•  Anne Thompson reports on last night's Miramax shindig before offering up her last minute guesses for tonight's awards. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  David Carr was there, too, adding his unique spin on things. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Jeffrey Wells isn't too keen on "Juno" winning big at last night's IndieSpirits, but he sure did get low and close for a nice Ellen Page shot. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Sasha Stone writes up her final "State of the Race" column, with predictions to boot. [Awards Daily]

•  Regarding predictions, by the way, yours truly is on the record. [In Contention]

•  Mary McNamara writes a "Dear JON" letter to Oscar host Jon Stewart. [The Envelope]

•  Tom O'Neil speculates about what this "special award" might be that Nicole Kidman is set to present this evening. [Gold Derby]

•  David Poland iphones it in fromthe Indie Spirits. [The Hot Blog]

•  Last minute snarkiness from The Reeler.  But at least it's a shade of different. [Little Gold Men]

•  Nathaniel Rogers writes up the Best Actress race one last time. [The Film Experience]

•  A.O. Scott finalizes the year by poo-pooing the Oscars, admits he wishies the strike had shut down the show.  No rhyme or reason, just Gray Lady distaste and snobbery. [New York Times]

Alright, we're in the press tent here at the Independent Spirit Awards.  We'll be covering all the shenanigans (and the thousand times a certain journo in the front row keeps asking "what advice do you have for young filmmakers").

Keep refreshing the page for consistent updates, and give this post a look for continuous photo updates from the show.

4:09 PM: And that's a wrap, as Jason Reitman and company win for "Juno."  No shock there, and now, it's on to the Oscars to see if that pesky "rule" can't be shattered.  Congrats to all involved.  I'm out of here now, off to the parties and thankfully, released of the burden of live blogging!

4:04 PM: Anyone expect someone else to win Best Actress?

3:57 PM: Todd Haynes and company just responded to queries after accepting the Robert Altman award.  In the middle of answering one question, they took a moment to look at the screen since Best Director was being announced.  Of course, Julian Schnabel won, which Haynes seemed to expect.  "He did an AMAZING job," Haynes said.

Another journo asked if it was bittersweet to take this award with Heath Ledger not here to enjoy the moment.  Of course, the answer was "yes," and Haynes followed it up with stories of how Ledger would never leave the set, even when he wasn't needed.  "He would just retire his stand-in and stay on the set," Haynes said.

3:46 PM: I notice in the meantime that Janusz Kaminski won the prize for Best Cinematography.  AWESOME.  Such creative and vibrant work, I wonder if the Academy will go the same way tomorrow.  I'd say that is the most up in the air category of the season.

3:43 PM: Tamara Jenkins and Phillip Seymour Hoffman just took some questions.  Hoffman, as always, is a fantastic interview, very thoughtful with his answers.  The most interesting query came from a journo asking if he'd noticed a difference between the "army commander" male helmers and the more "earth mother," by way of the descriptions she's come across, female directors.  To Hoffman, he thinks those two descriptions are one and the same, and that with females, if anything, he projects his own relationships with women onto the partnership.  Very good session.

3:29 PM: We're back online!  Sorry folks.

3:27 PM: Best Screenplay goes -- WOW -- Tamara Jenkins for "The Savages."  That might not have surprised a lot of people, but for me, I kind of thought "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" would win out.  But I'm no expert at the Spirits.

3:22 PM: I'm writing this despite not being able to post it, but you'll read it when it goes live.  The Spirits can't seem to get their internet act together so we've been in a bit of a blackout for a while.  So sorry for the delays.

3:18 PM: John Carney just took to the stage here in the press tent to answer some questions, as did Cate Blanchett.  Carney mentioned that it seems to have become tradition for Irish filmmakers to move away from Ireland to "get famous," and then return before the homeland takes to Irish filmmaking.  He said "Once" wasn't very well received at all when it was released over there and that he's quite happy with the way Fox Searchlight has handled the release and the wave of passion and support since Sundance.

Blanchett, meanwhile, had to deal with a few baby questions, of course.  "Are you having a boy or a girl," one nosy journo asked.  "All I know is I'm having a baby," Blanchett replied.  We ask only the hard-hitting questions here at the Spirits, folks.

2:57 PM: "Once" taking Best Foreign Film over such stiff competition as "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" and "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" says a lot for this little flick, which has a passionate core of love and support.  John Carney's speech is wonderfully unasuming and modest.

2:55 PM: Jeff Wells just erupted into applause when "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" was announced as one of the nominees for Best Foreign Film.  Keep fighting the fight, Jeff.

