Academy Awards 2014 Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress nominees predictions: ROUND 0

• BEST ACTRESS

1. 

Meryl Streep for August: Osage County

Born: June 22, 1949 - Summit, New Jersey, USA

Previous Oscar acting recognition: 17 nominations, 3 wins (1980 - Best Supporting Actress for Kramer Vs Kramer; 1983 - Best Actress for Sophie's Choice; 2012 - Best Actress for The Iron Lady)

Oscar snubed performance(s): 1979 - Manhattan; 1996 - Marvin's Room; 2002 - The Hours

She's no actress, she's Meryl Streep, the living legend, and it seems legit to say she's going to amaze audiences, critics and the Academy members with her performance as Violet Weston, the cancer suffering widow who's addicted to prescription drugs, in the adaptation of the acclaimed play August: Osage County. The source material is solid and if Streep can do wonders with weaker material, I believe she'll turn the role of Violet into gold. Early reports say she excells herself in this performance and there are some talking about her fourth Oscar win, but I don't want go this way by now... There isn't much more to say: Streep has a great role and she'll deliver a great performance for sure, we just have to hope her recent Oscar win won't affect her Oscar hopes. The AMPAS always loved her, so I believe they won't ignore her: she's always too good to ignore... 

2. 

Jessica Chastain for The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Hers or His

Born: March 24, 1977 - Sacramento, California, USA

Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2012 - Best Supporting Actress for The Help (nom); 2013 - Best Actress for Zero Dark Thirty (nom)

Oscar snubed performance(s): 2011 - The Tree of Life

Living a career momentum, Chastain is the actress of the moment, so I believe it would be a crime not having her in consideration for one of The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby movies. Ned Benson is a new name in the directing field, so there's no proves about his talent, but Jessica Chastain is known for her amazing acting performances and for being Jennifer Lawrence's major threat during the race for the Best Actress Oscar win. A great character actress, I have no doubts about predicting another great performance from Chastain (she may be a fresh face in the industry, but I consider she already proved she's here to stay and to shine), but having a whole movie build around her character sounds simply delicious and may serve as another showcase for her endless acting talent. With a series of amazing performances in movies like Jolene, The Tree of Life, Take Shelter, The Help or Zero Dark Thirty, one of (or maybe both) the Eleanor Rigby movies can easily feature her third Oscar nominated turn.

3.

Marion Cotillard for The Immigrant

Born: September 30, 1975 - Paris, France

Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2008 - Best Actress for La vie en rose (win)

Oscar snubed performance(s): 2009 - Nine; 2012 - Rust & Bone

I seriously believe Cotillard was this close from getting an Oscar nomination for her amazing turn in Rust & Bone, but she ended snubed. This year, she's starring James Gray's The Immigrant (formerly titled Lowlife), playing a woman named Ewa Cybulski, an immigrant woman who's tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville. The plot sounds quite interesting and Cotillard's part sounds simply Oscar-caliber and if you have in consideration she almost got an Oscar nomination for another French-speaking performance, I can really see her finally getting the well-deserved second nod of her career for this one. More than just an Oscar-winning French actress, Cotillard managed to have one of the most successful post Oscar-win careers of the 21st century: after La vie en rose, she appeared in Rob Marshall's musical Nine, in Christopher Nolan's Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, in Woody Allen's Best Picture nominated Midnight in Paris and Jacques Audiard's Rust & Bone: this certainly plays in her advantage, but she most be great in The Immigrant in order to generate the Oscar traction (and I believe she'll shine as she always does).

4.

Carey Mulligan for The Great Gatsby 

Born: May 28, 1985 - Westminster, London, England, UK

Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2010 - Best Actress for An Education (nom)

Oscar snubed performance(s): 2011 - Shame

I must say when I think about Daisy Buchanan my mind goes for a woman who's as magnetic and beautiful as Scarlett Johansson or Amanda Seyfried and I just can't see Carey Mulligan as the kind of woman who's a man's perdition. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe the movie will be able to sell Mulligan, which, combined with her acting talent, may generate a good interpretation of the iconic Daisy: maybe less physically attracting but utterly charming as a woman (you know, Carey's smile and sweet eyes are just beautiful)... we'll see. No matter what, Mulligan has one of the best parts an actress could ask for and she's part of one of the most ambitious projects of the year. Last time Baz Luhrman directed a project as big, the result was Moulin Rouge! and it gave an Oscar nomination to Nicole Kidman. I have no doubts about Mulligan's acting chops (she proved she's a great actress in An Education and Shame), but will she be able to sell the image of a godness on Earth, the diamond of a man's obsession? If she does and if The Great Gatsby gets critical acclaim, an Oscar nomination promises to be a guarantee for Miss Mulligan.

