Peter O'Toole will not be present at the Shrine Auditorium for what might turn out to be his big victory this Sunday night! "Unfortunately, Peter will not be here for the SAG Awards," a Miramax rep tells Gold Derby, "but we are working out dates in February that he will come over. Stay tuned."

I emailed Miramax back, imploring them to have O'Toole on standy in London via satellite hookup because he really has a good chance to win. (Haven't heard back from them yet to learn status.) Shrewdly, the studio sent DVD screeners of "Venus" to all of the guild's 110,000 members. It's one of the few movies that did the full blitz this year ("The Departed" and "Little Miss Sunshine" did, too.) The trailblazinng first pic to do so was a little awards usurper you may have heard of last year: "Crash."

Frankly, to be brutally honest about it, it's doubtful — sorry, Forest Whitaker — that all 110,000 guild members have actually seen all of the other movies in the running, including a scary, offputting pic about that savage Idi Amin, "Last King of Scotland," which swept the film critics' and Golden Globe awards for best lead actor. Over the years I've noticed that, when award voters get a screener, they feel so privileged, the experience is so special and intimate, that they bond with the DVD in a spiritual way. It's hilarious to witness. But this screener is no laughing matter in terms of the impact it probably had on voters. Remember what it's about: an old actor, fending off the death while appearing in a few humiliating cameos in order to scratch out a living and impress a brassy young tart. Bull's eye!

When Oscar's biggest loser received his eighth nomination this past week, he issued this formal statement: "If you fail the first time, try, try, try, try, try, try, try again."

But O'Toole isn't trying very hard if he misses the chance to express gratitude to his peers, who make up the largest voting bloc at the academy (1,500 voters out of 5,800). Finally, this weekend he'll score his first big win of awards season — and just as Oscar voters receive their final ballots. This is the big moment he's been waiting for to turn the lead-actors' race around. It's a command performance, Mr. O'Toole. You know your lines. Get up on a satellite hookup from Foggytown, look into the camera when you win and just pretend you're gabbing with David Letterman again. Wow 'em!

Photo: In "Venus," O'Toole portrays a feeble actor who stars in a period drama while trying to impress a young hussy — a story line that probably resonates powerfully with members of the Screen Actors Guild.
(Miramax)