Within The Envelope's Gold Derby message boards, reigning Hollywood titans and the shrewdest award gurus on the planet swap views, info and wisecracks while hiding behind cyberhandle names. In many cases I happen to know who mysterious posters "X" are — sometimes they're top producers, directors and celebs or even Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winners — so I get a dastardly chuckle when I see certain dishing going on that happens to involve the kudos chances of one of the posters who isn't fessing up. Oh, the drama!

Since Oscar month is over, we'll soon learn who our most active posters were during the hottest derby time of year. To see who our stars were last month, click the "Continue Reading" link below.

With the price of gold rocketing up, the cost to create an Oscar statuette has increased $100 since last year, according to Bloomberg News, which presents an inside video peek at the manufacturing process. R.S. Owens of Chicago has been making the trophies for 25 years and also does the Emmy and Cleo Awards.

Reporter Andrew Harris says that the Golden Boy goes through "rather an inauspicious birth" when viewed at the factory level. "Statuettes start with a pewter base, then that is successively plated with copper, nickel, silver, then a layer of 24-karat gold," he says. "Each statuette is hand-done. It's a 20-hour process from cast to finish." (To see the answer — CLICK HERE!)

Since today is the last day in the staff saddle for Jack Mathews at the New York Daily News, I'd like to offer up my review of the career of one of America's premiere film reviewers and Oscarologists.

I had a front-row seat to his journo work that, I hope, qualifies me to comment on more than just what you saw in ink. Bottom line: everyone who reads TheEnvelope.com owes Jack a deep bow of gratitude now for his early contribution to what became this site in time.

Nine years ago I approached Jack to be one of the first journalists to contribute his Oscar noodlings to a new website, GoldDerby.com, which was later acquired by the L.A. Times in 2005 and folded into the launch of TheEnvelope.com. Jack didn't know me personally back then, just as a guy who wrote a book about movie awards (CLICK HERE) that chronicled them year to year, consecutively, so we could see how the full kudos derby played out. There was no money involved, just work on his part and others who agreed to write up observations starting in early December.

But being adventurous by nature and a good sport at heart and because he loves the Oscars so, he took a flier and said "Giddyup! " Adding him to the cyber-derby track was quite the catch. Jack's not just any Oscarologist. He's widely known and admired as one of the best and he proved it again and again racing against other journos like Dave Germain (Associated Press), Gene Seymour (Newsday), Dave Karger (Entertainment Weekly), Anne Thompson (Premiere and New York magazines), Joel Siegel ("Good Morning America"), Thelma Adams (Us Weekly), Leonard Maltin ("Entertainment Tonight"), Pete Hammond (Variety and various media), Robert Osborne (Turner Classic Movies, Hollywood Reporter and author of the official Oscar book), Andy Seiler (USA Today) and me to score the most correct predix.

Often he was asked by other media authorities like TV Guide to write their annual Oscar predix. Studio Oscar consultants hung on every word he said and wrote. Here's a typical example from Gold Derby's earliest days. I remember one of them saying to me on the phone back in 2000, right after "Traffic" won best picture at the New York Film Critics Circle, "Yeah, everybody's saying that 'Traffic' is a shoo-in to win the Oscar, but Jack Mathews just told me we gotta watch out for 'Gladiator.' "

For many years I was bedazzled by Jack's diamond prose in reviews and cheered the guts of his opinions, especially when he was one of the first few brave souls to trash "The Hours" as a pretentious bore, even lambasting it as the worst movie of the year. Hooray!

On the kudos scene he was just as brave. As member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. back when he was working for the L.A. Times, he was one of the courageous members who championed "Brazil" for best picture of 1985, in part to force Universal to take a masterwork off the shelf and release it in unedited form, just as director Terry Gilliam wanted it to be seen.

Results of this poll at MediaBistro.com are significant considering it's a website targeted to media professionals. More than half of respondents say he flopped as Oscar host. CLICK HERE

Put to song, here's what some wags at Crackle.com thought about that b-o-r-i-n-g Oscarcast.

"What would Hermione say? " gasps the London Daily Mail reporting on what happened at the eighth annual Whatsonstage theatre awards Sunday night. "Daniel Radcliffe's smouldering onstage kiss -- with a man! "

The gay twist on Adrien Brody's Oscar ambush of Halle Berry took place as Radcliffe arrived at the podium to receive one of his two awards for his performance in "Equus" in which he appeared nude: newcomer of the year and theater event of the year.

"But while onstage host James Corden, 29-year-old actor and writer of BBC2 show 'Gavin and Stacey,' grabbed the star, clasped his hands on his face and held on tightly for an embarrassingly lingering kiss," reports the newspaper.

What's quite, literally, touching about the incident is that Radcliffe seems nonplussed when pounced upon. He stands there motionless for a while as the awkward scenes goes on and on, then slowly raises his right arm to embrace Corden. The scene appears near the end of this YouTube video.

Frankly, I think a kiss would've been much more appropriate coming from the "Equus" horse.

Since Steve Carell is romping all rivals in our previous poll, let's stack him up against some new suggestions.

First, Miley Cyrus. Now The Rock. Well, I guess if Goldie Hawn can win an Oscar, anything's possible, eh?

"I had a chance to present an Oscar on Sunday and I was asked if I'd like to win one myself," Dwayne Johnson told the London Times. "And sure, of course, it's every actor's dream."

Perhaps he believes he'll be nominated next year for his role as a marooned spaceship captain dodging aliens in upcoming "Planet 51"? Hey, quit laughing! Goldie won for a comedy!

Or maybe for his upcoming actioner "Race to Witch Mountain"? In that case, he might tap the paranormal powers of his character to make golden things happen. Rock on!

Frankly, if he wants one that bad, his best move might've been to wrestle one away from Daniel Day-Lewis or Javier Bardem last Sunday. Being a true gent, I don't think the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion would've muscled one of the gals.

Maybe it's a myth that people only tune in to watch the Oscarcast when favorite blockbusters are in the running because, presumably, they're rooting for a popular choice to win? Yes, viewership of only 32 million was the lowest ever, but the vast majority of those tuning in weren't in front of their TV sets cheering on "No Country for Old Men," "Juno" or "Michael Clayton."

This year more than 75 percent of Oscarcast viewers didn't previously see even one of the five nominees for best picture, suggesting that they tuned in primarily just to view the Oscars.

Research amassed by Integrated Media Measurement, Inc., reports that only 23.7 percent of TV viewers saw one.

"The data showed that 56 percent of people who saw 'No Country For Old Men' tuned-in to the award show, compared with 51 percent for 'Atonement,' 44 percent for 'There Will Be Blood,' 41 percent for 'Juno' and 35 percent for 'Michael Clayton,' " notes the report. "This kind of tune-in from IMMI Panel Members who saw at least one of the movies could indicate the desire for reviewing and checking out the ones they missed."

Thus, DVD sales and rentals plus pay-per-view TV airings of Oscar contenders could be hefty in days ahead.

(Photos: Miramax/ Paramount Vantage)

This year marked only the second time in Oscar history in which all four acting winners have hailed from outside the United States. The first was back in 1964 when the winners were three Brits -- Rex Harrison ("My Fair Lady"), Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins") and Peter Ustinov ("Topkapi"), as well as Russian born Lila Kedrova ("Zorba the Greek").

But Oscar has had the welcome mat out from its very first ceremony in 1929 when Swiss-born Emil Jannings won best actor for his performances in "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Flesh. And three of the first four best actresses hailed from Canada: Mary Pickford ("Coquette"); Norma Shearer ("The Divorcee"); and Marie Dressler ("Min and Bill").

While Daniel Day-Lewis ("There Will Be Blood") and Tilda Swinton ("Michael Clayton") are just two of the 36 English actors to win Academy Awards, Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose") made Oscar history by giving the first French language performance to be so honored while Javier Bardem is the first Spanish actor to win an Oscar.

One of our most prolific forum posters, the aptly named Academy Awards Guru, has compiled a list of the nationalities of all 265 Oscar winners for acting. During the course of 80 ceremonies, they have won 306 Oscars (there has been one tie in each of best actor and best actress). Of these, 76 winners came from outside the USA to take home 85 Oscars. While 21 other countries have produced Oscar winners, it is not surprising that England leads with 36 of her citizens winning 42 Oscars.

Over the past 80 years, best actor has gone to a non-American 24 times and best actress 25 times while in the 72-year history of the supporting awards, non-Americans won supporting actor 19 times and supporting actress 17 times.