Oscars 2014: 10 Underdogs Who Might Get Surprise Nominations

2. Best Actress €“ Brie Larson (Short Term 12)

Short Term 12 was one of 2013's most critically acclaimed films, and earned Brie Larson a stack of Best Actress nominations on the awards circuit, most prominently from the Independent Spirit Awards, a ceremony which, to be fair, far better suits this little film than the Oscars ever will. Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) and Judi Dench (Philomena) are largely considered locks in this category, so it's all about the fifth slot for Larson, which is being heavily contested by perennial Oscar nominee Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) and Amy Adams (American Hustle). Oscar has been known to on occasion champion "the little indie film that could" as with their fanfare for Beasts of the Southern Wild last year, so Larson earning a shock nomination is far from impossible. Though she has an advantage in that Streep's performance is widely considered to not be one of her best and is contained inside a relatively average film, Golden Globe-winner Amy Adams has a lot of Academy love and will likely be the biggest threat for Larson to beat (and she probably won't).