The
Oscar race has just shifted into high gear. Members of the 13 branches
of the 6,000-member Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are
starting to flock to special screenings. The studios are now mailing
members stacks of videos and DVDs, and 'for your consideration' ads
start fattening the pages of Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. 2002's
very first 'reminder ad' crammed with quoted praise - for Maggie Gyllenhaal
as Best Actress in Secretary - ran on 6 November.