2:49 PM: "August Evening" takes the John Cassavettes Award.  It's good for the filmmaker to have encouraged the audience to seek out and view all of these nominees, because they are "truly independent."  Indeed.  Tough luck for Aaron Katz and his beautiful, made-for-under-$2,000 (beat that for independent) "Quiety City."

2:36 PM: Cate Blanchett predictably wins for "I'm Not There."  The question now is, does the "win on Saturday, lose on Sunday" rule prove itself true?  We'll see tomorrow, but it was a solid touch dedicating the award to Heath Ledger.  No frills, no adjectives, just the dedication.  (FYI, I'm working on uploading images from the press area in a post below  stay tuned for that.)

2:26 PM: Diablo Cody just waltzed into the press tent and is weathering the field of questions.  Someone just asked if she wins the Oscar tomorrow, will she drop the F-bomb again.  "Hell no," she said.  "I'm going to be all classy for the Oscars.  I'm going to wash under my arms!"  Call it irritating, call it blogese that has run its course.  This is an infectious young lady, as of yet unphased by how hard this kind of thing can be on a person.  It's, again, sad that so many of those jaded in the media can't help themselves.

2:21 PM: The first of what promises to be a sweep for "Juno," Diablo Cody takes down the win for Best First Screenplay.  Now if the media would try to lay off of the poor woman.  Even a few of the journos here in the tent can't help themselves but be snide, but hey, when someone blows up in the spotlight, some people can't have enough fun tearing them back down.

2:18 PM: Glen Hansard and Merketa Irglova's rendition of "When Your Mind's Made Up."  Gorgeous.  They're two of the year's true darlings.

2:14 PM: Chiwetel Ejiofor takes the Best Supporting Actor trophy for what was, truthfully, one of the better supporting turns of the year in "Talk to Me."  There were a number of performances that stood out in the effort, actually, starting at the top with Don Cheadle.  I was personally taken with Taraji P. Henson's saucy turn, but this is a great ackowledgement for the pic.

2:11 PM: After some twisting and turning, we're finally camped out here in the press tent at the Indie Spirits.  Best Supporting Male is on the way and once I get situated, the live blogging will settle in.  We promise.

I don't do much blogging about other awards shows around here, but I just saw Vince Gill give a smack down to Kanye West on national television that had me rolling on the floor.

No, I'm no country music fan, and I love Kanye West's albums as much as the next guy.  I hate how he comes out and does his same song and dance every year, "I'm the bomb, look at me, God's gift."  So to Vince Gill come out on the Grammys and say "I was just handed an award by a Beatle," and then turn to Kanye asking, "Have you had that happen to you yet, Kanye," it did the heart some good.

Anyway, on with our regularly schduled...stuff.

This just arrived via press release.  The winners have also been public for a number of hours now.  So the question is...is anyone going to bother watching now?  What with the cat TOTALLY out of the bag?

The British Academy handed out kudos this evening and top honors for Best Film predictably went to Joe Wright's "Atonement."  Paul Thomas Anderson and Javier Bardem continued their dominance in the leading and supporting actor categories for "There Will Be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" respectively, while surprises were in store for the ladies.  Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton") were anointed, some considerable awards fuel for their respective campaigns.  But balloting will close very soon.

"La Vie en Rose" was the night's biggest winner, grabbing four awards.  Curiously enough, Best Film winner "Atonement" only recieved one other award, for Best Production Design, and even missed on the Best British Film Award.  Explain that one to me.

Here's the full list of winners:

Best Film
"Atonement"
presented by Kevin Spacey and Jeff Goldblum

Best British Film
"This Is England"
presented by Sylvester Stallone

Best Director
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men"
presented by Ian McKellan

Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"
presented by Kate Hudson

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"
presented by Harvey Keitel

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"
presented by Marion Cotillard

Best Supporting Actress
Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
presented by Cuba Gooding, Jr.

Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
presented by Hugh Laurie

Best Original Screenplay
"Juno"
presented by Alfonso Cuaron

Best Film Not in the English Language
"The Lives of Others"
presented by Thandie Newton

Best Animated Film
"Ratatouille"
presented by Eddie Izzard

Best Cinematography
"No Country for Old Men"
presented by Jason Isaacs

Best Costume Design
"La Vie en Rose"
presented by Jason Isaacs

Best Editing
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
presented by Kelly Reilly and Paul Dano

Best Makeup & Hair
"La Vie en Rose"
presented by Naomie Harris and Rosamund Pike

Best Music
"La Vie en Rose"
presented by Rhys Ifans and Jessica Biel

Best Production Design
"Atonement"
presented by Naomie Harris and Rosamund Pike

Best Sound
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
presented by Kelly Reilly and Paul Dano

