We’re counting down to the Oscars by introducing you to some of the best and sometimes overlooked performances of this year's Oscar contenders. Today’s Episode: Good Vibrations.

This is another of those rare success stories. Once upon a time there was a boy in an unknown boy band called The New Kids on the Block. Somewhere along the line, one of the members – the younger brother of the eldest of the group – decided to quit and find a different route to success. The New Kids on the Block took off big just weeks after he left. He was a joke. Someone who missed the bus to stardom. So he put out his own record, crafted his own image. And he caught on. For a while.

Then he tried his hand at acting, first as a student in three consecutive films, then as the psychotic boyfriend in a little thriller starring an unknown actress by the name of Reese Witherspoon. Then other directors came calling. The rest is history. Mark Wahlberg, younger brother of Donnie Wahlberg, the guy who missed the boat, instead caught a ride right to the top of the world.

Essential Filmography:

Boogie Nights. Everyone told him it was a mistake to play a porn star in a movie by a little-known director. Everyone was wrong. This movie changed him from Marky Mark to Mark Wahlberg in one killer, excellent performance.

The Perfect Storm. They let the kid from Boston play a kid from Boston, and he once again delivered a performance that further separated him from his garish, hip-hop image.

Invincible. Last year’s fantastic sports film won people over and brought in the green – even during a time when there were several other competing films about sports. A good old-fashioned true story that it’s hard not to like.

Why he probably shouldn’t get the gold: Oooooowooo! Oooooowooo! Oooooowooo! Can you feel it, baby? I can too. It’s such a good vibration. A sweeeeet sensation. It’s such a good vibration .…

This is part of Film.com's coverage of the 2007 Academy Awards. For more Oscars articles, analysis, news, and red carpet photo galleries, visit our Oscars page.

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