2013 Oscar nominated Supporting Actor

And the nominees are:

Barkhad Abdi in "Captain Phillips"
A "non-actor" who is mesmerizing as the leader of a Somalian pirate crew who capture an American ship and hold it hostage for ransom. From the moment he confronts Tom Hanks with the line "Look at me. I'm the captain now" the audience is on the edge of their seats. And kudos to the actor for creating a three dimensional person. With a realistic backstory and slowly evolving connection with Captain Phillips, Barkhad was impressive, scary, yet very human.

Bradley Cooper in "American Hustle"
My favorite nominee for best actor last year for "Silver Linings Playbook," he once again delivers. As the perm-challenged detective determined to make a name for himself by enlisting two grifters to help him bring down congressmen during the 1970's Abscam scandal, Bradley proves once again that he is a gifted comedic actor.

Michael Fassbender in "12 Years a Slave"
The one character you want to hate. Michael plays the most evil slave owner since Simon Legree. Brutal, inhuman in his treatment of his "property," he is terrifying. Yet what makes the performance work is that he also is a three-dimensional character. You almost understand why he behaves the way he does.

Jonah Hill in "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Most people were stunned (as were we) that he was nominated for an Oscar for "Moneyball" last year. This performance proves it was not a fluke. Jonah plays Leonardo DiCaprio's right hand man in their rise through the stock market, and is cunning, vicious, and hysterical at the same time. This is an actor that keeps getting better.

Jared Leto in "Dallas Buyers Club"
OK, this guy can be weird...leaving Hollywood to be in his band, spending the entire shoot of this movie in character,... but what a performance! As the HIV infected transvestite who befriends and helps Matthew McConaughey bring medications over the border for other AIDS patients, he is a revelation. Funny, yet tragic, he was absolutely astonishing.

And the winner will be:
Jared Leto
And my pick would be:
Jared Leto
Sorry, this performance just blew me away. He deserves every award he is getting for this performance.

Honorable mention:
Will Forte in "Nebraska"
I don't know which of the above five I would have bumped, but Will Forte was awesome. Although known as the SNL comedian who went on to make "MacGruber," he proved his acting chops working along side Bruce Dern in this movie. A very sweet and realistic portrayal of a son who, although having never received much affection from his father, is determined to help make his father's golden years special. And he won the National Board of Review's award for this one.

Thanks for reading...a few more until "Oscar Night!" Until then, keep it reel.