Supporting actor -- Covert's tipsheet

In his favor: To play a drug-addled ex-boxer, he effected shocking weight loss, thinned hair, junkie jitters and a Massachusetts accent thick as chowdah. This is acting with a capital A.

Then again: Bale hogged the mike in his Golden Globes acceptance speech. Nobody wants that again.

In his favor: He plays a terrifying bad man is if he were a real person, not a Mortal Kombat villain. You sense his pain even as every glance spits knives.

Then again: His powerful, internalized acting is a far cry from Bale's hyperventilating performance. Squeaky wheel gets the Oscar, probably.

In his favor: His scary roughneck bank robber sizzles with the glee of reckless abandon. Crime might not pay, but he shows how liberating it can be.

Then again: There's a bigger, meatier role as a nutso Baahston-area loose cannon this year, and the guy in that part also plays Batman.

In his favor: He nails a very specific character type, the gauche California playboy. His laddish Lothario upsets the equilibrium of a lesbian household, but grounds the movie.

In his favor: His witty and touching scenes as a king's unorthodox speech therapist play out with the grace of a Wimbledon championship match.

Then again: He makes it look effortless, as if he's coasting through the role. All the hard work is hidden. It's not easy to be this suave.

Why he deserved it: As Mark Zuckerberg's castoff best buddy, business partner and ethical compass, he brings soulful gravity to the saddest bromance ever filmed.