NUTSHELL: As we approach the year’s mid-way point, Oscar hopefuls are painfully few and far between. Though Lionsgate’s “Precious” could be an indie contender to watch after it completes a dazzling festival tour, and Cannes success “Bright Star” is the biggest mover and shaker in this update, most of the big titles remain, as ever, anticipated Oscar favorites (until this or that film inevitably falls by the wayside). But five months in, who would’ve thought the most likely Oscar film to already be released would be “Star Trek?”

Column: “Taking the temperature”

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BEST PICTURE
1	“Invictus” Warner Bros. Pictures	—
2	“Nine” The Weinstein Company	—
3	“Precious” Lionsgate Films	NEW
4	“Amelia” Fox Searchlight Pictures	—
5	“Bright Star” Unnamed Bob Berney/Bill Polhad Company	NEW
6	“Shutter Island” Paramount Pictures
7	“Avatar” 20th Century Fox	NEW
8	“The Informant” Warner Bros. Pictures	—
9	“Public Enemies” Universal Pictures
10	“Green Zone” Universal Pictures	NEW

DIRECTING
1	Clint Eastwood “Invictus”	—
2	Rob Marshall “Nine”	—
3	Lee Daniels “Precious”	NEW
4	Jane Campion “Bright Star”	NEW
5	James Cameron “Avatar”	NEW
6	Mira Nair “Amelia”
7	Martin Scorsese “Shuter Island”
8	Steven Soderbergh “The Informant”
9	Michael Mann “Public Enemies”
10	Paul Greengrass “Green Zone”	NEW

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
1	Morgan Freeman “Invictus”	—
2	Daniel Day-Lewis “Nine”	—
3	Matt Damon “The Informant” (or “Green Zone”)	—
4	Leonardo DiCaprio “Shutter Island”	—
5	Ben Wishaw “Bright Star”	NEW
6	Johnny Depp “Public Enemies”	—
7	Javier Bardem “Biutiful”
8	Jeremy Renner “The Hurt Locker”	NEW
9	George Clooney “Up in the Air” (or “Men Who Stare at Goats”)
10	Viggo Mortensen “The Road”

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
1	Hilary Swank “Amelia”
2	Carey Mulligan “An Education”	—
3	Penélope Cruz “Broken Embraces”
4	Abbie Cornish “Bright Star”	NEW
5	Gabourey Sidibe “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire”
6	Michelle Pfeiffer “Chéri”
7	Saoirse Ronan “The Lovely Bones”
8	Helen Mirren “The Tempest” (or “Love Ranch”)
9	Natalie Portman “Brothers”	NEW
10	Audrey Tatou “Coco avant Chanel”

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1	Matt Damon “Invictus”	—
2	Richard Kind “A Serious Man”	—
3	Mark Ruffalo “Shutter Island”
4	Ewan McGregor “Amelia”
5	Billy Crudup “Public Enemies”
6	Christoph Waltz “Inglourious Basterds”	NEW
7	Alfred Molina “An Education”	—
8	Stanley Tucci “The Lovely Bones”	NEW
9	Christian Bale “Public Enemies”
10	Tobey Maguire “Brothers”	NEW

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
1	Mo’nique “Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire”	—
2	Judi Dench “Nine”
3	Meryl Streep “Julie & Julia”
4	Emily Mortimer “Shutter Island”	NEW
5	Penélope Cruz “Nine”
6	Michelle Williams “Shutter Island”
7	Kathy Bates “Chéri”
8	Marion Cotillard “Public Enemies” (“Nine”)
9	Leslie Mann “Funny People”	NEW
10	Rachel Weisz “The Lovely Bones”	—

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
1	“Precious” Written by Damien Paul Based on the novel “Push” by Sapphire	NEW
2	“An Education” Written by Nick Hornby Based on the memoir by Lynn Barber	—
3	“Nine” Written by Michael Tolkin, Anthony Minghella Based on the novel by Arthur L. Kopit	—
4	“Shutter Island” Written by Laeta Kalogridis Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane
5	“Up in the Air” Written by Jason Reitman Based on the novel by Walter Kirn
6	“Invictus” Written by Anthony Peckham Based on the book “Playing the Enemy” by John Carlin	—
7	“The Lovely Bones” Written by Phillipa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh Based on the novel by Alice Sebold	—
8	“Chéri” Written by Christopher Hampton Based on the novel by Collette
9	“Amelia” Written by Ronald Bass Source material to be determined	—
10	“Public Enemies” Written by Ronan Bennett, Ann Biderman, Michael Mann Based on the book “Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34 ” by Bryan Burrough

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
1	“Bright Star” Written by Jane Campion	NEW
2	“Up” Written by Bob Peterson
3	“A Serious Man” Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
4	“Broken Embraces” Written by Pedro Almodóvar
5	“Biutiful” Written by Amando Bo, Nicolás Giacobone, Alejandro González Iñárritu
6	“Funny People” Written by Judd Apatow
7	“The Boat That Rocked” Written by Richard Curtis
8	“(500) Days of Summer” Written by Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber	NEW
9	“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
10	“Whatever Works” Written by Woody Allen

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
1	“Up” Walt Disney Pictures	—
2	“Ponyo” Walt Disney Pictures	—
3	“Coraline” Focus Features
4	“Monsters vs. Aliens” DreamWorks SKG
5	“The Princess and the Frog” Walt Disney Pictures
6	“The Fantastic Mr. Fox” 20th Century Fox
7	“A Christmas Carol” Walt Disney Pictures	—
8	“9” Focus Features
9	“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” 20th Century Fox
10	“G-Force” Walt Dsiney Pictures	—