Best of the Best Actress Nominees for 2007

I first saw Marion Cotillard as Fanny Chenal in Ridley Scott's A Good Year with Russell Crowe. Her character was very formulaic, but I was still captivated by her charisma. She had beautiful eyes and sharp wit that got my tail wagging, so to speak. I didn't think much about her. In fact, when I had heard about Marion's win for Best Actress at the Golden Globes and then her Oscar nomination for the French film, La Vie En Rose, I didn't recognize the name. Out of curiosity, I rented the film at my local Blockbuster video and threw it into my DVD player. I almost immediately recognized her face.

Marion Cotillard was born on September 30th, 1975 in Paris. She would grow up in an artistically inclined household near Orleans, Loiret. Acting runs in her family. Not only is her father, Jean-Claude an actor but her mother, Niseema is as well. Both of her twin brothers, Quentin and Guillaume have taken two very different paths. One is a sculptor/painter in San Francisco while the other is writer.

I didn't know anything about Edith Piaf when I agreed to watch La Vie En Rose. I also didn't know that it was a foreign film, a fact I quickly discovered as I watched the subtitles streaming along the bottom and the top of the screen. It turns out that many facts in the movie are not distorted. The real Edith Piaf or should I say, Edith Giovanna Gassion was raised in a Normandy brothel. She had gone blind for a time. She did start singing on the streets with her father. Only, Edith wasn't 9 but she was 14 when she started. She did have a child. Edith did finally get off the streets when Louis Leplee discovered her and put her on stage. There are many other facts just as well documented in La Vie En Rose. Unfortunately, we can only imagine what the real Edith Piaf was like in person. She died on October 11, 1963. The great thing is Marion Cotillard performs the role of Edith Piaf just as well - if not better than we can imagine.

The lovely actress, Marion Cotillard began acting when she was a child. She appeared on stage in one of her father's plays. It wasn't until the late 1990s when Marion hit the big time. She got the role of Lili Bertineau in Luc Besson's 1998 production of Taxi. She came back to play the role in two sequels. Until she was cast as Josephine in Tim Burton's Big Fish, she was best known in France.

Cotillard delivers every line in La Vie En Rose with breath-taking believability. As Edith Piaf, she hits every mark like a pro and never stands out in the background. Her character is almost too well-realized. The film is almost entire dependent on her performance. We witness Edith's health decline and Cotillard becomes almost unrecognizable. Sure, this could be due to the extensive makeup or could it be the performance? Due to Edith's struggle with Jaundice, her body, her face,

Marion Cotillard is interested in environmental activism and has served as a spokesperson for Greenpeace. She also allowed the organisation to use her apartment to test products. She is a huge fan of Canadian singer, Hawksley Workman and starred in two of his music videos.everything about her seems to age more rapidly than usual. These changes are handled beautifully in Cotillard's performance.

I didn't know what to expect in Marion Cotillard or La Vie En Rose. But if this Cotillard receives the Academy Award for her amazing performance, it is surely deserved.

Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age

I said it before in My Review of Elizabeth: The Golden Age and I'll say it again, Cate Blanchett was born to play this role. I remember when I first saw her play Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth. I didn't know anything about this average-looking red-headed Australian actress, but I had heard so many rave reviews about her performance. Later, I would grow to resent the Academy Awards and the woman they gave the Best Actress statuette to, Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love. I didn't know what to expect when I rented Elizabeth but I sure wasn't disappointed. At first, the film itself seemed too brutal to enjoy, but I couldn't stop thinking about Cate's Elizabeth. She is the ultimate bell of the ball, so to speak. To watch her fragile, naive and innocent Elizabeth grow into the powerful, intelligent and strong Queen she was destined to be was captivating to say the least.

Cate Blanchett or should I say, Cate Elise Blanchett was born on May 14, 1969 in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, called Ivanhoe. Her mother was June, a property developer and teacher. Her father was a Texas-born United Navy Petty Officer. He died of a heart attack when Cate was 10 years old. Cate has an older brother, Bob and a younger sister, Genevieve. She describes her childhood behavior as "part extrovert, part wallflower".

As I said before, I was outraged that her performance as Queen Elizabeth didn't earn her an Academy Award. But that's all under the bridge now. We've seen her blossom in so many movies since, from goofy and fun films like Bandits with Bruce Willis to the award-winning Lord of the Rings Trilogy. She has proven to be an actress with a wide range of depth and ability. Cate puts off a strange charm that is unmistakable and certainly alluring. I can't help it, I like Cate Blanchett.

After graduating from the National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1992, Cate Blanchett got her first major stage role, starring opposite her Elizabeth co-star, Geoffrey Rush in the 1993 David Mamet play, Oleanna. She played Ophelia in the Company B production of Hamlet, again, starring Geoffrey Rush. Then Cate starred in Heartland and Bordertown, two mini-series. Finally, Cate made her international film debut in Paradise Road with Glenn Close and Francis McDormand, playing an Australian nurse who gets captured by the Japanese.

I was rooting for Cate Blanchett a couple of years ago when she got the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role as Hollywood legend, Kathryn Hepburn in Aviatar. You can forget about all of the other nominees that year. Cate Blanchett getting her first Oscar statue was a long time in coming. Her performances have never melted into the background. She's always stood out among equally great performances.

Cate Blanchett has three children. After living in England for the better part of the 2000s, Cate and her husband, Andrew Upton moved back to their native Australia. Cate Blanchett hasn't been much of an activist. But she did support a web-based campaign at whoonearthcares.com, where they have urged people to speak out on the climate change in Australia.

Cate's role as Queen Elizabeth has earned her a second chance to win the ultimate prize in the acting category. And let's just say, I've got my fingers crossed.

Ellen Page as Juno MacGuff in Juno

The first time I laid eyes on this young and talented actress was in X-Men: The Last Stand. She was playing Kitty Pryde or the 'girl that walk through walls'. Among more well-known faces and characters, this strong-minded young woman stood on her own two feet. Ellen Page was playing a superior and a very believable one at that.

Ellen Philpotts-Page was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her mother, Martha is a teacher. Her father, Dennis is a graphic designer. Page grew up as a tomboy. Then when Ellen turned 10 years old, she first appeared in a telefilm, called Pity Pony, which would later turn into a television series.

After X-Men, I didn't see a lot of Ellen Page. I really liked her stamina and charisma as Kitty Pryde. She showed a maturity level that is not commonly seen in a girl of her generation. This was later confirmed when I saw her on a promotional interview for Juno. Ellen was acting 10 years older than she actually is. She never allowed herself to enjoy anything about the interview. Page even went on to say that she's not going to reap the benefits of her success. This was unbelievable coming from someone her age. I'm only a few years older and I would be trying to have the time of my life if I was nominated for one of the Academy's top prizes.

After Pity Pony, Ellen Page went on to greater success at 16 years old, starring in the independent film, Mouth to Mouth. But her real breakout performance was in the 2005 film, Hard Candy. Some actually referred to her performance as "one of the most complex, disturbing and haunting" of the year. Page has also been called "frighteningly talented".

All of this praise doesn't seem to make much of a difference to Ellen. Perhaps this fine young woman cares more about perfecting her talent than doing backflips because of a few positive reviews. She certainly displayed a new level of ability when she took on the role of the trouble teen in casual jeans and black T-shirt that is Juno. The superhero in X-Men was no more. Page completely emmersed herself in the role, successfully transforming herself once again. Whether or not Ellen wins the Oscar this year or not, she has the makings of a very versatile and talented actor.