4:44 PM: Hey, Ryan Gosling is around after all. I love that he went MIA as soon as the nods came out, off to work on his next flick, "The Lord's Resistance Army" (though he said it to me with the "Army" left out). One of my favorite moments of the year was our interview back in November. (I'm checking out the ABC coverage now, by the way. Slightly less grating. Slightly.)

4:41 PM: It cracks me up that NO ONE is saying anything, but there is, after all, a GIGANTIC FUCKING NORBIT BILLBOARD above the El Capitan right there on Hollywood Blvd., across the street from the Kodak. I mean, I was just over there yesterday and even I was chuckling. Come on, one of these pre-shows needs to break out that nugget.

4:37 PM: Favorite thing to do at a party: see how many guys you catch staring at Beyonce's ass. It works just as well in the play at home version. That guy behind her just stared another whole into her backside.

4:33 PM: Ladies and gentlemen, the CLINT has arrived.

4:31 PM: Alan Arkin doesn't give you ANY slack. Hahaha! Reminds me of that awkward drink we shared back in October.

4:33 PM: When will Jared the Subway guy go away? Anyway, presenters we know so far:

James McAvoy and Jessica Biel: Best Sound Mixing
Emily Blunt: Best Costume Design
Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg: Best Director
Jodie Foster: In Memoriam

And assuming the following:

Phillip Seymour Hoffman: Best Actress
Reese Witherspoon: Best Actor
George Clooney: Best Supporting Actress
Rachel Weisz: Best Supporting Actor

4:12 PM: Oh shit!! I forgot about Djimon Hounsou being in the "Love Will Never Do" video! Haha. R.I.P. Herb Ritts.

4:10 PM: Damn. Steve Carell just said he thought "The Departed" was gonna win Best Pic. Where's the faith, Steve!? And Leo has fantastic hair...constantly.

4:05 PM: I did it. I couldn't help it. I clicked over to the TV Guide channel. JOAN RIVERS AND SALLY KIRKLAND!!! I'm gonna hurl...

4:02 PM: Did Jennifer Hudson stop by the kids' clothing section of Target? What's with the jacket? Lose it...and someone punch Simon Cowell in the face.

3:58 PM: Three years ago it was Catalina Sandino Moreno knocking my socks off on the red carpet. No one seems to be capable of that anymore, but Penelope Cruz comes close. HOT!

I really wish John Travolta had shown up in the "Hairspray" fat suit. That's just me...

3:46 PM: Okay, that's the fourth "Babel" spot I've seen in the last hour. Vantage realizes the campaign is over, right?

Also, why is it I watch these pre-show things each year with a pain in my stomach. They just seem like total train wrecks. Not in a good way. And I'm scared to even GLANCE at what Joan Rivers is doing.

3:36 PM: Al and Tipper Gore. Sorry I missed them the other night, but some journalists aren't happy unless they bitch and whine...or so it seems. Run, Al. Please. Run.

3:10 PM: James McAvoy (poor bastard has been shafted all season). Humble and nice as ever. It seems he's presenting Best Sound Mixing with Jessica Biel.

2:45 PM: Another "Dreamgirls" package?

2:30 PM: Nothing much worth talking about regarding the E! countdown so far. They did this interesting little video package about Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet a moment ago, a ten years after "Titanic" sort of deal. Both have nominations this year, so...interesting, I guess.

Jennifer Holiday is singing "And I'm Telling You" on the roof of the Roosevelt right now. Wait, is that the Roosevelt? Not sure, but she's basically proving two things in one fell swoop. One, she's desperate to cling to her "Dreamgirls" success and it's cross-over film success. But more than anything, she's proving she would have been terrible on screen in ANY role in this film, however badly she wanted to be in it. Her mannerisms and singing are just too theatrical. And she said earlier she's singing better today than she did twenty years ago. I...beg to differ.

1:30 PM: Might as well.

Here are my final predictions. Here are Gerard's. Oscarwatch has the big chart up to see what the rest of the world is thinking. And now it's all done but the crying.

I think the best way to do this is a new entry per category. That way we can optimize the discussion, spread the conversation and offer separate places for separate commentary.

Three and a half hours and counting. Any last minute jitters out there? Who am I kidding, this whole damn SEASON has been a last minute jitter.