Oscar WeeK: Best Supporting Actor

Oscar Week continues with The Best Supporting Actor category. Remember, there could be character and/or movie spoilers.

Allen Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine

Edwin (Arkin), recently evicted from a retirement home for snorting heroin, is shown to have a very strong bond with his seven-year-old granddaughter Olive (Abigail Breslin), and coaches her to perform in a child beauty pageant. Edwin teaches Olive a striptease-style burlesque performance (to the tune of Rick James' Super Freak) for her dance performance, which she performs unaware of its risque nature. Edwin dies before the family gets to the pageant but the family presses on. Hilarity ensues.

Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children

Ronald James McGorvey (Haley), who has served a prison sentence for indecent exposure to a child, has been released and has moved back into the neighborhood to live with his mother. Larry Hudges (Noah Emmerich), a former police officer, launches a hate campaign against McGorvey, vandalizing, harassing, and even assaulting the man and his mother. Ronald's mother (Phyllis Somerville) desperately wants Ronald to go out on a date and meet women his own age. Ronald agrees to do this just one time, to make his mother happy, though he tells her that he doesn't desire women his own age (though he wished he did). Hilarity ensues.

Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond

Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a fisherman, is captured by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF). Separated from his family, Solomon is enslaved to work in the diamond fields under the command of Captain Poison (David Harewood). Diamonds mined by the prisoners are used by the RUF to buy arms and finance their efforts. While working at the diamond fields, Solomon finds a large pink diamond. Moments before the government troops launch an attack, Captain Poison sees Solomon with the diamond. Solomon has just enough time to bury the stone, before being arrested along with Captain Poison and the other rebels. Hilarity ensues.

Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls

In 1962, James "Thunder" Early (Murphy) is a regional R&B star. The Dreamettes join Jimmy as backup singers by striking a deal with Jimmy's manager Marty (Danny Glover). The tour takes Jimmy and the girls across the country on the chitlin‘ circuit. By paying the right people, the Dreamettes manager Curtis Taylor, Jr. (Jamie Foxx) manages to get Jimmy and the Dreamettes to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and into a headlining gig at the Apollo Theater. Offstage, Effie is quickly becoming infatuated with the slick-talking Curtis, and Jimmy - a married man - begins an adulterous affair with Lorrell, who becomes equally as lovesick as Effie. Sometime later, Jimmy Early's star has long faded, and Curtis has little interest in revitalizing his career. Unsatisfied with both his wife Melba (Dawnn Lewis) and his long-term mistress Lorrell, Jimmy turns to drugs for affection. In 1974, Rainbow Records hosts a tenth anniversary TV special featuring its roster of stars. Midway through his performance of a pop-friendly love song, Jimmy breaks out into a wild James Brown-esque funk number and drops his pants on live TV. Curtis resultantly terminates Jimmy's contract, and Lorrell, weary of their eight-year affair, leaves Jimmy behind as well. Sometime later, Jimmy dies of a heroin overdose. Hilarity ensues.

Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

Sergeant Bryce Dignam (Wahlberg) is the second in charge of the undercover unit of the Boston Police Department under Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen). They assign undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) to commit assault, go to prison, and then begin selling drugs with his cousin to get noticed by Irish mob boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson) for the purpose of obtaining information. Dignam is fiercely loyal to his undercover guys and will do anything to protect their identities. Hilarity ensues.