Mark Harris cherry picks three areas of the Academy’s rulebook that really need some reconsideration. And one of them drives me absolutely nuts, too. The stipulation that an actor can’t be nominated for two different films in the same category. Not that I spend a lot of time trying to understand it, but really, I can’t figure out what the point of this nonsense is. Is it some kind of bizarre fairness thing? I don’t know. But Ryan Gosling gives two of the year’s best performances, and by golly, he should be nominated for each if voters see fit! #pissinginthewind [Grantland]

Among other things, David Fincher admits “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” (the book) has its issues and Scarlett Johansson would have been too (hot and) distracting as Lisbeth Salander. [Vogue]

George Clooney tunes out Oscar buzz. [USA Today]

Anyone gotten a load of the (legit) Ellen Barkin Twitter insanity? [Twitter]

Peter Knegt writes up 13 underdog actors who deserve Oscar attention. [indieWIRE]

Sasha Stone takes an Oscar flashback to romance films that registered with the Academy. [Awards Daily]

Matt Brennan revisits Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” now that it’s on DVD and Blu-ray. [Thompson on Hollywood]

Random: Beck is remixing Philip Glass. [Pitchfork]

Amid question on any and everything he’s working on, William Monahan lays out his idea for a sequel to “The Departed.” [Collider]

John Lasseter gets a bit defensive on “Cars 2” and has a friend in Brooks Barnes to carry the message across strongly. [New York Times]

Sharon Waxman gossips that Mark Wahlberg has fallen out with friend and collaborator David O. Russell. [Waxword]