The Best Supporting Actress category is slowly beginning to take shape after the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced.
The first lock is undoubtedly Lupita Nyong'o for her performance in "12 Years a Slave." The young star is racking up the critics' circle awards and with her film currently being hailed as the front-runner, it is unlikely she will not get nominated.
The other lock is Jennifer Lawrence. Her film "American Hustle" has become the critics' darling and has been nominated for every award. Lawrence has already been nominated for the Golden Globes and SAG and she is also coming off a win for her role in "Silver Linings Playbook," making her a current favorite of the Academy.
June Squibb is also making waves for her role in "Nebraska." She won the Boston Film Critics and has also been nominated for the above awards. Additionally, "Nebraska" is a lock for Best Picture and the Academy loves Alexander Payne movies.
Julia Roberts was missing in action for her performance in "August: Osage County" after losing many critics' circle awards but she came back onto the radar when the SAG and Golden Globes nominated her. Roberts has not been nominated for an Academy Award since 2000 when she won for Erin Brockovich. With the Weinstein Company campaigning for her, she seems like a lock.
The last spot will be disputed by a number of actresses. Oprah Winfrey was once touted as the front-runner and winner of the category for her work in "Lee Daniel's The Butler." However, she has been surprisingly absent from critics' circles and from the Golden Globes. Additionally, "The Butler" has also been absent, making her performance a long-shot at the moment.
Octavia Spencer was also once considered a lock for the category for her performance in "Fruitvale Station." However, the film has lost steam and as a result the attention on Spencer's performance is lacking.
The contender who surprised at the Golden Globes was Sally Hawkins. Her performance in "Blue Jasmine" was being overlooked because of Cate Blanchett but the Globe nomination could be a huge boost to her campaign.
The remaining contenders are Lea Seydoux for "Blue is the Warmest Color" and Scarlet Johansson for "Her." However, the support is not strong for these performances and they still look like long-shots.
