Fighter, Michael Douglas Punch Back in Latest Edition of Oscar Index

The Leading 5:

1. Natalie Portman, Black Swan

2. Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

3. Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right

4. Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone

5. Sally Hawkins, Made in Dagenham

Outsiders: Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine; Diane Lane, Secretariat; Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole; Anne Hathaway, Love and Other Drugs; Lesley Manville, Another Year; Naomi Watts, Fair Game

Notes: Not a lot going on here, honestly, with the notable exception of Lawrence's Gotham buzz and the slow smothering of goodwill toward Diane Lane and Secretariat. For reasons that are (to me) vague at best, Nicole Kidman's profile has grown once more for Rabbit Hole; I'll give her backers the benefit of the doubt until the reality of her good-but-not-great performance sinks in this December.

The Leading 5:

1. Colin Firth, The King's Speech

2. James Franco, 127 Hours

3. Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

4. Javier Bardem, Biutiful

5. Mark Wahlberg, The Fighter

Outsiders: Jeff Bridges, True Grit; Ryan Gosling, Blue Valentine; Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version; Robert Duvall, Get Low;

Notes: Rob Riggle may be a fan of Jesse Eisenberg's, but the Social Network star will need a little sturdier push than that to keep pace with Franco and Firth and -- eventually -- Bardem. Of the three latter actors, Bardem had the best week as his latest Biutiful trailer finally surfaced online, showcasing as much of his extraordinary performance as a sliver of marketing can. He will most definitely be back. Watch out for Wahlberg as well (the Academy loves boxers), and don't count out Giamatti, who excels in Barney's Version and could be Sony Pictures Classics' wild card as Robert Duvall falls off the pace.

Pages: 1 2 3