Yes, you read correctly.  Not 15 minutes ago my doorbell rings and I see a strapping young man standing there, unaffected by the world's woes holding a dixie cup and an envelope with the words "Kris Tapley" written on it.

"Kris?"

He asked it with a considerably thorough touch, as if this were no ordinary dixie cup and, in the wrong hands, could spell disaster.

"Yeah," I said, curious, but slowly putting 2 and 2 together.

"From Paramount," the strapping young man offered, handing me the envelope and what turned out to be a cold, tasty milkshake ready for consumption on the first day of decent warm weather L.A. has seen in a while.  He offered the items to me almost like invitations no normal person would enjoy, as if I were anointed with a prestigious theistic offering.  A sly grin, knowledgable of all things imminent splashed across his face.

Then...he walked off into the daylight, out of my life forever and oblivious to the only word that could make its way to my lips: "Interesting."

So it goes that Paramount Vantage has embraced the biggest gift they could have hoped for this season, the milshake line from Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" is indeed the new "Say hello to my little friend."  And they want you to remember it.  Live it.  Love it.  Savour it.

And so I am.  This is one God damned hell of a milkshake.

EDITED: A colleague who received a milkshake this afternoon as well said that her courier remarked "There is blood" upon arrival.  It's reached that level, folks.  Roll around in it.  Wallow in it.  Bathe in it.

The Hollywood publicity machine is well-oiled at the start of this week, to be sure.  I count at least four studios with events lined up this evening, and who knows what shin-digs I haven't been invited to today.  We all make our blacklists.

First, there's Picturehouse's celebration of Marion Cotillard, Oscar nominated for "La Vie en Rose," if you're into a poolside gathering at the Chateau Marmont.

If a nuts and bolts dialogue is more your speed, Paramount Vantage has set up the "There Will Be Blood" crew for a screening and Q&A over at the Harmony gold Theater on Sunset.  Film editor Dylan Tichenor, cinematographer Robert Elswit, sound designer Chris Scarabosio, supervising sound editor Matthew Wood, and set decorator Jim Erickson -- nominees all of them -- are expected to attend.

Down the street at Book Soup, screenwriter Christopher Hampton is participating in a book signing of his Oscar-nominated adaptation, "Atonement," while Ariana Huffington will be hosting a screening of Charles Ferguson's "No End In Sight" at the Paley Center for Media out in Beverly Hills, for those really jonsing for a political experience, what with Super Tuesday right around the corner.  Huffington just hosted a similar "No End" event over the weekend at the Hotel Plaza Athenee in New York.

Oh, and Tamara Jenkins was just at Book Soup yesterday reading from her "Savages" screenplay.

All of these events come on the heels of last weekend's spotlight of the below the line nominees from "No Country for Old Men" -- coverage of which I've yet to stumble across, by the way.  Come on.  Somebody was there, right?

Anyway, lots of media exposure for lots of deserving contenders this season.  Some might think no more than usual, but the agression on the part of campaigners and strategists seems to have slid up a notch to me this year.  Lucky us, eh?

Paramount Vantage has lept out of the gate this year with the release of materials for both of its fall awards hopefuls.  The trailer for "The Duchess" landed a few weeks ago, and now we get this look at Edward Zwick's "Defiance."

The film is based on the true story of three brothers that escaped Nazi-occupied Poland and joined Russian resistance forces in the Belarussian forest to protect themselves and others.  Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell star.

Ed Zwick cinema has become something of a chore as of late.  Arguably lazy efforts like "The Last Samurai" and "Blood Diamond" didn't work on countless levels, but his films still manage to find a place during the Oscar season.  I don't expect "Defiance" to be any masterpiece, but I do get the feeling it might be somewhat more elevated material than we've seen out of the director in recent years.

This looks to be Vantage's lead pony in the 2008-2009 derby, though there is still the outside possibility the studio will pick up Barry Levinson's "What Just Happened?" at Sundance.  If that comes to pass, and the film works (it's an Art Linson lovechild that just might be a great piece of reflexive cinema), then strategies could certainly change.  Regardless, the studio's focus looks to be much more narrowed come next season, and I'm sure the awards consultants on Melrose are just fine with that.

Check out the 'Defiance' trailer at Yahoo! Movies.

