a a I Best supporting actress By lmran Syed / Daily Arts Writer Best supporti By Sarah SchwartzI/ Dah he best support- ing actress award is often con- ferre;l by the Academy as a signal of arrival for rising starlets (Uma Thur- man in 1994, Kate Winslet in 1996, Angelina Jolie in 2000) on their way to becoming stars. So it's not surprising that of the 2006 nominees, it's the three young and beautiful first-time nominated actresses who are the favorites to win. Perhaps slightly behind the other two is Michele Williams, who played the concerned, con- fused wife of Heath Ledger's Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain." Though she shone in her inspired performance, the film is likely to walk away with a number of major awards outside this category and the Academy won't hesitate to overlook her. On the other hand, "Brokeback's" nomina- tions could play out like "The Return of the King" in 2004, which swept up 11 awards, including many it was not t takes a strong man to play the role of support- ing actor. He must contrib- ute to the film em while not eclipsing the leading man. It's not an easy task, but five very talented actors have been singled out by the Academy as exemplars. The most visible man in the category this year is George Clooney. He is nominated for his portrayal of Bob Barnes, a CIA operative in the explosive "Syriana." It's a convincing performance, and if the Acad- emy rewards monumental physical changes (see Charlize Theron in "Monster"), look for him to take home Oscar. Besides the 20 pounds Cloo- ney gained for the role, he also comes to the race steeped in goodwill for his directorial effort, "Good Night, and Good Luck." But "Crash" has been gain- ing momentum lately, and this may help nominee Matt Dillon. In the business for more than 15 years, his turn as a racist CsousrtesyG of Rachel Weisz is the favorite after her win at the Golden Globes. LI Courtesy of Focus Films expected to win. Should Oscar become similarly enamored with "Brokeback," Williams could pull an upset. More likely to grab the gold, however, is the little-known Amy Adams, who played a simple, kindhearted Southern wife in "Junebug." Though this is Adams's first major film, she's a strong contender given her flawless performance and the Academy's fascination with rewarding at least one perfor- mance from a film that won't Ang Lee is in consideration for best director for his work in "Brokeback Mountain." Best director By Kristin MacDonald , Daily Arts Writer f there are some new faces on this year's best direc- tor ballot, don't mistake their presence as being an indication that the Acad- emy is finally thinking em outside the typical A-list box. This year's lack of worthy selections simply left Oscar little choice, reflected by the fact that each of these directors' films was also nominated for Best Picture. And let's be honest, in any other year, "Capote" and "Munich" would have ended up merely liked, not lauded, by critics. But what's done is done. At least the right man will probably take Oscar home at the end of the night. Ang Lee ("Broke- back Mountain") currently stands as the far-and-away favorite and has been since Oscar talk started brewing. Lee pock- eted nearly all of the other award season hand outs, emerging victorious from the Golden Globes, Directors Guild Awards and National Board of Review, as well as a multitude of various film critic associa- tions. The platitudes, if abundant, are well deserved - Lee deftly steers "Brokeback" clear of the romance's potential schmaltz. The film ends up patient and lyrically understated. Though Lee freely explores the relationship's aggressive physicality, the so-called controversy of the movie's content is driven more by the media than stirred by the filmmaker himself. A victory by George Clooney ("Good Night, and Good Luck") would be no trag- edy either. Although he is this group's other justifiable candidate, Clooney will probably end up overlooked due to his bet- ter chances in the best original screenplay and best supporting actor categories. Oscar generally doesn't care to show one man too much love, but Clooney's concise, finely paced "Good Night" certainly merits it. His artistic decisions on the film's visual impact alone set the work apart, unroll- ing its haze of '50s cigarette smoke in rich black-and-white cinematography. The efforts of the other contenders, while commendable, are certainly weaker. Take Bennett Miller: Frankly, his "Capo- te" was solid but only mildly engaging, and while Miller's work is composed and fluid, the overall product lacks the nec- essary punch for Oscar. Furthermore, "Capote" is just about the only noteworthy credit to Miller's name, which - though making his award-season success remark- able in this most name-driven of