We are exactly one week away from the Oscar nominations, which will be announced on Thursday, Jan. 16. So, it’s the perfect time to look at the final acting category, for the Best Supporting Actress.

Like Best Actor, the Best Supporting Actress category looked like a real runaway for a 12 Years A Slave star. Newcomer Lupita Nyong’o gives a heartbreaking performance in the film and is still a frontrunner for the award. She’s definitely guaranteed a nomination.

However, she definitely has some strong competition and the other four slots are wide open. Jennifer Lawrence will definitely get nominated for American Hustle, while June Squibb is getting some attention for her role in Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. A real dark horse candidate is Sally Hawkins, who is running under the shadow of Cate Blanchett’s performance in Blue Jasmine.

Last year, this category was easy - Anne Hathaway had it in the bag for Les Miserables from day one.

You can check out our predictions for Best Actor, Best Actress and http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/2014/01/oscar-time-predicting-best-supporting-actor-race-set-between-jared-leto-and-michael->Best Supporting Actor.
[new page = Lupita Nyong'o]
Lupita Nyong’o - 12 Years A Slave
Nyong’o never made a feature before, but you couldn’t tell that by seeing her performance in Steve McQueen’s movie. While Chiwetel Ejiofor definitely stood out, Nyong’o stole the show as Patsy, the slave whose owner (Michael Fassbender) was having an affair with her. The heartbreaking scene where she is whipped will stick in my head for a long time.


[new page= Jennifer Lawrence]
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lawrence had a much smaller role in American Hustle than her epic performance in Silver Linings Playbook, playing the frustrated wife of Christian Bale’s character. She was the film’s comic relief though and stole every scene. Plus, as a Paul McCartney fan, it was really enjoyable to see her dance to “Live and Let Die.” Her chances of winning aren’t huge though, since she just won last year.


[new page = June Squibb]
June Squibb - Nebraska
Squibb previously worked with director Alexander Payne on About Schmidt and he cast her again in Nebraska, in which she plays Bruce Dern’s husband and Will Forte’s mother. She’s emerged as a stop contender, with Golden Globe and SAG nominations under her belt. However, she was left out of the BAFTAs, which is surprising.


[new page = Sally Hawkins]
Sally Hawkins - Blue Jasmine
Hawkins did get a BAFTA nomination, though, which boosts her chances. Yes, everyone is watching Blanchett in Woody Allen’s latest, but if you see it again, pay attention to Hawkins. She gives a brilliant performance as Jasmine’s blue-collar sister with a poor taste in men. My bet though is that she gets left out of the Oscars, which would be a shame.


[new page = Oprah Winfrey]
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels’ The Butler
Before the awards season really kicked into gear, it was widely expected that the former talk show queen would get nominated for her role as Forest Whitaker's wife in The Butler. However, she was bizarrely left out of the SAG awards and was also not nominated for a BAFTA. She was nominated for a Golden Globe and you can never count out Oprah.


[new page = Julia Roberts]
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
Hard as this may be to believe, but it has been 12 years since one of America’s most popular stars was nominated for an Oscar. She won Best Actress for Erin Brockovich in 2001, but hasn’t been nominated since. She has a SAG, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations for August: Osage County, so an Oscar nod is the next stop.

top image: Photo by Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images for BFI/image.net