It’s that time of year again, as Hollywood’s finest find themselves, with alarming regularity, donning outfits that cost more than your house and jewellery worth more than you will earn in a lifetime. But awards season is all building to one supreme event, the Empire Awards Oscars on February 24. Ahead of that milestone, we assess the chances of each nominee in the major categories, and see who’s looking good ahead of the big night...
See also: Best Picture Profiles
See also: [Best Adapted Screenplay Profiles
](http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-adapted-screenplay)*See*See){href='http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-adapted-screenplay)*See' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'} also:* [Best Original Screenplay Profiles
](http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-original-screenplay)*See*See){href='http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-original-screenplay)*See' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'} also:* [Best Supporting Actor Profiles
](http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-supporting-actor)*See*See){href='http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-supporting-actor)*See' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'} also:* Best Actress Profiles
See also: [Best Actor Profiles
](http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-actor)*See*See){href='http://www.empireonline.com/features/oscar-nominations-2013-best-actor)*See' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'} also:* Best Director Profiles
Film: The Master
Why She Will Win
1 Adams takes what could have been a generic “wife” role and turns it into something much more complex, maybe more complex than the leading men actually. 2 This is her fourth nomination, which surely means she’s due a win. 3 Adams deserves huge props for appearing in The Muppets and The Master in the same 12 months.
Why She Won't Win
1 The Master doesn’t have a lot of momentum, and that could hurt her chances. 2 Aside from a few critics’ groups, she’s generally lost out to Hathaway. Will Oscar buck that trend? Probably not. 3 Will The Muppets stop the voters from taking her seriously?
Film: Les Misérables
Why She Will Win
1 She sings, she emotes, she dies. Is there anything the Academy likes better? 2 She cut her hair off. That’s traumatic. She deserves an Academy Award! 3 She’s won pretty much everything going so far, and is a previous nominee and therefore a credible candidate. We don’t see that changing on Oscar night.
Why She Won't Win
1 Her part’s barely there; the Oscar might go to someone with more screentime, theoretically. 2 Come on; we’ve all had an ill-advised haircut or two in the past. It’s not that big a deal. 3 Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
Film: The Sessions
Why She Will Win
1 It’s a very “brave” role, which means that she gets naked a lot while being over 22. Also, she’s genuinely very good in it. 2 One of the surprises when the nominations were announced was that her co-star John Hawkes wasn’t nominated. Maybe, in the same way Argo seems to be benefitting from Affleck’s Directing snub, Hunt will receive a protest / sympathy vote. 3 She’s a previous winner who has been out of the limelight a little recently, and the Academy *loves *returns to form..
Why She Won't Win
1 Neither the film nor Hunt seems to have the buzz to unseat winner-presumptive Hathaway. 2 She hasn’t won much else outside critic’s awards and the film’s Sundance debut. 3 Is it just us, or does the Academy seem a little embarrassed about all those prizes for As Good As It Gets nowadays?
Film: Lincoln
Why She Will Win
1 This is probably the meatiest and most substantial part among the nominees, with the possible exception of Hunt. 2 Field plays a historical character, in corsets, suffering from mental illness. Surely those three ingredients guarantee a win? 3 Everyone likes Sally Field, who’s been a delightful presence all awards season, and they might want to give her the chance to give a better speech than she did when she first won Best Actress.
Why She Won't Win
1 She appears to be thoroughly overshadowed by her onscreen husband, as Mary Todd Lincoln was in life. Oooh, method! 2 She has only won a few critics’ awards so far, not the big Oscar indicators. 3 That speech she gave when she first won Best Actress; will the Academy risk another?
Film: Silver Linings Playbook
Why She Will Win
1 The film has a lot of love, and four Acting nominations is surely a sign that at least one or two will deliver. 2 Weaver was previously nominated for her magnificent turn in Animal Kingdom, and having lost out to Melissa Leo for The Fighter, is perhaps due some compensation. 3 Weaver provides the steadiest and emotionally-centred role in the film, which allows everyone else to go a little off the rails.
Why She Won't Win
1 Does it feel a little like Weaver’s there just to round out the Silver Linings gang? Her part is not the most memorable of the film. 2 For the most part in awards season, Weaver hasn’t even had an individual nomination, just a nod as part of the Silver Linings gang. 3 If she didn’t win for her barnstorming turn in Animal Kingdom, what chance does she have in this quieter turn?