Mt. Oscar

PEAKING

GOING GAY: Praise for Sean Penn and “Milk” just keeps growing and the academy could be listening. After all, Oscar isn’t shy when it comes to gay themes -- think “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” “Capote” and “Boys Don’t Cry.”

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CLIMBING

COLLARED: Does Clint Eastwood have an obsession with the Catholic Church that needs addressing? Consider: It played a key role in his “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby” and now “Gran Torino.”

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MOVIN’ ON UP: Meryl Streep set a new record for most Golden Globe noms with 23 to now runner-up Jack Lemmon’s 22. If she wins one on Sunday, she’ll be the biggest winner too, with seven. (She and Jack Nicholson currently have six wins each).

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AT BASE CAMP

COMEBACK KIDS: On the heels of Jackie Earle Haley’s extraordinary comeback from obscurity in 2006’s “Little Children,” we offer a meaningless nod to Robert Downey Jr.’s incredible year, Mickey Rourke’s incredible performance and Tom Cruise’s incredible comedic riff.

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LOOKING FOR A SHERPA

SPARE CHANGE: Is opulence out at award shindigs? Even “The Dark Knight,” this year’s billion-dollar flick, went super-low-key for its meet-and-greet cocktail mixer. Stars, yes, but not much hoopla.

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LAST CHANCE HARVEY: Just when he was counted out, cash-strapped Harvey Weinstein comes back with eight Globe nominations, including best picture in both comedy -- with “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” -- and drama -- where he forced “The Reader” into this year’s race.

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WAR-WEARY: Oscar has long had a soft spot for WWII-themed films (“Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” “Letters From Iwo Jima”). This year, there’s a bumper crop to choose from: “The Reader,” “Valkyrie,” “Good,” “Defiance,” “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” Is it time to plumb the filmic depths of, say, the Battle of Hastings?

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POLE POSITION: Marisa Tomei was delighted with earning a Golden Globe nod for her revealing role as a stripper in “The Wrestler.” “There was a lot of naked emotion,” she said. You had us at “naked.”