The Race

Because I was the Amazon editor who told Jeff Bezos to buy IMDb in 1997, I'm intrigued by Rabbit Hole-loving CEO Col Needham's new 10 Best List, and How to Train Your Dragon-loving managing editor Keith Simanton's. But I'm obsessed with IMDb's STARmeter, which lists the Top 100 actors based on the search behavior of 100 million-plus IMDb users. Compare the 2009 and 2010 lists side by side and watch stars soar and crash (Johnny Depp seized the No. 1 spot from Robert Pattinson):

Big blogs are abuzz about Anne Thompson's theory that "Steak Eaters" -- male directors, writers and craftspeople who outnumber Academy women -- will kill Lisa Cholodenko's best director hopes and favor more hemoglobinous he-man fare (The Fighter, The Town and especially True Grit, with their probable role model, Snake Beater Rooster Cogburn). 

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Here's why Entertainment Weekly's Dave Karger won't give in to his doubts about The King's Speech as best picture -- and the Phoenix Film Critics back him up with the King's first victory over The Social Network.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday mailed Oscar nomination ballots to the group's 5,755 voting members.

Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. PT on Jan. 14. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

AMPAS said that PricewaterhouseCoopers has already taken steps to ensure that no duplicate ballots were mailed out and that none was missing. In addition, the ballots are numbers to guarantee each one is sent to the correct voter.

America's bitterly divisive politics may affect that other election, the Oscars -- and one beneficiary may be Charles Ferguson's Wall Street expose Inside Job.

Just as Oscar ballots go out, the Online Film Critics Society does its best for Black Swan (seven noms) and The Social Network (six noms), a bit less for The King's Speech and The Fighter.

No, it's not just some crazy dream: Inception could win the Oscar, and Chris Beachum has the best argument yet.

Sony raised a few eyebrows by releasing The Social Network DVD and Blu-ray so early, Jan. 11. And now they've just sent early copies to critics.

Fifteen important Gurus o'Gold pundits switched their best picture prediction from The King's Speech to The Social Network on Thursday, and 13 posted some Oscar Christmas gift wish lists.

Jeff Bridges almost turned the Coens down for The Big Lebowski, he says in the new American Masters doc on PBS. Check out this preview.