Best Visual Effects
"The Golden Compass"
presented by Emily Blunt

Best Short Animation
"The Pierce Sisters"
presented by Ricky Gervais

Best Short Film
"Dog Altogether"
presented by Ricky Gervais

Academy Fellowship
Anthony Hopkins
presented by Richaerd Attenborough

Orange Rising Star Award
Shia LaBeouf
presented by Eva Green

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema
Barry Wilkinson
presented by Daniel Radcliffe

Carl Foreman Award
Matt Greenhalgh, "Control"
presented by Orlando Bloom

Alright, so the show wraps up with a big win for "No Country for Old Men."  I suppose the Oscar is essentially in hand.  So...odd.  Anyway, Josh Brolin cracked me up with his comment, "This is Javier Bardem's 497th award."  And his little jab at the end was cute as well: "The Coens are freaky little people, man.  And we made a freaky little movie, whether you liked the ending or not."  My only question is "what ending," but fair enough, Josh.

(Full winners list at the bottom of this post.)

Live blogging the awards as they come down (and as my satellite freaks out due to the weather):

7:00 p.m. -- Here's the big daddy.  Tom Cruise takes the stage.  The actor goes to the cast of......."No Country for Old Men."
6:59 p.m. -- Christie brings so much class to the stage here.  Very nice.  Big love for Sarah Polley.  "This really does belong to you," Christie says.  "And if I've forgotten anybody, well it's just because I'm still in character."
6:57 p.m. -- And the actor goes to...Julie Christe.  That's what 100,000 DVDs will get you.
6:56 p.m. -- Forest Whitaker comes on to give out Best Actress.  Let's see, this is where Ellen Page has to make her move...
6:54 p.m. -- No matter how similar they are, I really have enjoyed Day-Lewis' speeches and discussions this season.  He invokes Heath Ledger here, to a quick burst of applause and appreciation.  He's using such a large portion of his speech to Ledger's work.  He first goes into the performance from "Monster's Ball," then into "Brokeback Mountain," calling the performance "perfect."  He didcates his win tonight to the fallen actor.  Cheers, Daniel.  Just...cheers.
6:51 p.m. -- Daniel Day-Lewis.  Shocked?
6:50 p.m. -- Best Actor.  Shouts and murmurs for Hirsch, Mortensen and, of course, Day-Lewis.  And the actor goes to...
6:48 p.m. -- Suddenly it occured to me.  Tom Cruise will be presenting Best Cast in a Motion Picture.  Might it be a big ole Scientology love fest, Cruise handing the goods over to John Travolta and company?  Icky...

Commercial Break

6:43 p.m. -- Tommy Lee Jones doesn't even seem to understand the plot of "No Country for Old Men" as he intrpduces the clip.
6:40 p.m. -- Even Viggo looked a little surprised there.  I think, as do a few of my colleagues, that at least one of these old-timers is going to triumph on Oscar night.  Either Hal Holbrook or Ruby Dee, that is.  I expect maybe Dee is the one to watch now, and if the lead categories go as we all expect them to go, watch out for a 4/4 match-up with Oscar.
6:39 p.m. -- FINALLY a slight surprise.  Ruby Dee takes the win.
6:38 p.m. -- Man, I know Viggo is gonna take some hits for that ensemble, but he looks like a sweet pimp in those clothes.  The goatee is the perfect touch.  He's presenting Best Supporting Actress.  And the actor goes to...
6:36 p.m. -- Another montage from our friend Mr. Underwood.  Where's he doing that from, some underground bunker?  Anyway, I've lost the theme of these clip packages.  Ooh!  Viggo Mortensen...

Commercial Break

6:30 p.m. -- Indeed, Ledger pops up at the end of the montage in a brief shot from "Brokeback Mountain."  Very respectful whistles and applause.
6:26 p.m. -- Josh Brolin waltzes on out looking like the coolest dude in the room and offers up the In Memoriam package.  I think it will include Heath, perhaps at the end.  There's been no mention of Mr. Ledger yet.
6:21 p.m. -- Mickey Rooney comes out, decorated like an army general.  He spoke so long I didn't even realize he was handing out an award.  It's Best Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series.  The actor goes to Queen Latifah.  She beat out some distinguished competition there.  And there's something funny about Mickey Rooney saying "Miss Latifah?"
6:19 p.m. -- Ben Foster comes out to introduce the "3:10 to Yuma" clip.  Love that score.  LOVE IT.
6:17 p.m. -- I never saw "The Company."  I need to pop it in the DVD player here soon because, "Jack Frost " or not," Michael Keaton is the bomb.  But it seems Kevin Kline took the cake this evening instead.

