Sam Riley on "On the Road."

Credit: IFC Films

I'm not sure of Steve Pond's assertion that the adapted screenplay race is significantly "more crowded and competitive" than the original one this year, but I do like his point that judging adaptations can entail a different set of considerations than with originals (one reason I think the Academy gets it right, where many other awards don't, with separate categories). This year's crop, he suggests, "should be judged the same way diving competitions are: with one score for how artful the film is, the other for the degree of difficulty." With several films this year taking on source material once widely tagged with the "unfilmable" label, from "Cloud Atlas" to "On the Road" to "Lie of Pi," Pond talks to the screenwriters who gave the lie to that curious adjective. [The Wrap] 

The one and only Barbara Streisand.

There are only four times in my life when I've been truly nervous to interview someone "famous." One of those moments actually happened last week.

As a journalist, it's your job not to be intimidated or starstruck by talent. Give the subject a hint that you don't have your wits about you and chances are you'll likely end up with a very crappy story.  Thankfully, video interviews can be edited around fumbling questions and awkward moments.  Even if they are all really  all in your head.

John Goodman and Alan Arkin in "Argo."

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Southeastern Film Critics' Association have thrown their favorites in the mix, and there remains a pleasing lack of consensus between these groups in the Best Picture department. "Argo" notches up another win here, also taking wins for Best Director and Screenplay. Oscar favorites Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence add to their already groaning trophy cabinets, while the most distinctive prize in the list is the Gene Wyatt Award for the film that "best embodies the spirit of the South." The handily-titled "Beasts of the Southern Wild" beat "Bernie" to the punch, though I wonder how many votes "The Paperboy" got. Full list of winners after the jump; check out everything else at The Circuit.

"Safety Not Guaranteed"

Credit: FilmDistrict

Well if you were looking for someone, anyone, to just go the least bit against the grain, the Indiana Film Journalists Association is here to save the day. After announcing nominees last week, the group has handed Best Picture honors to Colin Trevorrow's "Safety Not Guaranteed," making it just one more film to win such honors in a year that is spreading the love quite a bit. Check out the full list of winners below and keep track of the season via The Circuit.

Ben Affleck in "Argo"

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

The St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association has decided on winners and stuck up for Ben Affleck's "Argo," which won Best Picture and Best Director. Daniel Day-Lewis and Jessica Chastain won top honors for acting. Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor while Ann Dowd and Helen Hunt tied for Best Supporting Actress. Nominees here. Check out the full list of winners below and keep track of the season via The Circuit.

It's been said here and in the podcast a number of times, but I might as well offer it up once more for good measure: 2012 was a pretty good year for movies. I admired a lot. I may not have loved a ton but I certainly really, really liked a lot and my appreciation and respect for a number of the visions tossed out on to screens this year can't be overstated. Bravo to the filmmakers, truly.

Jessica Chastain in "Zero Dark Thirty"

Credit: Columbia Pictures

Another swift turnaround from nominations, as the Chicaco Film Critics Association has joined the chorus of "Zero Dark Thirty" supporters. The film won five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress. "The Master," meanwhile, won four, for Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography and Best Score. Check out the full list of winners below and keep track of the season via The Circuit.

"Les Misérables" will be opening while voters have ballots in hand. Could inevitable box office stories help push it along?

Credit: Universal Pictures

Normally this column would begin with something like, "Ballots have been mailed to Oscar voters today," but that begs reminding that for the first time ever, the Academy has adopted an electronic voting system in addition to paper ballots (for those who request them). How will that change the course of the season? Is chatter about glitches and lack of understanding just a facile talking point blown out of proportion? Maybe. The Academy has been very diligent in reminding its membership of the changes, so I think it'll be fine, but what is tangible in all of this is the landscape as a result of the first major nominations announcements of the season.

Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro in "Silver Linings Playbook."

Credit: The Weinstein Company

As I've said before, I don't know a lot about the International Press Academy, which quietly holds the Satellite Awards every year, but I've gathered this much: they really, really like "Silver Linings Playbook." At last night's ceremony, David O. Russell's pleasantly frayed romantic comedy won Best Picture, Director and Film Editing, as well as the top two acting prizes for stars Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

One of the few major categories it didn't scoop was Best Adapted Screenplay, which went to "Life of Pi" -- Ang Lee's FX-heavy meta-fable also won Best Cinematography, but oddly lost the Best Visual Effects award to "Flight." As their unusual slate of nominees already showed, the Satellites don't generally follow the herd: Javier Bardem took Best Supporting Actor, while two films, neither of them "Amour," tied in the foreign -language race. Still, even they couldn't resist Anne Hathaway in "Les Misérables," which, with two extra trophies for its aural elements, ended up the night's second-biggest winner. Full list of winners after the jump, with everything else at The Circuit..  

Richard Gere in "Arbitrage."

Credit: Roadside Attractions

Another day, another Palm Springs Film Festival honoree. (I totally missed the addition of Helen Mirren to the list last week, but I imagine even she can't keep up with the honorary awards she racks up these days.) The latest one is "Arbitrage" star Richard Gere, who'll receive the Chairman's Award -- following Bradley Cooper, he's the second actor tapped for a gong at this year's festival. After a slow start to the season that saw him miss out on an Indie Spirit nod, Gere has rallied a bit in the last week: this publicity-friendly Palm Springs honor consolidates a semi-unexpected Best Actor Golden Globe nod that saw his stock rise in a very crowded race -- where potential vote-splintering at the bottom end of the Oscar ballot, combined with distributor Roadside Attractions' campaign savvy, raises the possibility of a surprise entry. Could it be Gere? I'm increasingly tempted to go there. [PSIFF]