Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness he evolution of Will Smith continues. After years of being Mr. Blockbuster with films like Independence Day and Men in Black, Smith took a chance in 2001 to portray Muhammad Ali, earning his first Oscar nod. Now Smith is back for another shot with his performance in this true-life story as an unemployed, homeless, single dad trying to land a full-time job to support his son. There's no doubt that Smith is a popular and bankable actor, but his heartfelt portrayal of a father trying to create a sense of normalcy for his child (played by his real son Jayden), despite their dire circumstances, proves he is a good one too.
	Leonardo DiCaprio Blood Diamond hen two of your performances are recognized as Oscar nomination-worthy, you know you've had a good year. The only question in the case of DiCaprio was which part would be deemed the better performance. The Academy decided to honor the two-time nominee (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator) for his lead role in Blood Diamond, an action-thriller in which he plays a mercenary diamond smuggler. DiCaprio, known for his preparation, spent weeks in military training and researching local accents to get his part as the intense and world-weary smuggler down pat. As usual, his work paid off, but will the voters agree this is his year?
	Ryan Gosling Half Nelson est known for his dramatic role in The Notebook, Canadian-born Gosling has done some good work in some small films (True Believer) but has delivered a performance that could not be ignored by the Academy. In Half Nelson, Gosling plays a young, brilliant inner city junior high school teacher with a secret -- he's a crack addict. He strikes up an unexpected friendship with one of his students who finds out his problem, but keeps it to herself. While his character's struggle between his two worlds is convincing, it might not be enough to earn him an Oscar in this tough race.
	Peter O'Toole Venus n 2003, seven-time Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole declined the honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement, saying he believed he was "still in the game and might win the lovely bugger outright." The actor reluctantly accepted the award but now, four years later, he is up for the statue for his performance in Venus. Perfectly cast, O'Toole plays an aging if lecherous stage actor who begins an unlikely but revitalizing relationship with a young woman more than 50 years his junior. While Whitaker is the front-runner in this group, Academy voters might figure it's O'Toole's turn. After all, he has been waiting 44 years for the honor.
	Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland t's not easy to play a nasty character, but sometimes the result can be golden. That seems to be the case with Whitaker, considered a shoo-in for this category. The film tells the story of a young Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) who becomes the personal physician to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Whitaker gives an emotionally-charged performance as one of history's most notorious megalomaniacs, a man known as much for his charm as his viciousness. While this is Whitaker's first nomination, he is one of Hollywood's hardest working men-from acting (Good Morning Vietnam), directing (Waiting to Exhale) to producing.