Commercial Break

6:13 p.m. -- Boy, Durning's speech really hit the right notes with that crowd.
6:05 p.m. -- Here's Burt Reynolds to talk Durning up some more and give him the Lifetime kudos.  It's actually quite a sincere little speech.  But boy, those eyes are bloodshot.
6:02 p.m. -- Oh yeah!  Durning rocked in "Dog Day Afternoon."
5:56 p.m. -- Denis Leary kicks ass.  "Heloo, friendos.  I'm here to honor my good friend Charles Durning."  Awesome.
5:55 p.m. -- Here's the suit, offering the requisite guild rhetoric.
5:53 p.m. -- Blair Underwood introduces another montage.  At least they're keeping them fairly short.

Commercial Break

5:48 p.m. -- Jenna Fischer, will you marry me?  (How quickly I move on from Marion.)
5:46 p.m. -- "The Office," thank god, takes the ensemble award away from "30 Rock."  I miss that show more and more every week.
5:43 p.m. -- Ruby Dee gets a hell of an applause as she graces the stage to present the "American Gangster" clip.  Maybe she'll win the award for supporting actress?
5:42 p.m. -- Alec Baldwin wins as well.  See next entry.
5:39 p.m. -- Tina Fey wins for a show, the love for which I don't think I'll ever understand.  First mention, I think, of support for the WGA.

Commercial Break

5:31 p.m. -- It's too bad Holbrook wasn't given the opportunity to grace the stage for this performance, but there's always the Oscars.  But Bardem's speech was nonetheless inexpectedly beautiful.
5:29 p.m. -- Javier Bardem
5:28 p.m. -- Marion Cotillard -- strike that -- the beautiful, hope she'll marry me, Marion Cotillard presents Best Supporting Actor.  Big cheer on Holbrook's clip.  And the actor goes to...
5:26 p.m. -- Emile Hirsch and Hal Holbrook get on stage to present the "Into the Wild" clip.  Nice applause.  The tracking of "Guaranteed" over the clip just makes you wonder, yet again, what the hell is wrong with the Academy's music branch.
5:25 p.m. -- Has A3 just been living off the risiduals of "Woke Up This Morning" for the past 8 years?  I know I would.
5:23 p.m. -- Yet another TV award (didn't they used to get some feature stuff in there early on?), and this one is Best Drama Ensemble.  And the winner -- pardon me -- and the actor goes to...(these clips are way too long)...the cast of "The Sopranos."  Hat trick.
5:18 p.m. -- Blair Underwood introduces the first of what looks to be a series of clips celebtrating the 75 year history of the organization.  This one is about the small group of "courageous" actors came together to form the union, yada yada, yada...

Commercial Break

5:12 p.m. -- Another win for "The Sopranos."  Falco says, "This was so not supposed to happen."  Yeah it was, Edie.
5:10 p.m. -- The first clip of the evening is for "Hairpray," presented by John Travolta and an as always bubbly Nikki Blonsky.  If it wins this award...weird.
5:07 p.m. -- Gandolfini takes the win for "The Sopranos."  Totally anticipated, right?  Given the denoument of the series.


And the actors went to...

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
The cast of "No Country for Old Men"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julie Christie, "Away from Her"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The cast of "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The cast of "The Office"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
James Gandolfini, "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Edie Falco, "The Sopranos"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Kline, "As You Like It"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Queen Latifah, "Life Support"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
"The Bourne Ultimatum"

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
"24"

It wouldn't be the Oscar season without the annual Razzies, tediously and systematically showcasing the "worst" films of the year like a machine built on negativity.  But hey, some people enjoy this stuff.

The Lindsay Lohan vehicle "I Know Who Killed Me" led the field, with nine nominations.  Eddie Murphy starrer "Norbit" also made an impressive showing.

•  "Lust, Caution" and "Warlords" tops list of Asian Film Award nominations. [Variety]

•  Not Oscar related, but let us all take a moment to thank Warner Bros. for letting "Justice League" die a silent death.  Boy was THAT giving me an icky feeling inside. [Variety]

•  Anne Thompson responds to the BAFTA nominations, wonders whether "Atonement" can manage peripheral nods with the Academy, even though Best Picture is looking like a tough sell. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  But Jeffrey Wells wants to make sure you realize the film is "dead." [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  David Thompson, meanwhile, thinks the coast is clear for director Joe Wright.  Back and forth, back and forth. [Guardian]

•  The Times of London wonders if the BAFTAs could one-up the Oscars for once, given the hammer-lock AMPAS is in. [Times Online]

•  But, mind you, the show will go on.  In what capacity, well...we'll see. [Variety]

•  But if it's business as usual, the ceremony WILL BE PICKETED. [Scribe Vibe]

•  Scott Foundas is pretty pissed about that AMPAS snub of "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."  But "Academy Awards infamy" is typically reaching. [LA Weekly]

