I first came across this factoid in the comments section of yesterday's "Oscar history" entry from a reader named Chris, and again today I see that Pete Hammond is making the assertion.  But apparently, if "Atonement" and "Sweeney Todd" both miss out on Best Picture nominations next week (as it seems they will), it will be the second time in the history of life as we know it that neither of the Golden Globe Best Picture winners received a nod from the Academy.  And you have to go way back to 1955 to find the only other instance.

I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more: WEIRD YEAR.

•  An attempt at making sense of it all, post-guilds and with a week to go. [In Contention]

•  Is "I drink your milshake" an anachronism in "There Will Be Blood?"  Apparently not. Thanks haeavens we have Jeffrey Wells on the case of stuff like this.  What would we do otherwise? [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Texas State University gets in ona ll that Cormac McCarthy love. [Assciated Press via Hollywood Reporter]

•  Pete Hammond reports that an unusual amount of Academy members waited until the last minute to submit ballots this year...and that Joe Wright gets naked when he wins an award. [The Envelope]

•  Tom O'Neil gets into the campaign shift for "Juno" star Ellen Page, away from the cheeky and toward the serious. [Gold Derby]

•  Nathaniel Rogers responds to yesterday's PGA announcement. [The Film Experience]

•  T.L. Stanley does the same. [Gold Rush]

•  David Carr writes up a requiem for the Golden Globes ceremony at the Gray Lady. [New York Times]

•  Earlier, he partners up with Michael Cieply for a full rundown of the tragedy. [New York Times]

•  You can find the Oscar season anywhere, folks.  Anywhere.  Well, if you're obssessed and/or look hard enough. [Vulture]

•  There's hope for relapsing fashionistas yet! [USA Today]

If you want some more commentary on tonight's shenanigans, David Carr was at the press conference covering for the New York Times (somehow I'm sure he loathed every minute of it).

The Envelope, meanwhile, had a live blogger on the case.  There's some funny reactions to be found in Patrick Day's commentary over there: "Apparently, this live press conference has been sponsored by Jell-O. What I wouldn't pay to get a peek at their gifting suite."

Sasha Stone, covered things as they were announced, with some personal commentary to come, I'm sure, and our own Anne Thompson has some insights to offer as well.  David Poland is agressively tapping out his reaction, I'm sure, as  Tom O'Neil should be checking in in due time after dilligently covering the pre-show festivities (or lack thereof).  Jeffrey Wells also has plenty of Globes-dedicated posts to sift through at Hollywood Elsewhere.

Finally, Variety's Tim Gray has a lengthy first-hand account of the goings on, with contributions from Cynthia Littleton, Steven Gaydos and Bill Higgins.  He start's out like so:

If Sunday's Golden Globes event seemed a little strange to home viewers, the hundreds in attendance at the BevHilton were totally disoriented.

For Golden Globe vets, the short evening was dreamlike, both familiar and unfamiliar. As usual, it took place in the hotel's International Ballroom, with the usual pre-event shmoozing. But there was no red carpet, no screaming crowds (just a handful of well-behaved gawkers) and no limo gridlock in the hotel's driveway. And, crucially, there were no stars.

And later:

The seams were showing, mostly in the confusion of the attendees. Many walked around with furrowed brows and slack jaws, obviously confused by the whole thing. Everyone had questions. Will there be a list of winners available? How long will this last? What is going to happen exactly? And, crucially, where is the food? (There was a modest buffet in the back of the room, with a more elaborate spread following the announcement.)

The hasty planning was also apparent a few hours before the start of the show, as a dozen crew members adjusted the lighting and the set. (Six square columns on stage that proudly proclaimed "Golden Globe Awards" were taken from their usual perch on the driveway.)

HFPA members circulated, some in a festive mood, others looking like a host who just found out the cook has burned the entree.

When first driving up to the Hilton, it was a complete turnaround from the usual Globes frenzy. Things were so quiet that one wag said it looked like an outtake from "I Am Legend."

