Mt. Oscar

Mt. Oscar: To scale the heights of the Oscars -- to reach the top of that golden O -- wrap yourself in raves and pack lots of buzz. This week’s altitude readings are by Rachel Abramowitz, Patrick Kevin Day, John Horn, Elena Howe, Susan King and Gina McIntyre.

THE GAME CHANGER: That phrase has been tossed around so much as to make it all but impossible for “Avatar” to live up to. Until it screened. Now it seems the game has indeed been changed.

BAD = GOOD: The academy loves singers with substance abuse issues. Jeff Bridges’ alcoholic Bad Blake in “Crazy Heart” could follow past nominees Joaquin Phoenix in “Walk the Line,” Diana Ross in “Lady Sings the Blues” and Bing Crosby in “The Country Girl.”

DOUBLE DUTY: Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Stanley Tucci, Robert Duvall, Penélope Cruz and even “Up” have twice the chances at getting a nod. The actors for being in two films each, and “Up” for being a contender for best picture and animated feature.

CEL MATES: If only we lived in the right ZIP Code, we would have scored one of these lovely limited-edition animation cels from “The Princess and the Frog” that Disney put in some editions of The Times last week.

DOUBLE DUTY 2: Ryan Bingham could also get two nominations. Sort of. One for the country singer who wrote a song for “Crazy Heart,” the other for George Clooney, whose “Up in the Air” character is named Ryan Bingham.

THAT’S FUNNY: Every Oscar season has its share of whoppers, but the most unexpected campaign is Universal’s push for “Funny People.” What’s next, “Land of the Lost”?

BIO BREAKUP: Has Oscar forsaken its love affair with the biopic? “Amelia” (about Amelia Earhart), “Public Enemies” (John Dillinger) and “Bright Star” (John Keats) all seem to have fallen out of favor.

PARTY ON: It’s nice to have friends in swank places. Leonardo DiCaprio threw a bash for pal Tobey Maguire at the Chateau Marmont to celebrate his “Brothers” performance, and Fox Chairman Jim Gianopulos recently hosted a 60th birthday party (Oscar party?) for Jeff Bridges.