Happy Halloween, Gold Diggerites. I'm trying something different today in honor of these scary times. Everyone knows celebrities love to play dress up—but it's not just on a movie set. In fact, a number of stars have popped up in their Halloween costumes early. Here's a countdown of the 8 weirdest so far. 

Ready? At No. 8, we have Adrian Grenier in blue spandex. Maybe he's auditioning for the new Smurfs movie? At No. 7, the woman who starred in the original "Halloween" looks like a bad circus act. Neil Patrick Harris clowns around at No. 6. You have to give him props, though. He's got a bigger fake nose than Nicole Kidman in "The Hours."

Moving on to No. 5, Teri Hatcher dresses up as the evil queen from Alice in Wonderland. And Paris Hilton is Alice herself at the Playboy Mansion. Ok, that's not scary. That's ... sexy. (You thought I was going to say hot, didn't you?)  

Number 3: Ashley Olsen is said to have dressed up as a vampire. I can't find a photo. But you can see the resemblance here.

Can anyone figure out Reese Witherspoon's costume at Kate Hudson's party? Seriously, post your best guesses below. From the same picture above, Jake Gyllenhaal is in hiding.

And the No. 1 celebrity on our list ... Britney! Britney! Britney! No, she isn't a Slave 4 U. She's a pirate.

*Maybe. I just came back from a screening of "Atonement" (Dec. 7). It's everything you could want in a best picture. It's grand, epic, one of the best love stories since "Titanic." You leave the theater feeling tingly inside. Keira Knightley, in a remarkably understated performance, should get her second best actress nomination. James McAvoy is good, too, though the Academy tends to overlook younger actors (Joseph Fiennes, Leonardo DiCaprio) in romances. It's still early in the season, and I haven't seen everything yet. But "Atonement," like "Shakespeare in Love," could lead all nominees. It's got a shot at best director, actress, adapted screenplay, costume, editing, cinematography, original score and maybe a supporting actress (Romola Garai is brilliant) or two (Vanessa Redgrave).

Update: Someone has started a Facebook group, trying to help Romola Garai get an Oscar nomination. OK, so it only has 24 members so far, and none of them look like members of the Academy. But no one else has a Facebook campaign ... yet.

She's a potential Oscar nominee for "A Mighty Heart," and naturally one of the duties of this blog is to inform you about everything in her life. Click here to see what she got Maddox at KB Toys.

My new friends at AwardsDaily are linking to an old Envelope story that I missed. Lions Gate thinks "3:10 to Yuma" could be this year's "Crash." Really? Nah. I'll admit that I, like our resident film critic David Ansen, didn't care for the Western remake. But even its fans will have a hard time arguing that Russell Crowe or Christian Bale will get acting nominations for their laid-back performances. It's not going to get a screenplay nod, since hardly anyone thinks it's better than the original. The directing category is so flooded this year--"The Kite Runner," "Atonement," "There Will Be Blood," "No Country For Old Men," "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"--count James Mangold out (he couldn't even get in for "Walk the Line"). If the Academy wants an escape picture, they've already got one. It's called "Juno." It's the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time, and, like "Little Miss Sunshine," it's going to take home multiple nominations: Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, best original screenplay and best picture. People, it's time to get off the "Yuma" train now.

The critics have spoken and they love "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead," which opens today in limited release. The soundbites: 

Ben Affleck's directorial debut "Gone Baby Gone" is full of many things--good performances, suspense, Boston accents. But a screening I attended last night was not full of people. In its first four days, the film has only grossed $6.5 million at the box office, better than "Rendition" but nowhere near "Michael Clayton" or that vampire movie. Casey is good, though the acting category is so crowded this year, watch for him to be rewarded for both performances with a best supporting nod for "The Assassination of Jesse James." Amy Ryan might slip in for best supporting actress.

The British Independent Film Awards have announced their nominees. We'd never heard of the organization until now, but we can pretend otherwise. "Eastern Promises" was nominated for best picture, along with three other mysteriously independent films and last year's "Notes On a Scandal." Viggo got a nod for best actor (is that a V for victory above?). Armin Muehler Stahl for best supporting actor. No Naomi Watts. But the buzz is here, and it's with "Eastern Promises." We should probably mention the movie that led all nominations is called "Control." It's playing in New York, and it's the same color as this George Clooney movie. That's all we know for now.

The GoldDigger asked Disney to comment on its marketing strategy for the new Steve Carell film "Dan in Real Life" and they said nononono. The film's ads make it look like "Cheaper By the Dozen 3." But it's a chick flick. A good one, actually: "My Best Friend's Wedding" times "The Family Stone" plus Juliette Binoche, who gives the most charming performance of her career. (The Academy won't care, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association should.) Given how poorly romantic comedies are doing at the box office, it might make sense for the studio to pretend the new Carell movie is another Steve Martin film. But it's dishonest, dontcha think?

