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The George Clooney:

Sandra Bullock

It still gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about the fact that Bullock won an Oscar for The Blind Side, and I take comfort in knowing that no movie with such a simplistic, naïve representation of race relations will ever get Oscar attention again (oh wait...). Bullock is back in the race again, hoping to earn her second nomination for playing a grieving mother in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Ensemble pieces typically do well in the Supporting categories, and Bullock, like Spencer, will benefit from being in a film not based around one strong lead. I could easily see a tidal wave of support for Extremely Loud that takes both von Sydow and Bullock with it, in addition to Picture and Director nominations. However, Bullock won far too recently for a win to be on the table here.

Judi Dench

I would say that Dench's roles in J. Edgar and My Week with Marilyn are too small to be in the running for Oscar nominations, but considering the Oscar she won was for an eight-minute performance, she could walk through the background of an episode of a funny-or-die sketch and somehow get an Oscar nomination. There is a lot of love for this woman, is what I'm saying, and she has two shots this year, in both a comedic and a dramatic role. My Week with Marilyn is the better reviewed film, which makes it the likelier contender for Dench, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was nominated for her voice work in the most recent James Bond videogame.

The Jessica Chastain:

Jessica Chastain

This woman deserves her own category. Thanks to some luck involving release dates, Chastain has supporting roles in five movies released this year, which means if they changed the rule about actors receiving multiple nominations in the same category, the Supporting Actress field could be just Chastain competing against herself in The Tree of Life, The Help, The Debt, Take Shelter and Coriolanus. The question is which performance is most likely to be nominated. The Tree of Life is the most acclaimed, The Help is the most popular, Take Shelter is probably her juiciest role, and the Academy really likes nominating two actresses from the same film in this category, which would benefit her for both The Help and Coriolanus. Common wisdom is that the love for The Help will be what pushes her into this category, but I can't shake the feeling that Take Shelter or Coriolanus - particularly if the latter builds popularity - are where she will make her mark.

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Christopher Plummer- Beginners
2. Max von Sydow- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
3. Albert Brooks- Drive
4. John Hawkes- Martha Marcy May Marlene
5. Kenneth Branagh- My Week with Marilyn
6. Jonah Hill- Moneyball
7. Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Ides of March
8. Patton Oswalt- Young Adult

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Octavia Spencer- The Help
2. Vanessa Redgrave- Coriolanus
3. Berenice Bejo- The Artist
4. Shailene Woodley- The Descendants
5. Melissa McCarthy- Bridesmaids
6. Carey Mulligan- Shame
7. Sandra Bullock- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
8. Jessica Chastain- The Help... or Take Shelter... or Coriolanus... whatever.
9. Janet McTeer- Albert Nobbs
10. Judi Dench- My Week with Marilyn

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