Remember, everyone, these predictions are very early, so don't be afraid you'll be held to them. (unless the word lock is used
) These are only fun when everybody plays!
Demi Moore - Bobby has got to get some acting love, and the Supporting categories seem like the most likely place for that to happen, since the cast is large and a lead actor may not get enough time to chew up scenes. Emilio Estevez wrote and Directed Bobby, and with his long standing friendship with Moore (they used to date 20 years ago and were engaged at one time), it's very possible that he wrote the part with Moore (who has never been nominated...) and the Oscars in mind. He even finally got to marry her, as she plays his wife in the film. Also on Moore's side, is that she plays an alcoholic (mimicking Moore's own past problems with addictions), and it's a "comeback" performance, and if there is one thing Hollywood loves, it's a good comeback story.
Diane Lane - I'll go as far as calling her a lock for a nomination for her performance in Hollywoodland, and she just might be the one to win the thing. A well liked and well respected actress within the industry, Lane seems to have tackled a role that has all the ingredients for success. She plays a real life (and tragic) figure from Hollywood's past (yes, Toni Mannix really existed), she apparently ages and becomes unattractive, and she's getting rave reviews across the board. To me, that spells L.O.C.K.
Jennifer Hudson - While I don't expect Dreamgirls to be standing when it's all over (this year's Memoirs of a Geisha, Jarhead, and *gulp* King Kong (heh!)) it's hard not to recognize what it takes to pull off a performance that requires much more than just acting. This is why I believe Hudson will get a nomination. (and Murphy very well could win!) I don't believe Hudson will win, but the nomination will be enough to give her a strong career boost, and that's a reward in itself.
Natalie Portman has become a Hollywood darling, of sorts, and Goya's Ghosts seems like a logical choice for her to get a follow-up nomination to the Supporting nomination she received a few years back for Closer. Plus, her V for Vendetta performance definitely won't be a handicap.
If Meryl Streep goes "supporting" for The Devil Wears Prada, she obviously gets this last spot, and I think that is how she should go, but if not...
Abigail Breslin - Yes, I said it! She gave a powerhouse performance in Little Miss Sunshine alongside some very accomplished actors. Cute and adorable (God, I just wanted to hug her and protect her), and she was able to bring an emotional depth to the performance that's going to be very hard to bypass. It's been awhile since a child actor has received such attention at the Oscars, and this could well be the year.
She hasn't acted in anything and there's nothing to show that she can. Catherine Zeta Jones was already an established actress when she won for Chicago.