Alright, so that's a wrap.  And I feel like my pulse is racing at the speed of light due to the expediency of that delivery.  Jeez, I had to run to the bathroom at one point and almost had a heart attack for fear of missing a few announcements.  Maybe that's the way to go, an awards show at break-neck speeds.

Anyway, the big winners in the Best Picture categories were "Atonement" and "Sweeney Todd," the latter of which is probably the only moderately surprising victor.  "American Gangster," "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "Juno" came up emptihanded, while Daniel Day-Lewis, Julie Christie and Javier Bardem continue to dominate the season.  Then again, Julie Christie might want to check the rearview, as Marion Cotillard is hot on her tail after winning over Ellen Page tonight.

According the the HFPA website, the Coen brothers won Best Screenplay over Diablo Cody, in what one of our commenters considers a "HUGE upset."  I hardly would agree there, and would even call Julian Schnabel's win over the brothers a bigger surprise.  The HFPA website also indicates that Dario Marianelli took down Best Original Score for "Atonement," while "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" won Best Foreign Language Film, each of them matching "Sweeney Todd" and "No Country," therefore, with two wins apiece.

Alright, so I'm going to watch Matt Lauer's little special now, and try to get my head around the fact that I just saw Cris Collinsworth giving Golden Globes commentary.


Live blogging the ceremony (full list of winners at the bottom):

(6:59 PM) -- Well, "Atonement" REALLY needed this bump in momentum.  But without the guilds, it's going to be tough.  Dave Karger just mentioned the goose eggs, Best Picture hopefuls "Michael Clayton" and "There Will Be Blood" among them.

(6:59 PM) -- Hey, Day-Lewis used to be a shoe cobbler.  Can you pick up a pair?  Like, Air Day-Lewises?  That would be awesome.

(6:58 PM) -- Daniel Day-Lewis continues his precursor dominance on the way to -- Seriously, can't we say it now? -- a second Best Actor Oscar.  "I DRINKYOUR MILKSHAKE!"

(6:56 PM) -- A friend's response to the Julie Christie dialogue in her "Away from Her" clip: "Sounds like a plan!"  Hey, I thought it was funny.

(6:54 PM) -- I haven't seen "Mad Men" yet, though I downloaded it from itunes recently.  The Globes love to give awards to new series, so I guess that isn't surprising, right?  Is it a good show?  Eh?

(6:53 PM) -- Just found out "Guaranteed" won original song.  Was I in the bathroom or something?  Anyway, congrats to Eddie Vedder on that one.  A great soundtrack full of classic tunes.

(6:47 PM) -- Boy this thing is moving along quickly.  Anyway, "Sweeney Todd" puts a major dent in the hopes for "Juno" with a quasi-surprising win in the Best Picture comedy or musical category.  But the latter's box office success might still be enough to get it there for Oscar.  Then again, "Diving Bell" isn't looking like a slouch by any means.

(6:45 PM) -- No shock in Johnny Depp taking the win for Best Actor in a comedy or musical.  This might be seen as a boost to his Oscar hopes, but as commenter mickey points out, AMPAS ballots were due yesterday and this surge of steam for Dep and his film might be too little too late.

(6:43 PM) -- BIG surprise as Julian Schnabel leap-frogs the Coens for Best Director.

(6:26 PM) -- Dave Karger is on screen to discuss Cotillard and Bardem's wins.  Nothing from Dave yet on his "Atonement" prediction with an "Into the Wild" snub.  (Just joshing ya, Dave).

(6:25 PM) -- No surprise here, as Javier Bardem takes down the win for Best Supporting Actor.  It seems to be pre-ordained that Oscar will come his way next, but in this crazy game, anything can happen.

(6:19 PM) -- Ellen Page misses in favor of Marion Cotillard's "La Vie en Rose" performance for Best Actress in a comedy or musical.

(6:16 PM) -- The bad commentary continues as "Ratatouille" takes down Best Animated Film, as expected.  "Nothing appetizing about a rat cooking French cuisine."  Eesh...

