The List:

• Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis – The Help
• Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn

Hooray for:

Mara, who beat out any number of equally qualified actresses for that fifth spot.

Where the hell is:

Where to begin?  This was a remarkable year for lead actresses

• Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia
• Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene
• Charlize Theron in Young Adult
• Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids
  I’ll probably think of some more by the end of the day.

Instead of:

Sorry, but Albert Nobbs was a complete misfire, partly because Close just isn’t convincing in the role. At all.

My prediction:

Davis was the frontrunner, but Streep is moving ahead (she was the only watchable thing about Iron Lady). This will be close – let’s see what the SAG awards give us.