•  "Into the Wild" wins the season's first major Best Picture prize at the Gotahm Awards. [Variety]

•  David Carr reports from the scene. [The Carpetbagger]

•  Anne Thompson racks up "No Country" talk across the web, including this and that about the film's ending. [Thompson on Hollywood]

•  Martin Grove speaks up on behalf of Christopher Plummer's performance in "Man in the Chair." [The Hollywood Reporter]

•  T.L. Stanley blogs the campaign strategy for the performance. [Gold Rush]

•  Tom O'Neil compares the Gothams and the Indie Spirits. [Gold Derby]

•  Ramin Satoodeh was no fan of "Charlie Wilson's War." [The Gold Digger]

•  Nathaniel Rogers runs down a list great performances in not-so-great films. [The Film Experience]

I've just been told that the WGA/Back Stage screening of "There Will Be Blood," taking place over at the Television Academy on Lanksershim as I type, had people waiting in line at 9:30 this morning.

A number of hours before the 7:00 screening was to begin, there was a line of 50.

When publicists began arriving at 6:30, the number waiting in line had grown to 300.

By the time all had been admitted, 600 people were in attendance and only 20 were turned away, because the screening had already begun and due to the obvious fact that the house was packed......wow.

Judd Apatow is moderating the Q&A that will follow the screening, and I'm told Maya Rudolph, Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen are all in attendance.  The P.T.A. groupies are apparently going nuts and when the "There Will Be Blood" opening title hit the screen, the whoots and hollers started in.

Wait until that baptism sequence.  I bet they wet themselves.

Today, copies of Jonny Greenwood's "There Will Be Blood" score showed up on doorsteps across town.  It is an experimental score on one hand, touches of classic work on the other, but unconventional throughout.  It might be a tough sell for that insular music branch, but the studio is clearly getting the work out there.

It was fitting that the first major guild screening of "There Will be Blood" took place last night at the WGA theater on Doheny Blvd., considering Daniel Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview character was based largely on oil mogul Edward Doheny (in whose Beverly Hills home the film's climactic final scene was shot).

The crowd was a mixture of numerous guilds: WGA, SAG, ASC, and, of course, press.  Applause lit up the joint upon the film's closing credits, with notable rounds swelling up for Day-Lewis' credit and, interestingly, Robert Elswit's.

When moderator David Ansen introduced Paul Thomas Anderson for the Q&A, half the crowd lept to their feet in a standing ovation.  At first sight, it seemed the film was a hit, but I looked around at those who weren't standing, and they included many older guild members, as well as at least one notable Oscar-nominated producer who sat in front of me and seemed to be scowling as he patiently awaited the noise to settle.

Indeed, the third act clearly confused a considerable portion of the crowd, leaving a great number unsettled.  I talked to a SAG member outside during the reception who said the film was "a bit much," though there was no argument from her that the performances were outstanding.

Personally speaking, the film settled very nicely on a second viewing, filling in a few of the cracks I noticed upon an initial look, embossing other areas that remain bothersome to me (notably Paul Dano's performance, though he shed some light on this when addressing the notion that he was hired to take on the role of Eli Sunday at the last minute when the first actor wasn't up to the task).

Day-Lewis was the treat for the crowd, which showed grand affection for the actor's work both during the movie (via applause and laughter) and during the Q&A.

It was good to take in some critical responses afterward.  CHUD's Devin Faraci seemed to be a big fan, but wanted a second viewing before committing a review to print.  Jeffrey Wells told me one critic asked him, puzzled, "You saw it a SECOND TIME??"

Yes, it seems there might be a critical split waiting to happen, just as appeared to be the case with the guild members in attendance last night.

It appears you can now listen to each of Eddie Vedder's "Into the Wild" tunes at VantageGuilds.com.  The studio also says that it will soon be adding production notes and Jonny Greenwood's score to the "There Will Be Blood" section, an interview with Angelina Jolie to the "A Mighty Heart" section (presumably Pete Hammond's much publicized Q&A from Sunday night) and the music video for Vedder's "Guaranteed," which I mentioned in this space over the weekend.

Paramount Vantage has added costume design sketches and production design sketches of "The Kite Runner" to their VantageGuilds.com website.  Give it a look.  It could go a long way in garnering branch support for the film, or, at the very least, assist in flooding the beat with material for a film that could be warm-hearted enough to push into Best Picture contention.

Eddie Vedder popped up tonight outside the Paramount theater for a modest crowd, performing songs from the "Into the Wild" soundtrack after a screening of the film.  And he killed.

Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch introduced Vedder to the crowd, which included a who's who of the entertainment industry: Cameron Crowe, Ringo Starr, Mark Ruffalo, Emilio Estevez and Wynona Rider among them.  Vedder cranked out "Guaranteed," "Rise Up," "No Ceiling" and "Society" before steering into Pearl Jam B-side "Drifting" as well as "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" from the "I Am Sam" soundtrack.

