MTV's Josh Horowitz scored one of those rare interviews with Jack Nicholson this week, and in it we get some pretty candid notions from the 12-time Oscar nominee (and potential contender again this year for Rob Reiner's "The Bucket List.")

On the big show, Jack had this to say:

"I'm somebody that's always liked the Oscars. I always looked at them as being good for everybody. Win, lose or draw, it's a wonderful thing. It creates debate. Of course it's a collaborative form, so how could there possibly be such a thing as "best" in acting? There's always somebody else in the scene."

Regarding Nicholson's close friend Marlon Brando, who Horowitz notes "had strong feelings on the subject":

"As do a lot of my friends. They don't like the competition. I've come to resent the fact that it takes three months of the year [to deal with the Oscars] if you're involved. I'm a nervous wreck when I'm around any public occurrence, actually. Most times [when nominated] I felt I knew whether I was going to win or not. It's the nights when you don't really know that are nerve-racking. [He laughs.]"

On Reiner's upcoming film:

"It was a difficult thing for me. I wanted to work with [director] Rob [Reiner] and Morgan, but I got a little medical issue before it, and I kind of panicked. I didn't know if I'd have the endurance. I got crazy a little bit. [Editor's note: Nicholson was reportedly hospitalized for a gland infection in 2006.]...

"I won't say that I didn't use things that I found in my time in the clutches of medical situations. [He laughs.] For sure. I thought it was very adventurous of Rob to think about making a comedy about dying. And I like to be adventurous. It got to be a very personal film. It's got a lot of things in it that people think about that aren't articulated. For that reason, it's got some good spunk to it. And of course, if you're going to make a comedy, you better make them laugh. I don't want to jinx myself, but I feel pretty good about it."

Finally, Nicholson actually says he is "furious" that those involved in the upcoming "The Dark Knight" didn't approach him regarding the part of the Joker, not necessarily to play the part, but for insight into the role:

"I'm not inclined to watch it because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere. I don't think they ever really captured Tim Burton's spirit [since he stopped being involved]. They kind of drove the franchise into the ground. Tim Burton's a genius. He had the right take on it. That's why I did the movie. I did the movie based on a single conversation with him. We both come from the cartoon world originally. We had similar ideas. Tim said [the Joker] should have a humorous dark side to him. [Burton is] one of the great moviemakers. I think the world of him. He's the most unassuming man. And he doesn't feel pressure. That's what I love about him. Once he's in there, he's smiling making the movie. That's it!"

Well, knowing what I know about the "Batman Begins" sequel, Christopher Nolan and company are doing their damnedest to stay true to the character as conceived way back when in Batman #1.  I think we'll be okay.

Nicholson goes on to talk about his desire to knock out a sequel to "The Last Detail," and earlier gets into past discussions regarding a "Chinatown" trilogy that kind of short circuited after "The Two Jakes" in 1990.

A great interview.  Give it a read: Part One (Tuesday), Part Two (Wednesday).