3. Anne Hathaway - Best Supporting Actress
She has been the front runner since test screenings for Les Miserables, and she continues to be for her heart-wrenching, bravura performance as Fantine. Les Miserables may have divided critics, but the consensus is that Anne Hathaway is incredible....and she is. Tom Hooper brought a fresh take to the musical by having his actors perform the songs live rather than sing along to a pre-recorded track. The cast does a great job of this, but no one nails it quite like Hathaway. She is simultaneously angry and heartbroken, defiant and defeated while performing perhaps the most famous of songs from the massively popular stage play, "I Dreamed A Dream." In choosing to have the cast perform live rather than sing along to a pre-recorded track, the vocal work allows for the actors to, well, act. Tom Hooper set the sombre gritty tone from the very beginning and the live vocals really lends a grittiness to the story and allows the actors to act while they sing, which is something most musicals fall flat on. This isn't your regular glossy musical and Hathaway's performance certainly captures that. Hathaway also underwent a physical transformation as she lost a reported 25 pounds for the role, as well as chopping off her hair. Add this all up and an Oscar is all but assured to Hathaway, capping off a huge year.