Media Rants: Happy Anniversary to (Me)dia Rants

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The following piece will appear in the November 2010 edition of The Scene.

Happy Anniversary to (Me)dia Rants

Media Rants

By Tony Palmeri

The first Media Rants column appeared in the August 2002 issue of The Scene. By my calculation, that makes this November column the 100th (!) rant. When the column debuted, I wasn’t sure I’d have the discipline demanded by 10 rants, let alone 100. But here we are, 8 years later, still trying to shed light on the ways in which corporate establishment media can, in the words of the late and great Madison Capital Times editor Bill Evjue, be “used to reduce the people to conformity and dumb acquiescence.”

Given that the New York Times, Washington Post, regional Gannett tabloids, radio and television outlets, or even alternative web sources aren’t exactly lining up to talk to me about this most momentous anniversary, I guess I’ll have to interview myself. So here’s a retrospective of sorts on the last 99 columns.

Question: How did the Media Rants column get started?

Answer: In the summer of 2002 then SCENE editor Tom Breuer called and asked if I’d be interested in writing for the paper. Back then I wrote a weekly electronic newsletter to accompany a television program called “Commentary” I hosted and produced with my heroes Doug Freshner and Jim Mather. Somehow Tom got on the newsletter email list, and he liked it enough that he thought I might be able to contribute something worthwhile to the Scene. The name “Media Rants” was Tom’s idea. The first column was a critique of the local press’ annual and shameful subservience to the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Question: What writers have influenced your thinking and style?

Answer: All conscientious media critics owe a debt to the late George Seldes. Probably the greatest investigative journalist in American history, Seldes in the 1940s published a newsletter called “In Fact” which is now widely regarded as the prototype for how to expose the shortcomings of the establishment press.

Given that Media Rants is a monthly essay, stylistically I’ve been guided by my favorite essayists. I respect and admire the rebel passion of Thomas Paine, the moral clarity of George Orwell, the principled prose of I.F. Stone, the sheer eloquence of Christopher Hitchens, the wisdom of James Baldwin ("I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually."), the unpredictability of Alexander Cockburn, the stinging humor of Molly Ivins and Maureen Dowd, and the in-your-face rhetorical flourishes of James Howard Kunstler. I’ve disagreed with each of these wordsmiths at various times yet stand in awe at their contributions to the craft of writing.

Question: Do you have any favorite Media Rants columns?

Answer: My favorites are the ones that make at least some minor contribution to our understanding of local history (“Press Coverage of McCarthy” from April of 2006; “Earth Day at 40” from April of 2010; “King Karma: Yesterday and Today” from March of 2003), challenge local and state establishment media to do better (“The Magruder Media’s Ethical Compass” from November of 2002; “Northeast Wisconsin’s Iron Triangle” from August of 2003; “It’s Not a Witch hunt if There’s a Witch” from June of 2004), counter the insane pro-war journalism of the last 8 years (“Will We Hear the Winter Soldiers?” from March of 2008; “Media AWOL on National Guard Coverage” from March of 2009), and take a stand for rational public discourse (“Fighting Reactionary Politics: Real Conservatives, Real Liberals, and Real Radicals Must Work Together” from April of 2005). I also look fondly on the tributes to Robert L. “Doc” Snyder and Doug Boone, and interviews with my friends Curt Andersen, Stephen Richards, Jo Egelhoff, and Ron Hardy.

Question: Most memorable Media Rants moment?

Answer: UW Oshkosh Professor of Political Science James Simmons found the essay “Deconstructing Don Kettl” (July 2004) interesting and asked me to publish a revised version of it in the Wisconsin Political Scientist Newsletter. The essay situated Professor Kettl, formerly of UW Madison and widely recognized as governor Tommy Thompson’s most revered academic, as a symbol of the extent to which UW profs had become tools of power rather than challengers to it. Some of Professor Kettl’s colleagues at UW Madison lambasted Dr. Simmons for publishing the piece, reducing it to nothing more than a cheap-shot personal attack. The irony was that the tone and vacuity of their complaint validated the thrust of the essay better than anything I could have said or written.

Question: What kind of response has Media Rants received over the years?

Answer: Though it’s now conventional wisdom to say “no one reads anything longer than a Facebook wall post anymore,” the fact that Media Rants does have an audience keeps me writing it. When the Appleton Public Library invited me to participate in a debate about the movie “Good Night and Good Luck” in 2006, I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people in attendance who recognized and appreciated the column. Media Rants columns also led to several invitations to lead discussions at the Harmony Café in Appleton, as well as numerous appearances on Wisconsin Public Radio.

Question: Any final thoughts?

Answer: I just want to thank everyone who has supported Media Rants over the years, especially those readers who take the time to offer constructive feedback. Many thanks also to Scene publisher Jim Moran and current editor Jim Lundstrom for making space every month.

Rant On!

The 2010 TONY Awards

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There's only one TONY Award this year, and it's kind of an "award of distinction." Colin Crowley's done much admirable work around the globe. Read:

The 2010 TONY Awards

Media Rants

By Tony Palmeri

If ‘tis noble to think globally and act locally, then how much nobler still to travel the globe and act in some of the world’s most troubled localities?

