10 Best Supporting Actress Performances Missing from the 82nd Annual Academy Award Nominations

Based on two spectacular, back-to-back wins at the Golden Globes and the 16^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, Mo'Nique now owns the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in "Precious." Besides Mo'Nique's portrayal of what has been called "the worst mother in the world," 2009 also featured other outstanding supporting performances by these top-notch actresses:

Zoe Saldana ("Avatar"): Because she appears only in the animated sequences, it is all too easy to overlook Zoe Saldana's performance in "Avatar" for Academy Award consideration. As Neytiri, a fierce warrior woman, Saldana is one of the essential reasons that "Avatar" has become a world-wide sensation. Creating a memorable character while wired up in a motion-capture suit takes talent, and Saldana definitely deserves an award for her hard work in "Avatar"

Sigourney Weaver ("Avatar"): Unlike Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver had to do double-duty as Dr. Grace Augustine in "Avatar." A dedicated scientist and researcher, Dr. Augustine heads up the Avatar program on the moon known as Pandora, and her work requires her to "pilot" a giant body made of DNA from her own body and that of the native people known as Na'vi. Weaver is a tough taskmaster with her Avatar pilots, and she especially doesn't like the fact that her bosses force her to take a non-scientist into the program.

Carla Gugino ("The Watchmen"): One reason it took 25 years to bring "The Watchmen" to the big screen was the difficulty in casting the lead roles. Although she would not have been my first choice, Carla Gugino now owns the role of Sally Jupiter, an aging hero known as the Silk Spectre. Gugino's role in "The Watchmen" required her to play Sally Jupiter as both a young, sexy heroine and an elderly woman with some dark secrets.

Zoe Saldana ("Star Trek"): 2009 definitely was Sandra Bullock's year, but Zoe Saldana wasn't very far behind her in terms of quality roles. Before she won hearts as the fearless Neytiri in "Avatar," Saldana played Nyoto Uhura in J.J. Abrams reimagined version of "Star Trek." Unlike Nichelle Nichols early portrayal of the character, this Uhura won't take any guff from Captain Kirk, and she also finds a way into Mr. Spock's very logical heart.

Amy Adams ("Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian"): In just under a decade, Amy Adams has emerged as one of the leading actresses of this generation. In "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," a somewhat uninspired sequel to the popular 2006 family comedy, Adams is in top form as a statue of Amelia Earhart. After she comes to life thanks to a magical tablet, Adams' Earhart is more than a match for star Ben Stiller.

Betty White ("The Proposal"): Anyone who witnessed Sandra Bullock's good-natured bantering with Betty White at the 16^th Annual Screen Actors Awards could see the mutual respect that these two fine comedic actresses have for each other. White is a living legend that gets better with each passing year (who else could have gotten away with feeling up Sandra Bullock in "The Proposal"?).

Melanie Laurent ("Inglorious Basterds"): Christoph Waltz is getting all the Oscar buzz for his portrayal of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa during "Inglourious Basterds," but Melanie Laurent's character Shoshanna Dreyfus was born in the fires of Landa's evil. After watching her family brutally murdered by Landa and his soldiers, Shoshanna spent years planning her revenge, and Melanie Laurent brings that intense thirst for justice to life in "Inglourious Basterds."

Marcia Gay Harden ("Whip It"): Drew Barrymore's directorial debut may have been a cinematic wipeout, but Marcia Gay Harden still turned in a fine performance in "Whip It." Playing the very proper mother of a wannabe roller derby star, Harden shows the nightmarish side of beauty pageants and stage mothers.

Thandie Newton ("2012"): "2012" may have merely been two hours of people running from collapsing highways and buildings, but Thandie Newton stood out in a large, ensemble cast. Playing Laura Wilson, the daughter of the President, Newton brings a dignity and honor to a role that could have been thankless for the actress.

Marion Cotillard ("Nine"): In any other year, Marion Cotillard would have earned at least an Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in "Nine," but her name was conspicuously absent when the names were read on February 2, 2010. As the long-suffering wife of a legendary movie director, Cotillard is nothing short of brilliant.