Has Paul Giamatti taken a step back in the 2006 Calvins? It depends upon perspective. Last year, he was BOP's selection for the Best Actor of the year for his role in Sideways. In 2006, he only manages Best Supporting Actor of the year for his role in Cinderella Man. What a slacker. Factoring in his 2004 third place finish for American Splendor, this is three consecutive times our staff has considered him to offer one of the finest performances of the qualifying year. Stating the obvious, BOP loves Paul Giamatti as an actor.

Cinderella Man was a box office disappointment of such a degree that everything from Ron Howard's direction to the chosen release date was assailed with criticism. While Russell Crowe's enemies were enjoying his misstep, BOP was marveling at the soulful portrayal Giamatti offered. He was the manager who believed in his fighter and wanted to help, but was rendered impotent by his own financial struggles during the Great Depression. Most of the memorable moments in Cinderella Man in some way involve Giamatti. It's the manager who gets the broke fighter a quick payday, who calms him down prior to the fight and who leverages the shocking outcome into a title bout. It's Paul Giamatti who turns a decent film into a triumph of human emotion. Is it any wonder why we keep voting for the guy? And we will go ahead and pencil him in as a finalist for Best Actor in 2007 for Lady in the Water. Don't blow this for us, M. Night Shyamalan.

Okay, we hope you are sitting down for this. Mickey Rourke (!) is our selection for the second best supporting actor of the year. The controversial celebrity has made headlines for all the wrong reasons throughout his career, but Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller needed a realistic thug to portray Marv in Sin City. The hard living Rourke used his history as a pro boxer under the moniker "El Marielito" to become the anti-hero of The Hard Goodbye. So believable is Rourke's quest for vengeance on behalf of a dead hooker named Goldie that we find ourselves (briefly) pitying the cannibal who gets in his way. Marv is the role Mickey Rourke was born to play, and that isn't even meant as a pure compliment.

Finishing in third place is George Clooney for his work in Good Night, and Good Luck. As dedicated producer Fred Friendly, Clooney directs himself to be the moral compass of the movie. When hard newsman Edward R. Murrow wants to take down Senator Joseph McCarthy, it's Friendly caught between his boss wanting better numbers and his friend wanting to show the truth. Clooney's effort here is in stark contract to the jaded American operative he portrays in Syriana. In Good Night, and Good Luck, he's an optimist with a special love of the holiday spirit. He is the proverbial good man caught between what is right versus what is safe. Good Night, and Good Luck was a bold career decision for Clooney, and you should expect to see his name a lot during this year's Calvins.

Matt Dillon crashes into fourth place. There was some debate about where to slot him, but we eventually settled upon the same decision that the Academy did. Dillon's character is an embittered veteran of the police force who goes from sleazy villain to accidental hero over the course of 90 minutes of racism and chivalry. A less talented actor would not have imbued the performance with such believable nobility. This is particularly the case considering the horrific actions he performs upon Thandie Newton and Terrence Howard's characters early in the film. The fact that he wins viewers over to his jaded but still occasionally optimistic viewpoint is more than enough justification for a top four placement.

Only slightly less popular than his Good Night, and Good Luck co-hort, George Clooney, is Frank Langella. Whoopi Goldberg's former squeeze has only a few minutes of screen time with which to make an impression. It speaks volumes to the quality of his performance that we place his work in such high esteem despite its modest length. Langella is gripping as the too-practical network executive who has no qualms with stepping on the big story if it protects his company's bottom line. Langella has made a career out of playing the intense heavy in movies, and Good Night, and Good Luck is something of a tour de force for him in this capacity.

Jake Gyllenhaal's dedication to his craft is admirable. Choosing to take such risky roles in Jarhead and Brokeback Mountain is a far cry from the halcyon days of Bubble Boy's genteel comedy. His work as an obsessive, smitten cowboy in Ang Lee's awards-sweeping sensation is good enough to earn him sixth place on the list. The group has always had a soft spot for the actor, and we were thrilled to see such growth as a performer. His is the less memorable gay cowboy role, but his maturation as a thespian allows him to more than hold his own in the less sexy (no pun intended) role.

"I'm a monster. What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done." Our surprise choice for seventh place is Chiwetel Ejiofor in Serenity. His portrayal of the utilitarian shadowy government who hunts down the crew of Firefly is pitch perfect. He rings true as a man of faith who militantly defends his belief in a better world, one which people like him will never see. What makes him fearsome is that The Operative is capable of performing unconscionable acts of violence and evil to achieve his goals. Ejiofor faced a tall task in being the only newcomer to have a significant part in the cinematic adaptation of the cancelled Firefly television series. The fact that he beat out former cast members Adam Baldwin and Alan Tudyk to claim a spot in the top ten says it all, particularly considering the group's fondness for the character of Jayne. The Operative stands as one of the most memorable movie villains ever thanks to the extraordinary performance by Ejiofor.

The bottom of the top ten this year is wildly competitive. A single vote could have been enough to lift any actor from 16th all the way up to eighth place. We saw no fewer than 22 actors as worthy of significant attention in the category, making the last few selections very tricky to choose. We had a tie for eighth place. Cillian Murphy's villainous portrayal of the Arkham Asylum therapist impressed voters with its darkness. You have to love a shrink who can throw on a potato sack and became the Scarecrow. Terrence Howard's work as an emasculated Hollywood executive in Crash is not quite as showy as his work in Hustle & Flow, but it still struck a deep emotional chord with voters. Rounding out the top ten is William Hurt for his work in A History of Violence. Like Frank Langella, the only limitation to his performance was its screen time. He was unquestionably the best part of the movie.

Others receiving strong consideration in this closely bunched category are Donald Sutherland (Pride & Prejudice), Anthony Anderson (Hustle & Flow), Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents), Adam Baldwin (Serenity), Clifton Collins Jr. (Capote), Ben McKenzie (Junebug), Matt Damon (Syriana), Kyle Chandler (King Kong), and Alan Tudyk (Serenity). (David Mumpower/BOP)

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