Gold Derby nuggets: Jon Hamm to star at HFPA charity lunch ... Will BAFTA embrace 'The Dark Knight'? ... Could Heath Ledger be totally snubbed by Oscar?

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's summer luncheon will be July 30 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Traditionally, the fete features three sets of celebs who bestow charitable donations from the HFPA to various groups. This year one presenter will be recent Golden Globe winner Jon Hamm ("Mad Men"). Still waiting on word of who the other two stars — or sets of stars — will be. Sometimes one set can be a couple, like Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez last year. HFPA is so renowned for its charitable generosity that it will receive an award at this lunch from Variety, which names the group benefactor of the year.

New York Times Carpetbagger blogger David Carr hasn't always been hanging out on red carpets with the glitterati. In a stunningly honest confession published Sunday in the New York Times' magazine insert, he tattles on his ole dark days when he lived the secret life of a drug ghoul in Minneapolis, "freebasing coke and its more prosaic sibling, crack . . . .  'Crackhead' is an embarrassing line item to have on a résume," he adds, but Carr doesn't shrink from spelling out the pathetic details of his sordid career as an addict, injecting his telling with syringe-sharp doses of humor, insight and hope.

Could BAFTA lead the derby ahead with serious kudos recognition for "The Dark Knight," thus inviting those usually snooty Oscar voters to follow? AwardsDaily.com guru Ryan Adams notes that the Brits proved a gourmet appreciation for popcorn pix by generously acknowledging "Casino Royale," "The Bourne Ultimatum" and the first "Lord of the Rings" installment. Considering "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan is British and that much of the movie was filmed in the U.K., BAFTA might pay special notice to "The Dark Knight." READ MORE

Over at InContention.com, John Foote declares "Heath Ledger was an actor of extraordinary ability who might have gone on to the heights of a Marlon Brando or Jack Nicholson," but re: the Oscars, "I personally don’t even expect him to be nominated" for "The Dark Knight." READ MORE

Hollywood Reporter Gold Rush blogger T.L. Stanley is OK with the Emmy noms being criticized for being elitist. "Lots of the Emmy nominees are an acquired taste, like 'Dexter' and 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' " she notes. "To which we say -- is that a bad thing? And didn't we all have this discussion at Oscar time, when indie movies that made no money dominated the night?" READ MORE

(Photo credits: AMC, Warner Bros.)