With 3/10 odds from our 28 movie Experts, Emma Stone (“La La Land”) is predicted to win Best Actress at Sunday’s Academy Awards. Stone plays Mia, an aspiring Los Angeles actress who falls in love with a down-on-his-luck jazz musician (Ryan Gosling). This is Stone’s second Oscar nom following a supporting bid for “Birdman” (2014) and for “La La Land” she has already won the Golden Globe, the SAG Award and the BAFTA.
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Twenty-three of our 28 Experts are predicting a Stone victory: Eric Deggans (NPR), Edward Douglas (Weekend Warrior), Joyce Eng (TV Guide), Bonnie Fuller (Hollywood Life), Michael Hogan (Vanity Fair), Matthew Jacobs (Huffington Post), Tariq Khan (Fox News), Scott Mantz (Access Hollywood), Jack Mathews (Gold Derby), Michael Musto (Out.com), Tom O’Neil (Gold Derby), Kevin Polowy (Yahoo), Christopher Rosen (Entertainment Weekly), Paul Sheehan (Gold Derby), Keith Simanton (IMDb), Nicole Sperling (Entertainment Weekly), Sasha Stone (Awards Daily), Anne Thompson (IndieWire), Brian Truitt (USA Today), Adnan Virk (ESPN), Jeffrey Wells (Hollywood Elsewhere), Glenn Whipp (LA Times) and Susan Wloszczyna (RogerEbert.com).
In second place is Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”) with 11/2 odds; the four Experts picking the veteran French actress to win are Thelma Adams (Gold Derby), Erik Davis (Fandango), Tim Gray (Variety) and Peter Travers (Rolling Stone). Huppert won a Golden Globe for her performance as a rape survivor trying to track down her attacker, but she wasn’t nominated at the SAG Awards and wasn’t eligible at the BAFTAs. Despite her celebrated career, which includes a record 16 nominations at the Cesar Awards (the French Oscars), this is Huppert’s first Academy Award nom.
Oscar Best Picture Gallery: History of Every Academy Award-Winning Movie
Natalie Portman (“Jackie”) is is next in line with 18/1 odds based on support from one Expert: Matt Atchity (Rotten Tomatoes). This is the third Oscar nom for Portman, who previously earned a supporting bid for “Closer” (2004) and won Best Actress for “Black Swan” (2010). In “Jackie” Portman plays the title character, first lady Jackie Kennedy, in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy‘s assassination, and the performance earned her a Critics’ Choice Award.
Much further behind are Meryl Streep (“Florence Foster Jenkins”) with 66/1 odds and Ruth Negga (“Loving”) with 80/1 odds. Streep is celebrating her record 20th Oscar nomination and has won three times, most recently in this category for “The Iron Lady” (2011). Negga, meanwhile, is a first-time nominee.
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According to our overall combined odds featuring the predictions of all Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users (those who did the best at their winner picks last year), All-Star Top 24 (who got the best predictions scores when you combine the last two years’ results), and All Users, the rankings are the same. The favored pick of over 2,600 people is Stone with 2/7 odds over Huppert with 13/2 odds. Portman follows with 16/1 odds, and then Streep at 66/1 and Negga at 80/1.
Predict the Oscar winners now; change them till February 26
Be sure to make your Oscar predictions. Weigh in now with your picks so that Hollywood insiders can see how their films are faring in our Oscar odds. You can keep changing your predictions right up until just before winners are announced on February 26 at 5:00 pm PT/8:00 pm ET. And join in the fierce debate over the Oscars taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our forums.
