Oscar

With the 85th Academy Awards taking place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the American Cinematheque are presenting Oscar-related programs that shine the spotlight on nominees in various fields. Actor Rob Riggle hosts the academy's "Oscar Celebrates: Animated Features" on Thursday evening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The nominees of the five Oscar-nominated feature animated films will be on hand, schedule permitting, to talk about their work and show clips.

Ask Tommy Lee Jones about his cantankerous performance as radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens in Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" and the veteran performer bristles. Perhaps mistaking the question for a personal comment, the Harvard-educated, Oscar-winning actor feigns ignorance: "Cantankerous? I don't know what the meaning of that word is!" He paused, adding: "And I hear that word all the time. " If the "No Country for Old Men" star has been hearing the C-word more than usual lately, it's likely due to Jones' spirited portrayal of the fiery abolitionist congressman in the acclaimed biopic, which arrived in theaters earlier this month featuring Daniel Day-Lewis as America's 16th president.

Twenty-one films, including Pixar's "Brave" and Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph," will compete in this year's animated film race for the Academy Award. The number is significant as any amount over 16 triggers a five-picture Oscar race. Less than 16 and only three animated features would have earned nominations for the statuette. Besides "Ralph," which opened nationwide today, and "Brave," which is currently the highest-grossing animated film of the year, the other big commercial hits looking for Oscar gold to accompany their box office coin include DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," Universal's "Dr. Suess's The Lorax," 20th Century Fox's "Ice Age Continental Drift," Sony's "Hotel Transylvania," Focus Features' "ParaNorman" and Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie," also a Disney release.

Once an Oscar winner, always an Oscar winner, and Eva Marie Saint, who won a supporting actress award for her feature film debut in 1954's "On the Waterfront," still breathes the rarefied air of a Hollywood icon despite appearing in only about 20 feature films. Of course, graduating from Oscar winner to Hitchcock blond five years later with her memorable role in "North by Northwest" didn't hurt. These days, Saint is still trolling for good roles. She and her director-husband, Jeff Hayden, perform A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" around the country.

Perhaps the solution to the recurring charges of sexism in the director's branch of the academy is to create two categories for best director in the annual Oscar ballot. The actor's branch distinguishes between gender. It would be inspiring to see a list of nominations for best director, female. JAMES LOVELACE Santa Clara

The underdogs had bite after all. Although many of the major Oscar categories unfolded much as experts predicted, several surprises nosed their way onto the list of nominees when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its choices Tuesday. Most face long odds to win a statuette, but their inclusion shows a voting body willing, at least in some cases, to defy conventional wisdom. Two mainstream hits that were on the pre-season ballots of few awards experts, "The Blind Side" and "District 9," snagged spots on the best picture list.

It's no secret that Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic, the producers of the upcoming 82nd Academy Awards, are trying to keep this year's show moving along at a speedy pace after a series of telecasts that often seemed never-ending. That effort is even being reflected in the design of the Oscars set, which was unveiled by production designer David Rockwell on Wednesday morning outside Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. Rockwell has configured a set for the March 7 show that has multiple presentation areas whose pieces will be able to quickly transform.

Re "Oscar Handicapping Gets Down to Business" (by Richard Natale, Nov. 18): Natale's article mentions some obvious Academy Award candidates, but I'd like to call attention to two gems that should be considered for best film, director, writing and acting nominations: "You Can Count on Me" and "What's Cooking?" These two very small, independently made films about believable people, their behavior and relationships put Hollywood to shame. And for the price of one "Charlie's Angels," 50 more films of this quality can be made.

Re "The Early Oscar Line: No Shoo-Ins" (Dec. 1), with all due deference, you did not include the one outstanding film of this season, "Les Miserables." This film should walk away with an Oscar in every category. The film was perfect in every sense. Jean Paul Belmondo's character was beyond reproach. Claude Lelouch's effort was monumental. Every other film pales in significance to this masterpiece. LYNDA LEVY Los Angeles You might consider Meg Ryan's performance in "French Kiss."

Academy Award nominees are usually revealed on a Tuesday about four weeks before the big show, which is typically held the last Sunday in February. For 2009, though, the targeted Tuesday -- Jan. 20 -- is Inauguration Day. So the 81st annual Oscar nominees will be revealed Thursday, Jan. 22, and the Academy Awards will be presented Sunday, Feb. 22 -- the earliest Oscars ever. "It didn't make any sense for us to try to compete with [the inauguration] from a news point of view," academy Executive Administrator Ric Robertson said Monday.