Finally, it's out — the U.S. trailer for "Frost/Nixon" (click here), which has deafening Oscars buzz based upon whispers from sources who've seen an early print. If nothing else, we can probably expect a best-actor nomination for Frank Langella as President Nixon and maybe even a bid for Michael Sheen (in lead or supporting?) as British talk show host David Frost, who famously interviewed the fallen U.S. president for a series of frank TV chats in 1977. Also likely: a screenplay nomination by Peter Morgan ("Last King of Scotland," nominee for "The Queen"), who adapted his Broadway play. The film will be released to theaters by Universal on Dec. 5.

If "Frost/Nixon" is as good as hoped, it may even bring back to the derby director Ron Howard, who finally won best director (and picture as producer) for "A Beautiful Mind" in 2002 after being outrageously snubbed by the Oscars earlier in his career. That was the only nomination Howard has ever scored for directing, despite the fact that his "Apollo 13" was up for best picture in 1995 without him.

As a play on Broadway starring Langella and Sheen, "Frost/Nixon" fared fairly well with the Tonys. It lost best play to that juggernaut "Coast of Utopia," which ended up sweeping an unprecedented seven awards, but Langella won best actor over "Utopia" star Brian F. O'Byrne, a longtime Tonys darling.

But, alas, the Tony has proven to be a poor prophet when predicting how winners might do once adapted for the screen and competing at the Oscars. Best-play champ "The History Boys" (2006) got good reviews, but reaped no nominations. And my beloved "Sweeney Todd" (Tony's best musical of 1979) was hailed by the New York Times as "something close to a masterpiece" when transferred to celluloid by director Tim Burton, but, well, let's not go there again.

(Photo: Courtesy Universal)