Took a few days off as I dealt with family, holiday nightmares and shopping fiasco, but I thought I'd pop in tody to see what's happening on the Oscarweb -- call it the Christmas edition.  I hope you and yours are enjoying a splendid holiday season.

•  Jeffrey Wells thinks Janusz Kaminski is an overrated lenser to say the least.  Yeah, I thought he was out of his skull when he posted that, too. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  But he at least has the guts to call the "Titanic" bashers of the world reactive to its pop culture phenomenon rather than the actual content: a sweeping epic that works quite well, especially in the finale. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

•  The top 10 lists keep on a'collectin' at MCN. [Movie City News]

•  A Merry Christmas from Tom O'Neil's family never hurt anyone! [Gold Derby]

•  The "Great Debaters" campaign kicks into high gear (try though they might) as Robert Welkos talks to actress Jurnee Smollett. [The Envelope]

•  Gerard Kennedy has a lot on his mind following the crush of Fall finals. [In Contention]
•  Nathaniel Rogers offers some thoughts on "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" and tim burton's long-awaited screen adaptation of a Sondheim classic. [The Film Experience]
•  Claudia Puig loves, loves, loves her some "Persepolis"... [USA Today]

•  ...hates, hates, hates "The Bucket List"... [USA Today]..and is somewhere in the middle on "The Great Debaters." [USA Today]
•  The local paper also reviews all three this holiday week. [Los Angeles Times]