Still, one analyst asked "why do you think that's efficient spending?"

Maybe it's me, but it seems a little unfair to hold someone's feet to the fire over $2 million to promote an Oscar contender.

It's less than 25% of what Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger took home last year. And I've yet to hear an analyst slip in a question during a Disney conference call about whether the company's executive paychecks are "efficient spending."

Lions Gate won't talk specifics about where that money is going, but it's known the strategy involves spending it largely in Los Angeles to "win" the city. Think of it as the Oscar equivalent of Ohio in the 2004 presidential election.

The studio then hopes New York votes that don't go to "Crash" will be split among "Brokeback Mountain," "Good Night, and Good Luck," "Capote" and "Munich."

Part of the logic for focusing on L.A. is that it has a higher proportion of actors, who like ensemble films because they underscore how valuable actors are to filmmakers. "Crash" also features such popular actors as Don Cheadle, who doubled as a producer, and director Haggis, who has earned a lot of goodwill here over the years working in television.

And, at a time when runaway film production is a sensitive issue, it probably doesn't hurt that "Crash" is about Los Angeles and was shot here, whereas leading rival "Brokeback Mountain" was shot in Canada.

It's entirely possible that "Crash" gets steamrolled by the other films, which were released by divisions of gigantic media companies that could easily outspend Lions Gate in any Oscar arms race.

Still, there's no "Crash" and burn here for Lions Gate. By gaining the financial and cachet rewards a nomination brings, the company has already won.

More like walkaway production… In recent years, Hollywood's Oscar nominees have mirrored the trend toward runaway production of films to cheaper shooting locales such as Canada. At the 2003 ceremony, only one film was shot in Hollywood — Hollywood, Fla.

This year, Los Angeles did better, although it tied with Canada for the number of best picture contenders. "Brokeback Mountain" and "Capote" were shot in the Great North, while Los Angeles was home to "Crash" and "Good Night, and Good Luck."

The fifth film, Steven Spielberg's "Munich," was shot almost entirely in Europe.

Turning a deaf ear to the Grammys Much is being made of last Wednesday's ratings slaughter of the Grammys, which honor music's top performers, by "American Idol," which showcases some pretty mediocre amateurs.

This year's Grammy telecast, highlighted by Sly Stone's bleached Mohawk, averaged 17 million viewers, the lowest since 1987, when Bruce Hornsby was the best new artist. If it's any comfort, the Grammys did edge "Lost" during the second of the show's three-plus hours, a sequence highlighted by Sly Stone's bleached Mohawk.

It's yet more proof that viewers know what Kudos Inc. doesn't seem to get — the traditional awards show format is a bore. Given a decent alternative, viewers will hit the remote.