Incendiary Advice

Looks like he's rounding third and heading for home...or better than home, AMPAS. Maybe letting the film ride on his coattails, too.

Hoffman's been on the short list for an Oscar nod since the film came out.

The real story is Capote's stunning turnaround. After being virtually forgotten for awhile, it picked up Best Film from the National Board of Film Critics on Saturday.

Now, I've yet to see Brokeback Mountain, but it's hard to imagine anyone turning in a more mesmerizing or amazing performance than Hoffman's portrayal of Truman Capote in Capote.

Word is, Heath Ledger is excellent in BBM. It's hard to compare the two roles, really. One is a wholesale creation from a fictitious character, the other is a somewhat unsympathetic, eccentric real person. Hard to say which would be harder to create.

I'm truly psyched that Hoffman's getting his due. After amazing turns in Magnolia, Almost Famous, The Talented Mr. Ripley and others, he's one of our most versatile undersung actors.

His performance, and the film, haunts you long after you leave the theater. Oh, and frankly, I find him every bit as hot as Clooney.

Golden Globes

philip seymour hoffman