As we head into the early critics' awards over the next few days (L.A. critics vote on Sunday, New Yorkers on Monday), it looks like Helen Mirren ("The Queen") should reign easily over the lead actress domains. Or will she? Last year when it seemed apparent that Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote") would pull off a clean sweep of all top kudos, he missed one of the early majors — didn't get New York Film Critics Circle. That went to Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain"). Other than that lil glitch, though, Hoffman won all of the others that have been around for several decades: Los Angeles Film Critics Association, National Society of Film Critics, Golden Globe and the Oscar.

Only a handful of actors have pulled off a complete sweep of those kudos: Nicolas Cage ("Leaving Las Vegas"), Sally Field ("Norma Rae"), Jane Fonda ("Klute"), Holly Hunter ("The Piano"), Martin Landau ("Ed Wood"), Jack Nicholson ("Terms of Endearment"), Sissy Spacek ("Coal Miner’s Daughter"), Mary Steenburgen ("Melvin and Howard"), Meryl Streep ("Sophie’s Choice"), Emma Thompson ("Howards End") and Dianne Wiest ("Bullets Over Broadway"). Cage, Field, Hunter, Nicholson, Spacek, Streep and Thompson also won the National Board of Review kudo.

Sometimes it looks like a sweep is forming, but the actor gets ditched at the last turn for new champ when stubborn Oscar voters get bored with the early faves — like what happened to Sissy Spacek ("In the Bedroom") when she marched through Hollywood kudos like General Sherman on Atlanta, taking N.Y. and L.A. honors (but not National Society), then the Globe next. She looked like the inevitable Oscar winner next — that is, up until the envelope was opened on the stage of the Kodak Theatre and Halle Berry ("Monster's Ball") was called to the podium.

Right now Mirren seems as unstoppable as Holly Hunter. She'll certainly win the New York critics' award on Monday. They like her so much that they preferred her in "Gosford Park" to Maggie Smith, the early fave to win that group's award for supporting actress. It seems likely that she'll take the prize from the Los Angeles critics voting this Sunday, too. But let's see. Nothing in Hollywood ever goes according to script.

(Photos: Miramax/ HFPA)