Oscars 2014: Best Supporting Actress

Hello, Bloggers, since I just discussed the other three acting categories, I will now go into the nominees for Best Supporting Actress. Here we go:

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine: Ever since I saw Blue Jasmine, I was crossing my fingers her name would be announced on nomination day, and her name was. Whether or not she has a shot at winning remains to be seen, but I feel she might have a shot at winning the BAFTA Award. But while I'm sure most people haven't really heard of her, I wouldn't say she's really a Hollywood outsider since back in 2009, she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress- Musical or Comedy for her role in Happy-Go-Lucky. Whether she has a chance at pulling an upset remains to be seen, but I can just take a sigh of relief that she is in the final five.

Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle: Already after scoring her first Oscar last year, Hollywood's favorite new movie star has scored her 3rd nomination and first for Best Supporting Actress. With her third nomination, she has become the youngest actress to score 3 nominations and I feel the Academy might think that is enough of a reward and wait to give her a 2nd Oscar later down the line because I could foresee her coming back to the ceremony again.

Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years A Slave:  How about that? She landed a role in a film opposite Brad Pitt after graduating from the Yale School of Drama and now she is an Oscar nominee. She has plenty of momentum to win with a Critics' Choice and SAG award on her mantle. But of course, Sally Hawkins or another actress could pull off an upset, and who knows if the Academy would be reluctant to give her an Oscar for her debut performance. Even if she doesn't win, then let's hope the future for this true discovery is bright.

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County: While Jennifer Lawrence may be the favorite movie star of today, she is up against the box office queen of the 90's: Julia Roberts. This is Roberts' first nomination since her Best Actress win back in 2001 for her role in Erin Brockovich, and 4th nomination overall. I'm sure one thing that helped her getting nominated is her willingness to de- glamorize herself and the Academy loves it when movie stars reinvent themselves. Whether she has a shot at a win remains to be seen due to her film being somewhat overlooked and because she is the only other nominee in this category that has won before.

June Squibb, Nebraska: Now onto a much older veteran performer, Ms. June Squibb. This is her first nomination at the age of 84 and that makes her very dangerous in this category. As I tend to say, in the Oscar race, sentimentality is dangerous. The Academy does have a tendency to give older performers an Oscar because it could be their last chance, so like with her Nebraska co-star Bruce Dern, Squibb could benefit from Academy voters thinking "It's time" and award her in case she doesn't have any more opportunities to win in the future.

So, those are this year's nominees for Best Supporting Actress. Feel free to write down who you think deserves to win and even write down who you would've nominated. Since I just covered the acting categories, next I will do Best Director and Best Picture. Thanks for reading!