If ever a contest was needing shaking up, it is this year's Oscar derby which has a serious dearth of beloved, breakout movies on the board. But today's Spirit Award nominations did only kept the chessboard upright, stalemate intact.

Peter Jackson's long-awaited adaptation of beloved book The Lovely Bones has been one of the few remaining question marks in the Oscar race. It finally faced critics yesterday and the results are all over the place.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin have been picked to jointly host the Academy Awards telecast.

It had been rumored for weeks but Hugh Jackman made it official today; he will not be repeating his turn as Oscar's host.

The show may or may not get higher ratings than the American Idol finale, but the subject of who will host and produce the 82nd Academy Awards telecast remains Hollywood's perennial obsession.

No, of course he won't. But Mickey Kaus thinks he should, and we agree. And ABC News' characterization of Obama's imminent Rose Garden speech is curiously neutral: "Obama will make a statement...reacting to the Nobel Peace Prize award. "

Over the next weeks Hollywood gets its first look at many of the Oscar heavyweights at the Toronto, Venice and Telluride film festivals. But that doesn't hold back the pundits from weighing in today on who owns this race.

So the Emmy nominations were announced this morning and mostly they were surprise-less. Nothing for the well-deserving Big Love actors, another nod for Tony goddamned Shaloub, and Family Guy in Best Comedy. Wait, what?? Family Guy? How did this happen?

Our unflappable correspondent Stephen Kosloff attended the Village Voice's Obie Awards, which reward excellence in Off-Broadway theater, last night. These are his stories.

Is there anything worthwhile left to report about the National Magazine Awards, now that you know that Jimmy Fallon reads Gawker obsessively, and Reader's Digest is America's best magazine? There might be!

In your awardy Thursday media column: the recessiontastic magazine awards are here, newspaper meta-layoffs, Lenny Dykstra's canned, more justice for Chauncey Bailey, and advertising brainstorming:

Now that the fabulous glory of the 2009 Pulitzers—the first ever to include online reporting!— has come and gone, let us reflect on their meaning. Hint: the Pulitzers are just like the newspaper industry!

As we mentioned, today is Pulitzer day! The winners have started trickling out, and we'll be updating this post as they come in. Keep refreshing it incessantly! Click through for the glory of journalism:

If there's one thing we know, it's that readers could not possibly, under any circumstances, care less about any "award" a media outlet receives. Ladies and gentlemen, your 2009 National Magazine Awards nominees are here:

Another year, another lackluster awards-season showing for Hollywood studios. And while their art-house affiliates more than picked up the slack, could 2009 be the year the majors finally reclaim the Oscars for themselves?

Last night's supergay Oscars broadcast was up 6% in the ratings from last year, and was the highest-rated "entertainment telecast" in two years. Was it the gay stuff that drew people in? Sorta.

He lost a million-dollar bet, all but liquidated his company and endured a late, vicious backlash against a film that nobody even thought would reach the Oscars. And he won. That's why he's Harvey Weinstein.

Shocked that Departures beat out presumed favorites Waltz With Bashir and The Class for the foreign-film category? It's just the latest example of the bizarre rules that govern that Oscar niche. Can it be fixed?

Yes the Oscars were pretty darn gay this year. With the singing and dancing and Milking. But why? Is the awards show finally retreating to the realm of niche programming? Or are gays mainstream now?

Lady actors don't win Oscars based on film performances; it's all about giving the best acceptance speech. And the dirty, dirty Academy demands an orgasmic experience (or at least someone who can fake it well).