Oscar Fever, Cont'd. etc.

*You do pretty well at the Oscars if you are a Scorsese performer. We're talking about: Blanchett, Pesci, and De Niro.

*Your odds are good if you're a Francis Ford Coppola performer. Think of De Niro, Brando, George C. Scott (because FFC co-wrote "Patton").

*And--surprisingly--your odds are great if you're working with James L. Brooks. We're talking about Nicholson (TWO Brooks Oscars!), Shirley MacLaine, Helen Hunt.

No night matters more than February 9......

P.S. Billy Wilder plays a weird role here. You'd think the performers he'd coach to an Oscar might include Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo. But: no, no, no. We're talking about Ray Milland ("The Lost Weekend") and William Holden ("Stalag 17").

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