Oscars 2017 predictions for Best Actress: Emma Stone is in pole position to win

Back in 1998, Meryl Streep took issue with the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Greatest Movies of All Time. "All but four are driven by male protagonists," she said. "How many girls contributed to this vote? Who voted?" It was a pointed and damning indictment of Hollywood’s sexism, but also an insight into Oscar night, and all contests, really: Who does the choosing?This past summer, the Academy changed some rules to the end of increasing the diversity of their membership by 2020, and of the 683 members newly invited to join the organization, a record 46 percent were female and 41 percent were people of color.While last year's clear cut winner was Brie Larson for her performance in Room, this year's prediction for who will win for Best Actress is much for complicated. But the good news is, a few women-dominated films are in the Oscar nominees mix. There's the French neo-noir film Elle, Jacqueline Kennedy's biopic and Meryl Streep's Florence Foster Jenkins — all of which are carried entirely by their female protagonists.The Oscars 2017 list of nominees for best actress are:Emma Stone, La La Land Natalie Portman, Jackie Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins Isabelle Huppert, Elle Ruth Negga, LovingIf Amy Adams had landed a nomination for Arrival here it might be a trickier category, but Emma Stone has had the momentum for a long while now and Jackie lost a lot of its luster upon release. So unless a huge amount of voters put Meryl Streep on top due to her Golden Globes speech, or there’s a groundswell of support for Isabelle Huppert, Stone should walk away with this one easily.So will Stone carry home the golden statuette on Sunday, 26 February 2017? Watch this space for more.Meanwhile, take this fun Oscar quiz!Catch our live blog: Oscars 2017 LIVE updates: Hollywood's ready for its big night with 89th Academy Awards