Could Melissa Leo End up a Contender?

AwardsDaily has been doing a bit of profiling on Melissa Leo, who stars in the upcoming "Frozen River." They posted a review from the New York Times, which read:

But the biggest thrill for many fans will be watching Ms. Leo perform with enough room to explore one of the complicated, surprising women she’s so good at sketching in smaller roles. Ray is vulnerable to life’s punches, but she’s no sentimental construct. For one thing she’s a bigot, though not overtly — at least toward most of the people she and Lila shovel into the trunk of her car. But she’s furious at having to transport a Pakistani couple she suspects of being Muslim terrorists and soothes her conscience by treating them horribly. At the same time she embodies the almost invisible heroism of someone continually pecked at by poverty. She not only keeps going, but her dogged problem-solving concentration also makes it clear that the thought of quitting doesn’t enter her mind.

There’s also the weird pleasure of seeing how bad Ms. Leo is willing to look for the camera. Ray is old and haggard before her time, her gullied face framed by terrible hair, crimped and dyed a harsh, aging red with bangs that coil wormlike across her forehead but telegraph the message: I’m still trying.

I saw Frozen River at the LA Film Festival, and the film, supporting player Misty Upham, and especially Melissa Leo were simply terrific. While I have my doubts about her chances (will there even be enough money for a campaign?), I can tell you that she certainly deserves the nomination. Here's to hoping she gets it.