4. Renee Zellweger - Bridget Jones's Diary
I still remember when I found out, a long time after the fact, that Renee Zellweger had been nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Sharon Maguire's cutesy British rom-com Bridget Jones's Diary. I nearly choked to death on my can of Coke. It's a testament to that infatuation with Britishness that Americans seem to have - and we imagine BAFTA voters probably helped her get nominated - that something so ordinary, if decent, can end up on the nominees list. The majority of the publicity surrounding Zellweger's performance was regarding her weight gain, her figure turning from a waif to something more resembling "normal". Though transformations like this are always admirable, should they be the focal narrative for someone courting Oscar glory? Zellweger didn't win the gong, but the fact she got close for a decent if unremarkable performance in an equally decent if unremarkable film is proof how much Oscar voters love a good awards narrative.