5.

Felicity Jones for The Invisible Woman

Born: October 17, 1983 - Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK

Previous Oscar acting recognition: none

Oscar snubed performance(s): 2011 - Like Crazy

Ralph Fiennes already directed Vanessa Redgrave in an unforgettable performance in Coriolanus, so, please, do not judge me for having Felicity Jones as a possible Oscar nominee for a project no one has heard of (well, some people actually know this project exists!). In The Invisible Woman, Jones plays Nelly Ternan, Charles Dicken's (Ralph Fiennes) secret young lover until his death, a woman who's described as being clever, charming, forceful of character, undomesticated and interested in literature, theatre and politics - sounds like an interesting part, right? Jones seduced Sundance, critics and audiences with Like Crazy and, this year, she went back to Sundance with Breathe In in order to impress once again, but I believe The Invisible Woman will be the greatest vehicle of her young career and it may earn Jones her first Oscar nomination. The Academy tends to recognize fresh faces with a Best Actress nomination and Jones has everything Oscar voters love: beauty, talent and lack of fame. But will The Invisible Woman be an invisible movie for the AMPAS' eyes? Coriolanus didn't get one single nomination...

6. Kate Winslet for Labor Day
Born: October 5, 1975 - Reading, Berkshire, England, UK
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1996 - Best Supporting Actress for Sense and Sensibility (nom); 1998 - Best Actress for Titanic (nom); 2002 - Best Supporting Actress for Iris (nom); 2005 - Best Actress for The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (nom); 2007 - Best Actress for Little Children (nom); 2009 - Best Actress for The Reader (win)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 2004 - Finding Neverland; 2008 - Revolutionary Road
An English rose who is a dramatic actress by excellence, Kate Winslet will be seen in Jason Reitman's directed drama Labor Day, playing a depressed single mom named Adele. Described as a very subtle character, it seems to be a role in the same league as her part in Todd Field's Little Children (her best performance after The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind to me). The Academy has a love story with Winslet and with Jason Reitman directed actresses in general (excluding Charlize Theron) and once the source material is solid, I guess Winslet may have a good shot during the next Oscar race.

7. Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
Born: May 14, 1969 - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1999 - Best Actress for Elizabeth (nom); 2005 - Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator (win); 2007 - Best Supporting Actress for Notes on a Scandal (nom); 2008 - Best Actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (nom); 2008 - Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 2000 - The Man Who Cried; 2003 - Veronica Guerin; 2005 - Little Fish; 2008 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
You know, sometimes Woody Allen brings something really unique, but sometimes he brings something really unnecessary... In which field will be Blue Jasmine? Well, we won't know until the movie screens (Woody is always so secretive about his movies), but with Cate Blanchett starring as the leading lady, it promises to be something good. Defined as "the story of the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife", it seems to be something better than other recent Woody movies and there's something meaty about trying to figure Blanchett as a housewife facing financial difficulties... Will Blanchett get an Oscar nod for Blue Jasmine? Well, she also has The Monuments Men, so... but she already managed to get nominated in two different categories in the same year, so maybe it can happen again!

8. Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Barks

Born: April 15, 1959 - Paddington, London, England, UK
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1993 - Best Actress for Howard's End (win); 1994 - Best Actress for The Remains of the Day (nom); 1994 - Best Supporting Actress for In the Name of the Father (nom); 1996 - Best Actress for Sense and Sensibility (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1997 - The Winter Guest; 2003 - Love Actually
We haven't seen much from Emma Thompson since Last Chance Harvey (2008) or Brideshead Revisited (2008), mostly because she decided to deliver some acting magic in money-making Harry Potter franchise or the Nanny McPhee movies, but the fact is that she's always great, no matter if she hasn't an Oscar-friendly role. But this year, Thompson plays P.L. Travers during her trip to meet Walt Disney during the cinematic adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins, for the big screen and The Blind Side director is behind the camera - it sounds interesting, right? While it sounds to be in the same vibe of Hyde Park On Hudson, the Oscar potential stills there, it all depends on the execution. It can be Thompson comeback to Oscar honours and the Academy loves a good career comeback.


9. Shailene Woodley for The Spectacular Now

Born: November 15, 1991 - Simi Valley, California, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: none
Oscar snubed performance(s): 2011 - The Descendants
One of the Sundance babes of this year's edition of Sundance Film Festival, Shailene Woodley shared a Special Jury Prize for Acting - Dramatic with her co-star Miles Teller, for her performance in the universally acclaimed high-school romance drama The Spectacular Now. Woodley suffered from an unexpected snub for her amazing turn in Alexander Payne's The Descendants, but critics loved her and her performance in The Spectacular Now was an instant Oscar buzz generator, but I've some doubts about seeing the Academy honouring an actress for her performance in an high-school drama, no matter how down-to-earth it might be. Indie awards nominations seems likely to happen, but she will need a really aggressive campaign in order to get the nod.


10. Nicole Kidman for Grace of Monaco
Born: June 20, 1967 - Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2002 - Best Actress for Moulin Rouge! (nom); 2003 - Best Actress for The Hours (win); 2011 - Best Actress for Rabbit Hole (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1995 - To Die For; 2003 - Cold Mountain; 2003 - Dogville; 2004 - Birth; 2012 - The Paperboy

Personally, Grace of Monaco sounds a bit bland and over glamorised to me, but I can't forget we have Nicole Kidman playing the iconic former movie star and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly, and The Weinstein Company behind this project... While Kidman screams "botox" in her cover as Grace Kelly for "Paris Match" magazine, I have no doubts about her acting abilities, but I can't also forget the Academy doesn't always buy her Oscary performance (like her Charlotte Bless in The Paperboy, for example). So, I really don't know what to think about Kidman Oscar hopes for playing Grace Kelly, specially when there's a Princess Diana biopic starred by Naomi Watts also coming this year...  

• BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

1.

Cate Blanchett for The Monuments Men

Born: May 14, 1969 - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1999 - Best Actress for Elizabeth (nom); 2005 - Best Supporting Actress for The Aviator (win); 2007 - Best Supporting Actress for Notes on a Scandal (nom); 2008 - Best Actress for Elizabeth: The Golden Age (nom); 2008 - Best Supporting Actress for I'm Not There (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 2000 - The Man Who Cried; 2003 - Veronica Guerin; 2005 - Little Fish; 2008 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Considered one of the greatest actresses working today, Blanchett has been away from Oscary projects and roles, but it seems she'll have a rockin' 2013 by starring Terrence Malick and Woody Allen movies, by reprising her role as Galadriel in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and, finally, by playing the legendary Rose Valland in George Clooney's The Monuments Men. Valland was a French art historian, member of the French Resistance and overseer of the Jeu de Paume Museum in Paris at the time German occupation the France during World War II, and once Blanchett is a true acting cameleon, having already played Queen Elizabeth, Veronica Guerin, Katherine Hepburn or Bob Dylan, it promises to be a meaty  Oscar-caliber part. The Academy loves the portray of historic strong women and since Blanchett is some kind of Meryl Streep of her generation, I can see an Oscar nomination happening for her.

2.

