You can bet on Sandra Bullock

It's going to be a tough call at the Oscars this year, at least in the Best Actress category. Hollywood's favourite girl-next-door, Sandra Bullock is running a tight race with critically acclaimed actress Meryl Streep. Also on the list are British actress Carey Mulligan, veteran Helen Mirren and newcomer Gabourey Sidibe.

Many say that while Streep always has and always will continue to give award-winning performances, this may be Bullock's first (and last) chance at Oscar glory.

Despite her movies being a commercial success, the Miss Congeniality star hasn't taken on too many serious roles and while she's impressively strong in The Blind Side, the odds are that Sandy's goody-two-shoes persona could help her get the votes.

However, there's also a fairly good chance that newcomer Gabourey Sidibe will prove stronger than all these Hollywood divas and walk away with the little golden man. If Justin Timberlake doesn't act on her plea to escort her to the Academy Awards, Gaby will surely have the last laugh if her performance is precious enough to win the award.

Here are our predictions for Best Actress In A Leading Role category

Sandra Bullock

Movie The Blind Side
About The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatised boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a compassionate woman and her family.
Past Oscar glory None
Likelihood of winning 65 per cent

Did you know? Sandra is the first actress to have been nominated for both a Best Actress Oscar and Worst Actress Razzie for the same role.

Meryl Streep

Movie Julie & Julia
About Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.
Past Oscar glory 15 Oscar nominations and two wins
Did you know? Because of Meryl Streep's height (5'6") several camera/set/costume tricks had to be employed to mimic Julia Child's height (6'2"). Countertops were lowered, Streep wore extra high heels and forced perspective camera angles were used.

Carey Mulligan

Movie An Education
About A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Past Oscar glory None
Likelihood of winning 20 per cent
Did you know? The creative team was initially worried about casting the 22-year-old Mulligan in the role of a 16-year-old, but were finally convinced by the results of her screen test.

Helen Mirren

Movie The Last Station
About A historical drama that illustrates Russian author Leo Tolstoy's struggle to balance fame and wealth with his commitment to a life devoid of material things.
Past Oscar glory One win in 2007 for Best Actress for The Queen, and two other nominations in 2002 and 1995
Likelihood of winning 10 per cent

Did you know? Helen Mirren replaced Meryl Streep who was originally scheduled to play the role of Sofya.