•  So is Nancy Vialatte. [Hollywood Wiretap]

•  Tom O'Neil rounds up a provocative list of thesps nominated for the "wrong" performance. [Gold Derby]

•  The Gurus o' Gold check int, post-Globes and, assumably, for the final time before next week's Oscar nominations announcement. [Movie City News]

•  New York Magazine wants the Academy to remember "The Host" in the Best Picture category. [Vulture]

8 films in the last 10 years have been snubbed by BAFTA and gone on to Best Picture nominations.  They include:

"Letters from Iwo Jima"
"Munich"
"Million Dollar Baby"
"Seabiscuit"
"The Green Mile"
"The Thin Red Line"
"As Good As It Gets"
"Good Will Hunting"

For what it's worth.

It shouldn't come as any surprise that the Coen brothers and Cormac McCarthy have won the USC Scripter award.  This one was almost a foregone conclusion.

Here's the full press release, which includes the announcement of Steven Zaillian's receiving the first ever Scripter Literary Achievement Award:

LOS ANGELES—Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Cormac McCarthy and Oscar-winning screenwriters Ethan and Joel Coen have won the 20th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for “No Country for Old Men.”

Scripter recognizes the writers’ contribution to the critically-lauded “No Country for Old Men” as the year’s greatest achievement in cinematic adaptation. The University of Southern California Libraries announced the winners today on behalf of the selection committee and the Friends of the USC Libraries, who sponsor the award.

The Scripter selection committee, led by Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal, chose “No Country for Old Men” from an unprecedented field of nearly 50 eligible films adapted from novels, short stories or novellas. Said Gyllenhaal of the winning film and writers, “‘No Country for Old Men’ is an accomplished work of filmmaking from the Coen brothers, who have adapted Cormac McCarthy's book with enormous skill and feeling for the dark places in our souls.”

“Atonement,” “Into the Wild,” “There Will Be Blood” and “Zodiac” rounded out this year’s group of five Scripter finalists.

“No Country for Old Men” stars Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has been nominated for four Golden Globes; has been named film of the year by the Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, Phoenix, and Washington D.C. critics associations and the National Board of Review; and has been compared to the films of Anthony Mann and Sam Peckinpah.

“No Country for Old Men” author Cormac McCarthy’s career spans more than four decades and includes such books as “The Orchard Keeper” (1965), “Child of God” (1974) and “Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West” (1985). McCarthy was a Scripter finalist in 2001 when his 1992 book “All the Pretty Horses” was adapted for the silver screen. His novel “The Road” earned a 2007 Pulitzer.

The Coen brothers’ screenwriting credits include “Blood Simple” (1984), “Raising Arizona” (1987), “Miller’s Crossing” (1990), “The Hudsucker Proxy” (1994) and “Intolerable Cruelty” (2003). Their 1996 collaboration “Fargo” won the Oscar for best original screenplay. Other Academy Award nominations came for their adapted screenplay for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000) and for editing and directing “Fargo.” They also directed “No Country for Old Men.”

Vintage Books, a division of Random House, publishes “No Country for Old Men.” Miramax Films distributes the film in the United States.

Scripter 2008 marks the award’s platinum anniversary. To celebrate this 20-year milestone, the USC Libraries will honor director, producer, and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Steven Zaillian with the inaugural Scripter Literary Achievement Award. The Friends of the USC Libraries created this new prize to recognize writers who have made significant and sustained contributions to the art of adaptation.

USC Trustee, Scripter co-founder and president of the Friends of the USC Libraries Glenn A. Sonnenberg described Zaillian as the ideal first recipient, noting the scribe’s Academy Award-recognized screenplays for “Awakenings” (1990), “Schindler’s List” (1993) and “Gangs of New York” (2002). Zaillian also is a three-time Scripter winner, receiving honors for “Schindler’s List,” “Awakenings,” and “A Civil Action” (1998).

“As our only three-time Scripter winner, Steven embodies what the Scripter is all about—outstanding storytelling,” Sonnenberg said. “His body of work represents the best in adapted screenwriting.”

Zaillian’s other credits include the screenplays for “American Gangster” (2007), “The Interpreter” (2005), “Searching for Bobby Fischer” (1993) and “The Falcon and the Snowman” (1985).

Tony Award-winning actor Jason Alexander will serve as master of ceremonies for the Feb. 2 Scripter gala on the University of Southern California campus. Dean of the USC Libraries Catherine Quinlan will host the annual black-tie event in USC’s historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.

First, our own Dave McNary reports that the Golden Globes will likely go forward next week, but without a telecast on NBC.  Then Jeffrey Wells is hearing that tomorrow night's BFCA awards may in fact have actors in attendance after all, despite SAG president Alan Rosenberg's request to publicists to keep their talent away from the show (a show with no WGA implications, mind you).

