Top Ten Potential Best Actors in a Supporting Role for the 2010 Oscars

The Academy Awards, aka the Oscars, can have a mind of its own despite awards already given to actors by the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild. I've listed the five Best Supporting Actors nominated for Oscars 2010, but another five who could easily be sitting next to them at the grand event.

Best Supporting Actor Nominated by The Academy
1) Matt Damon - Damon buffed up his muscles and turned in an intense performance as the leader of the South African Rugby team. The film, Invictus, was released in early December, 2009. It stars Morgan Freeman as the awe-inspiring Nelson Mandela who insists the National Rugby Team win the World Cup in 1995 in an attempt to unite his racially torn country.

2) Woody Harrelson - Harrelson plays Captain Tony Stone in The Messenger. Released in early 2010, not too many people have seen this film although it has gained much critical acclaim, beginning at Sundance. Ben Foster stars as the younger of a two-man team (the other is Harrelson) who must inform families of the loss of their loved ones in the war. Harrelson probably deserves the Best Actor Oscar for his performance, but likely it will go to Chistoph Waltz.

3) Christoph Waltz - Now has been seen by just about everyone in his over-the-top performance as a sadistic Nazi enforcer in Inglourious Basterds. While some accolades are deserved, it is sometimes easier to play an outlandish character than a nuanced one. Inglourious Basterds, released in August of 2009 starring Brad Pitt, is Quentin Tarrantino's outrageous story of a group of Jewish-American soldiers (led by Pitt) who spread terror and mayhem throughout occupied France during WW II. Waltz is practically a shoe-in for the Oscar.

4) Stanley Tucci - As part of the ensemble cast of The Lovely Bones (released only a few weeks ago), Tucci will be overlooked, unfortunately for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He is better remembered as the husband of Julia Child (Meryl Streep) in Julie and Julia. His performance is so good he is hardly recognizable as George Harvey, the creepy neighbor in this story starring Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz as the grieving parents.

5) Christopher Plummer - Plummer has been in film for a long time with memorable roles. The Academy will likely feel that he has been rewarded enough with Oscar statues and will dismiss him. The Last Station, starring James McAvoy, Helen Mirren and Paul Giamatti has great critical acclaim but little audience exposure since it was also released recently in a relatively limited run. Based on the life of Leo Tolstoy, this historical Russian drama explores the family impact of Tolstoy's belief that man should live without material things.

This year ten pictures have been nominated for Best Film. Why couldn't these five actors be added and awarded at least the nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role?

6) Alec Baldwin - as Jake, the ex-husband who keeps coming back to Meryl Streep in It's Complicated. He was absolutely at his comedic best in this film and held his own on screen against Strep. Baldwin had no problem outpacing even veteran comedian Steve Martin in the film.

7) Matthew Gray Gubler - You may recognize this actor as the genius on television's Criminal Minds. He plays the best friend of Tom (Joseph Gordon-Leavitt) in 500 Days of Summer. I know the film is just a light romantic comedy, but the two leads can't carry the whole film. I think Gubler adds just the right amount of goofy friend dimension.

8) Alfred Molina - As a supporting character in An Education, a well-crafted film with critical acclaim, Molina is definitely in the overlooked category. Molina is comfortable and familiar to audiences who may not be able to appreciate his acting skills since he seems so grounded.

9) Anthony Mackie - Mackie may have been hard to see with all the intensity of Jeremy Renner's performance exploding on the screen in The Hurt Locker. But Mackie's Sgt. JT Sanborn was the perfect balance of sanity, firmly rooted in reality amidst the noise and confusion of the Iraq War. It would be nice to see The Hurt Locker take home some awards.

10) Daniel Bruhi - Also from Inglourious Basterds, Bruhl plays the German war hero Fredrick Zoller. His modesty about his war exploits and his pursuit of the beautiful Shosanna are underplayed compared to all the other actors chewing scenery all the way through. Bruhl drew more of a realistic character, almost sympathetic in a "we hate all Nazi's" war film. I think he should be rewarded for staying sane amidst all the craziness.