With only a week left before this year's Academy Award nominations are announced, it's time to make my predictions for who will get nods in the major categories.

First up: Best Actress
Historically, Best Actress has been the easiest category to predict due to a shortage of good lead roles for women. In recent years, however, Hollywood seemed to be making efforts to remedy this situation, making it increasingly difficult to determine who would get the nominations. Unfortunately, this year did not follow that trend, so selecting 5 women for this category is not too difficult. They are:

Annette Bening - Being Julia
Bening has won raves for her performance in this story of an aging theater diva. Consider Bening the front runner.

Catalina Sandino Moreno - Maria Full of Grace
Moreno plays a young Columbian girl who becomes a drug smuggler in order to escape her country and attempt a new start in America. Remarkably, this is Moreno's film debut.

Imelda Staunton - Vera Drake
Staunton has been considered a shoo-in for a nomination since this film, about an abortionist in 1950's England, went into limited release back in October.

Hilary Swank - Million Dollar Baby
Swank is the only previous Oscar winner expected to get a nod in this category. The reviews for this Clint Eastwood boxing flick are her strongest since "Boys Don't Cry," and she will probably be Bening's stiffest competition on the big night.

Kate Winslet - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
When this movie opened way back in March, most of the attention was on Jim Carrey's low key performance. Winslet, however, has benefited more from the repeat viewings provided by the film's DVD release.

Tomorrow: Best Supporting Actor