Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Actress in a Leading Role

The competition: Sandra Bullock’s Southern humanitarian housewife (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren’s Countess Tolstoy (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan’s perky student (An Education), Gabourey Sidibe’s pregnant underprivileged 16-year-old (Precious), and Meryl Streep’s Julia Child (Julie & Julia).

Previous winners: Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Reese Witherspoon, Hilary Swank
Who should win: Mulligan
Who will win: Given the way this race has gone at precursor awards, it’s looking like one person and one person only, and that’s Bullock, which is really a shame. Mirren is out because her film is way too small and she just won three years ago. Mulligan should have had this one in the bag, but the sudden surge of Bullock has all but thrown her out of the competition. People seem to really love Sidibe, and the strong affection for her film may help her secure a surprising win. It still seems unlikely, though, consider how far ahead Bullock appears to be. Streep in now on her sixteenth nomination and hasn’t won since her fourth twenty-seven years ago, so now doesn’t seem like the time for her to finally win again more so than any of her previous roles. The lack of other nominations for her film and the inclusion of Bullock’s in the Best Picture race signal that the first-time nominee is actually the frontrunner, and Bullock is set to win this.