When will Ripley get her dues?

There are many actors and actresses that I wish to see win an Oscar. Most of them are long established and proven actors (Kate Winslet, Peter O’Toole, Toni Collette, Angela Bassett, David Cheadle) but there is one that every time I see her name attached to a movie on IMDB I kneel by my DVD collection and say a little prayer.
“Please, Oh powerful and loved DVD collection, let Sigourney Weaver win her first Oscar this year.”

I guess it all boils down to the Alien movies, and seeing such a strong female character in an action film at such a young age left a huge imprint on how I think about male and female roles. She played the bitch career woman competing in a mans world long before The Devil Wears Prada. She played the very first female action hero . Say the name ‘Ripley’ anywhere, and most people will know who you are talking about.
She was rightly nominated for ‘Aliens’ in 1986 and then double nominated in 1987 for ‘Working Girl’ in supporting, and then ‘Gorilla’s in the Mist’ for lead (loosing both).

However she has paid a price and been obviously snubbed three times.
First in 1994 for her harrowing and powerful performance in Roman Polanski’s ‘Death and the Maiden’. This was mainly due to the controversy surrounding the director, a controversy that he would be forgiven for eight years later.
Her second snub came in 1997 for Ang Lee’s quiet and brilliant ‘The Ice Storm’. Although she won the BAFTA for this performance and received critical raves, the entire film was overlooked come awards time, perhaps it was far too quiet for the Academy. (sorry you have to sit through ‘Perfect Stranger’ before you watch the trailer).
The third is a little tricky. Many felt she was Oscar worthy, but no one saw 1999’s ‘A Map of the World’. Meryl Streep got the nomination instead for ‘Music of the Heart’.

This year, much to my delight she has three award buzz heavy films coming out, hopefully making up her three snubs.
First we have ‘The TV Set’. Advanced word is she is fantastic in this, and will go supporting, which is kinder to comedies. Her major obstacle is the movie may be a let down, and is already being unfavourably compared to ‘Network’.

Next up we have ‘Snowcake’. I personally loved this performance, but I do understand that some will not be impressed. Not everyone is easily convinced by actors playing mentally ill, and this performance will have it’s nay sayers.

So that leaves what could be her crowning achievement of 2007 ‘The Girl in the Park’.
From IMDB ‘Enduringly traumatized by the disappearance of her 3-year-old daughter 15 years ago, Julia Sandburg (Weaver) has cut herself off from anyone once near and dear to her, including her husband Doug and her son Chris, who tried for years to penetrate her wall of isolation and despair, without success. But when Julia meets Louise (Bosworth), a troubled young woman with a checkered past, all Julia's old psychic wounds painfully resurface, as does her illogical and increasingly irrational hope that Louise may be the daughter she lost so long ago.’

Here is hoping she wins a competitive Oscar soon and not some crappy ‘Oops we f*ck up’ honorary one.