Best Actress

The Nominees:

Sandra Bullock: "The Blind Side"

Helen Mirren: "The Last Station"

Carey Mulligan: "An Education"

Gabourey Sidibe: "Precious"

Meryl Streep: "Julie and Julia"

WHO SHOULD WIN:

Raj Ranade: Charlotte Gainsbourg in "Antichrist"

The definition of a fearless performance: Gainsbourg takes her character to shockingly dark and absurdly over-the-top places but still manages to generate considerable pathos.

Adam Tanaka: Carey Mulligan

When I watched "An Education," I was 30,000 feet in the air and hadn't slept in 24 hours. And, against the odds, I was enthralled. In most movies about high schoolers, it's hard to forget how old the actors look, but 24-year-old Mulligan was perfectly cast. A beautiful performance in a wonderfully down-to-earth movie.

Mike Vinson: Tilda Swinton

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Everyone ignored Tilda Swinton's tour-de-force as an alcoholic child-kidnapper at the center of a twisted noir plot. No one this year was quite as good at geting across conniving scumbag sleaze.

Sean Wu: Carey Mulligan

Meryl Streep was great as ever, and Sandra Bullock finally won over the critics. However, Carey Mulligan delivered the performance of the year as a girl on the edge of womanhood. And she's got an uncanny resemblance to Audrey Hepburn. Come on, Academy!

WHO WILL WIN: Sandra Bullock

Bullock's a movie star, and an actress who's brought in a lot of money in a difficult time - like with "The Proposal" this year, which was a huge surprise hit. When they can pretend there's critical buzz about a performance, they like to reward their own. (-RR)