George Clooney had one of those years where it seemed like he was everywhere all the time -- in addition to directing, co-writing and co-starring in Good Night, and Good Luck, he dominated the ensemble cast of Syriana (which he executive produced), suffered from a spinal injury and appeared on the cover of Men's Vogue. His transformative (i.e., he gained weight) performance in Syriana and his ubiquity puts him at the top of our list, as does his Golden Globe win, though this is the category most filled with ambiguity this year.

Clooney was sailing along on waves of accolades until the SAG Awards and BAM! There comes Paul Giamatti out of nowhere to take home the award for Cinderella Man. Suddenly, it's Paul this and Paul that and "Oh, he was overlooked last year for Sideways! Let's make it up!" It'll be interesting to see how this sentiment plays out, given there aren't any more awards coming up until the Oscars themselves. How large will Mr. Giamatti's shadow loom? We'd suggest Mr. Clooney find himself another magazine cover pronto!

The other contenders in this category are all good guys and a case could be made for any of them. William Hurt was the early critical fave for A History of Violence; ask anyone's who seen the movie and they'll wax rhapsodic. Crash's Matt Dillon is the Kim Basinger of this category: middling Hollywood star made good with a fresh, striking performance in his 40s. And Brokeback Mountain's Jake Gyllenhaal.... sigh. Can you resist those dreamy eyes -- or the movie with the most Oscar momentum of any this year?

We were surprised to see former nominees Bob Hoskins (Mrs. Henderson Presents) and Don Cheadle (Crash) left out in the cold, and their presence would have muddied the waters even further.

Our Pick: The category's a true nail-biter this year, but right now we'll stick with Syriana's George Clooney, though we reserve the right to predict an upset!