If this is the way the Oscars also are headed, it would be hard to argue the substantial influence critics are having on the race this season --- more than ever.

Interestingly, the only variation we've already seen from just about every other contest this year is in SAG's sentimental choice of "American Gangster's" Ruby Dee for best supporting actress.

That race was pundited to come down to either critics fave, Amy Ryan of "Gone Baby Gone," Cate Blanchett's cross-gender transformation into Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" or Tilda Swinton's corporate monster in "Michael Clayton."

None of those films had screeners sent to the entire 100,000-plus SAG membership, which has proven to be a key tool in ultimately winning -- at least since Lions Gate blanketed the guild with "Crash" DVDs a couple of years ago and took best cast over the favored "Brokeback Mountain."

Since a "Gangster" DVD also was not sent to members, it leveled the field, and sentiment prevailed for an 83-year-old actress who was a previous SAG honoree for life achievement in 2000 along with her late husband Ossie Davis.

Her role was just a few minutes long, but with the unexpected SAG honor coming as it did just days before final academy ballots go out, the never-before-Oscar-nominated Dee could find herself suddenly in a serious hunt for the golden boy.

Golden Globe supporting winner Blanchett had been an early-season favorite, and her interpretation of Dylan has been universally praised. Unfortunately, some members watching her movie on DVD have reportedly been turning the segmented film off before she shows up (about an hour into the 2-hour, 15- minute movie).

In an unprecedented move, director Todd Haynes agreed to create a special abbreviated version of "I'm Not There" that spotlights only Blanchett's work.

Academy rules would of course never permit it to be sent to voting members, but it is scheduled to show up on TV, the Internet and other places where academy members might happen to see it. It's an innovative gambit that could give new life to double nominee Blanchett's bid for a second supporting Oscar (she won in 2004 for portraying Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator").

Over on the other side of town….

Saturday night's DGA Awards took a long time (nearly three hours) to get to the moment most people anticipated – the Coen brothers would become only the second directing "team" to win the big prize (Robert Wise and choreographer Jerome Robbins shared the honor in 1961 for "West Side Story").

Guild-vs.-Oscar history makes them the odds-on favorite to take the directing Oscar, and by association for "No Country" to take best picture.

By the way, there was plenty of self-congratulatory talk from the podium about the DGA's recent landmark contract negotiation, but oddly not a single word uttered on stage about the ongoing writers strike.

It looked like that was gonna be the case for the rather staid SAG show as well until SAG President Alan Rosenberg took to the stage and praised his union's traditional "solidarity" with the Writer's Guild. Although the word "strike" was never uttered on the SAG stage either, Rosenberg did give a shout-out to WGAW President Patric Verrone, who took a bow to polite audience applause.

That applause will get a lot louder if he can negotiate a fair deal and quickly finish off the strike that has ravaged awards season, along with Hollywood in general.

Like we said, the mood seemed hopeful during the Red Carpet weekend, but it ain't over 'til it's over, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, for one is still holding its breath.

Hopefully it wasn't a bad omen that the same rain showers that stopped just in time for SAG's arrivals returned just as the party was winding down, forcing Rosenberg and nominees like "Juno's" Ellen Page to make a run for their limos.

It's The Season to take nothing for granted.