Ratatouille may be one of the year's highest-grossing movies. It may have a higher Metascore than Pulp Fiction, Raging Bull, and Schindler's List. But, as the New York Times asks this morning, does it really have a shot at a nomination for a Best Picture Oscar? We doubt it, since the Academy has a historical bias against animation, comedy, and family films. Nevertheless, Disney and Pixar are "wrestling with a conundrum" over whether to push Ratatouille for the top prize even though it's an obvious front-runner in the Best Animated Feature category. Though it's true that there's a very small possibility that promoting the film in both categories could split the vote, its chances of actually getting a Best Picture nomination in a year with no shortage of strong live-action contenders are so slim that this doesn't seem like much of a story. But hey, we empathize with the New York Times — it's a phenomenally slow news day! —Matthew Perpetua

Nose on the Prize, but Which Oscar to Sniff? [NYT]