EXCLUSIVE: Stanley Donen, who will turn 90 next April, is considering a directing comeback after 30 years. The legendary director of movie musicals including “Singing in the Rain” has written a script with his significant other, the great and equally legendary Elaine May. The movie, a comedy, would be produced by Mike Nichols.

Yes, you are reading all this correctly. This is like the group from Mount Rushmore coming back for one new hurrah.

I can tell you that a couple of weeks ago there was a private reading for investors of the Donen-May script. Among the cast were Christopher Walken, Charles Grodin, Ron Rifkin, and Jeannie Berlin, the supremely talented daughter of Elaine May. Some NYU acting students also participated.

The movie is supposed to be about the making of a movie and everything that goes wrong, sources say. “The humor is very wry,” says my source.

Is Stanley Donen really going to direct this movie, I asked incredulously? “Knowing those three,” an insider quipped about Nichols, May and Donen, “they’ll all direct it!

Donen’s last feature was “Blame it on Rio” in 1984. He also directed another movie parody, the gem “Movie Movie” (1978).

By the way, Elaine May directed one of the greatest comedies of all time, “The Heartbreak Kid,” written by Neil Simon (1972). Just FYI.

The New York Film Critics got it mostly right– and white– choosing their award winners today. They did pick Steve McQueen for Best Director of “12 Years a Slave,” but didn’t give that movie Best Picture or award any of its actors. They also sort of skipped right over “The Butler” and “Mandela.” They awarded “Fruitvale Station” Best First Feature, which is better than nothing.

The group’s choices for the best actors are, I think, three for four with the ultimate Oscar outcome: Cate Blanchett, Robert Redford, Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence. I love JL, but I do think Best Supporting Actress will go either to Oprah Winfrey or Lupita N’yongo.

David O. Russell’s “American Hustle,” a movie I loved, won Best Picture. Russell is going to benefit from “Silver Linings Playbook” not getting the big awards last year. He’s going to get a lot of love on the splash back.

Could the NYFCC have been edgier? Yes. But they want stars at their proceedings. And they may have cut the idiotic National Board of Review off at the pass with these choices. When the NBR’s supreme high commanders make their fandecisions tomorrow, I still say they will err toward “Gravity” and other Warner Bros. fare. George Clooney will be presented with a virgin at their ceremony in January.

Best Film
American Hustle

Best Actor
Robert Redford, All Is Lost

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Best Director
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Best Foreign Language Film
Blue Is The Warmest Color

Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Animated Film
The Wind Rises

Best Screenplay
American Hustle

Special Award
Frederick Wiseman

Best Cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis

Best First Film
Fruitvale Station

Best Non-fiction Film (Documentary)
Stories We Tell

Is “The Wolf of Wall Street”  any good? Martin Scorsese has delivered a three hour movie, and the entertainment press won’t see it until Friday. By then we’ll have had awards announced by the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review, er, Fans (they’re a paid membership non professional group).

Last week, Scorsese screened the film for Paramount execs and friends with a dinner afterwards at ’21’. Over the weekend, Paramount screened “Wolf” for members of the Screen Actors Guild in Los Angeles. It’s hard to say what’s going on here exactly. “Wolf” will be a box office hit. But is it Oscar material or just outrageous, over the top fun?

So now we narrow down the lists without really knowing much about “Wolf of Wall Street.” So it has to stay out of the mix for now. Here’s what I like going into the week.

Best Picture: 12 Years a Slave and Gravity are cinches. So are August Osage County and Philomena. Blue Jasmine remains solid. American Hustle is too good to be left off the list. That’s six films right there. I am still hanging in for The Butler, Nebraska, and Inside Llewyn Davis. That’s nine. The toss ups are Saving Mr. Banks, which isn’t the cinch some think it is, and Dallas Buyers Club. That’s eleven. On the outside: Wolf, plus Lone Survivor, and Her, a movie I really adore. That leaves out Mandela, although not Idris Elba. All is Lost is lost, but not Robert Redford.

Best Actress: Easy peasy. Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Judi Dench, Sandra Bullock. Strong sixth place goes to Amy Adams for “American Hustle.”

Best Actor: Without Leo the list is still rough and tumble: Chiwetel Ejiofor and Robert Redford are the killers. Bruce Dern comes in right behind them. Then what? I like Forest Whitaker. And Oscar Isaac. But Matthew McConnaughey is hot. And Idris Elba gave a “towering performance” according to the New York Times. That begs the question about Tom Hanks, whose performance in “Captain Phillips” is as good as anything this two time Oscar winner has done.

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto probably has it sewn up from “Dallas Buyers Club.” But there’s Tom Hanks again, from Saving Mr. Banks. And Michael Fassbender from 12 years. Will Forte from “Nebraska.” Barkhad Abdi from “Captain Phillips” is also strong. I also liked Bobby Cannavale from “Blue Jasmine,” David Oyelowo from “The Butler,” and who knows? George Clooney may sneak in from “Gravity.” And don’t forget Chris Cooper’s beautiful work in “August Osage County.”

Best Supporting Actress: Oprah, Oprah Oprah. You can’t beat that performance in “The Butler.” But there’s Lupita N’yongo from “12 Years.” Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz from “Fruitvale Station.” June Squibb from “Nebraska.” Sally Hawkins in “Blue Jasmine.” Jennifer Lawrence from “American Hustle.”

Stay tuned, kids. It’s going to be wild couple of weeks.