If ‘tis true that if you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem, then how extremely valuable is he who opens our eyes to problems we never knew existed?

Those questions come to mind when I think of Colin Crowley, the recipient of the 2010 TONY Award for excellence in local journalism. In prior TONY Award columns, “local” literally meant working in Wisconsin. Colin Crowley hails from Oshkosh, though he’s not lived here since taking off for Afghanistan in 2005 to work as a video documentarian for Shelter For Life, International (then headquartered in Oshkosh).

So why should someone who calls Nairobi, Kenya home receive the 2010 TONY Award?

To answer that question requires a candid assessment of the state of news media today. Largely irrelevant in the lives of too many people, news media frustrate the hell out of the shrinking numbers of folks that rely on it to meet civic and personal needs. Becoming “relevant” invariably means catering to the lowest common denominator while cutting the budgets necessary to cover seriously domestic and foreign policy stories that matter. The result is devastating for “small-d” democracy. This critique isn’t new, but argued most cogently in Bob McChesney’s classic Rich Media, Poor Democracy (University of Illinois Press, 1999).

Colin Crowley holds a set of humane, “big picture” values that role model what journalism, corporate and independent, national and local, could be like if it could find a way to escape from the clutches of profit motive and the resulting pandering and pettiness. Though he no longer calls northeast Wisconsin home, Colin’s got a thing or two to teach us locals about what 21st century journalism could be.

In 2005 Colin kept the “Colin’s Story” blog to keep followers up to date on his Afghanistan work. I lost touch with him until May of this year, when we exchanged emails. I learned that since April of 2008 he’s been employed with the British NGO Save the Children UK (STC) as a multimedia officer. In that role he creates photo essays, makes videos, writes case studies, serves as a chaperone for international journalists when they visit STC programs, and contributes international media pieces on humanitarian crises.

Since 2008 Colin's covered China’s earthquake, Myannmar’s cyclone, a war in the Congo, cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, food crises in Ethiopia and Northeast Kenya, the catastrophe in South Sudan, and Haiti right after the earthquake. I last heard from him in July as he documented a food crisis in Niger that received scant coverage in the US.

Because it conflicted with the Olympics in South Africa occurring simultaneously, Niger’s food crisis almost disappeared from the global media radar. For Britain’s Sky News, Colin worked on some of the only interviews and video footage of the crisis. STC UK reported a large spike in donations from the British public in the 24 hours following the broadcast. Colin says that “it’s a good feeling to think that this kind of reporting can make a bit of a difference.”

Colin has become quite knowledgeable and articulate about the nature of the global food crisis. His analysis is hard to find in the mainstream press:

“I don't think Americans realize how inefficiently their taxes are used when it comes to food aid. I can't tell you how ridiculous it feels to be standing in a World Food Program warehouse in Zimbabwe, Sudan, Northeastern Kenya, and other places and see tons and tons of bags of grain that was grown in Nebraska, Iowa, etc., and costs billions of dollars to transport while people all around are starving and local farmers are sitting on empty stores for a lack of fertilizer, modern farming tools, seeds, or irrigation systems. It invariably brings to my mind a seemingly simple question: ‘Rather than paying farm subsidies and shipping companies billions of dollars to grow this grain in the US and then transport it to Africa, couldn't we take a fraction of that money and just invest it into local agriculture?’”

Colin advocates replacing the current food aid system with one that many NGOs now endorse: simply provide cash to people to support local market. This would inject needed dollars into local economies and be much less expensive than traditional food aid programs. The problem, according to Colin, “is that it would threaten farm subsidies and profits of shipping companies.”
The human catastrophes covered by Colin Crowley exist largely because of lack of awareness. Awareness leads to outrage. Outrage leads to collective action. Collective action leads to social justice. The great tragedy of modern media is in its failure, in some cases purposeful failure, to use its remarkable powers of creating awareness for the common good.

Lewis Hine was an Oshkosh son whose photojournalism helped end the scourge of child labor in the early 20th century United States. For bringing the humanitarian spirit of Lewis Hine to a global level, Colin Crowley is the recipient of the 2010 TONY Award. You can congratulate him by making a contribution to Save the Children. (http://www.savethechildren.org/).
Note: Past TONY Award recipients can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Media Rants: Scott Walker and the WI Media's View From Nowhere

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Scott Walker and the Wisconsin Media’s View from Nowhere

Media Rants

By

Tony Palmeri

Back in January of 1991 I traveled to Milwaukee to participate in a protest against Bush #41’s invasion of Iraq. Thousands rallied. An hour into the event, less than a dozen counter protesters showed up to back Bush. I went back to Oshkosh and eagerly anticipated news of the event.

