Welcome to Oscar Talk.

In case you’re new to the site and/or the podcast, Oscar Talk is your one-stop awards chat shop between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood. The podcast is broadcast in special installments throughout the season, charting the ups and downs of contenders along the way. Plenty of things change en route to Oscar’s stage and we’re here to address it all as it unfolds.

On the docket today…

– VENICE/TELLURIDE/TORONTO WRAP: The early fall festival circuit has laid the groundwork for the season. Who are our frontrunners?

– “12 YEARS” MEDIA MADNESS: Have desperate headlines painted a bull’s-eye on the early frontrunner’s back?

– HONORARY OSCARS: Angelina Jolie, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin and Piero Tosi will all be recognized.

– NYFF ON THE HORIZON: The New York Film Festival launches next week with “Captain Phillips.” How will new entries figure into the season?

Have a listen to the new podcast below. If the file cuts off for you at any time, try the back-up download link at the bottom of this post. You to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here. And as always, if you have a question you’d like us to address on a future podcast, send it to OscarTalk@HitFix.com.

“Here I Come” courtesy of Stuart Park.