Julia Roberts for August: Osage County

Born: October 28, 1967 - Smyrna, Georgia, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1990 - Best Supporting Actress for Steel Magnolias (nom); 1991 - Best Actress for Pretty Woman (nom); 2001 - Best Actress for Erin Brockovich (win)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1997 - My Best Friend's Wedding

A charming comedy actresses, Julia Roberts fits the model of the feel-good modern American woman, but she completely excells herself when some drama is recquired. In August: Osage County, Roberts will play Barbara who has a stormy relationship with her mother (Streep's character), having one of the juiciest roles of the play/movie. While she hasn't done anything amazing since her Oscar-winning turn in Erin Brockovich, the fact is that she's box-office gold (since 2001, her movies grossed $1110.8M ) and she's quite popular, one of those actresses the audiences most love and America's former-sweetheart. This year, she seems to have what can be one of the best roles of her career and she will be starring alongside an all-star composed leaded by the great Meryl Streep - so, if she's able to shine, I guess Oscar traction is guaranteed, specially with The Weinstein Company behind the movie. Some might say she's a co-lead, but in a movie starred by Streep, every other actresses always go supporting and I believe it only benefits Roberts: the Academy loves to nominate co-lead performances in the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category.

3.

Octavia Spencer for Fruitvale Station

Born: May 25, 1970 - Montgomery, Alabama, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2012 - Best Supporting Actress for The Help (win)
Oscar snubed performance(s): none

Praised for her performance in 2013 Sundance Film Festival's beloved Fruitvale Station, most people are curious about Octavia Spencer's post-Oscar win projects and it seems her career is taking an interesting road... In Ryan Coogler's movie, Spencer plays Wanda Johnson, mother of Oscar Grant, a man who was killed during a police shooting at a San Francisco BART station on New Year's Day in 2009 - and you know how much the Academy loves "the mother role". According to reviews, Spencer brings some class to the movie and shows she does not fit in the cheap melodrama and ungenuine sassiness profile, proving her Oscar win was no mistake and proving she an important element of Fruitvale Station. The AMPAS has no problems about having black actresses in the Best Supporting Actress category and since reviews around her and the movie are solid, I guess she'll become a major contender  in this Oscar race.

4.

Scarlett Johansson for Don Jon

Born: November 22, 1984 - New York City, New York, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: none
Oscar snubed performance(s): 2003 - Lost In Translation; 2003 - Girl with a Pearl Earring; 2005 - Match Point

Well, romantic comedies about sex aren't exactly the cup of tee of the Academy, but last year they bought Helen Mirren's performance in The Sessions (and John Hawkes was a major contender during the whole awards season), so I believe Scarlett Johansson may be a name to have in consideration. Living a career comeback since Iron Man 2, Johansson was already snubed too many times when compared to other actresses of her generation, but she has been collecting some of the best reviews in years for her performance in a tricky role in Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut - Don Jon. Playing a spoiled empress who tries to turn Gordon-Levitt's character into a "Prince Charming" seems to be the kind of character audiences will love and since Johansson is asking for an Oscar nomination for so long, I guess it can be a good excuse for the Academy to recognize her (if they want to). Last year, I predict her to get a nod for Hitchcock, but it didn't happen... Now, with some indie love around her and around the movie itself, I believe she may have better chances.

5.

Amy Adams for American Hustle

Born: August 20, 1974 - Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2006 - Best Supporting Actress for Junebug (nom); 2009 - Best Supporting Actress for Doubt (nom); 2011 - Best Supporting Actress for The Fighter (nom); 2013 - Best Supporting Actress for The Master (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): none

If I was suspicious the Academy simply had a crush on Amy Adams because they nominated her for Doubt, now I'm sure they are completely in love for her after her nod for The Master. So, this year, Miss Adams reunites once again with David O. Russell (who's on fire thanks to Silver Linings Playbook) and everybody knows how much the Academy loved the acting in his the last two movies (a total of 8 acting nominations). In American Hustle (previously mentioned as Untitled David O. Russell/Abscam Project), Adams plays the mistress and partner in crime of Christian Bale's character and while some might say she will just have the "mistress role", I must remember she tecnically only had the "girlfriend" part in The Fighter or the "wife" character in The Master and she still managed to get Oscar nominations. There are no big details about her character, but the fact is the project sounds promising, O. Russell is great with actors and Adams knows how to seduce the AMPAS members. My question is: is she a supporting or a leading lady in this one?