We're back, to this troubling report. Shooting has begun on the world's first MySpace movie. It's a romantic comedy about people who re-enact Viking battles. There's also going to be a MySpace book, announced today, called "My Space/Our Planet: Change is Possible." This is why Facebook is WAY better.

The GoldDigger is on a secret mission on Tuesday. So no Oscar postings. We'll tell you more later.

MTV just debuted the trailer for the new Kimberly Peirce movie "Stop Loss," and it looks AMAZING. It's like "The OC" meets "Platoon!" OK, maybe not. But watch it for yourself. We especially like the fact that they used a Snow Patrol song to turn up the angst. It reminds the GoldDigger of his favorite episode of "Grey's Anatomy."

This just in ... Ang Lee's new movie "Lust, Caution" has been banned from the Oscars!?! Actually, it's just not eligible for Best Foreign Film, because too few of its crew is from Taiwan. If you're confused, you're not alone—the foreign press is wrongly reporting that the movie can't compete at all. (It's still eligible in other categories.) The Academy's process for nominating Best Foreign Film is so murky, the GoldDigger can't explain it to you here. But read this David Ansen article, with reporting from yours truly, about why some of the greatest foreign films are never nominated.

Not even the Hottest Bachelor in America could save "Rendition." It opened at No. 9 this weekend, with only $4.2 million at the box office. That's $12 million less than Reese Witherspoon's last flop, "Just Like Heaven," which the GoldDigger was alone in saying heavenly things about.

...

The GoldDigger: I read Annie Proulx is working on a "Brokeback Mountain" sequel.

Heath Ledger: Oh my god, that's hilarious.

Would you do a "Brokeback Mountain" sequel?

I don't think anyone would do the "Brokeback Mountain" sequel. I don't think there should be a sequel.

Jake could come back from the dead.

Or maybe he really didn't die.

That pretty much settles the debate, don't you think? Ledger then went on to tackle another timeless question. How do you pronounce the GoldDigger's real name? "I was thinking Ramen Noodles," he said. "But I didn't make that joke purposefully, because I figured you would have heard that a million times." In case you were wondering: Yes. We have.

Welcome to this year's presentation of the GoldDigger. Although it's our debut, the GoldDigger has been predicting Oscars (albeit in his head) since he was 16. He'd like to thank the academy of editors for this opportunity to stop talking to himself and start talking to you.

The GoldDigger wants his first post to be a brave one. In April 2001, he predicted that Renee Zellweger would be nominated for "Bridget Jones's Diary" the weekend the movie opened--not one of the 200 people notified on his dorm list cared, but he has the proof in a dated email. He is hoping for the same golden touch today. Ready? Here's the prediction: In January 2008, Amy Adams will be nominated for best actress for her performance in this little movie.

...

The GoldDigger knows the above headline is a cliche, but he's a blogger now so cliches are permissible. Amy Adams was first nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 2006 for playing a Southern loudmouth in "Junebug." Julia Roberts, if you remember, was first nominated in the same category for playing a Southern loudmouth in "Steel Magnolias." A year later, Roberts was nominated again for "Pretty Woman." This November, Adams stars in "Enchanted" which is like "Pretty Woman" except Adams plays a princess instead of a prostitute. OK, so it's a Disney movie, but the GoldDigger attended a screening last month, and it's the kind of mainstream flick that will crossover and make Adams into a star. She sings, she dances, she kisses McDreamy. It's an adorable movie--though not in a way that will give you a cavity. She has a shot, the GoldDigger thinks. If this prediction doesn't pan out, this message will ... OK, so we just wanted an excuse to post the "Inspector Gadget" theme.

Opening in select theaters today is the Oscar-bait movie "Reservation Road." It stars perennial nominees Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly, and it's directed by Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda"). The GoldDigger did well in math all the way up to linear algebra, so he likes formulas. The movie's "In the Bedroom" (dead kid, grieving parents) times "House of Sand and Fog" (strangers in the dark, exchanging glances) but it equals a big muddle of melodrama. The GoldDigger thinks it's out of the game and the critics agree. As they say on a certain dating show, "Next."

Photo: AP

 
The GoldDigger noticed this excellent article about the Orson Welles's Oscar for "Citizen Kane"--it's being auctioned off in December by Sotheby's. The GoldDigger confesses this excellent article was written by the GoldDigger himself. But if you're not going to pimp out your own stuff, who will?