Local ties to Oscar

If you're finding it hard to care about the Oscars in a year where the combined gross of the five best picture nominees is a little more than half of what "The Dark Knight" grossed in North America, consider these local rooting interests:

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The dark horse candidate in the best actor category is DeKalb's own Richard Jenkins, a character actor who finally graduated to a leading role -- at age 60 -- in Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor." Jenkins plays Walter Vale, a college professor defeated by life who finds new purpose when he discovers two illegal immigrants squatting in his New York City apartment. Jenkins brings an uncommon subtlety to the part, and creates a fully realized, three-dimensional character out of material that could have fallen into cliche. Little seen, the film is now playing on Starz and Starz OnDemand.

Where have you seen Jenkins before? Most likely in "Six Feet Under" as the ghostly Nathaniel Fisher Sr., appearing from time to time to guide his son Nate (Peter Krause). In 2008, he also appeared in "Step Brothers" as John C. Reilly's harried father, and in "Burn After Reading" as a gym employee who carries a torch for co-worker Frances McDormand. There's almost no way Jenkins can defeat Mickey Rourke or Sean Penn, but I'm certainly hoping he does.

Here's Jenkins with Haaz Sleiman in "The Visitor":

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Pretty much everyone not named Heath Ledger is a dark horse candidate in the best supporting actor category, and one of The Joker's most formidable foes is Michael Shannon, a Kentucky native whose professional acting career began in Chicago at Steppenwolf, Next Lab and Red Orchid. Shannon's short, three-scene role in "Revolutionary Road" is a marvel -- shocking, intense and at times brutally funny, it's a real game-changer within the film.

Until now, Shannon's most memorable role was in Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center," playing an ex-Marine who dons the uniform again and drives to ground zero to help the rescue effort. He also appeared with Ashley Judd in the little-seen "Bug," a William Friedkin thriller that unfortunately shared a release date with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Shannon has no chance of beating The Joker, but his Oscar nod will undoubtedly lead to more work.

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Of course, the biggest thing to happen to our area this year was "The Dark Knight," which was filmed in Chicago and made the city look absolutely beautiful. "TDK" will probably win a truckload of technical awards, which will be earned by people working with our local film crews. And cinematographer Wally Pfister, probably the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar, is a Chicago native. So a win for "TDK" is a win for us!

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The Oscars air Sunday on ABC. The producers promise an entirely new kind of Oscar telecast, and with Hugh Jackman at the helm, that's not hard to believe. Here's hoping for some big surprises.