Jake Gyllenhaal Brokeback Mountain ake Gyllenhaal had a great 2005. With three film releases, Proof, Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain, Gyllenhaal is in hot demand. But it's his role as Jack Twist in Brokeback Mountain that's generating a loud buzz in Hollywood -- and with good reason. The praise is coming from Gyllenhaal's bold portrayal of a gay cowboy that finds unexpected love with another man (Heath Ledger). "I read the script and I was immediately blown away by it," Gyllenhaal told Tribute. "There was just no question in my mind that I was going to do it." His character's tough-guy persona, as well as having to perform intimate on-screen love scenes with his co-star Ledger, shows Gyllenhaal's ability to take risks and stretch his versatility as an actor. This is his first Oscar nomination.
	George Clooney Syriana eorge Clooney has become the ultimate triple threat. Aside from acting, Clooney has been dabbling in the roles of producer and director. This year Clooney has garnered three Oscar nods, one in the director's category, one for writing and the other for Syriana. In Syriana, Clooney is Robert Barnes, a rumpled CIA operative thrown to the wolves by Washington's heartless bureaucracy. Clooney even gained 30 pounds for the part and grew a shaggy salt-and-pepper beard. "You can't be instantly recognizable and be a CIA agent," he told Tribute. "I felt it was important to look a little beaten." After just winning a Golden Globe, this may be his year.
	Matt Dillon Crash att Dillon has done what most actors only hope to achieve while starting out at a young age, and that's to endure the rigors of showbiz for over two decades. Through his 26-year-long film career, with highlights including The Outsiders (1983), Rumble Fish (1983) and Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Dillon hasn't garnered much in the awards department, until Crash. Following events that take place over a 36-hour period in a post-9/11 L.A. filled with racial, ethnic and socioeconomic tension, Dillon plays Sgt. Jack Ryan, a dirty, racist L.A. cop. It's definitely become his top career highlight earning him his first ever Oscar nomination.
	Paul Giamatti Cinderella Man ver the years Paul Giamatti has graduated from being a bellhop in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997) to prime indie roles such as comic book illustrator Harvey Pekar in American Splendor (2003) and Miles in Sideways (2004). But when it came to nailing a big-budget flick, Giamatti delivered. In Cinderella Man, he plays Joe Gould, a ringside corner man to fighter James Braddock (Russell Crowe). The role has finally earned the deserving Giamatti his first Oscar nod. "Everything I did was improv� Ron (Howard) was merciless about it. He wanted me narrating the fights from the corner. It wasn't like anything I'd ever done before."
	William Hurt A History of Violence illiam Hurt knows what it feels like to win an Oscar. Named Best Actor in 1986 for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Hurt also earned two nods each year following for Children of a Lesser God (1986) and Broadcast News (1987). In Violence, his fourth kick at the can, Hurt plays Richard Cusack, a mob kingpin and long-lost brother to Viggo Mortensen's Tom Stall who suddenly reappears in his brother's life after Stall receives unwanted attention for a self-defense killing at his diner. Critics say, Hurt's part as a mobster, colored with dark humor, was cast brilliantly against type. His performance is so striking he may be the dark horse in this race.