. BEST ACTRESS FAVORITE: Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) DARK HORSE: Meryl Streep (“Julie & Julia”) Sandra Bullock's performance in “The Blind Side,” where she plays a feisty southern matriarch who mentors a troubled teenager, helped the film rewrite box office history by becoming the first movie carried by a female lead to earn more than 200 million dollars. However, the best actress race is reported to be the closest of the major categories, with evergreen Meryl Streep nominated for her performance in “Julie & Julia.” __