Jeez, would this town just get its s*** together?

Anyway, go Chargers.

First and foremost, a happy and safe New Year to you all.  With 2008 coming in, oh, about fifteen and a half hours (for us west coasters, anyway), I thought it would be beneficial to offer up a list of important dates.  A lot of key events are slated for the next few weeks and the Oscar season will pretty much be full steam ahead from here on out.

The guilds are the focus of January, all of which are more likely to forecast the Oscar situation more than any critics group thus far, of that you can be sure.  Taking a measure of the guilds is key when it comes to gauging apparent disinterest ("Cold Mountain") or surprising unanimity for films that might have otherwise been considered far-fetched in the big race ("Capote," "Little Miss Sunshine").

Here's what to look for next month:

January 3: Five finalists for USC Scripter award announced.
January 7: BFCA hosts the Critics Choice Awards (Live on VH1).
January 7: VES nominees announced (Visual Effects Society).
January 7: ASC theatrical and TV nominees announced (American Society of Cinematographers)*
January 8: DGA feature film nominees announced (Directors Guild of America).
January 9: Winners of USC Scripter awards announced.
January 10: CAS nominees announced (Cinema Audio Society).
January 10: DGA documentary nominees announced.
January 10: WGA screen nominees announced (Writers Guild of America).
January 11: ACE nominees announced (American Cinema Editors).
January 11: ADG announces nominees (Art Directors Guild).
January 12: AMPAS nominations polls close, end of Oscar voting.
January 13: HFPA hosts Golden Globe Awards (Live on NBC...maybe).
January 14: PGA motion picture and long-form television nominees announced. (Producers Guild of America).
January 16: AMPAS announces seven bake-off finalists for Best Visual Effects category.
January 16: BAFTA nominations announced (British Academy).
January 18: CDG nomees announced (Costume Designers Guild).
January 22: Oscar nominees announced for the 80th Annual Academy Awards (Live on E!, et al).
January 26: DGA Awards.
January 27: SAG Awards (Live on TNT, except on west coast).

Whew.  Hope you're ready...

*This is listed as "week of" at the ASC's official website, so expect a date to be nailed down in due time.

•  Rainn Wilson will be stepping in for Sarah Silverman as host of the IFP Awards. [Variety]

•  Following in the footsteps of Nathaniel Rogers, David Carr offers up a list of contingency plans for a non-telecast Oscar ceremony. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Tom O'Neil becomes Oscar blogger #603 to quote A.O. Scott's "Sweeney Todd" review for all it's worth. [Gold Derby]

•  Slow news week much?  The LA Times offers up a gallery of Oscar winners turned blockbuster performers... [The Envelope]

•  ...and one covering the goings-on of Hollywood couples this year, of all things. [The Envelope]

•  Jeffrey Wells gives year's worst honors to "Are We Done Yet?" [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Ryan Pearson profiles "The Bucket List" star Jack Nicholson. [Associated Press]

•  Sasha Stone surveys the Best Picture field one...more...time, and keeps the ball rolling on Jamie Lynn Spears/"Juno."  Personally, I think that whole idea is a media creation. [Awards Daily]

•  David Poland offers one more Oscar column for 2007, somehow thinks the SAG-ignored "Sweeney Todd" is ahead of the SAG-embraced "Into the Wild." [Movie City News]

•  But at least he has his head in the right place regarding the fact that the Oscar ceremony simply won't shut down due to the strike. [The Hot Blog]

•  After this week's Vulture commentary on male nudity in films this year, Ramin Setoodeh offers up his list of 2007's top 10 nude scenes. [The Gold Digger]

•  Geoff Boucher cataches up with the brilliant Marjane Satrapi. [Los Angeles Times]

•  And Paul Brownfield catches up with the eccentric Julian Schnabel. [Los Angeles Times]

This isn't exactly a shocker, but Ang Lee's racy "Lust, Caution" swept the Golden Horse Awards this weekend (kind of the Asian version of the Oscars).  Variety has the story.

Lee and Tony Leung were cited for Best Director and Best Actor, while Tang Wei grabbed the newcomer award.  The film also took down Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay Adaptation, Best Costume Design and Best Original Film Score.

They liked the film so much, they apparently tossed another award Lee's way, for Outstanding Taiwanese Filmaker of the Year.

Anyway, like I said, no major twist of events.  It'll be interesting to see if the film can gain any traction whatsoever with the Academy.  There are people who hate it, there are people who think it's in the realm of a masterpiece.  Funny how these things work out.