(6:03 PM) -- The first feature film surprise of the evening is Cate Blanchett's win for "I'm Not There."  Amy Ryan has been on a precursor stampede as of late, so it's encouraging for Blanchett's Oscar hopes to win here.


FEATURE FILM WINNERS

Best Picture (Drama): "Atonement"

Best Picture (Comdey/Musical): "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Best Actor (Drama): Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

Best Actress (Drama): Julie Christie, "Away from Her"

Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street"

Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"

Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"

Best Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

Best Screenplay: "No Country for Old Men"

Best Original Score: "Atonement"

Best Original Song: "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild"

Best Animated Film: "Ratatouille"

Best Foreign Language Film: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"


TV WINNERS

Best Drama Series: "Mad Men"

Best Comedy Series: "Extras"

Best Actor (Drama): John Hamm, "Mad Men"

Best Actress (Drama): Glenn Close, "Damages"

Best Actor (Comedy): David Duchovny, "Californication"

Best Actress (Comedy): Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Best Actor (Mini-Series/TV Movie): TBA

Best Actress (Mini-Series/TV Movie): Queen Latifah, "Life Support"

Best Supporting Actor: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"

Best Supporting Actress: Samantha Morton, "Longford"

I came across this story this morning from our own Cynthia Littleton and Bill Higgins about the typical awards-crazy networks' intentions in the wake of the Golden Globes becoming an "announcement" rather than an actual awards telecast.

Here's the meat:

The on-air nomenclature for Sunday's Globes news conference telecast was just one of several details firmed up on Wednesday by NBC and the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., while E! made the decision to bag its usual full-court press of Globes-themed programming for the night in favor of a "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" marathon that will be branded "Stay at Home Sunday."

"We're taking the attitude that if the stars are staying home, we're staying home," E! boss Ted Harbert said. "These shows are about stars."

E! will offer bulletins updating viewers on the Globe winners. TV Guide Network said it would proceed with its plan for three hours of Globe-centric specs on Sunday night.

•  Alexandra Peers has the scoop on Julian Schnabel's latest art exhibit, "Navigations," amidst critical and industry kudos for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." [Vulture]

•  Dave Karger sits down with "In the Valley of Elah" and "No Country for Old Men" star Tommy Lee Jones. [Entertainment Weekly]

•  NBC is set to loose a bundle due to cancellation of the Golden Globes telecast. [Wall Street Journal]

•  The soundtrack to "Juno" lands at #8 on the Billboard charts. ("Sonic Youth sucks.  It's just noise.") [Extended Play]

•  The People's Choice Awards weren't much of a hit with the "people." [Variety]

•  "No Country" wins yet another Best Picture award, this time from the Online Film Critics Society. [Variety]

•  Jeffrey Wells is four-square behind "I drink your milkshake" as a marketing must for Paramount Vantage's "There Will Be Blood" Oscar campaign. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  David Poland talks to "Sweeney Todd" helmer Tim Burton. [The Hot Blog]

•  Nathaniel Rogers launches a new podcast series, beginning with the heart-stopping Marisa Tomei.  (Hey, she stops my heart.) [The Film Experience]

•  Oh yeah...Gurus 2.0. [Movie City News]

Variety looks at the acting races this weekend with an Awards Season Focus: 10 stories, all built around the thespians.

To kick it off, Stu Levine surveys the dark horse Oscar hopefuls that grabbed Golden Globe nominations, James McAvoy ("Atonement") and Helena Bonham Carter ("Sweeney Todd") among them.  But it begs the question, and not just for the dark horses that already need all the publicity they can get: Will contenders simply be hurting themselves by not showing up?  The dress rehearsal for Oscar is always the acceptance speech at a Golden Globe ceremony, so...just sayin...

Anyway, continuing, Robert Hofler gets into comedic performances getting the shaft, while Peter Debruge takes a healthy look at critical consensus building for various portrayals.  Despite consensus, however, Robert Abele wonders whether old-timers like Frank Langella ("Starting Out in the Evening") or youthful hopefuls like Emile Hirsch ("Into the Wild") could step in and surprise a la Adrien Brody's 2002 victory for "The Pianist."

