Meryl Streep is the reigning queen of the Oscars, with a record 19 nominations under her esteemed belt. But another actress is on a hot streak that may soon threaten the thespian: Jennifer Lawrence just landed her fourth Academy Award nomination, for "Joy," and with it, the distinction of being the youngest person ever to nab that many Oscar nods.

Lawrence, 25, had previously set a record with her nomination for "American Hustle" two years ago, in which she became the youngest person (at 23) to earn three nominations from the Academy. (Her first two came for 2010's "Winter's Bone" and 2012's "Silver Linings Playbook"; she took home the latter Best Actress trophy.) But the actress keeps besting herself, and at the rate she's going -- four nominations in six years -- it seems plausible that she could surpass Streep's hallowed tally.

For one thing, Lawrence got an earlier start than Streep in the Oscars game (Lawrence earned her first nod at age 20; Streep's first nomination came at age 29 for 1978's "The Deer Hunter"). And Yahoo! makes a pretty convincing case for how Lawrence can continue her Oscars domination:

Let's say Lawrence was to keep up that pace (four nominations in six years) for the next four decades, until she reaches the same age Streep is today, 66. According to our calculations, Lawrence would have 31 nominations by time she turned 66. Streep, by contrast, has 19.

And with a string of prestigious projects in the works -- co-starring with Chris Pratt in the sci-fi romance "Passengers," playing the lead in Steven Spielberg's war photographer biopic "It's What I Do," a part in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" follow-up -- it seems a sure bet that Lawrence has at least a couple more nominations coming her way in the next few years. We certainly wouldn't delight in seeing Meryl lose her title, but if anyone is capable of carrying on our greatest living actress's legacy, it's Lawrence. Stay tuned.

[via: Yahoo! Movies]

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