MT. OSCAR

PEAKING

LET IT RIDE:

Given the current odds, Oscar royalty Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep could parlay their nomination records this season; for Nicholson it would be lucky 13 and for Streep, 14.

CLIMBING

TOP SHOP: With the coming “Notes on a Scandal” drawing heat alongside “Little Miss Sunshine” and “The Last King of Scotland,” indie Fox Searchlight has a slate of contenders better than most studios.

AERO DYNAMIC: After it sat dark for 18 months, Oscar contenders are flocking to appearances at the American Cinematheque’s Aero Theater, directors Stephen Frears, Steven Soderbergh and Irwin Winkler among them.

AT BASE CAMP

THE UNBORAT: Sacha Baron Cohen has shaved his mustache and will supposedly soon begin giving interviews as -- gasp! -- himself.

DREAMWORKS VS. AARDMAN: Can they win an animation Oscar for “Flushed Away” despite the acrimony?

GREY MATTER: Brad Grey was running Paramount Pictures when “The Departed” was made, but he’s still angling for a producer credit on the film. Will the Producers Guild of America have the guts to cut a studio chief from “The Departed’s” ranks?

LOOKING FOR A SHERPA

THE MOUTHS OF BABES: Jennifer Connelly enjoys roles in two Oscar hopefuls: “Blood Diamond” and “Little Children.” But Connelly apparently doesn’t think her role in “Little Children” is quite prominent enough.

NOW THAT’S BUSY: After a recent “World Trade Center” screening, even Nicolas Cage’s grandmother had to wait in line to speak with him.

NAVEL MANEUVER: Dear Sienna Miller: Posing topless for Vanity Fair will not win you an Oscar.