BEST ACTRESS

Best Actress is going to be an interesting battle, more so because there is one spot that no one can agree upon. Below are my predictions and commentary:

• Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side"
• Helen Mirren in "The Last Station"
• Carey Mulligan in "An Education"
• Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Saphire"
• Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"

It can be agreed upon that Bullock, Mulligan, Sidibe and Streep are all locks. All have strong critic support and plenty of precursor attention. Sandra Bullock has had a huge year with the success of "The Proposal" as well, earning her the infamous kudo from Entertainment Weekly as "Entertainer of the Year". Though her performance in the football drama "The Blind Side" is critically divided, there's no doubt that the film is on its way to making more then $200 million domestically, a HUGE deal for a female driven drama. On top of that, Bullock has been working in Hollywood for more then 15 years and has never been nominated. That's saying a lot for an actress who kept the ball rolling in "Speed" (we know Reeves wasn't making us care), charmed us in "While You Were Sleeping", and made us look at her with more serious notion when she played a self-absorbed pain in "Crash".

Mulligan has the National Board of Review award, and has implemented herself as the "new dewy young thing" for moviegoers, and it helps she's in her early twenties and British. They love their British gals. Whether she beats Bullock at the Golden Globes is another battle.

Sidibe may be coming up short in critic awards (Las Vegas doesn't count), but there's no denying that she is acing the precursor nominations (Globe & SAG remembered her), and is in a Best Picture frontrunner ("Precious" will make the cut in February). Also her screen debut, let me tell you, is incredible and she comes off naturally brilliant. In.

Finally Meryl Streep will land her 16th nomination for playing famous chef Julia Child in the hit "Julie & Julia". She has received the best reviews by a lead female actress this year. Despite naysayers saying it's too light to win, she is long overdue for a third trophy. Her New York Film Critics award for best actress bodes well for her chances, and if she wins the Comedy/Musical Globe in two weeks, they skyrocket. Her main hurdle is Bullock, not Mulligan. Bullock has a strong publicity market going for her. More on this soon!

Mirren is the fifth spot. Her possible rivals to unseat her are:

Emily Blunt in "The Young Victoria" (Globe nominee, but lack of support for movie makes her chances grim. No SAG nod)

Marion Cotillard in "Nine" (Globe nominee, but her category confusion (she's being pushed for lead) will cause her to lose votes to Penelope Cruz. "Nine" sucks big time.

Tilda Swinton in "Julia" (Runner-up precusors, and possible National Society of Film Critics winner but no one has seen the film and its too quirky).

PREDICTED WINNER: Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia"