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BEST ACTRESS: A CATEGORY ANALYSIS

Can Cate Blanchett outdo herself in the anticipated sequel to Elizabeth, The Golden Age?

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By Christopher Shappley

It is never too soon to begin talking about the next Oscar race, especially talk of a category that looks to be as competitive as any category of last year’s race. Female roles are looking to be very strong this year, but as of now there seems to be several that have a chance to become frontrunners. At this time in the race it is hard to tell who is going to be THE frontrunner so this will be an overview of the roles drawing the highest expectations.

The first, and these are in no specific order, is Angelina Jolie’s role as Marianne Pearl in the film, based on a true story, A Mighty Heart. She plays the wife of former Wall Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl who gets abducted by terrorists in the country of Pakistan. Jolie’s character then goes on her own quest to Pakistan to look for her husband. It’s a story where the female lead and her search seems to be the focus, giving Jolie the spotlight that she needs to be recognized, that is, as long as she can hold the dramatic subject well enough on her shoulders alone.

Then there is Cate Blanchett in the sequel to 1999’s Elizabeth The Golden Age. I feel that a nomination for Blanchett will be tricky only because this is a sequel. Her performance in Elizabeth was probably close to winning in 1999, but this will most likely give the voters the feeling of been-there-done-that. However, if she does pull off an even better performance in this installment then expect her to have a very good chance at another nomination.

Halle Berry may finally show us all again why she won that Oscar several years ago. Since her winning turn in Monster’s Ball she has made nothing but really bad career moves. From Catwoman to Gothika to Perfect Stranger, she has done nothing but make me wish the Academy would revoke her award and give it to Nicole Kidman (who really deserved it for Moulin Rouge!). But, if things go correctly, we may see Berry in another Oscar nominated role in the very dramatic Things We Lost in the Fire. Hopefully, after this performance we can all forgive her for torturing us with Catwoman.

Nicole Kidman turns to a comedy for her next performance in Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding. Baumbach’s previous work, The Squid and the Whale, failed to generate any nominations besides a screenplay nod, but if Kidman can prove to be funny after the horrendous remake of The Stepford Wives, the Academy may throw a nomination her way.

Norah Jones and Oscar never seemed like two things that would ever go together, but if she pulls off a good enough performance in My Blueberry Nights, she may become a Grammy and an Oscar winner. My Blueberry Nights has the pedigree for it to get recognized by the Academy, but with Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, and Oscar nominees Natalie Portman, Jude Law and David Strathairn in the cast as well, will she be able to stand out? It will be interesting to see how this one turns out to say the least.

Besides a recent recurring role in the television series Nip/Tuck and a supporting role in Venus last year, Vanessa Redgrave has been flying under the radar for the past several years by refraining from doing anything recognized by the Academy since she was last nominated in 1993 for Howard’s End. She won her first and only Oscar in 1977 for the supporting role in Julia. If she stands out among the rest of her cast, Meryl Streep especially, in Evening then she could get her first nomination in fourteen years. But, making herself look better than the exquisite Meryl Streep is no easy task.

However, I find it very difficult to write an article like this without at least mentioning Meryl Streep. Yes, she is in Evening, but if she were to get nominated (for a fifteenth time!) it will be for Lions for Lambs. The war drama stars Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep and Robert Redford (who also directs it). With talent like that involved it will be taken into account this coming Oscar season; it is just hard to say how much it will be taken into account.

Then there are other female actresses in the running as well. Naomi Watts deserved a nomination for King Kong so she is due, and it’s possible this year in the film Eastern Promises. Keri Russell pulled off a very solid performance in Waitress, but I don’t know if it was enough to be remembered come Oscar time. Julie Christie has received great reviews for her performance in Away From Her, but it’s a small film (It’s playing now) so it’s hard to know how much it will catch on with the academy.

Any way you look at it, this year’s lead actress race looks like it will be a strong one. With powerhouse actresses like Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett all going head to head, it will be an exciting race that will prove to be very close in the end...

What are your current Best Actress predictions?

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