Watching the performance from maybe five or six feet away and studying Vedder's face, I suddenly felt the sensation that this fixture of the grunge era had hit a new stride in his musical and lyrical career.  Something more textured, fuller, perhaps more mature.  There's no arguing that his is one of the great voices in rock history and that he can turn a lyric with the best of them, but what Vedder has accomplished on the "Wild" soundtrack is possibly the crowning jewel of the film.  Tonight was a testament to that.

The singer is showing aging, but not necessarily showing his age.  The lines are there, the years of celebrity and activism taking their toll, perhaps.  In any case, it was with a strange combination of sadness and pride that I watched a rock star fully embody this new, more cultivated phase of his career this evening.

I chatted briefly with the film's editor, Jay Cassidy, about his journey with Penn on each of the actor/director's works.  I also caught up with Penn himself, who said he was certainly feeling the toll of the awards campaign, but nonetheless, he seemed like he could take any given event by the horns then and there, regardless of fatigue.

A good event all around for Paramount Vantage, who is in high gear on a campaign that could lead all the way to a Best Picture nomination for the film.  We shall see.

(Photo courtesy of Hollywood Elsewhere)

Variety's Todd McCarthy has gone with his review of Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," which screened for a handful of journos last week on the Paramount lot.

McCarthy calls Anderson's film "boldly and magnificently strange...an intense, increasingly insidious character study of a turn-of-the-century central California oil man."

Anne Thompson also has her reaction up now as well.

They're going...I'm going.

I swear I'll get off the original song kick at some point, but the more I listen to Eddie Vedder's soundtrack for "Into the Wild," the more I feel like "Guaranteed" might not be the flagship song for the film.  Or, at least it shouldn't be.

"Guaranteed" is the track Paramount Vantage expects to have the most potential within the music branch, and it's already front and center at the VantageGuilds.com webpage for the pic.  What is attractive about this choice is how the song is used in a variety of ways throughout the film, either in full, purely instrumental or through Vedder's vocals and/or humming.  But I think the better track is "Society," a fuller song in the verse-chorus-versus sense and obviously used in an integral way in the film -- it's the song playing when McCandless is setting up his new home in the bus upon arrival to Alaska.

"Society" is the longer song, if that happens to matter, but it also speaks directly to the themes of the narrative like no other song in the film.  Not for nothing, I think the song might be the most meaningful and organic piece of music written for a major motion picture since Aimee Mann's "Save Me" from the "Magnlia" soundtrack in 1999.

Admittedly I'm not the Academy demographic here.  After all, I thought last year's best song was probably "In the End" from "Shortbus."

Anyway, check out the lyrics to "Society" for yourself and judge:

It's a mystery to me.
We have a Greed, with which we have agreed.

And you think you have to want more than you need.
Until you have it all, you won't be Free.

Society, you're a crazy breed.
I hope you're not lonely without me.

When you want more than you have, you think you need.
And when you think more than you want your thoughts begin to bleed.

I think I need to find a bigger place.
'Cause when you have more than you think you need more space.

Society, crazy indeed.
Hope you're not lonely, without me.

There's those thinking more less, less is more.
But if less is more, how you keepin' score?

Means for every point you make your level drops.
Kinda like you're startin' from the top.
And you can't do that.

Society, you're a crazy breed
Hope you're not lonely without me.

Society, crazy indeed
Hope you're not lonely without me.

Society, have mercy on me.
Hope you're not angry if I disagree.

Society, you're a crazy breed
I hope you're not lonely without me.

So we're not into predictions here at Variety, and that's not what I'm aiming at with this post.  But I do think it might be worth mulling over the three films Paramount Vantage has primed for major Oscar attention in some sort of level-headed fashion -- because it's been eating at me.

The studio is actually pushing five films for awards this year, but I don't think it's out of the question to overlook "A Mighty Heart" and "Margot at the Wedding" when it comes to Best Picture speculation.  So I will.

As noted last week, "There Will Be Blood" screened Thursday night to a few journos in Los Angeles and we're bound by blood and honor to keep a lid on it.  Fine, fair enough...I'll just let this casual diversion of the conversation to the other two titles say what I'm thinking about the Oscar chances of Paul Thomas Anderson's film -- sans personal opinion.

