The cast of “Desperate Housewives� offered Felicity Huffman, Best Actress nominee for "Transamerica," best wishes via videotape – you know, it’s good that that show managed to get a little free publicity. Nonetheless, their message causes Huffman to tear up. “You’ve ruined my makeup, so thank you very much,� Huffman mock-scolds Chris Connelly.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Best Supporting Actor nominee, concedes there’s not much left to say about his film “Brokeback Mountain:� “It’s pretty much all been covered.�

The theme continues: In a critics’ chat on the Best Picture nominees and favorite to win, Leonard Maltin and Joel Siegel both admit “Crash� could be the spoiler this year.

Co-host Cynthia Garrett concludes, “America seems to be ready to think.� Not that you can tell from the red-carpet show.

Speaking of thinking – or not – ABC’s promos for its upcoming sitcom “Sons & Daughters� make it look a lot dumber than it is (it is, in fact, pretty smart). If these promos are what the network thinks will lure people to watch the show, they should’ve just gone on and made a stupid show. They’re certainly not appealing to people who like smarter, edgier comedy, which is what “S&D� provides.