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Cate Blanchett, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong’o and Jared Leto are the front-runners in the acting categories. Which one is most vulnerable? Thompson: The best actor race is so close that Chiwetel Ejiofor, Leonardo DiCaprio or Bruce Dern could edge out McConaughey. It's a numbers game. Who expected Tom Hanks to lose a nomination for the best performance of his career in "Captain Phillips"? Karger: Definitely Lupita. That BAFTA win for Jennifer Lawrence threw everything off-kilter. O'Neil: McConaughey and Nyong'o are both vulnerable. Leo may emerge as the "Wolf" of Oscar night and Lawrence could pounce to grab a new Oscar one year after snagging her first. Yes, we have frontrunners in these races, but the Oscars never go according to script. Sharkey: A few weeks ago I would have said all the acting categories were a lock. But in the wake of the Woody Allen/Dylan Farrow firestorm, Blanchett might be at risk. The decision should rest on her performance alone, which is without question the best in that category. But Oscar has a bad habit of making things personal, and not in a good way. Whipp: That should be the winning quartet, but Nyong'o has the most reason to be nervous. Jennifer Lawrence received a huge ovation when her name appeared during the closing credits at the Academy screening of "Hustle." People adore her. With four acting nominations, "Hustle" owns a lot of love among voters in that huge bloc and it wouldn't be shocking if one of the cast members wins. Lawrence has the best chance. | 
