SHOULD WINDuvall again. His performance is nothing short of a tour de force, and the most dynamic of this oddly chosen bunch.

Best Supporting Actress

Poor Gloria Stuart. As one of the few interesting things about Titanic, she's in the underdog position. Kim Basinger is all set up to take home the consolation prize for L.A. Confidential. And if Basinger doesn't win, then the one to look out for is not Stuart but Minnie Driver as the much put-upon love interest in Good Will Hunting.

WILL WINBasinger. The hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold cops it.

SHOULD WINNone of 'em:still outraged at the fact that The Ice Storm was so egregiously ignored. Basinger's fine, but frankly the least of the outstanding cast of L.A. Confidential. (Then again, that's what I thought about Juliette Binoche and The English Patient last year.) The other contenders suffer from sketchily written parts, with the arguable exception of Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights).

Best Supporting Actor

WILL WINA two-horse race between Reynolds, who won the citation from the four of the five primary critics' groups who often foreshadow Oscars, and Robin Williams of Good Will Hunting, who has lost three times and now finds himself with a serious, broadly-appealing vehicle to recommend him. Edge to Robin Williams, who won from the Screen Actors Guild--the Actors Branch comprises by far the largest bloc in the voting Academy.

SHOULD WINRobert Forster--also the actor most certain of losing. His work on Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown was not only compelling on its own, but his love for Jackie brought us closer to her character than almost anything else in Pam Grier's own uneven performance.