There's also a great piece from Sandee Angulo Chen about the modern abandonment of Method acting technique, but take a look at the full range of stories, there's plenty to chew on.

EDITED (8:46 PM): Not long after posting this item, it seems McNary followed up and got a "not gonna happen" out of the WGA.  So much for that...

EARLIER: Following up on that little item from Tom O'Neil we linked to this morning about the Golden Globes telecast potentially working out a deal with the suddenly-willing-to-deal WGA, I came across this story from our own Dave McNary which hit a little less than an hour ago.  The information comes from a press release from HFPA President Jorge Camara.  Here's a look:

Producers of the Golden Globes say they're in talks for an interim deal with the WGA that will permit the Jan. 13 show to be telecast without being picketed.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. said it is seeking an agreement along the same lines as the pact signed last week by David Letterman's Worldwide Pants shingle. And it indicated that the WGA could be accused of playing favorites if it fails to grant a waiver to the Globes since it has already done so for the SAG Awards and the Sprit Awards.

"Much like the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Film Independent's Spirit Awards, we want to enter into an agreement with the WGA that will allow the entertainment industry to celebrate the outstanding work of creative individuals in addition to millions of fans nationwide," said Jorge Camara, president of the HFPA. "It is only fair that we be afforded the same opportunity as these other awards shows."

The Envelope also has a staff story up now, so the genie is escaping from the bottle as the news spreads like wildfire.  "They're negotiating!  They're negotiating!"  We'll see how it goes.

With all this talk of an untelevised Golden Globes telecast, there is a lot of speculation about which contenders and campaigns could be hurt as a result.  "Atonement" leads the field there, but doesn't have a single mention with the SAG and likely won't be a giant player at the Critics' Choice Awards on 1/7, so there's a film that really needs this publicity in the awards season, right?  "The Great Debaters" is also a film trying to make its moves late in the year, releasing over the holiday and hoping to turn that Best Picutre HFPA nod into Oscar gold.  But who reallly suffers if the Globes are not to be shown on the boob tube?

My opinion?  Fashion gurus.

What, oh what will the fashion nit-pickers and bloody-mary-screaming thread analysts do without a Golden Globes telecast?  What will Joan Rivers do with herself if she can't stalk the red carpet, schreeching about this designer or that while simultaneously forgetting actors' names and films as if she were born to do so?  Best dressed?  Worst dressed??  Will E! go dark???

Never fear, friends.  The Envelope is on top of it in the meantime with a look back at recent "formal wear fiacos" for your viewing displeasure.  And thank God for that, right?  Right?

•  Anne Thompson assesses the potential lack of a Golden Globes telecast... [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  ...and runs into "The Dark Knight" helmer Christopher Nolan at a holiday gathering this week, grills him on the IMAX experience of th 2008 WB tentpole. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Pete Hammond also digs into the awards show dillemmas before offering thoughts on later season hopefuls. [The Envelope]

•  Michael Cieply is also hot on the trail of the Globes situation. [New York Times]

•  Jeffrey Wells is back on the "Oscar prognostication should be about spotlighting quality" thing again. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Sasha Stone has a look at IFC's "Oconoclasts" with Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer, a very absorbing "Guy's guy" special that I'd encourage anyone, fan of "Into the Wild" or not, to give a look. [Awards Daily]

•  Tom O'Neil tries to get a bead on the comedy/musical races at the Globes. [Gold Derby]

•  Claudia Puig hails "Michael Clayton" the best film of 2007. [USA Today]

•  "There Will Be Blood" and "Zodiac" top a critics poll of the year's best. [indieWIRE]

•  Gerard Kennedy surveys the top contenders for Best Original Song. [In Contention]

•  Award Central begins its Golden Globes countdown in the Features department. [Variety]

•  Pete Hammond weighs in on SAG and the blows felt by "Atonement" and "Sweeney Todd" yesterday. [The Envelope]

•  But Tom O'Neil makes sure it's clear that the winner of Best Cast doesn't always forecast the winner of Best Picture. [Gold Derby]

