Actress in a Leading Role

All of the contenders in this category have been here before. There are no new candidates this year, and nearly every one of them has a little gold statute already. Some may have it for supporting roles, but they still have the hardware on the shelf. For most I think this category reads a little predictable with the usual suspects. Every one of them handed in solid performances this year. Much like the best supporting actress category I don't feel like there is anyone here who doesn't deserve to be here. Each and every one of them would make my list of phenomenal awesome ladies I would love to hang out with and hyperventilate at just being in their presences.

So here we go...

Amy Adams - American Hustle
This is our only nominee who is missing her Oscar. She has nominations up the wazoo, but no win yet. As discussed yesterday, this could be a make-up opportunity. An award that is given on the merit of the actress herself and her body of work, instead of for this one performance. She already one the golden globe this year for this performance, which is no guarantee, but a nice indicator. Let me be clear, I love Amy Adams. I have been in love with her since she played Leslie Miller in Drop Dead Gorgeous. If she wins on Sunday I will scream, "GO MUSKIES!" in her honor, but for me, this is not the best actress performance of the year. Again - this movie was such a turd, that even a sparkling actress like Amy Adams (with side-boob and all -- seriously so much side boob in this movie) could not save it.  Much like Bale, her performance wasn't bad, I just could not give a tinkers damn about any of these characters. I don't feel they were given much to work with. In spite of it all - she could win. For me though, not the best performance of the year, but I think she is going to win anyway.

Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Cate, may I call her Cate (?), is another actress I have loved for years and will think is stellar in everything she does. I feel like she should have won this category for Elizabeth back in 1999, if they wouldn't have given it to the wrong blonde in an Elizabethan period drama. Curse you Paltrow -- CURSE YOU! She has her Oscar for Supporting Actress already. For me, she was the best thing about Blue Jasmine. I believed she was a woman on the brink of a nervous break-down. She made me feel sorry for her, she made think she was snob who deserved her comeuppance, and then feel sorry for her all over again, as a truly damaged creature, who was continuing to make the same mistakes all over again. It was a great performance, for me possibly the best of the year.

Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Again - LOVE HER! She truly is America's sweetheart in my opinion. However, she already has her best actress Oscar, so will most likely not win one again so soon after the last win (The Blind Side), nor should she for this performance. Compared to the others it was just a'ight. The movie was a really great movie, and since she is 80% of the movie, she deserves a nomination, but this was not the best performance this year.

Judi Dench - Philomena
She's a Dame for chrissakes, if she sneezes into a kleenex we should nominate it for an Oscar. I am not saying this to be a smartass (well maybe a little), but all of her nominations have been well deserved, and that's true of Philomena as well. You know someone like Philomena, or wish that you did. Dench always does a fantastic job in my opinion of making me believe she is that character. I felt watching her, that she was Philomena, and I was rooting for her all the way. Delighting in her sweet and charming view of the world, in spite of the crap she had to deal with. My heart broke right along with her, and her strength blew me away. This was a fantastic performance in a really touching movie.

Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Meryl should be a Dame too. I know she's not British, but they should make an exception for her. As Americans we should invent Dame's - just for Meryl Streep. There is never anything that she has done that I have not loved. (I stand by this, because I have not seen Mama Mia). Within the first two minutes of the movie she comes in with whispy grey hair drunk or high (possibly both) and smoking a cigarette berating her husband in front of a woman he is interviewing to be her caregiver because she has throat cancer. And you're all "Oh shit, it's gonna be a movie like this?! AWESOME!" This is a role so typical Streep, and I don't even care, I ate it up like that shit was State Fair cheese curds. Salty, not good for me, and so wonderful. I relish watching her in movies like this. LOVED IT! However, she just won for Iron Lady. She will not get a back to back win.



Bottom Line - For me Streep and Blanchette had the best performances of the year, with Dench being a solid third. None of them are going to win though, because I believe this is a chance for Adams to get her gold, and the Academy is going to give it to her.

In case it isn't abundantly obvious, I do love and respect all of these actresses, so for me, there is no losing. Someone amazing is going home with an Oscar in this category.