Cate Blanchett

The skinny: From "American Idol" castoff to Academy Award winner? Jennifer Hudson sets the bar with her "Dreamgirls" performance in our first round of the supporting actress race. *--* 1 Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls" 2 Adriana Barraza, "Babel" 3 Cate Blanchett, "Notes on a Scandal" 4 Catherine O'Hara, "For Your Consideration" 5 Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel" *--* Log on to TheEnvelope.com for more of this week's Buzzmeter rankings.

Long before they turned in Oscar-worthy performances on the big screen, most of tonight's Academy Award nominees had their start on the little screen, including Don Cheadle, "Picket Fences"; Jaime Foxx, "In Living Color"; Annette Bening, "Miami Vice"; Imelda Staunton, British miniseries such as "The Singing Detective"; Kate Winslet, British TV series "Dark Season"; Cate Blanchett, Australian miniseries "Bordertown"; Sophie Okonedo, British TV series "The Governor"; Alan Alda, "MASH"; and Clive

Don't blame George Clooney for getting Danny DeVito liquored up. Clooney admitted having dinner with DeVito the night before the infamous "View" appearance. "But I was in bed by 11:30," he said at the '40s-themed after-party for "The Good German" at Boulevard 3 in Hollywood Dec. 4. "When I woke up the next morning, I was the devil?" 9. He chatted up pal Rande Gerber, with his wife Cindy Crawford. Gerber and Clooney are partners in a pricey Las Vegas complex, Las Ramblas. 10.

Keira Knightley may get the accolades, but the true star of "Atonement" is her character's sweeping green silk charmeuse gown. Designed by Jacqueline Durran, it will be showcased among nearly two dozen costumes at FIDM's annual tribute to onscreen fashion. Look for Amy Adams' wedding dress in "Enchanted," Cate Blanchett's gold brocade dress (pictured) from "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and the decidedly less regal skating suit worn by Jon Heder in "Blades of Glory."

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has a knack for luring award front-runners, so no wonder several Oscar nominees, including Cate Blanchett, pictured, Julie Christie, Casey Affleck, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and Brad Bird, will be feted this year. Need another reason to make the drive? The fest opens tonight with the comedy "Definitely, Maybe" before unspooling 220 more films. "The festival is a mosaic . . .

"People used to say nobody can sing my songs but me — they're too personal," Joni Mitchell explained last week during a rare interview. Apparently, nobody told John Kelly not to try adapting her songs. The renowned Obie Award-winning actor and performance artist has been belting out Mitchell's songs for more than 20 years. This weekend, the New York-based Kelly concludes the L.A. run of his acclaimed solo tribute to the iconic, iconoclastic singer-songwriter, "Paved Paradise: The Art of Joni Mitchell," at Renberg Theatre.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., bestower of the Golden Globe awards, has placed 11-year-old Abigail Breslin in the lead actress nomination category for "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Dreamgirls" scene-stealer Jennifer Hudson in the supporting category, association officials revealed Wednesday. Beyonce Knowles will look for a nomination as lead actress for "Dreamgirls," and Cate Blanchett will vie for a nod in the supporting category for "Notes on a Scandal."