•  And David Poland is bored with the announcement, as usual. [The Hot Blog]

•  Sasha Stone has a comparison chart for contending performances this Oscar season across three awards-giving bodies. [Awards Daily]

•  Gurus 2.0 go on the record again, pre-SAG, having hastily knocked "Into the Wild" down far too many pegs in response to the HFPA near shut-out. [Movie City News]

•  Nathaniel Rogers can't get "Sweeney" tunes out of his head. [The Film Experience]

•  Hank Rosenfeld draws out the similarities between Nicole Kidman's evil Ms. Coulter ("The Golden Compass") and conservative nut-job Ann Coulter. [Los Angeles Times]

•  Scott Bowles gets in some quality time with Daniel Day-Lewis. [USA Today]

•  And a final list of awards designations before the holiday, courtesy of yours truly. [In Contention]

So, Gold Derby's Tom O'Neil is lashing out at Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates today because Cates called O'Neil's assertion that the show may not go on (even though the LA Times reported otherwise) "totally ridiculous" in an AP story.

You got all that?

O'Neil also points to this week's Variety story about WGA strikers planning to picket the Golden Globes ceremony if it moves forward.  Additionally, O'Neil cites "30 Rock" writer Brett Baer, who says "If we could shut down the awards shows, that would be great" in the AP story.

Also, David Carr ran a brief item earlier this week from a "talent wrangler" who said there was a "less than zero" chance of "parading her A-list talent past pickets, if there are any, at the Golden Globes."  I'm pretty sure there's a back door to the Beverly Hilton, though.

My opinion?  Blah, blah, blah.

I don't see how Baer's hopes would be widely shared, first of all, given the publicity boost the WGA would get from having picketers at the Golden Globes ceremony.  No one wants to shut the show down in an industry built around "look at me, look at me!"  And O'Neil is probably a bit hasty in indicating that "sources" tell him that the HFPA show may not go on.  Everyone has an agenda, even, perhaps, those "sources."  Also, I think it'll be a cold day in hell before the Oscar telecast is cancelled.  Ad revenue is ad revenue, with or without the use of old clips for multiple montage packages.

Anyway, I'm with Cates.  We still have the Iowa caucuses to get through.

•  Ah, the great interview ops -- Scott Bowles corners Morgan Freeman on a schooner off of Marina Del Rey. [USA Today]

•  A bit of a stretch, but we come up with nine "scandals" this Oscar season nonetheless. [The Envelope]

•  James McAvoy talks to "Atonement" star James McAvoy. [The Envelope]

•  Creative Screenwriting's Jeff Goldsmith gets some quality time with "Lars and the Real Girl" scribe Nancy Oliver. [The Envelope]

•  Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" make some serious leaps at the Buzzmeter. [The Envelope]

•  Speaking of Adams, David Poland makes mention of the current media "crush" on the actress. [The Hot Blog]

•  Tom O'Neil thinks the Alliance of Film Journalists' decision to go with the macho-heavy "No Country for Old Men" is unexpected to say the least. [Gold Derby]

•  Jeffrey Wells takes in a Denzel Washington event at Harvard. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Nathaniel Rogers sits down with "Margot at the Wedding" star Jennifer Jason Leigh. [The Film Experience]

•  New York Magazine closes up the year by giving Judd Apatow more publicity. [Vulture]

•  T.L. Stanley responds to Patrick Goldstein's latest blind swing at the "evil" Oscar bloggers -- more on that later. [Gold Rush]

•  Michael Wood talks to Golden Globe nominee John C. Reilly about "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story." [Los Angeles Times]

•  Anne Thompson talks up the new trailer for "Miss Petigrew Lives for a Day" starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  The WGA picks and chooses yet again, denies awards shows waivers for its members to write on telecasts. [Variety]

•  Meanwhile, sources tell Tom O'Neil that the Golden Globes may go on without a telecast at all. [Gold Derby]

•  Adam Baer claims that Tim Burton has "re-invented the movie musical" with "Sweeney Todd."  Really? [Los Angeles Times]

