's inevitable victory, so it seems like we should start seeing a "Give Amy the Oscar" campaign happening very soon. Big Eyes is being directed by Tim Burton who is usually hit or miss with the Academy, but he's reunited with the writers of his biggest award winner, Ed Wood. The film is also being distributed by The Weinstein Company who will no doubt be heavily campaigning for Adams. Amazingly, all of Adams' previous nominations were for fictional characters. So perhaps the key to the win is this based-on-a-true-story tale.

Cate Blanchett Carol

The Role: The recent Best Actress winner plays Carol Aird, a wife and mother in 1950's New York City that starts a romantic and sexual relationship with a young shop girl named Therese (Rooney Mara). While in the midst of a divorce from her husband, Carol and Therese embark on a road trip out West.

Why She'll Be Nominated: Although she just won her second Oscar (out of a total 6 nominations) it's safe to say that the Academy likes her. They really like her. Maybe another nomination back-to-back is a little much, but the reason I think she'll land another so quickly is because of the pedigree of the film and the potential of the role. Blanchett is reteaming with her I'm Not There director Todd Haynes, a man that knows his way around a period piece, but more importantly knows his ladies. This is his first project since directing Kate Winslet to an Emmy win in Mildred Pierce and he's also adapting the film from Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt. The last time Cate appeared in a Highsmith adaptation we got her scene-stealing role in The Talented Mr. Ripley. With The Weinstein Company behind this one as well (Harvey won't stop until he gets credit for ALL the nominations!), my only hesitation in predicting this is that it starts filming this week in Ohio and may not be ready in time for the end of the year. 

Rosamund Pike Gone Girl

The Role: The British actress takes on the role of Amy Dunne, a former New Yorker that moves to her husband's home state of Missouri after he loses his job writing for a magazine. Amy despises her new life in Middle America and her marriage becomes strained with her husband (Ben Affleck). On the day of their 5th wedding anniversary, she goes missing...

Why She'll Be Nominated: Rosamund Pike has been steadily working for years in supporting parts of prestigious films where her costars get all the credit (Pride and Prejudice, An Education, Made in Dagenham). Hopefully with this film (she won the part over such big name stars as Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, and Reese Witherspoon–who is a producer on the film), she will have the chance to have her profile elevated and stand out for her talent. It sure doesn't hurt that Gone Girl is based on the best-selling novel by Gillian Flynn (who adapted her work for the big screen and apparently drastically changed the ending). But the main potential to catch Oscar's attention is the involvement of director David Fincher at the helm. His past three movies (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network, The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo) have all scored acting nominations and with Amy being the most complex and juiciest part, it seems like a safe bet that Pike will be continuing that nomination streak.

Emma Stone Untitled Cameron Crowe Film

The Role: In a film that was at one point titled Deep Tiki (um, good thing we're still searching for a title), Stone stars in this Hawaiian set romantic dramedy as Air Force pilot Captain Allison Ng. She teams up with a disgraced US weapons consultant (Bradley Cooper) to oversee the launch of a spy satellite. 

Why She'll Be Nominated: 2014 is looking to be a busy year for Emma Stone. She has no less than 4 major films debuting this year, starting with the sure-to-be-huge sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, the lead in Woody Allen's 1920's set Magic in the Moonlight (which could potentially help her awards traction), the first comedic film from Oscar nominated directer Alejandro Gonzaléz Iñárritu, Birdman, and this film, that could be her best shot at her first Oscar nomination, from Academy Award-winning writer/director Cameron Crowe. Crowe's most recent films haven't exactly fared well with Oscar the way his previous efforts have, but this film sounds more along the lines of Academy favorite Jerry Maguire and less like We Bought a Zoo. And for some reason, I'm getting a very Silver Linings Playbook vibe from it (maybe that's just because of the presence of Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper) and that film was loved by the Academy in a big way. The film also stars Rachel McAdams, Bill Murray, and Alec Baldwin, but it seems like Stone, who is well-liked in the industry and seems poised for a nomination soon, especially as the object of affection in this adult rom-com, is the best bet for recognition. (Hey, it worked for Jennifer Lawrence.)

Meryl Streep Into the Woods

The Role: Careful the choices you make, Children will listen...to Meryl Streep as a signing witch that curses a Baker and his Wife to remain childless. She also just happens to have Rapunzel locked in a tower and is really just looking for the potion to turn her young and beautiful again (much like every actress in Hollywood). 

Why She'll Be Nominated: Eh, perhaps you didn't see the name? It's Meryl fucking Streep. She gets nominated for everything! (I know that's not technically true, but it's a pretty safe bet that if she's in something that's being released at the end of the year and even remotely Oscary–she's getting a nomination.) Director Rob Marshall brings this musical fairy tale to life adapted from the Stephen Sondheim Broadway show. Bernadette Peters, who played the Witch in the original production, didn't manage a Tony nomination (although Vanessa Williams did in the most recent Broadway revival), but the role is the show's flashiest and the Witch has all the best songs ("Last Midnight" and a new one written just for Meryl and the film). And perhaps you didn't notice that Meryl Streep will be playing the part? Plus she gets to play both haggard, old wench and glamorous diva in the same performance. So, should I put her down for double nominations for this role?

Other Possibilities: Jessica Chastain Miss Julie, Angelina Jolie Maleficent, Nicole Kidman Grace of Monaco, Carey Mulligan Far From the Maddening Crowd, Reese Witherspoon Wild