Leigh Paatsch guide to Oscars Best Actress nominees

While movie buffs will want Lady Gaga to win Best Actress at the Academy Awards, another acclaimed actress — who’s no stranger to being nominated in the category — will take home the prize.

Movie buffs will be rooting for Lady Gaga to take home the Best Actress gong after her performance in A Star Is Born at this year’s Academy Awards.

But there’s nothing stopping one actress, whose been nominated six times for the accolade, from taking home the prize.

OUR GUIDE TO THE BEST ACTOR GONG

QUALITY FIELD FOR BEST SUPPORTING OSCAR RACE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

THE NOMINEES

Yalitza Aparicio, Roma

Glenn Close, The Wife

Olivia Colman, The Favourite

Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born

Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Overall calibre of nominations: Very strong.

Lead Actress nominee Yalitza Aparicio for ‘Roma’ should go home early. Picture: Mark Ralston

Tell the seatwarmer to go home early

Aparicio is already a winner just by joining this esteemed line-up. Why? The 25-year-old

Mexican had never acted before she was cast in the lead in Roma.

Though amazing in the role, she has not figured in any awards of note this season.

McCarthy smashed it out of the park with a darkly clever and nuanced display.

Same goes for Colman (who some still believe is a real contender here).

Lady Gaga will be robbed of an award, despite her intensely evocative performance in A Star Is Born. Picture: Neal Preston

Deserves To Win, But Won’t

Lady Gaga has been ROBBED. There’s clearly something amiss when word went out a month ago she’s got a snowflake’s chance in a sauna.

Hers was the most striking, natural and intensely evocative female performance of the year.

Is it because Gaga ain’t Hollywood enough for old-school Oscars voters? Or is she collateral

damage of some wider prejudice against A Star is Born as a whole?

Glenn Close will win Best Actress in 2019. She hasn’t won a gong despite being nominated six times since 1982. Picture: Phil McCarten/Invision/AP.

And the Winner Is …

Glenn Close. When The Wife came out in mid-2018, Close’s fiercely focused performance was widely admired, but not a soul was thinking Oscars. Almost by stealth, the 71-year-old began picking up awards all around the circuit. Even in a soft year like this, no-one will begrudge Close a win. After all, she has been nominated six times since 1982 and is yet to rack up a gold statuette.

UNLUCKY NOT TO MAKE THE FIELD:

Toni Collette, Hereditary

Carey Mulligan, Wildlife

Viola Davis, Widows

Emma Thompson, The Children Act

Joanna Kulig, Cold War

Emma Stone won the 2017 Best Actress Oscar for ‘La La Land’.

RECENT WINNERS:

2018: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

2017: Emma Stone, La La Land

2016: Brie Larson, Room

MORE LEIGH PAATSCH

LEIGH’S STREAMING GUIDE