• Oscar season ramped up this week, with the popular selection of Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin as this year’s Oscar emcees.

• This week’s Off the Carpet column surveyed the runners and riders for Best Actor …

• … only to be immediately outdated as Jeff Bridges and “Crazy Heart” arrived to turn that race on its head.

• Big news in the Best Animated Feature race, as last-minute entry “A Town Called Panic” ensured we’ll have five nominees.

• Beginning with “Precious,” this week’s edition of The Long Shot discussed the role critics play in the Oscar race.

• A discussion that continued as Armond White made waves with his scathing “Precious” pan.

• We reviewed a pair of the season’s biggest animated titles: “A Christmas Carol” and “The Princess and the Frog.”

• Sunday Cents contemplated the “phenomenal” or “disappointing” box-office performance of “This Is It.”

• The ever-expanding list of Best Original Song contenders welcomed cuts from Andrea Bocelli and Paul McCartney.

• The art direction race was the focus of this week’s edition of Tech Support.

• The AFI Fest, which wraps today, handed honors to “Fish Tank” and foreign Oscar contender “Ajami.”

• We got something to watch for next year’s race, as Sony Classics finally picked up Toronto hit “Mother and Child.”

• Veteran DP (and five-time Oscars bridesmaid) Caleb Deschanel will receive a career award from the ASC.

• Emily Blunt’s awards hopes for “The Young Victoria” took a mild upturn with an Artist of the Year award from BAFTA.

• And as usual, Anne and Kris try to make sense of all this madness in Oscar Talk.

Related Posts

• OSCAR TALK: Ep. 9 — Baldwin/Martin, ‘Crazy Heart,’ animated contenders and the Gurus’ latest chart
• TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Song
• WEEKLY WRAP: Precursor avalanche, best of 2009
• WEEKLY WRAP: NBR winners, Spirit nods and Jeff Bridges
• WEEKLY WRAP: Doc shortlist, honorary Oscars and more
• 11/5 Oscarweb Round-up