•  Jeffrey Wells is not-so-stealthily anticipating the release of "The Dark Knight" and Heath Ledger's maniacal portrayal of the Joker. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Speaking of Batsy, Matthew Dessem decides to smack Warner Bros. down for the exhaustive PR campaign behind the film. [Vulture]

•  "Live Free or Die Hard" actually makes a top 10 list. [Gold Rush]

•  As expected, "No Country for Old Men" is walking away with the title "critics' favorite" this year. [Movie City News]

•  Speaking of top 10 lists, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" tops David Edelstein's at New York Magazine. [The Projectionist]

•  Globe reactions all over the place, starting with Anne Thompson. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  David Carr chimes in with ruminations per category. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Brian Kinsley gives some knee-jerk thoughts. [In Contention]

•  Sasha Stone throws in her two cents. [Awards Daily]

•  Scott Feinberg tosses down the gauntlet, seems to take it all quite personally. [And the Winner Is...]

•  T.L. Stanley says the HFPA went with their typical M.O., sticking with "safe star power" and shunned risky efforts for the most part. [Gold Rush]

•  Lou Lumenick live-blogged the proceedings. [New York Post]

•  Stephen Galloway talks foreign contenders. [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  Nathaniel Rogers bemoans the snubbed. [The Film Experience]

•  Anthony Breznican talks to "Atonement" director Joe Wright and "Ratatouille" writer/director Brad Bird in a nice summary piece. [USA Today]

•  And David Poland would like to take credit for a number of the nominations due to his "Lunch with David" interview segments, thank you very much. [The Hot Blog]

•  Casey Affleck, Marion Cotillard, James McAvoy and Ellen Page to receive Santa Barbara's Virtuoso Award. [Variety]

•  The Features department turns its "Eye" toward the animation contenders. [Variety]

•  Colleen Atwood's march to an Oscar nod begins with the specifics of Pirelli's package. [E!]

•  Jeffrey Wells gets into why "Charlie Wilson's War" might have seemed a bit...neutered. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  John Horn and Chris Lee talk "I Am Legend" with Best Actor hopeful Will Smith. [Los Angeles Times]

•  Finally, Poland writes over 1,500 words on Scott Foundas' Oscar blogger meltdown earlier in the week, with nary a thesis in sight. [The Hot Blog]

The only thing that sticks out about this morning's Golden Globe nominations is that "The Great Debaters" finally got a leg up, a "surprise" that a number of forecasters saw coming in the days leading up to the announcement.  But seriously, a monkey could have seen this stuff coming.

Focus' "Atonement" led the field by a wide margin with seven nominations, including the first tip of the hat this year for lead actor James McAvoy.  "Charlie Wilson's War" grabbed five nods while "No Country for Old Men" and "Sweeney Todd" each managed four.

Paramount Vantage's "Into the Wild," meanwhile, got a significant ding -- two nominations, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song -- while "There Will Be Blood" showed up as one of SEVEN Best Drama nominees and in the Best Actor category for Daniel Day-Lewis' maniacal portrayal.

On the whole, it really does read like business as usual.  Nothing to talk about that tickles MY fancy, in any case.  Here's the Variety story.

(The HFPA website is slow to update the list, but it's coming.)

•  The "Eye on the Oscar" features look to film music... [Variety]

•  ...and visual effects. [Variety]

•  Will the industry really turn down the chance to get loaded on NBC's dime? [Variety]

•  Susan Thea Posnock talks to "Eastern Promises" star Viggo Mortensen. [Awards Daily]

•  T.L. Stanley thinks the Bay area critics picked the wrong western. [Gold Rush]

•  David Poland has a chat with Chicago Film Critics nominee Leslie Mann. [The Hot Blog]

•  Ramin Satoodeh attends the NYC premiere of "There Will Be Blood." [The Gold Digger]

•  New York Magazine takes a stab at predicting the Golden Globe nominees. [Vulture]

•  So does Tom O'Neil. [Gold Derby]

