83rd Academy Awards: Best Actress Nominations & Predictions

Oscar is rolling out the red carpet February 27, 2011 for the Academy Awards Ceremony. Here's a little teaser of the Best Actress nominations with my own attempt at a prediction.

The luminary Annette Bening is nominated for her role as Nic in Lisa Cholodenko's "The Kids Are All Right." Bening has been passed up on 3 Oscar nominations, including one for Best Supporting Actress in "The Grifters", Best Actress in "American Beauty" and the again for Best Actress in "Being Julia."

Nicole Kidman is nominated again for her emotionally riveting role as Becca Corbett in John Cameron Mitchell's "Rabbit Hole", which Kidman also produced. She was first nominated for an Best Actress Oscar with "Moulin Rouge!" and then won the following year for her role in Stephen Daldry's adaptation of "The Hours."

21 year old Jennifer Lawrence receives her first Oscar nomination for her critically acclaimed role as Ree Dolly in Debra Granik's "Winter's Bone." Her role and the film have become a critics darling topping several best of 2010 lists, not to mention numerous Critics nominations for Best Actress.

Natalie Portman upgrades her past Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress to a nomination for Best Actress as Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." Her first nomination was for her supporting role in the Mike Nichols directed "Closer."

Michelle Williams also gets upgraded to a Best Actress nomination for "Blue Valentine" from her Best Supporting Actress nomination in Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain." Her recent Oscar nomination is the only one for Derek Cianfrance's emotionally charged "Blue Valentine."

Prediction: The Best Actress Oscar usually goes to a leading lady with power, think Katherine Hepburn or Hillary Swank. In that case the award should go to Jennifer Lawrence, but will the Academy overlook Annette Bening again? Kidman, Portman and Williams all portray roles where women fall to pieces and pick them up in ways that are poetic, not triumphant. Lawrence's role also leans towards this type of role, so it seems Bening's performance carries the full range to stand out amongst a bright rooster of nominees. Looks like Bening will finally hook up with Oscar, unless the critics prevail in championing Jennifer Lawrence.

Who do you think will win Best Actress? Play Pickem at Yahoo! Movies.