Best Actress - Charlize Theron (Monster)
Ten Years Ago: Charlize Theron won for her role as Aileen Wuornos in Monster. She beat out Keisha Castle-Hughe's not taking no for an answer Paikea Apirana in Whale Rider, Diane Keaton's coming out of her shell Erika Berry in Something's Gotta Give, Samantha Morton's soulful Sarah Sullivan in In America, and Naomi Watts' shattered Cris Peck in 21 Grams.
Now: Again, we bring up the Scarlett Johansson question. Where does she fit for her role in Lost In Translation. I concluded she'd be up in the supporting category but so much of the film is seen through her eyes that it would be anyone's guess. The lead actress category is thinner and maybe she gets in over Keisha Castle-Hughes or Samantha Morton -- it's really a big question mark. Again, I think she gets considered a supporting actress which would leave this category largely unscathed. That is, unless the voters decided to nominate Uma Thurman for Kill Bill Volume 1. That's not entirely outside the realm of possibility but at the end of the day none of this matters because nobody is taking that statue away from Charlize Theron. Her performance/transformation as/into Aileen Wuornos is the stuff of acting legend. She took her career to a whole other level and easily wins again.