On a shelf next to Scott Feinberg's '08 desk sits a very, very heavy blue binder. Inside lies interview upon interview with a colorful spectrum of Hollywood personalities. They range from Oscar-winning dreadnaughts like George Clooney to an original Lollipop Guild munchkin from The Wizard of Oz. Its pages are a bible of sorts, the holy word of Hollywood's apostles. Contrary to your suspicions, Feinberg does not moonlight as a Hollywood mogul. Rather, his impressive list of star connections is the result of his work on his own blog, www.andthewinneris.blog.com, a site dedicated to coverage of the Oscars year-round. Not just another rumor-spreading pet project, "And The Winner Is." has been referenced in the New York and Los Angeles Times, New York Magazine and the New Republic, among others. Vanity Fair even called it "an awards authority;" quite an honor for someone who hasn't even received his bachelor's degree.

Feinberg's interest in the Oscars and film in general was nurtured at an early age when his father, in traditional parental fashion, forced him to watch 1955 Best Picture winner Marty. Though Feinberg says he did not particularly enjoy the movie, it was an early influence. "It definitely piqued my interest," says Feinberg.

His interest growing, Feinberg began tracking down classic after classic. "If you see Citizen Kane, The Godfather, Casablanca and Gone With The Wind over a long weekend, there's no way not to get hooked," he says. Soon his viewing habits moved away from the escapist and drew toward the analytical: "You start to see, recognize and appreciate the people who are making these movies. You start to recognize the actors. You start to wonder what happened to them. I wanted to learn about the people who make them possible." Thus the seeds of "And The Winner Is." were planted.

Starting small with his project, Feinberg tracked down smaller, more obscure and accessible personalities, people he recalls as "character actors or just people who would actually list their numbers in their phone books." However these would prove to be useful connections. One good interview merits another, and soon they were passing Feinberg up the ladder, persuaded by his enthusiasm for spreading the history of film to a younger generation. Slowly, he began making more connections, reaching more modern stars. Today, his Facebook profile features photos of him with stars ranging from Paris Hilton to the cast of Superbad, to the last living silent film actress.

Feinberg's first big break came when he secured the interviewing position on the first website to track the Oscar race, Ocarwatch.com. When the previous celebrity interviewer decided to leave, Feinberg applied for the job almost on a whim and ended up being brought on board. Eventually, impressed with Feinberg's enthusiasm for the Oscars, his boss encouraged him to strike out on his own and start his own site. Thus "And The Winner Is." was born. Now running his own independently operated site, Feinberg is free from the shackles of bosses and editors, but is also burdened by increased pressure and responsibility. "There's no track record other than what I create. So every interview is either an opportunity to help solidify or totally ruin your reputation," he says.

As for the future, Feinberg, like most seniors, is uncertain. Yet he remains optimistic about the opportunities opening up in his field. "There's a lot of interest in what's created to be an Oscar race and in sites like this. They've increased exponentially over the last few years. I think the reason is that people see it as a horse race. Everyone has a favorite . Variety, for instance, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Newsweek and Vanity Fair, all have Oscar Blogs and that's all pretty much in the last year."

The prospect of a published version of Feinberg's verbal exploits is also on the table. Beyond the actual interview itself, there are myriad unseen angles, dealings with press agents and celebrity searches. There is an art to the process; one that Feinberg feels merits more attention than he has given it. "Conducting these oral histories has been the impetus for conversations with many people beyond the actual subjects of the interviews . A lot of people have looked at what I've done and said it has value. There's the element of the historical records. It chronicles the histories of the movies and the people who've lived through it. So it's a very valuable record to some people," says Feinberg.

As a calculated and intelligent voice in the field of Oscar prediction, Feinberg maintains an edge over his competition. With the Oscar race becoming more and more the focus of the film industry, the future for someone in Feinberg's position looks bright indeed.