Really getting into the thick of the awards season, Variety's special issues are starting to heat up.  In print today: "The Contenders."

Yours truly (with major contributions from the industrious Sharon Swart) kicks things off with a glimpse at most of the players, some inside chatter, and an attempt at contextualizing the already steam-rolling season.

There are also a number of profiles for films in play.  Of the perceived heavies, Steven Gaydos tackles box office champ "American Gangster," Peter Debruge tries to get a bead on the unseen "Charlie Wilson's War" and Tim Gray gets into the gore of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

As for the dark horses, Debruge sizes up "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," Gaydos gets into "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" and Anthony Kaufman showcases "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

And we're off!  More and more special issues stuff to come, including the always revealing actor/actress profiles edition.  Stay tuned.