by Nathaniel R
Sophia Loren with her son, director Edoardo Ponti
We try to save the best for last. We know where our bread is buttered. Or, rather, what kind of bread we like in the first place, and which buttery spread is the perfect topper. Which brings us to BEST ACTRESS...
We only have one sure thing this year, in that the film has been frequently screened and everyone loves it and raves about its leading lady who is already a two-time Oscar winner. That'd be Frances McDormand in Nomadland. We don't, at this writing, think she'll win. But that's another topic. At this point in each year we prefer to stick to guesswork about who might secure nominations. Normally in October we'd have a better idea about the rest of the Best Actress list but this year is still young if you think about it since there have been so few movies released and December isn't the stopping point this season for releases since eligibility will run through the end of February.
But Viola Davis is a good bet (August Wilson projects are kind to her, and vice versa) for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, as is Kate Winslet in Ammonite (already screened and well regarded). That makes three women who feel very likely if not locked up.
That theoretically leaves two spots open for the free-for-all competition. Will it be Sophia Loren in a new version of a story Oscar has liked before? Andra Day and/or Jennifer Hudson in biopics about iconic singers, Billie Holliday and Aretha Franklin respectively ? Michelle Pfeiffer in the eccentric French Exit? Or someone else entirely?
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