I love this quote from Roger Ebert's article in yesterday's Chicago Sun-Times with his predictions for Oscar nominations:
Supporting actor? If the academy passes over Willem Dafoe's astonishing work as a vampire in Shadow of the Vampire, I may have to hurl my coffee at the TV screen. If it nominates Albert Finney just because he was in Erin Brockovich, I know I will; he is such a powerful actor that he showed up that tepid role just by appearing in it.
As it turns out, both of them got nominated, as you probably know.
Ebert also hoped for a nomination for Wilson, the volleyball from Cast Away.