​The poll was taken at a panel I was on last night at the Strand Bookstore.

Slate's Dana Stevens, Salon's Andrew O'Hehir, and myself were there to gab about the Oscar race.

(The New Yorker's David Denby, also scheduled, mysteriously never showed up.)

After our talk, MC Deborah Reinisch asked the crowd to pick their own favorites in each category--i.e., the one they think should win rather than will win.

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In his new movie, Tyler Perry's Good Deeds!

And it looks as shocking as Pee-wee Herman in a tuxedo!

From the trailer, this one looks pretty serious and at times dour, with none of the wigs, frocks, overheated hijinks, and fun of a Medea flick.

(There are no screenings, so I have to rely on guesswork here.)

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Gary Cooper in Today We Live. Photo: Hollywood Rides a Bike (Angel City Press)

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Way before I parked my butt on a two-wheeler, Hollywood biggies loved to do the same, whether in movies, for publicity, or just for fun.

The following images are from the new book Hollywood Rides a Bike: Cycling With the Stars by film writer Steven Rea.

Don't start screaming about which cycling celebs are "left out." These are the images he sent me from the book, case closed.

And if you can't get your ass in gear with that, then get on your bikes, you pert little pixies. Or just do your own book!

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Raquel Welch has been having a wonderful Film Society of Lincoln Center tribute series consisting of highlights from her saucy and diverse career.

The other night, they showed The Three Musketeers -- the catfight between Raquel and Faye Dunaway is absolutely priceless -- and before the film, I got to catch up with our star, who always gives me a rise and a half.

"I heard that last night, at the Myra Breckenridge showing, you talked about dildos," I moaned. "And I missed it!"

"I did not say that word," she replied, twinkling.

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At her Film Society of Lincoln Center series on Saturday night, the ever luscious Raquel Welch admitted that on the set of the 1966 sci-fi film Fantastic Voyage, she developed the hots for Stephen Boyd, her hunky, dimpled co-star (known for the Oscar winner Ben-Hur and the non-Oscar-winner The Oscar).

When Raquel invited Boyd into her room for a drink, Boyd replied:

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Mug shot from Comedy Central's Halfway Home

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She's the favorite to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Minny in The Help, so it's only natural we learn a little more about the woman, right?

Well, she's 39, 5'2", and hails from Montgomery, Alabama.

Her mother worked as a maid.

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If the experts at GoldDerby.com (including me) are right, Glenn Close will tie Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter for the most losses in female-acting categories in Oscar history.

They each have six nominations.

Deborah was actually a bigger loser than Glenn because all six of her noms were for Best Actress.

Glenn's had three for Best Actress and three for Supporting.

(Thelma's six were all for Supporting.)

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In 1968, a year after Bonnie and Clyde caused a sensation, the way more obscure Pretty Poison trotted out just as bizarre a criminal couple consisting of a weird guy with a sick imagination and a stunning blonde who eagerly bites his bait.

But this time, the Bonnie isn't necessarily working in tandem with her Clyde.

Let me give you some background.

Anthony Perkins plays a twisted but basically sympathetic guy who -- just like Norman Bates -- was permanently damaged by a female family member's overpossessiveness.

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Screen icon Jack Lemmon was a genius, and thankfully his actor/musician son Chris Lemmon is keeping his unique voice alive.

Chris did his one-man show A Twist of Lemmon in a benefit performance at the Players Club last night, and I was there.

Among his anecdotes:

*The flaming George Cukor directed Jack in his first film, It Should Happen to You (1954), and after one energetic take of a scene, he said to the actor:

"Oh, gosh, Jackie, look at you go! It's really ducky, isn't it?

"But could you give me less, darling?"

Jack did less, but it wasn't enough for Cukor, who wanted even less.

This went on for a bunch more takes, after which Jack exasperatedly said, "If I gave you any less, I wouldn't be acting."

Replied Cukor, "Exactly!"

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Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man

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No, this has nothing to do with Diana Rigg -- or even Uma Thurman in the terrible movie version.

It's the upcoming May release which brings together more Marvel superheroes than there are stars in rehab.

Does it look superheroic?

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