Oscar Fever, Cont'd. Cont'd.

*Anthony Hopkins hadn't been nominated since 1997. '97! That's a 22-year gap. But Pacino beats this, with his 27-year gap.

*Brad Pitt--subject of a smart new Dargis essay in the "Times"--has had previous nominations for "Moneyball," "Benjamin Button," and "12 Monkeys." (Dargis suggests it may be *harder* to win an Oscar if you're an exceptionally beautiful man. What kind of world is this, if Roberto Benigni and Rami Malek have best-performance Oscars, and Pitt does not?)

*Holly Hunter once earned a nomination for the big-screen adaptation of "The Firm." Yes, "The Firm"--!

*No night is more important than February 9th......

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