They shoulda been contenders

They shoulda been contenders

We're feeling pretty confident that when Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 22, Heath Ledger, Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Sean Penn, Mickey Rourke and Penélope Cruz will all be in the mix. After all they've already scored Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild nominations, making their performances award season favorites.

But what about those actors and actresses less likely, or completely unlikely, to have their names called on nomination morning? We're picking our favorite performances from 2008 that we expect will be left out in the cold when it comes to Oscar gold. —Geoff Berkshire and Matt Pais, Metromix