•  Lou Lumenick takes a Catholic Bishop to task regardin ghte message of "Juno."  Only in Oscar season, folks. [New York Post]

•  59 songs make the Oscar "short" list.  Pick three. [The Envelope]

•  Rachel Abramowitz talks to the "Bucket" boys, Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. [Los Angeles Times]

•  Oprah Winfrey splits her advocacy between a presdential candidate and an Oscar contender. [USA Today]

•  Variety has a SAG Awards preview, including Zachary Pincus-Roth's chat with casting directors about finding the right balance in front of the camera. [Variety]

•  According to Tom O'Neil, Russell Crowe will be competing against himself in the lead category at the Golden Globes. [Gold Derby]

•  Sasha Stone catches up to "Charlie Wilson's War." [Awards Daily]

•  Pete Hammond scopes out the screening and Q&A scene, including a "rare" appearance by Jack Nicholson in front of the SAG earlier in the week. [The Envelope]

•  Gerard Kennedy surveys the Best Film Editing landscape. [In Contention]

•  Brian Kinsley makes some Golden Globe comedy/musical predictions. [In Contention]

•  Todd McCarthy digs into "The Golden Compass." [Variety]

•  So does David Poland. [The Hot Blog]

•  Poland also has lunch with the stars of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly." [The Hot Blog]

•  Martin Grove, meanwhile, talks to director Julian Schnabel. [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  The Gurus o' Gold make acting category calls. [Movie City News]

•  The year's first top 10 list surfaces...well, top 50.  [Paste Magazine]

•  Lou Lumenick calls "Atonement" the "most achingly romantic movie since 'Titanic.'" [New York Post]

•  Peter Knegt makes another set of predictions. [indieWIRE]

•  Oh yeah, and non-review reactions to "Sweeney Todd," from Tom O'Neil... [Gold Derby]

•  ...and yours truly. [In Contention]

According to Tom O'Neil, "Charlie Wilson's War" has been designated a comedy/musical by the HFPA for Golden Globe consideration.

Variety's Golden Globes Preview feature edition landed yesterday.  Here's a look at some of the stories:

Daniel Frankel has to quote publicists anonymously (they like to stay in the shadows) but does a nice job of charting the growth of the "awards team" in today's Oscar season environment.  Key quote: "These [PR] top guns can pull in more than $50,000 a month, one PR maven says, with bonus structures thrown in based on the nominations they generate."  I think I'm in the wrong business.

Zachary Pincus-Roth spotlights the 20 top comedy/musical contenders.  "The Darjeeling Limited?"  Really?

HFPA chief Jorge Camara's plans for a fifth term at the top of the heap is outlined by Bill Higgins.

And, of course, a printed list of all 82 voting members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.  Recognize anyone?  Me neither.  Well, good ole' Emanuel Levy is in there.

Oh, and don't forget, Steven Spielberg is slated to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award.

There's plenty more where that came from.  Give it a look.

The Weinstein Company, which is understandably searching for a big awards contender amongst likely smaller successes in "Control" and "I'm Not There," will be pulling out "The Great Debaters" for a December release aimed at awards contention, as reported last month.  Well, a trailer has finally arrived (as of Monday, in fact -- been meaning to comment on it ever since).

Produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Denzel Washington (who also stars), the film seems to have that golden hue Oscar voters love so much.

Or, rather...that Oscar voters USED to love so much.

I've been wondering, as of late, whether the Academy of today is no longer the Academy Harvey Weinstein so clearly understood in years past.  Tugging those heartstrings, aiming for the "meat and potatoes" voters, a term Weinstein coined, this was the honcho's MO during his hey-day.  But the Academy that took stands for "Shakespeare in Love" and "Life is Beautiful," among others, seems to be a different group than that which has gone on the record for "The Lord of the Rings," "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Departed" in recent memory.

Weinstein himself felt the sting last year when "Bobby," a seemingly tailor-made Academy film that nailed down major nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Screen Actors Guild, failed to make it into Oscar's final five.  Granted, the film hit a big critical snag (I'm one of the few who really enjoyed it), but I also think the critical assessment of today is a touch different than it was in the pre-9/11 era.

