Tom O'Neil

He is today's Clark Gable. He's got the chiseled good looks with the debonair way that is emblematic of his generation. This man is right out of central casting as the Hollywood glamour boy who can do it all.

I think finally it will get its due, because it's part three. It's like a Hollywood ending to a great Hollywood story,

He wins no matter what because he really gets on the Hollywood radar this year.

I think on the day the nominations were announced, there was a consensus among Grammy experts that he was a shoo-in to win, ... and since then the backlash has made it impossible.

Avoid as much as possible the temptation to go out and call the long shots. In general, the favorites tend to win. But everybody wants to be able to say they saw the Marcia Gay Harden upset.

They're hugged and slapped at the same time for what makes them so marketable. Hollywood is a sick, hypocritical place.

All those shows won Emmys because voters were forced to watch them, Will they watch them

All those shows won Emmys because voters were forced to watch them,

I think the wild card few people are taking seriously is 'Moulin Rouge.

People feel like they can relate more to TV stars,

Deadwood' is a hard show to like, ... It's full of cuss words and nasty people doing nasty things to each other. Emmy voters tend to like huggable shows. They've given a lot of awards to 'The Sopranos,' but 'Deadwood' is arguably grittier than that.

This year, thank God, seems back to normal. The show will go on in its old tradition, forgoing the seriousness of last year. They'll be going back to having fun.

You don't mock the importance of the event. This isn't the MTV Music Video Awards. We expect the Oscar host to be like a beloved aunt or uncle on stage playing the ringmaster to a family reunion.

Everyone in the world is picking Reese Witherspoon but me. I'm betting on the last-movie-seen theory. When there are upsets at the Oscars, they tend to be obscure movies that were probably the last DVD screener on the Academy's stack.

It's one thing to thank your mother, or someone who helped get your first job so you didn't have to sleep in your car. Hilary Swank gave one of the best speeches (for 1999's Boys Don't Cry) by staying personal. But who wants to hear a list of attorneys

It's the most suspenseful Oscars I ever recall. There are more cliffhangers at the year's awards than I think we've seen in modern history.

I think people don't know the difference. We in the media are savvy, but once the public gets beyond the big names, they don't know what the difference is.

People mostly see it as a sporting event. In a way, it doesn't matter if they've seen the movies. They watch it so they can win their office betting pools. They watch it to see stars make fool of themselves, or show their insecurities by gushing 'You LIKE me

We're going to see a few of the usual suspects take a bow, but some of them have to make way for some of the new crop, ... Some of the veterans -- shows that have had their Emmy heyday -- are vulnerable.

There he is dancing naked at 3 in the morning, stoned, hauled off after the cops make him put his pants on. And while he paid only a 50 fine that night, he's paying a much steeper price in his career.

A smile is the most important expression a star can make. If the smile is a 200-watt smile, it's extraordinary. It's become a cosmetic necessity for the fancy folk. It's now more noticeable when you meet a star up close who doesn't have it.

What's not here are those shows on the WB, like 'The Gilmore Girls,' which the TV Critics Association of America tells us is the best show on television, ... Why didn't it get any Emmy nominations And what about 'Scrubs' ... It's holding its own, critics love it, viewers love it, but Emmy voters aren't watching it, because it's too young skewing, and the geezer Emmy voters have a demographic a little north of what 'Scrubs' viewers are.

Movie stars are more iconic, but they are often untouchable. We look up to Nicole Kidman and admire Julia Roberts, but we love Lucy and we all cared about Carrie.

For the first time, sentimentality and popularity may play a role in voting. The question is, how much

It's better that they fake it at the podium and show some class than let old feuds fume. It's important to forget those petty squabbles, look at the big picture and thank the people they disagreed with.