The nominees: Sizing up the Best Actress and Actor in a Leading Role contenders

It is frankly hard not to pull for Hugh Jackman. As Jean Valjean he left everything on the stage, or in this case, the screen. He was an engaging and at times heartbreaking anchor for the sweeping musical epic that is “Les Miserables”.Unfortunately for Mr. Jackman, the lukewarm reception of the nonetheless Best Picture nominated film, put him well out of contention with the presumed front-runners.Daniel Day-Lewis frequently allows years to elapse between his on screen roles (prior to “Lincoln” we last saw him in 2009’s “Nine”), and yet, he always proves to be worth the wait.Day-Lewis has previously won two Best Actor Oscars for “There Will Be Blood” and “My Left Foot” and was nominated in the same category for his turns in “Gangs of New York” and “In the Name of the Father”. Come Sunday, it is odds on he will take home win number three for his seamless performance as Abraham Lincoln.Up until teaming with David O. Russell, Bradley Cooper was seen almost exclusively in comedies. He made a decent foray into the thriller realm with “Limitless”, but his only notable appearance in a drama prior to “Silver Linings Playbook” was in the regrettable and overreaching “The Words”. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to see Cooper in a drama that actually works where he was allowed to test his mettle.Cooper goes toe-to-toe with a stellar cast top to bottom and manages not to get lost. As Pat, he is at once vulnerability, inaccessibility, charm, frustration, confusion and clarity. In a year that didn’t see Daniel Day-Lewis transform into our nation’s most revered president, Cooper would have been a strong front-runner. As it is, he’ll have to settle for second place.Up next we’ll see Cooper in Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines”, the fantastic looking follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Blue Valentine”.View the list »
Jennifer Lawrence in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

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For 10 of the best in the business, the months of speculation and debate around them are drawing to a close. After all of the pomp, circumstance, glitz and glamour plays out on Sunday night, only two among them will walk away with Oscar gold, and the phrase “Academy Award Winner” indelibly added to the front of their names.

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As for everyone else, well they’ll always have the honor of the recognition, and the compliments the victors are bound to toss out. Oh, and rumor has it they’ll get a $45,000 consolation goodie bag, so there’s that.

Our hats go off and our hearts go out to Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Naomi Watts, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhané Wallis, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Denzel Washington, Hugh Jackman and even that surly Joaquin Phoenix for entertaining us all in magnificent fashion.

Read on for more details on each of the nominees and to see what we think their chances are.

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  • Up until teaming with David O. Russell, Bradley Cooper was seen almost exclusively in comedies. He made a decent foray into the thriller realm with “Limitless”, but his only notable appearance in a drama prior to “Silver Linings Playbook” was in the regrettable and overreaching “The Words”. It was a pleasant surprise, then, to see Cooper in a drama that actually works where he was allowed to test his mettle.Cooper goes toe-to-toe with a stellar cast top to bottom and manages not to get lost. As Pat, he is at once vulnerability, inaccessibility, charm, frustration, confusion and clarity. In a year that didn’t see Daniel Day-Lewis transform into our nation’s most revered president, Cooper would have been a strong front-runner. As it is, he’ll have to settle for second place.Up next we’ll see Cooper in Derek Cianfrance’s “The Place Beyond the Pines”, the fantastic looking follow-up to the critically acclaimed “Blue Valentine”.
  • Daniel Day-Lewis frequently allows years to elapse between his on screen roles (prior to “Lincoln” we last saw him in 2009’s “Nine”), and yet, he always proves to be worth the wait.Day-Lewis has previously won two Best Actor Oscars for “There Will Be Blood” and “My Left Foot” and was nominated in the same category for his turns in “Gangs of New York” and “In the Name of the Father”. Come Sunday, it is odds on he will take home win number three for his seamless performance as Abraham Lincoln.
  • It is frankly hard not to pull for Hugh Jackman. As Jean Valjean he left everything on the stage, or in this case, the screen. He was an engaging and at times heartbreaking anchor for the sweeping musical epic that is “Les Miserables”.Unfortunately for Mr. Jackman, the lukewarm reception of the nonetheless Best Picture nominated film, put him well out of contention with the presumed front-runners.
  • Joaquin Phoenix may like to be dismissive of the Academy and their awards, but he has captured two previous acting nominations--one each for leading and supporting work. His turn as an unsettled Naval veteran pulled in by a charismatic church leader has earned him plenty of high praise, but doesn’t look to be the role to win him Oscar gold...not that he cares.
  • Denzel Washington is already the owner of two Oscars, one for his supporting role in “Glory”, and one for his dominating lead performance in “Training Day”. He was also nominated for three additional roles, before being named as a Best Actor nominee for “Flight”.Washington is a member of an elite class of actors in Hollywood that are rarely anything less than fantastic, but his chances of walking away victorious this go round are narrow.
  • Jessica Chastain is nothing short of a powerhouse, and anyone who says otherwise is just jealous. As Maya in “Zero Dark Thirty” she was unflinching and spellbinding. In fact, it can be easily argued that it was the role of a lifetime--Chastain is consistently electrifying and will continue to be throughout her career, but it’s not everyday that one gets to portray such a character.As was expertly articulated by Cinema Blend’s Kristy Puchko, this was not a role, (nor, indeed, is “Zero Dark Thirty” a film), that needs accolades to take its place in film history, and that’s a comforting truth. As great as Chastain was, it seems that Jennifer Lawrence (her only real competition) will come out ahead in what has been a long, and close, race.
  • Even before the nominations were announced the Best Actress in a Leading Role category came down to two ingenues, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence. If Chastain had the slight edge when the nominations were initially announced, all of that momentum and then some has swung back in Lawrence’s direction.Lawrence delivered the best out of a host of great performances in the unlikely triumph that is “Silver Linings Playbook”, and is every bit as worthy of the win as Chastain. All signs point to Lawrence taking home her first Oscar win off of her second nomination, and this before she even turns 23.Lawrence will reunite with “Silver Linings” co-star Bradley Cooper, and director, David O. Russell in O. Russell’s as yet untitled project about the FBI’s Abscam sting. She is also rumored to be attached to the O. Russell project that is to follow 2014’s Abscam movie. Cooper and Lawrence will also reunite in “Serena”, which is set for a September release.
  • Emmanuelle Riva will be celebrating her 86th birthday on Oscar night. Her nomination at age 85 made her the oldest Best Actress nominee in Oscar’s 85 year history. Earlier this year she took home the Best Actress BAFTA for her work in “Amour”, beating out favorite Jennifer Lawrence for the British equivalent of the Academy Awards.While she is a long shot for a win, her work in “Amour” has given Riva more nominations and wins than all of her earlier catalogue combined--and that is saying something when considering a career that spans back to 1957.
  • On the other end of the age spectrum is Quvenzhané Wallis. At 9 years old, she is the youngest ever to be nominated in the Best Actress category. As a firecracker of a young girl in “Beasts of the Southern Wild” the weight of the film fell largely on her shoulders.
  • Had “The Impossible” generated more attention, it’s possible that Naomi Watts would have been a strong contender, but as it is, she have to settle for the nomination and endless praise from those who have seen her incredible performance as a mother desperately trying to keep her youngest child safe and reunite with her husband and first born in the midst of the massive tsunami that hit Southeast Asia in 2004.
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, Pop Culture Examiner

Brooke has often been called an encyclopedia of useless trivia. She wouldn't have it any other way.

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