* April Fools Day Predictions * Previous April Fools scores in this category:
2003: (1 for 5) Dickens, Hunter, Leigh, Watts, Winslet
2002: ( 3 for 5) Bates, Davis, Latifah, Moore, Zellweger
2001: (0 for 5) Arquette, Blanchett, Davis, Wiest, Woof

April Fool's Predictions for Best Supporting Actress and why I chose them...
Cate Blanchett THE AVIATOR / THE LIFE AQUATIC 1 nomination	Laura Linney KINSEY 1 nomination	Bette Midler THE STEPFORD WIVES 2 nominations	Sissy Spacek A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD 6 noms / 1 win	Tea Leoni SPANGLISH never nominated
Every year Cate seems like a sure thing a year in advance. She's always superb. The question is are these two roles large enough to go lead or are they small enough (but still large) given that both films have giant casts. I'm betting she goes for both categories.	For subject matter reasons I don't expect this film to catch on (that's a shame) but the actors could be noticed. And Linney is expert. What will she do with the wife of a famed sex researcher? We'll see. But she's bound to have a second nom' soon.	Wouldn't it be a hoot if Bette Midler stole the show here and returned to Oscar nomination glory in a comic role?! From plot descriptions her role is fairly large. It's my wishful thinking pick... to see the Divine Miss M in top form again.	Spacek resurged as an acclaimed actor with In The Bedroom and here she has another great maternal role. If she has good chemistry with unknown Dallas Roberts (playing her son) and the adaptation focuses enough on her, she could be in the shortlist.	James L Brooks has a magical way with the Academy members. So I expect someone from this film to get some sort of attention --even if the shortlist doesn't happen. Will it be Tea, long adored in some circles and ignored elsewhere, or someone unknown?

Six Alternates: I was tempted to throw these in and everyone is just at likely from a distance (the reasons why I think they could be real candidates listed below)
Meryl Streep THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE 13 nominations / 2 wins	Natalie Portman CLOSER never nominated	Cecilia Suarez SPANGLISH never nominated	Catherine Zeta-Jones THE TERMINAL 1 nom / 1 win	Angelina Jolie ALEXANDER 1 nom / 1 win	Minnie Driver THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1 nomination
Remakes are not often greeted with love by Oscar. But you never know. If anyone can surmount the obstacle of being compared to an original cast member of a classic, it's probably Meryl Streep... the one and only. Great role. (Also could go lead)	She proved with Cold Mountain that the stinky Star Wars episodes did not actually destroy her once eye opening talent. Perhaps when she is completely rid of them she can nab her first nomination? Or maybe she'll have to atone for them somehow.	I know next to nothing about her role but it is a James L Brooks production and the synopsis does suggest that the film actually isn't about Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni (the top billed stars) -Unknowns sometimes rise up.	If she's playing a love interest to an Oscar- seeking Tom Hanks in a Spielberg film there is hope for a second nomination. But then again, Helen Hunt crashed and burned in the 'Hanks love interest Oscar-seeking' realm.	This once very exciting star has squandered just about all her early good will potential on truly crap films. A return to a showcase role in a film by an A list director could help people forgive her for Lara Croft, Life of Something Like It, etc...	The cast of this could go either way production is interesting. The role of Carlotta was Tony nominated in the stage production. Could Driver's take on the same role also reap awards attention? Driver's career has been uneven but you never know.

The Other Possibly Supporting Ladies of the Year. Before We See a Frame of Film, Everyone is a Possibility. Especially in Supporting when buzz only ever emerges close to the film's opening...
Daryl Hannah KILL BILL, Volume 2 never nominated	Judy Davis SWIMMING UPSTREAM 2 nominations	Keira Knightley KING ARTHUR never nominated	Kate Winslet ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES / ETERNAL SUNSHINE 3 nominations	Ashley Judd DE-LOVELY never nominated
Jena Malone ROSE AND THE SNAKE never nominated	Catherine Keener ROSE AND THE SNAKE 1 nomination	Anne Bancroft SPANGLISH noms / 1 win	Patricia Clarkson DOGVILLE / THE WOODS 1 nomination	Caroline O Connor DE-LOVELY never nominated
Rebecca Romijn Stamos GODSEND never nominated	Julie Christie JM BARRIE'S NEVERLAND never nominated	Evan Rachel Wood THE UPSIDE OF ANGER never nominated	Monica Bellucci THE BROTHERS GRIMM / THE PASSION never nominated	Lauren Bacall DOGVILLE / BIRTH 1 nomination
Joan Allen THE NOTEBOOK 3 nominations	Scarlett Johansson A GOOD WOMAN never nominated	Claire Danes STAGE BEAUTY never nominated	Emily Mortimer YOUNG ADAM never nominated	Romola Garai VANITY FAIR never nominated
Rachel McAdams THE NOTEBOOK never nominated	Jane Krakowski ALFIE never nominated	Sandra Bullock CRASH never nominated	Kelly Macdonald JM BARRIE'S NEVERLAND never nominated	Radha Mitchell JM BARRIE'S NEVERLAND never nominated
Carrie Anne-Moss SUSPECT ZERO never nominated	Vanessa Redgrave JM BARRIE'S NEVERLAND never nominated	Gena Rowlands THE NOTEBOOK nominations	Susan Sarandon ROMANCE & CIGARETTES / ALFIE 5 noms / 1 win	Zoe Tapper STAGE BEAUTY never nominated
Anjelica Huston THE LIFE AQUATIC 2 noms / 1 win	Paz Vega SPANGLISH never nominated	Anne Heche BIRTH never nominated	Mimi Rogers THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR never nominated	Miranda Richardson THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 2 nominations
Diane Kruger TROY never nominated	Naomi Watts I HEART HUCKABEES / WE DON'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE 1 nomination	Alfre Woodard THE FORGOTTEN 1 nomination	Lily Tomlin I HEART HUCKABEES never nominated	Marisa Tomei ALFIE 2 nominations / 1 win
Judy Greer THE VILLAGE never nominated	Bryce Dallas Howard THE VILLAGE never nominated	Sigourney Weaver THE VILLAGE 3 nominations	Isabelle Huppert I HEART HUCKABEES never nominated	Cecilia Suarez SPANGLISH never nominated

Last Year's Race