Nathaniel Rogers of The Film Experience has some reactions to the awards up.  Give it a look.

Sunday: Boston Society of Film Critics Awards/Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Monday: New York Film Critics Circle
Tuesday: Broadcast Film Critics Association Nominations
Thursday: Golden Globe Nominations
Friday: Chicago Film Critics Association Nominations

Jeez...

The New York-based National Board of Review has announced its list of award winners for the year, kick-starting the precursor circuit on the march through the 2007 film awards season.

The Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" took the Best Picture prize, leading a top ten list that included somewhat surprising mentions for "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "The Bucket List."

George Clooney won the Best Actor award for his performance in Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton," while Julie Christie took down Best Actress for her portrayal in Sarah Polley's "Away from Her."

Casey Affleck ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford") and Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone") won in the supporting categories, while Tim Burton was named Best Director for "Sweeney Todd."

The last NBR Best Picture winner to miss a nomination from the Academy was "Quills" in 2000, and "Gods and Monsters" before that in 1998.  With "Charlie Wilson's War" coming up short (though some would argue this point), the film looks better for placement with AMPAS now than it did when it only had critics championing the cause.  Oh the give and take of Oscar season.

Winners from the press release:

Best Film: "No Country for Old Men"
Best Director: Tim Burton, "Sweeney Todd"
Best Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"
Best Actress: Julie Christie, "Away from Her"
Best Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
Best Supporting Actress: Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"
Best Foreign Film: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"
Best Documentary: "Body of War"
Best Animated Feature: "Ratatouille"
Best Ensemble Cast: "No Country for Old Men"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actor: Emile Hirsch, "Into the Wild"
Breakthrough Performance by an Actress: Ellen Page, "Juno"
Best Directorial Debut: Ben Affleck, "Gone Baby Gone"
Best Original Screenplay (tie): Diablo Cody, "Juno" and Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"

The top ten (in alphabetical order):
"The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"
"Atonement"
"The Bourne Ultimatum"
"The Bucket List"
"Into the Wild"
"Juno"
"The Kite Runner"
"Lars and the Real Girl"
"Michael Clayton"
"Sweeney Todd"

Top five foreign films (in alphabetical order):
"4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days"
"The Band's Visit"
"The Counterfeiters"
"La Vie en Rose"
"Lust, Caution"

Top five documentary films (in alphabetical order):
"Darfur Now"
"In the Shadow of the Moon"
"Nanking"
"Taxi to the Darkside"
"Toots"

Top independent films (in alphabetical order):
"Away from Her"
"Great World of Sound"
"Honeydripper"
"In the Valley of Elah"
"A Mighty Heart"
"The Namesake"
"Once"
"The Savages"
"Starting Out in the Evening"
"Waitress"

Career Achievement: Michael Douglas
William K. Everson Film History Award: Robert Osbourne
Career Achievement in Cinematography: Roger Deakins
The BVLGARI Award for NPR Freedom of Expression: "The Great Debaters" and "Persepolis"

The announcement is expected to hit within the hour.  We'll have the scoop for you here as soon as voting commences.

Look for the announcement around 2 p.m. EST, 3 p.m. at the latest.

I haven't had my eyes fixed upon an awards calendar or anything recently (believe it or not), so the fact that the National Board of Review is announcing their top 10 films of the year and list of categorical winners on Wednesday completely caught me by surprise this week.  But I guess it is that time of year.

Say what you will about this easily swayed group of east coasters (the running joke is that the spoils go to the studio that pays the most for catering), their annual announcement is the first word on the film awards season, and groups take note thereafter.  Nicole Kidman and Halle Berry first saw their campaigns pick up steam here for "Moulin Rouge!" and "Monster's Ball" respectively.

The NBR top ten list tends to include at least four of the eventual five Best Picture nominees, and, as Awards Daily points out, the 2004 and 2005 lists included all five.  The only winners of the Best Picture award since 1987 to miss out on an Oscar nomination were "Quills" and "Gods and Monsters."

Who knows how this thing will shake out?  I have my ideas, but I could be totally off base.  They tend to like sexy time at the NBR ("Quills," "Brokeback Mountain," "Kinsey), and they are fine with championing GLBT-centric filmmaking ("Brokeback," "Chuck & Buck," "Gods & Monsters," "The Hours").  But one can never tell who's spending the most this year or that, so we'll have to wait and see.

After Wednesday's awards, the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association won't be far behind.  Then it really starts to get crazy.

Welcome to December.

