Javier Bardem has been piling up awards — and major Oscar hype — for his role as hit man Anton Chigurh in “No Country for Old Men.”

A display shows the cattle gun used by Javier Bardem’s character in “No Country for Old Men.”

It’s an unforgettable character. Chigurh is terrifyingly calm, almost nonchalant, as he adds to his body count. He’s got that atrocious ’70s bowl cut. And then, of course, there’s the air-powered cattle gun he carries around — an odd weapon that just enhances his creepiness.

Is it too early to say the cattle gun, pictured at right, is one of the most memorable movie weapons ever? We’ve seen plenty of handguns, chainsaws and samurai swords by now. How many cattle guns have you seen before? Did you even know what it was at first, or were you as clueless as me?

I was able to see the gun up close and personal Wednesday at The Hollywood Museum, which is just across the street from the Kodak Theatre. There’s a special exhibit now featuring memorabilia from “No Country” and other Oscar contenders. You can click here to view photos from the exhibit, which also has props from older movies. My personal favorite might be Hannibal Lecter’s mask from “The Silence of the Lambs” — now that’s creepy.

Down in the basement of the museum, they’ve even re-created Lecter’s plastic cell from the movie. The details are impressive. They’ve got Lecter’s drawings, his clothes and the chair Jodie Foster’s character sat in to talk to him.

Now if only they could pipe in “Hello, Clarice.”

First impression: Getting off the plane at LAX, it took me approximately one arrival gate to see advertising for a Best Picture nominee. It was “Atonement.”

Right behind that was a poster for “Fool’s Gold,” which, judging by this review, probably won’t receive a similar nomination.

The Midas touch?: Be sure to check out Todd Leopold’s story on Hal Holbrook, a dark horse to upset Bardem for Best Supporting Actor.

The last time Todd wrote a feature on an H.H., Herbie Hancock went on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys. If the 83-year-old Holbrook wins for “Into the Wild,” award nominees should be knocking down my colleague’s door for an interview.

And the Oscar goes to … Jeff Gordon: Am I still in Atlanta? I think I’ve seen more signs here promoting NASCAR than the Academy Awards (there’s a race Sunday in nearby Fontana).

I know NASCAR has a great marketing team, but I wonder whether this year’s award show is missing the usual buzz.

– From CNN.com Senior Associate Producer Kyle Almond