"Completely empty!" is how Stephen Holt of AwardsDaily.com and "The Stephen Holt Show" described Oscar's supporting actress race when I ran into him in Manhattan last week. Therefore, he believes there's a strong possibility that both Saoirse Ronan and Vanessa Redgrave could be nominated as the young and old Brionny in "Atonement." (Kinda like Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart both being nommed for portraying young and old Rose in "Titanic," except, in their case, Winslet was in the lead race and Stuart in supporting.)

Citing info pooled by a poster named Pierre de Plume, Stephen notes that, since categories were created for supporting stars in 1936, there were 27 occasions when costars from the same film were nominated in the same slot. Usually, two, of course, but once there were three actresses competing: in 1963 when Diane Cilento, Joyce Redman and Edith Evans all scored bids for "Tom Jones."

Six times one of those nominees won, thus surmounting the belief that costars cancel each other out.

1971: Cloris Leachman won (Ellen Burstyn also nominated), "The Last Picture Show"
1973: Tatum O'Neal (Madeline Kahn), "Paper Moon"
1979: Meryl Streep (Jane Alexander), "Kramer vs. Kramer"
1982: Jessica Lange (Teri Garr), "Tootsie"
1994: Dianne Wiest (Jennifer Tilly), "Bullets Over Broadway"
2002: Catherine Zeta-Jones (Queen Latifah), "Chicago"

Surveying this year's derby, Stephen adds, "Of course, if Romola Garai is in it, too, for 'Atonement' that would make three. Or if Keira Knightley was put in supporting, which is insane. However, none of the 'Tom Jones' girls won that year. It went to another great Brit, Dame Margaret Rutherford for 'The V.I.P's.' if memory serves. BUT 'Tom Jones' won for Best Picture that year and so did Tony Richardson for best director, Vanessa's late first husband and father of Natasha and Joely, as I'm sure you know."