'OSCAR'-WATCH: BEST ACTOR in a supporting role

For Best Actor in a Supporting Role, the nominees are...

JOSH BROLIN, Milk
- Retribution: after being snubbed last year for his career defining role in the Oscar winning No Country for Old Men, Barbra Streisand's stepson gained critical appraisal for his performance in the Harvey Milk biopic. He is my bet for the SAG on Jan. 25.

ROBERT DOWNEY, JR., Tropic Thunder (left, with Jack Black)
- His role as Kirk Lazarus (mentally challenged actor with references to Russell Crowe) may have been controversial, but the execution was praised. Along with the well reviewed summer blockbuster Iron Man, 2008 has proven to be Downey Jr's year.

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, Doubt.
- No doubt about Doubt, this year's acting showcase and multi-nominated movie without a Best Picture nod.

HEATH LEDGER, The Dark Knight
- The late young actor sealed the deal for his widely acclaimed role as The Joker, but the question is "will he be the second recipient of a posthumous Oscar after 1976's Peter Finch?"

DEV PATEL, Slumdog Millionaire
- This year's other category fraud nominee (along with Kate Winslet), the Indian-British actor actually played a lead character in this overrated movie. I don't see an Oscar win for him though.

And the Oscar snubs...

David Cross, The Reader
Ralph Fiennes, The Duchess
James Franco, Milk (He had a banner year in 2008 like Downey Jr., after starring in the late summer hit Pineapple Express.)
John Malkovich, Burn After Reading or Changeling
Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road (Much talked about performance in the film aside from Winslet)