Didn’t Amy look amazing in her Proenza Schouler gown?

I also loved her little gold mesh bag. However, it was completely empty! Not even a lipstick in it. She fessed that much up to Ryan Seacrest. We could go into the psychology of what an empty bag might imply. However, I’ll let that go…especially those of us who believe it’s okay to do just about anything for fashion.

There’s no Oscar for being the Good Sport of the Year, but if there were, Jack Nicholson would win hands down. His only official function was to be the butt of jokes. But he’s no dummy. He laughed at each one as if it was the funniest thing he’d heard all night. And, as a result, he was one of the few non-nominees who got to sit up front and center, right in front of the TV cameras.

Biggest surprise of the night so far? It’s almost time for best actress. The nominees are:

Cate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”

in “Away from Her”

Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”

Laura Linney in “The Savages”

Ellen Page in “Juno”

Covert picks: Julie Christie, “Away From Her.” Christie’s luminous, unsparing portrait of an Alzheimer’s victim proves that she is more than an iconic and stylish beauty.

Viva Cuba!

Javier Bardem, the winner of the best supporting actor award, is a fantastic performer. He has four Goya Awards * the Spanish version of the Oscar * to prove it. But most Americans who see their movies at suburban multiplexes couldn’t pick him out of a lineup of Smurfs.

So it’s easy to understand why the producers of the Oscra show, figuring that Bardem was pretty much a lock to win, tried to inject some famous faces first by showing a montage of previous winners, ending with Cuba Gooding Jr.’s classic hyper-gone-mad acceptance speech. After that, anything poor Bardem had to offer couldn’t help but seem lethargic by comparison.

For those of you keeping score, Covert is one for two so far! As far as I (Glassman!) is concerned, she shouldn’t be allowed to accept until she changes into a real dress.

Anyway, back to Covert…

For best adapted screenplay, the nominees are:

“Atonement” screenplay by Christopher Hampton“Away from Her” written by Sarah Polley

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” screenplay by Ronald Harwood

“No Country for Old Men” written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

“There Will Be Blood” written for the screen by Paul Thomas Anderson

Covert picks: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, “No Country for Old Men.” The Coens won a screenplay Oscar a dozen years back for “Fargo.” Their lucid version of Cormac McCarthy’s difficult novel will mean one statue for each brother’s mantel.

Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, “No Country for Old Men.” The Coens won a screenplay Oscar a dozen years back for “Fargo.” Their lucid version of Cormac McCarthy’s difficult novel will mean one statue for each brother’s mantel.

The nominees are:

Cate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”
Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”
Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”
Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”
Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”

Covert’s pick: Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There” Her electrifying turn as a fragment of Bob Dylan’s multifaceted personality embodies all the mystery and excitement of the original.