For:
Black Swan, Best Actress Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Supporting Actress for
Closer in 2005
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Her: She's fresh off the heels of a Golden Globe win for
Best Actress in a Drama, a precedent that served last year's Best Actress winner at both the Globes and Oscars, Sandra Bullock, well. But Globes winners in the major categories (including acting) have gone on to win the Oscar only 63 percent of the time in the past five years, according to the
Chicago Tribune.
Working Against Her: With her critically acclaimed role in Darren Aronofsky's ballet thriller and a newly announced
pregnancy and engagement, Portman is seemingly everywhere. Plus, her foray in the romantic comedy world with the recently opened
No Strings Attached, co-starring
Ashton Kutcher, could damage her credibility. "The thing that's great is that I'm really proud of all the movies," Portman told the AP. "I wish they were more spaced out, but I don't really have control over that. But at least people won't
see my face for awhile afterwards."
For:
The Kids Are All Right, Best Actress Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 3
Best Actress for
Being Julia in 2005
Best Actress for
American Beauty in 2000
Best Supporting Actress for
The Grifters in 1991
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Her: Chances are high that Bening is
not going against Hilary Swank, who previously beat her in 2000 (
Boys Don't Cry) and 2005 (
Million Dollar Baby). Plus, many believe this veteran and actor's actor "deserves" the honor. "She campaigns as classy as anyone I know," an Oscar consultant told
The Daily Beast's Nicole LaPorte of Bening. "She handles herself in an exemplary manner. There are people who campaign in such a way that it makes many of us feel uncomfortable, but it's a very thin line to walk."
Working Against Her:
The Kids Are All Right boasts an ensemble cast, leaving Bening to share top-billing with Julianne Moore. Natalie Portman, however, appears in essentially every scene of
Black Swan. Although Bening also took home a Golden Globe last Sunday for
Best Actress in a Comedy, darker fare is often favored by the Academy.
For:
The King's Speech, Best Actor Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Actor for
A Single Man in 2010
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Him: Firth has won virtually every award leading up to the Oscars, including the
Best Actor at the Golden Globes. Plus, he plays a character with a disability in a historical biopic, both of which are
qualities the Academy loves.
Working Against Him: Not much.
The Social Network has emerged as the front-runner in the Best Picture race so
Jesse Eisenberg's performance as the film's cold, calculating anti-hero Mark Zuckerberg could elevate him to the winner's circle. But it's doubtful.
For:
The Social Network, Best Actor Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 0
Working For Him: Eisenberg has established a reputation as an impressive indie actor in previous Oscar-nominated films like
The Squid and the Whale. Now, following its Golden Globe win for Best Picture,
The Social Network is riding a tidal wave of buzz.
Working Against Him: But Eisenberg may not be along for that ride. Besides the fact that he doesn't have the industry connections that Firth does, Eisenberg is quite young and green. "Every time I hear about an award or a nomination, it makes me realize how much I must've been losing before, because I was not aware that every major city had these critics' awards," the 27-year-old star told
Vanity Fair of his awards season experience. "So while I'm so honored and it's wonderful to be acknowledged and to be associated with this wonderful movie, you know, it's a little overwhelming, too. I realize how many more cities there are that I haven't been called about."
For:
The Fighter, Best Supporting Actress Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Actress for
Frozen River in 2009
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Her: Leo is one of the hardest-working and well-regarded actresses in Hollywood. She's already won numerous awards leading up to the big show, including the Golden Globe and Critic's Choice Awards for
Best Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg's
monstrous mother in what The Hollywood Reporter called "a
startlingly strident performance."
Working Against Her: It's possible that Leo could split votes with her co-star in
The Fighter, Amy Adams. Also, if Julianne Moore finds herself nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for
The Kids Are All Right-- instead of Best Actress—some also believe that, like Bening, she's overdue for Oscar gold as well.
For:
The Fighter, Best Supporting Actress Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 2
Best Supporting Actress for
Doubt in 2009
Best Supporting Actress for
Junebug in 2006
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Her: With two previous Oscar nods under her belt, Adams has established that she's no fluke. Plus, she dared to go against type as a tough-as-nails broad from South Boston in
The Fighter and did a convincing job as something other than a nun or fairytale princess. "
Adams' continually strong work can't be denied," said The Wrap's Jeff Sneider. "I really don't think that many actresses could get as much out of that role as she did."
Working Against Her: At 36, Adams is still young and Melissa Leo, her co-star in
The Fighter, has nearly swept the awards leading up to the Oscars, taking home both the Golden Globe and Critic's Choice Awards for Best Supporting Actress.
For:
The Fighter, Best Supporting Actor Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 0
Working For Him: As Mark Wahlberg's crack-addicted older half brother and trainer, Bale has also won nearly every award leading up to the Oscars, including the
Golden Globe. He's been a well-regarded actor in front of the camera since appearing in Spielberg's 1987 film
Empire of the Sun and his physical transformation (his second after
The Machinist) into an emaciated, balding former fighter in
The Fighter was astounding.
Working Against Him: If his
viral rant on the set of
Terminator: Salvation and his recent combative
Esquire interview are any indication, Bale's reputation off camera is anything but respected.
For:
The King's Speech, Best Supporting Actor Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 3
Best Actor for
Quills in 2001
Best Supporting Actor for
Shakespeare in Love in 1999
Best Actor for
Shine in 1997
Previous Oscar Wins: 1
Best Actor for
Shine in 1997
Working For Him: He's a three-time Oscar nominee starring in a film from Oscar perennial Harvey Weinstein, who took home the
National Society of Film Critics Award.
Working Against Him: He only won the NSFC Award by one vote. Plus, Rush has already won an Oscar; Christian Bale hasn't. The latter actor also practically swept the awards leading up to the Oscars, including the Golden Globes. Plus, many have left
The King's Speech so wowed by Firth that Rush has been forgotten in the awards season campaigning.
For:
The Social Network, Best Director Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 1
Best Director for
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 2009
Previous Oscar Wins: 0
Working For Him: Fincher won the Golden Globe for Best Director. Also, the last four winners in the Oscar's coveted Best Picture category—which
The Social Network has emerged as the favorite for this year—have won Best Director as well.
Working Against Him: Despite the aforementioned trend, the Academy has been known to throw a curveball and split the Best Picture-Best Director winners in years past in order to appear more democratic. In 2006, for example,
Crash won Best Picture, while Ang Lee was awarded Best Director for
Brokeback Mountain. If that's the case, Best Director could go to Tom Hooper for
The King's Speech or Darren Aronofsky for
Black Swan.
For:
Black Swan, Best Director Nominee
Previous Oscar Nominations: 0
Working For Him:
Black Swan is tearing up the box office, on pace to surpass $100 million in North America alone. Plus, many view Aronofsky (pictured right) as a true auteur. He was surprisingly left out of the Best Director pack in 2009 for
The Wrestler and the Academy has a history of rewarding people after the fact.
Working Against Him: Voters seem to be focusing their praise on
Black Swan's cinematographer Matthew Libatique, instead of Aronofsky. And besides the fact that Aronofsky has signed on to direct the upcoming superhero film,
The Wolverine, which could hinder his
credibility,
The Social Network Fincher's won all the major awards, including the Golden Globe.
