The Rundown: Coming Attractions

Yesterday, I called Heath Ledger one of the greatest actors of his generation and I stand by that comment. Since we have tragically lost him and his incredible talents, I thought we would use today's Rundown to look at some who might fill his shoes...

Top Five Actors You Need To Watch

5. Joseph Gordon Levitt
The smart-ass kid from 3rd Rock from the Sun has transformed into an outstanding actor over the last number of years. After sharing the screen with Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, Levitt found critical acclaim in smaller independent films, including 2001's Manic ( I own it, it's awesome...) and 2004's Mysterious Skin. Then came Brick, a film that out of nowhere ended up on a number of "Best of..." lists. Let me start a trend here by saying you'll see him next in the highly anticipated Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don't Cry) film Stop Loss in March.

4. Abbie Cornish
Okay, so the ties to Heath Ledger continue and that is a little weird, but there is no denying the talent Abbie Cornish possesses. She won critical acclaim in the Australian Indie film Somersault (Blockbuster has it... you should rent it) before wowing audiences alongside Ledger in Candy, were she starred as the titular character. She too can be seen in Pierce's Stop Loss in March, but gets an added "Know Her Now Before Everyone Else Catches On" points for being pegged as a Bond Girl in the 22nd Installment of the 007 series.

3. Emile Hirsch
You probably know him from The Girl Next Door or maybe his role as Johnny Truelove in Alpha Dog. Movie geeks like me remember him from a great performance along side Kieran Culkin in The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (Go Rent It!) and he's getting rave reviews, though no Oscar Nom, for his portrayal of Chris McCandless in Sean Penn's Into The Wild. Where will you see him next? Only in The Wachowski Brothers' (Hello... The Matrix!)big screen adaptation of Speed Racer! Yes. I know. I'm a geek. God I'm lucky to have Sarah!

2. Ellen Page
Write this name down. Remember it. Start talking to people about her. Not just because I said so, but so that when she wins the Oscar this year for her portrayal of title character Juno in Jason Reitman's movie that I have been dying to see, you'll look like the super-cool, finger-on-the-pulse member of your group. You want to be that person. Okay, maybe you don't want to be, but I do. Trust me, she is the next big thing in terms of actresses. She has been since Hard Candy and Mouth to Mouth, just no one else picked up on it until she kicked the hell outta Juno. Plus she's Canadian... what's not to love?

1. Channing Tatum
Say what you want. Make fun of the fact that I'm repping the Step Up guy as THE Next Big Thing, but do yourself a favour and pay attention. Yes, he's the Step Up guy. So what? You don't get to say anything until you've gone and watched A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, a little movie starring some big-time actors and Tatum kills'em all as Antonio. And yes, he too is in the up coming Stop Loss, which, in case you haven't been paying attention, I'm dying to see and think will be one of the best films of the year.

Pictured: The Stop Loss Men - Ryan Phillippe, Victor Rasuk, Joseph Gordon Levitt & Channing Tatum

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I gotta say, I'm pretty sickened by the coverage of Heath Ledger's death. I know everyone wants to be first on the scene with all the breaking news and whatnot, but seriously. No one knows the true circumstances of the situation, yet everyone is quick to toss out words like overdose and suicide, say that it was MK Olsen's apartment (which it is now being reported it wasn't) and opining about the state of mind Ledger must have been in.

Here's an idea - wait ten minutes, get the story and let his family and friends get a chance to catch their breath about the situation before jamming a microphone or tape recorder in their face. Be responsible with your reporting. Is it that hard?