BEST ACTOR
Another villainous performance, another Oscar nomination for DANIEL DAY-LEWIS. Five years after his last nod, for Gangs of New York, the 50-year-old Brit will easily land in the Best Actor race for the fourth time after his brutal performance as There Will Be Blood's ruthless oil driller. At this point, his main competition is a past Supporting Actor winner, GEORGE CLOONEY, whose titular turn as a legal ''fixer'' in Michael Clayton is filled with equal parts desperation and heroism. And despite being excluded from the SAG Awards list, JOHNNY DEPP should make the cut, so to speak, for his impressive throat-slitting and ballad-belting in Sweeney Todd.
Eastern Promises star VIGGO MORTENSEN boasts perhaps the year's most memorable scene — that never-ending towel-optional bathhouse brawl — and should finally earn his first Oscar nomination for his convincing portrayal of a Russian chauffeur. But what about the fifth nominee? Into the Wild's Emile Hirsch, who at age 22 has already scored a SAG nod, could become the youngest nominee in this category in almost 70 years, though some voters will find his stubborn wanderer character a turnoff. In a weaker year, Atonement's James McAvoy would be a shoo-in for a nomination, but this year he may simply fall victim to his tough competition. In the Valley of Elah's Tommy Lee Jones delivered one of the best performances of his career as the father of a missing soldier, but the fact that the film flopped at the box office has likely killed his chances in this category. Starting Out in the Evening's Frank Langella and No Country for Old Men lead Josh Brolin have both won praise for their subtle work; unfortunately, subtlety doesn't usually catch the Academy's eye. And Philip Seymour Hoffman faces vote-splitting with his standout performances in The Savages and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.
A similar fate may befall one of the strongest contenders: Denzel Washington, whose Christmas release The Great Debaters may steal attention away from his vivid turn as American Gangster's murderous drug runner. So, for that fifth slot, we're betting on RYAN GOSLING, a nominee for last year's Half Nelson, who proved his range with his fancifully romantic lovebird in Lars and the Real Girl.
DAVE KARGER'S PICKS FOR BEST ACTOR:
George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
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