The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS) has announced an initial field of 63 songs eligible in the original song category of the 82nd Academy Awards.

A friendly advise to gifted actresses: Beware of the Supporting Actress Oscar. It’s a jinx. You'll get the spot light for a few days, and more money for your next feature, but the coveted statuette might not do much for your career in the long run.  Over the past two decades, most of the actresses who have won the Supporting Award have either made bad films after the Oscar, or their careers never took off, or simply declined and disappeared.

Country music, booze, and great talent account for Jeff Bridges' Oscar-caliber pereformance in "Crazy Heart,"  which Fox Searchlight will release December 16.   It's the same combo of elements that brought Robert Duvall the 1983 Best Actor Oscar for "Tender Mercies."

"The Hurt Locker,” directed by Kathryn Bigelow, was voted Best Picture of the Year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA).  The runner up was Jason Reitman's “Up in the Air.”