Let The Countdown Begin...

With the announcement of the Emmy nominations, I can't help but be reminded of all the greatness that is The Oscar Season. Yes, the Academy Awards are still a good 7 months away, but for so many film-obsessed individuals the Oscars are game for discussion 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (however, I do try to leave that extra leap year day that accumulates once every four years in February for non-Oscar related discussion...unless, of course, the Academy Awards happen to fall on that date, which has yet to happen).

That being said, I'd like to turn your attention to four Oscar-related websites that I hold in high regard. Some are old, some are new, and all serve to enable my wonderfully terrifying addiction to the Oscars...by the way, Mr. Cooper is also greatly responsible for said Oscar addiction...and for that I thank him dearly...

• - 'The Envelope' is actually a branch of the Los Angeles Times and bills itself as "the ultimate awards site"; this is really one of my favorite sites because it seems to have an insider's edge into the Oscars, as well as the entertainment industry in general.
• - 'For Your Consideration' is actually a relatively new blog, but I happen to know the creator, and there are few people that know more about the Oscars than 'FYC'; and, this all-Oscar-all-the-time blog is hosted by Blogger.com, the host site of the great funnybecauseitstrue.blogspot.com!
• - 'Oscar Watch' is yet another Oscar blog that I've been following for the past few years; the best part of this Oscar blog is the constantly updated section on the left side of the site, listing all of the films in each category that have generated a certain level of buzz (and later, have won awards), thus representing an organized roster of potential Oscar nominated films.
• - though it may appear a little more "unofficial" than some other Oscar sites, you can always count on 'The Film Experience' for interesting dialogue and predictions regarding the nominations (and eventual winners) of the Academy Awards; I never finalize my Oscar predictions without first listening to what this site has to say.