There's a little persistent ambivalence about Steve Carell in Foxcatcher, and an inner coolness in David Oyelowo's Martin Luther King in Selma, which probably means Eddie Redmayne will take it for The Theory of Everything – a performance which is warm and unexpectedly charming, as well as everything an awards contender should be.
He suggests that the party's next White House contender should be a problem-solving governor, rather than a member of the dysfunctional, much-reviled Congress (though he makes a tactful exception for Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin congressman who was Mitt Romney's running-mate in 2012).
British MPs branded Donald Trump a "stupid", "dangerous" and foolish "wazzock" who utters "poisonous words" in a debate over whether the US presidential contender should be banned from the UK.
But none of the other three contenders should be discounted.
Even the Sun, contenders should be aware, knows the French for "turnip".
That's because even though the first mayoral election in this town of 50,000 won't occur until November 2005, local political leaders in both major parties said serious contenders should be prepared to announce within the next six months.
The movie did open in limited U.S. theaters to support its launch on Netflix, and its heavy presence in the awards nomination mix is bound to stir more controversy over how Oscar contenders should be released.
Environmentalist Marina Silva, another presidential contender, believes a plebiscite should be held, while Conservative candidate Geraldo Alckmin has called the current legislation "adequate".
Much as I'd like to resist the obvious boxing metaphor, I can't: with the canny cruiserweight Ted Cruz stepping up to take on the free-swinging heavyweight Donald Trump and the rest of the 2016 contenders, it should be quite an occasion.
They looked like a legitimate playoff contender in what should be a captivating divisional race with the Chargers and Broncos, another of Week 1's big winners.