So we're down to "The Kite Runner" and "Into the Wild."  Both films have their fans, both seem to be the right contenders to hit the soft-spot demographic of the Academy.  It's been a while since I saw each of them, but I have to say that I'm starting to get the feeling Vantage would be better served by shoving all of their efforts behind the latter.

To start, there's a lot of charisma to work with (duh).  Emile Hirsch is the baby face, Sean Penn is the bad-boy actor-turned-director and Eddie Vedder is the grunge frontman considering an appearance in his first music video in 15 years for one of the film's tracks.  Oh, and don't forget loveable Hal Holbrook, who is coming to town in November to spice up the awards campaign.

Vantage is rallying the troops with screenings and events and, frankly, seems to be showing its hand that THIS is their contender.  But "The Kite Runner" hit a little hiccup on the way to a November release date (since pushed to December), so it makes sense that there isn't a lot of smoke around that title just yet.

I'm not a fan of "The Kite Runner" at all, mind you.  I think it is schmaltz of the highest order -- and this comes from a guy who loved "Finding Neverland."  So I'm not a cynical curmudgeon.  It's just too clinical in its tendency to hammer those golden-hued moments and themes, and sue me if I think the Academy would rather go with something that digs a little deeper.  You won't have a hard time finding someone who's seen the film and thinks it is right up the AMPAS' alley, but I'm skeptical.

I'm also no fan of "Into the Wild," by the way.  How's that for disclosure?  I loved, loved, LOVED Jon Krakauer's book, but thought Sean Penn's passion for Chris McCandless overshadowed craft and technique in the end.  But that's what the Academy loves so much, right?  Passion?  You can't take that away from the film, and from a guy who thought it wasn't really in the race upon seeing the final product, I have to say it's looking like a top tier candidate lately.

Looking through the RSVP sidebar of a screening schedule for Warner's upcoming "The Bucket List," my eye was drawn to a contender for Best Original Song that I hadn't come across yet.  The track is called "Say" and both the lyric and vocal are by John Mayer.  Perhaps a soft, breathy track from the celebrated vocalist can get into the mix for a seemingly warm-hearted movie like this one?

The original song category already seems stacked this year as opposed to previous years where it seemed stretched a bit thin.  To begin, there's already four songs from Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" in play.  All are from Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder.  "Guaranteed" is the track prevalent throughout the film, and therefore might be deemed the most attractive choice.  "Society," however, is also integral to the narrative and could push through.  Vedder, you might recall, was passed over by the Academy in 2003 for his song "Man of the Hour" on the "Big Fish" soundtrack.

Paramount Vantage is getting out ahead of their music contenders again this year, mind you.  A modest event is already scheduled next weekend with Penn on the scene and Vedder crooning three of the tracks from the movie live.

Marc Shaiman, meanwhile, added three new tunes to the "Hairspray" set list that have to be taken seriously.  Most seem to be leaning on the Zac Efron ditty "Ladies' Choice."
 
Speaking of musicals, the little summer film that could -- "Once" -- is adding a one-two punch with "Falling Slowly" and "If You Want Me" (the former seems to be the best bet).

Alan Menken is back on the scene with Stephen Schwartz in Disney's "Enchanted."  Apparently the duo wrote a whopping five new songs for the film, which is already garnering lead actress buzz for Amy Adams.

Elsewhere there's the closing credits number "Lost" from Annie Lennox on "In the Valley of Elah."  However, given the song's usage, it might not pass the test.  New rules figure in the way a song is integrated into the film and the story.

There's also new Shakira material in "Love in the Time of Cholera," namely a track called "La Despidida."  And will Stephen Sondheim offer new material to the soundtrack of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street?"  I'm in the dark on that one.

So that's 18 potential contenders without breaking a sweat.  There are others eligible, but these seem to be the real threats.

Paramount Vantage showed Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" to a mere four -- count 'em -- four members of the Los Angeles entertainment press corps last night...but don't expect any reviews yet.

That's right, we're all expected to be nice enough to hold our thoughts until the Nov. 5 unveiling of the film in San Francisco, at which point the flood gates will certainly go down in a hurry.

All of this despite the fact that the film was kinda, sorta reviewed here at Variety by a stringer out of the Fantastic Fest in Austin, mind you.  Marjorie Baumgarten of the Austin Chronicle had some thoughts in print at that outlet as well as on Variety's festival blog "The Circuit."  John DeFore, meanwhile, ran a full review out of the fest at The Hollywood Reporter.  So the sanctioned cat, if you will, is somewhat out of the bag.

But like I said...we're being nice.

More to come...