6. Kristin Scott-Thomas for Only God Forgives 
Born: May 24, 1960 - Redruth, Cornwall, England, UK
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1997 - Best Actress for The English Patient (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1994 - Four Weddings and a Funeral; 2008 - Il y a longtemps que je t'aime; 2009 - Nowhere Boy
She looks so trashy and some kind of "dangerous" in Only God Forgives' movie trailer that I seriously belive people and awards voters will have in consideration how different she's from her self personna. Plus, it seems she's playing a monter-mum meets female gangster - absolutely delicious. Personally, I'm really curious to see Kristin Scott Thomas in Winding Refn's upcoming movie, since French cinema almost kidnapped her from "us". I feel some of the same kind of vibe I felt from Albert Brooks in Drive and "only god knows" how he didn't get an Oscar nomination for that turn. I guess we will hear about Kristin Scott-Thomas during the next awards season and see her name in a lot of Oscar predictions lists.


7. Cameron Diaz for The Counselor
Born: August 30, 1972 - San Diego, California, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: none
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1999 - Being John Malkovich; 2001 - Vanilla Sky
She may not be my favorite actress in the world by far, but I can't deny I saw some real talent in her performances in There's Something About Mary (not Oscary, but still), Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky or My Sister's Keeper (another non-Oscary part, but...). This year, she's part of an ensemble who features the big names of Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz and early reports say she has a really meaty role and she nails it. She has done little to impress in the last few years, so, has she already lose her credibility as an actress or will she simply dazzle and get Oscar buzz in case of being well-succeed? Ridley Scott is a good director and The Counselour sounds like a promising Oscar player, so, I believe Diaz will be seen as an Oscar contender.


8. Oprah Winfrey for The Butler
Born: January 29, 1954 - Kosciusko, Mississippi, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1986 - Best Actress for The Color Purple (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): none
Considered one of the most powerful women in the world, Oprah does her comeback to acting in this year's The Butler, acting alongside an all-star ensemble cast and being directed by Lee Daniels (director of Precious and The Paperboy). I don't really know how big her role is, but I read a couple of reports who say she plays a wife and she has love scenes with two different men... so, it can be a really interesting part for the queen of the talk-shows. The project itself sounds ambitious and it may be tricky material to put on screen, but if it succeeds, I can see The Butler as a major Oscar contender and, then, I can really see Oprah getting caught in the wave of critics' love and awards.


9. Vanessa Redgrave for Foxcatcher
Born: January 30, 1937 - Greenwich, London, England, UK
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 1967 - Best Leading Actress for Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (nom); 1969 - Best Leading Actress for Isadora (nom); 1972 - Best Leading Actress for Mary, Queen of Scots (nom); 1978 - Best Supporting Actress for Julia (win); 1985 - Best Leading Actress for The Bostonians (nom); 1993 - Best Supporting Actress for Howard's End (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1987 - Prick Up Your Ears; 2007 - Atonement; 2011 - Coriolanus
After her atrocious Oscar snub for her amazing work in Ralph Fiennes' Coriolanus, Redgrave was seen as a contender last year for A Song for Marion, but she didn't gain any Oscar traction for that one. This year, she'll be in the Oscar buzzy Foxcatcher. Bennett Miller is great with actors, but while most people are expecting the movie to be a Carell+Tatum+Ruffalo, I believe Redgrave may have a good part in this one... But the question here is: who will be Redgrave playing? I did some research and I couldn't find Redgrave's character... So, I've some doubts. So, I decided to be cautious, for now.


10. Nicole Kidman for The Railway Man 
Born: June 20, 1967 - Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
Previous Oscar acting recognition: 2002 - Best Actress for Moulin Rouge! (nom); 2003 - Best Actress for The Hours (win); 2011 - Best Actress for Rabbit Hole (nom)
Oscar snubed performance(s): 1995 - To Die For; 2003 - Cold Mountain; 2003 - Dogville; 2004 - Birth; 2012 - The Paperboy
The "supportive suffering wife" role always brings Oscar buzz to big movie stars, but Kidman was already snubed so many times that I start wondering if the AMPAS don't like her acting range (no matter how risky a production is, if the role is interesting and different from what she has done before, Kidman becomes another person and shines). For me, she's a real actress and I'm sure she won't disappoint as the wife of a WWII survivor in The Railway Man, but she was ignored for her "brilliantly vicious" Oscar buzzy performance in The Paperboy, last year, so the movie will have to be really solid.