Natalie Portman Now Front-Runner?
This week, the Oscar pundits are saying that Annette Bening is no longer an inevitable Best Actress winner. Why? Because her co-star, Julianne Moore, is being run in the same category. (Old news.) And because “Black Swan” and its star, Natalie Portman, are gaining some traction. (Again: this is news? Portman’s performance has been buzzed about since the Venice Film Festival in early September.) The Oscar-prediction season is so long (don’t forget: Oscars aren’t awarded until late February) that every week the Academy Award experts have to find something old/new to talk about: this week, it’s Natalie Portman. Next week it will be George Gobel.