And that brings about a whole other can of worms.  Much as I hate to bring an Oscar discussion into that realm, it is worth pointing out the somber nature of cinema en masse in recent years and, especially, in the last ten months.  2007 has been a downer year for the ages.

"Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," "Gone Baby Gone," "In the Valley of Elah, "Into the Wild," "Margot at the Wedding," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "Reservation Road," "There Will Be Blood," "Things We Lost in the Fire," "Zodiac" -- these are not bastions of uplifting cinema.

Even "Beowulf," an exhilerating spectacle of a film, ends on the ambiguous, almost cynical note of perpetual corruption and moral perversion at the highest levels of leadership.

I don't know what kind of fair weather "The Great Debaters" should hope for in the coming weeks as it continues to screen for a critical community that would rather scowl than feel all gooey inside.  But at least it'll assumably have a unique feel-good quotient going for it this season, alongside films like "Juno," "The Kite Runner" and "Once."  When Academy members sit down to vote, they've shown us time and again that there is something to be said for an alternative to the year's emotional status quo.

We shall see...

•  Anne Thompson runs down the outlets spreading "Sweeney Todd" test screening reactions. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Brian Kinsley starts a dialogue positing Fox Searchlight's "Juno" as a Best Picture winner. [In Contention]

•  Mark Olsen brings the news that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is changing its foreign language film rules, no longer allowing films of U.S. origin to qualify for the category. [The Envelope]

•  The trades pick up the story. [Variety, The Hollywood Reporter]

•  And Ryan C. Adams responds to the news. [Awards Daily]

•  The Gurus 2.0 stick with "There Will Be Blood" in their Best Picture predictions, same as the main group (hmph), give their own thoughts on the ladies' categories.  And for some reason four of them consider Julie Roberts an "expected nominee."  Really? [Movie City News]

•  After a week's worth of coverage in this space, the Best Original Song category gets a look from Todd Martens, with a few unmentioned tracks tossed in to spice things up. [Extended Play]

•  Pete Hammond spins the typical "could one of the year's critically acclaimed animated films get a Best Picture nomination" talk for what it's worth. [The Envelope]

•  Tom O'Neil touts his prediction that "Sweeney Todd" will win Best Picture... [Gold Derby]

•  ...and adds some Hersholt Award thoughts for good measure. [Gold Derby]

•  Jeffrey Wells hears from an unnamed source that an unnamed HFPA member apparently isn't keen on Robert Zemeckis' "Beowulf." [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Scott Feinberg shows yet more Diablo Cody love and apparently thinks "Juno" is the "prohibitive favorite" to win Best Original Screenplay based on......not really sure about that part, actually. [And the Winner Is...]

Universal Pictures has finally cooked up a one-sheet for Mike Nichols' "Charlie Wilson's War," and I have to say, it's a little bland.  ComingSoon.net has the exclusive.

Word has it the studio is calling the film a "black comedy" and may even be looking to position it in the comedy category for Golden Globe consideration (though this may simply be chatter and speculation on Uni's part getting blown into bigger proportion by the press).  I can't say whether that's the strategy or not, but this psuedo-Hugh Grant-ish, high-key-lit, glossy little thing is certainly a step in that direction.

I thought the script for "Charlie," which has been widely read, it seems, was a biting piece of Aaron Sorkin goodness.  Certainly it had its comedic elements (and the trailer has played up these moments, to be sure), but there was a richness to the drama and socio-political gravitas on the page that could certainly have been cultivated through production.

I guess we'll get a better idea in the coming weeks.  Uni doesn't plan to screen the film until the middle of next month.  Nichols is probably hunched over an Avid somewhere right now shaving frames off a sequence that will likely get cut anyway.  He's meticulous, that one.

Now I know not EVERYONE who comes to this page is an Oscar obssessive with stored-up knowledge on the season.  So if you haven't read George Crile's book and want some backdrop on the "Charlie" plot, take a look at the Charlie Wilson Wikipedia page.