Unfortunate Oscar news for Downey Jr. fans

Just found out that The Soloist, originally set to be released in November, has been pushed back to next year, sometime in the spring. So it looks for fans of Robert's that thought he was going to get an Oscar nomination in support for The Soloist, looks like there's no chance. So Tropic Thunder is fans best hope and I think it's a pretty safe bet the Academy will not nominate him for his great but comedic performance. I personally would because I thought it was a sublime portrayal but I'm not a snooty Academy voter and that would blow my mind if they did. Another thought is just why did they push The Soloist back ?