My former seat mate, Michael Kane, is back in town and he thinks this week’s arrival of “Norbit,” a broad comedy which Eddie Murphy plays an obese woman for not the first time, isn’t going to help Eddie’s chances in collecting his first Oscar for an impressive performance in “Dreamgirls.”

As I noted after last Sunday’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, Eddie is also sabotaging his chances with acceptance speeches notably lacking in humility. (No Virginia, it’s not all about the work). And is the Academy really going to award the same four actors as SAG and the Golden Globes? Mirren, Whitaker and Hudson seem safe, but look for the Academy to shake things up by giving Best Supporting Actor to … Alan Arkin of “Little Miss Sunshine.”