The Oscars: Who is the favorite for Best Actor, Actress

This is part three in a series leading up to the Oscar telecast on March 7th.

Part I: Best Picture | Part II: Best Director| Part III: Best Actor/Actress

Best Actor Nominations

Jeff Bridges, “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney, “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth, “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman, “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner, “The Hurt Locker”

Plain and simple, this is a two man race. Although all of the above actors are worthy of their nominations, this race will come down to Jeff Bridges and George Clooney.

Bridges is one of my favorite actors. He is a veteran in Hollywood and is well liked among his peers and fans. Bridges won the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild awards for his performance as an aging country singer in “Crazy Heart”, and is considered the favorite by many.

In what some are saying is a career defining role, George Clooney plays a frequent flyer in “Up in the Air”. In a performance that wowed critics and fans alike, Clooney is poised to snagged another little gold man.

In what I found to be somewhat disturbing news, some critics and “experts” are suggesting Clooney’s Haiti relief work will be in the minds of voters, and could impact the outcome for the Oscar.

Impact the outcome. Really? Call me naive, but since when should earthquake relief efforts influence the voting for an Academy Award. I am not trying to be insensitive, but being in the public spotlight while raising money has nothing to do with on-screen performances.

And speaking of on-screen performances, has anyone ever been nominated for an Oscar and still underrated as much as Jeremy Renner. Renner, who played SFC William James in Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker”, was captivating.  It is really a shame that Renner is not getting more press for his breath taking performance. This will surely provide him with more opportunities in the near furture, and I am certain he will not disappoint.

There are five great nominees this year. The winner will be well deserving. If I had a vote, it would go to Bridges.

Best Actress Nominations

Sandra Bullock, “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren, “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan, “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
Meryl Streep, “Julie & Julia”

This race may be more wild open than the award for Best Actor. The sentimental favorite is obviously Sandra Bullock. With her heart warming performance in the true story adaption “The Blind Side”, Bullock is looking to to make a run to center stage at the Oscars.

“Julie & Julia” star Meryl Streep is hoping to end her Oscar drought (which is currently 11 nominations without a win). This could be the year, but it will be hard to over come the momentum Bullock is riding right now. Both Mirren and Mulligan were exceptional in their roles and could easily snag the Oscar. Newcomer Sidibe will be excited to be a part of the festivities and will get plenty of press for her role in “Precious”.

I consider Streep to be the front runner, and Mirren and Mulligan to be strong contenders. Then enter Bullock into the race as the wild card and this will be fun to watch unfold on Oscar night.

As Tom Brokaw said during the 2000 election coverage, this race is “too close to call”. But don’t be surprised if Streep is blind sided by Bullock on March 7th.