•  Jeffrey Wells draws a rather...definitive line between this year's Best Picture contending product. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Anne Thompson offers some thoughts on the supposed non-campaign campaign for "Atonement." [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  David Poland flails about wildly and takes Thompson's comparisons to other Oscar epics WAY too seriously on his way to being "a dick about it." (his words, not mine) [The Hot Blog]

•  Susan King talks method and "Blood" with Best Actor hopeful (frontrunner?) Daniel Day-Lewis. [The Envelope]

•  Romanian Oscar entry "4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days" wins big at the European Film Awards. [Variety]

•  Tom O'Neil responds... [Gold Derby]

•  ...then he chats it up with "Lust, Caution" helmer Ang Lee... [Gold Derby]

•  ...and Best Supporting Actress hopeful Amy Ryan ("Gone Baby Gone"). [Gold Derby]

•  Ramin Setoodeh responds to "Sweeney Todd," calls it "good, not great." [The Gold Digger]

•  Sasha Stone thinks "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" is a formiddable contender in the Oscar race.  Duh! [Awards Daily]

•  Rebecca Ascher-Walsh forecasts indie Oscar hopefuls. [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  Steven Spielberg is set to receive the HFPA's Cecil B. DeMille award. [Variety]

•  Tom O'Neil sees 17 minutes of "Sweeney Todd" in NYC. [Gold Derby]

•  And he talks to Tim Burton about the film. [Gold Derby]

•  Sasha Stone responds. [Awards Daily]

•  The Gurus 2.0 stick with "Into the Wild" and welcome The Gold Digger. [Movie City News]

•  Steve Pond thinks the Golden Globes will go light in a year of dark. [The Envelope]

•  Sandy Cohen talks to Oscar telecast scribe Bruce Vilanch about a ceremony sans script. [The Envelope]

•  Pete Hammond talks indie hopefuls. [The Envelope]

•  Ramin Setoodeh goes ga-ga for "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"... [The Gold Digger]

•  ...and Keri Russell. [The Gold Digger]

•  Nathaniel Rogers expresses some surprises over "Beowulf." [The Film Experience]

•  The Hollywood Reporter is giving the Oscar blog game a go with "Gold Rush."  Welcome.  Good luck. [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  The Hollywood Reporter is ripping off the web as they work on rebuilding their Oscar coverage sections. [In Contention]

•  The Buzzmeter finds new love for James McAvoy and Tim Burton. [The Envelope]

•  Rachel Abramowitz talks to Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman about the upcoming "The Bucket List." [The Envelope]

•  Having attended Monday night's screening of "There Will Be Blood," Todd Mrtens digs a little deeper into Jonny Greenwood's score. [Extended Play]

•  Anne Thompson on the twisted road of Oscar publicity, and Sunday night's Behind the Camera awards. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Elizabeth Snead adds her two cents on the awards. [The Envelope]

•  Jeffrey Wells thinks Oscar handicappers are hindered by an "obeisance before established power" when predicting the outcome of the awards season -- as if they have any real say in the proceedings. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  He also has a recording of Monday nights snooze-fest Q&A with David Ansen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  David Poland talks to Best Actor dark horse Frank Langella about "Starting Out in the Evening," among other things. [The Hot Blog]

•  Sasha Stone gives in to Nikki Blonsky, observes a nomination for Best Actress is a possibility. [Awards Daily]

•  Ramin Setoodah thinks there are two lonks in the Oscar race for Best Picture: "Atonement" and "No Country for Old Men." [The Gold Digger]

•  Lou Lumenick's chart of ten for Best Picture. [New York Post]

•  Stephen Galloway previews a bleak Oscar slate. [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  But Sam Adams sees politics instead.  I hope the irony isn't lost on you.  [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  Diseny has an "Enchanted" music video starring Carrie Underwood in four formats. [Quicktime, Flash, Windows Media Player, iPod]

•  Warner Bros. kicks "I Am Legend" marking into high gear with a new website. [I-Am-Immune.com]

•  The Spirit awards go green. [Variety]

•  Anne Thompson has "Beowulf" reactions.  [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Jeffrey Wells finall unleashes his "There Will Be Blood" review, smartly acknowledges that it takes a few moments of gathering oneself before fully appreciating the value of the film.  Calls it "diseased greatness." [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  Elizabeth Snead talks to Paul LeBlanc about Bardem's do in "No Country." [The Envelope]

•  The Buzzmeter gets a fresh update. [The Envelope]

•  As do the Gurus, this time taking a stab at the screenplay races.  Good showing for Tony Gilroy. [Movie City News]

•  Noah Forrest makes an awards case for subtle performers. [Movie City News]

•  Scott Feinberg talks to Tabu from "The Namesake," getting an agressive push from Fox Searchlight. [And the Winner Is...]

•  Yet ANOTHER award...this time, Tommy Lee Jones is tapped to win the Santa Barbara Fest's American Riviera Award. [Variety]

•  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...]