industries - significantly lowers his chances against the larger Hollywood figures of Lee and Clooney. The nomination alone will have to serve as Miller's award. The tremendous power of sheer name recognition in Hollywood is made oven more obvious in the disappointing nomi- nation of Steven Spielberg for "Munich." The same film by a less-worshipped man (Miller, for example) would have been dis- missed by far more critics as the medio- cre muddle it really was, rambling in plot and unsure of its own point. Without Spielberg's name on the credits, "Munich" would have roused only a fraction of the decidedly meager controversy it did excite. Besides, Spielberg already has two direct- ing Oscars for far more memorable films ("Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan"), and the Thalberg achievement award to boot. A victory here would only be an empty, repetitive recognition of his long-cemented Hollywood deity status. The nomination is confirmation enough. The last entrant on this short ballot is perhaps a few decades from Spielberg's level of industry importance, though cer- tainly promising. Paul Haggis's nomina- tion is already a bit of a surprise - "Crash" might be a good film, but in a less polished way than the graceful drama of "Broke- back" and "Good Night." Haggis seems to be emerging as a rising star on the quality- film scene, having written last year's criti- cally celebrated "Million Dollar Baby" as well as "Crash" itself. Like Miller, the nomination alone should be his award, though Haggis's IMDb.com profile revealed a dirty lit- tle career secret so wonderful it almost makes him worth rooting for - back in the '80s, Haggis served as one of the original creators of Chuck Norris's out- standingly awful "Walker, Texas Ranger." Yep, you read correctly: The guy who cre- ated one of the worst television programs in the history of the medium might leave the Kodak Theater with the highest award for filmmaking in the industry. Even Hol- lywood couldn't dream up a more poetic indication of the industry's increasingly downward slide - when the future's hope for quality looks to the past's paramount example of crap, the outlook is bleak indeed. O S C A R R A C E 2 0 0 6 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams JUNEBUG Catherine Keener CAPOTE Frances McDormand NORTH COUNTRY e/ Rachel Weisz THE CONSTANT GARDENER Michelle Williams BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN go on to win any other awards (Jamie Foxx last year, Charlize Theron and Renee Zellweger in 2004). And Adams isn't a total dark horse; she won the best supporting actress award from the National Society of Film Critics and tied with Williams at the Broadcast Film Critics Association awards. In the end, it'll come down to Adams and Rachel Weisz, who played an explosively pas- sionate humanitarian in one of the year's best films, "The Con- stant Gardener." The supreme- ly talented Weisz has been the frontrunner since her win at the Golden Globes and also picked up a Screen Actor's Guild award along the way. Though the award is Weisz's to lose, and her performance was cer- tainly deserving, this race isn't a sure bet. Yet "The Constant Gardener" has only one other nomination in a major catego- ry (best adapted screenplay) and is likely to lose there. The Academy won't bear to see this exceptional film leave empty- handed, giving. Weisz the extra push to snag the statue. O S C A R R A C E 2 0 ( BEST SUPPORTING ACT g/ George Clooney SYRIANA Matt Dillon CRASH Paul Giamatti CINDERELLA MAN Jake Gyllenhaal BROKEBACK MOUNTA William Hurt A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE George Clooney plays cop who finds a small of redemption won th his first Oscar nomin; it turns into his movie Dillon may reap the 1 but for now he remains shot. After being snubb "Sideways" and "A Splendor," Paul ( finally gets some n tion for his role of Joe in the Depression-era O S C A R R A C E 2 0 0 6 BEST DIRECTOR. Ang Lee BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN George Clooney GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK Bennett Miller CAPOTE Steven Spielberg MUNICH V/ Paul Haggis CRASH Headaches? Mi chigan ead*Pamn & Neurolo1 conducting an in-clinic research s investigational medication for mil Participants must be 18 to 65 yee 6 headaches per month. A total c v are required. Visit 2 is a four- to f visit while having an acute heada be available to come to the clinic during normal business hours (E You may be compensated up to $350 for your time and travel. Foi please call a study coordinator. Michigan Head*Pami & Neurological Institu Joel R. Saper, M.D., F.A.C.P, Director 3120 Professional Drive, Ann Arbor, MI* (734) 677-6( The Michigan Dail .4 8B The MichiganDaily - Thursday, February 23, 2006