Watching the mainstream media coverage, a few things stood out. First, the protest event itself was framed as a kind of political Olympics, an arena battle between competing teams. Second, the reporters and editorialists situated themselves as being outside the arena; just spectators watching and commenting on the action. Third, the coverage seemed lazy; i.e. simple “here’s what team ‘A’ says about the claims of team ‘B’” as opposed to a systematic and rigorous search for the truth. Fourth, after concluding that both teams were “outside the mainstream,” the media referees announced their own “moderate” views that were supposedly “objective” and ruled by reason and common sense not found in the rhetoric of the passionate Olympic teams.

Media treatment of the revolt of large numbers of working Wisconsinites against Governor Scott Walker’s plan to decimate public sector unions reminds me of that war coverage. Bill Lueders of the Madison Isthmus sees the pattern in the Wisconsin State Journal’s editorializing: “Two days after saying that moves to strip the collective bargaining rights of almost all public employees ‘aren't justified,’ it now urged that this be done, albeit just for the next two years, until June 2013. It also opined, ‘The chaos we're experiencing in Wisconsin is simply the extreme manifestation of politics as usual,’ suggesting that all sides are equally to blame for their inability to let go of excessive partisanship.”

The local Oshkosh Northwestern has been more critical of Mr. Walker’s bill, including a fine February 15 editorial exposing its draconian and unfair features. But then on February 19th the paper went back to an “objective” stance and concluded that both Republicans and Democrats were at fault for practicing a “politics that push issues to the far edges of ideology.” Thank goodness the editorial writers are always so moderate and responsible. (Sarcasm intended).

Mainstream television and radio coverage of protest events is typically much worse than newspapers, and that’s certainly been the case in Wisconsin. From TV especially it’s almost impossible to tell who is telling truth in the conflict. Instead, the “objective” newscaster tells us what each side says, with sensational pictures as a backdrop.

New York University Professor of Journalism Jay Rosen refers to the dominant style of American journalism as “the view from nowhere.” When I first became aware of Rosen’s idea in the mid 2000’s I thought he was perfectly describing the coverage of that earlier Iraq War protest and virtually all other substantive issues. As we shall see, the idea captures what’s going on in the Wisconsin media’s construction of Scott Walker’s row with unions.

Influenced by philosopher Thomas Nagel’s book of the same title, Rosen describes three elements of the “View from Nowhere”:

In pro journalism, American style, the View from Nowhere is a bid for trust that advertises the viewlessness of the news producer. Frequently it places the journalist between polarized extremes, and calls that neither-nor position “impartial.” Second, it’s a means of defense against a style of criticism that is fully anticipated: charges of bias originating in partisan politics and the two-party system. Third: it’s an attempt to secure a kind of universal legitimacy that is implicitly denied to those who stake out positions or betray a point of view. American journalists have almost a lust for the View from Nowhere because they think it has more authority than any other possible stance.

I can guarantee you that the folks who run the Wisconsin State Journal and Oshkosh Northwestern, along with every other mainstream print and electronic news source in Wisconsin, would defend their reporting and editorializing as “balanced.” They would say something like, “pro Walker readers think we are too liberal. Pro union readers think we are too conservative. We must be doing our jobs very well if we offend every side of the political spectrum.”

In contrast Rosen says “The View from Nowhere . . . encourages journalists to develop bad habits. Like: criticism from both sides is a sign that you’re doing something right, when you could be doing everything wrong.” Allowing constant repetition of false or inaccurate claims is one of the worst characteristics of a View from Nowhere news operation.

To their credit, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tries to hold public figures more accountable with a “PolitiFact” section. Reporters research statements of public figures and rate them on a “Truth-O-Meter:” True, Mostly True, Half True, Barely True, False and “Pants on Fire” for utterly ridiculous statements.

The Governor’s political opponents have shown some blatant distortions in Walker’s rhetoric, and even the Journal Sentinel gave him a “pants on fire” rating for the claim that the budget keeps collective bargaining “fully intact.” Media still let Walker and his fans get away with that claim or variations on it.

All news outlets need a Truth Meter to apply not only to statements of public figures, but to their own reporting and editorializing.

Media Rants: 2112 Recalls The Media

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Media Rants

By Tony Palmeri 2112 Recalls the Media
From the June 2012 edition of The SCENEOn June 5th Wisconsin voters will make history. Will they recall Scott Walker and restore Wisconsin's lost reputation as a laboratoryfor democracy? Or will the forces of wealth and reactionary politics, dividers and conquerors spending millions propping up their point man Mr. Walker, buy another election? We'll soon see.

What will future historians say about Wisconsin’s corporate media Walker era performance? Transport your mind 100 years from now, to the dystopian world imagined in the rock band Rush’s classic “2112” album. In the epic title track, the Priests of the Temple of Syrinx control all information for a dumbed down populace. The song’s protagonist finds and learns to play an old guitar, but is angrily rejected by the Priests.  “Father Brown” (who I imagine looks a bit like Scott Walker) crushes the instrument.

In my version of 2112, the Priests of the Temple reflect fondly on ancient Wisconsin media of 2012, holding it up as a role model of how to discourage human beings from wondering how or why things happen. “The Media Priests of 2012 in Wisconsin told only enough to keep the rabble in line. They were Masters of Manufacturing Consent,” mused Father Brown.

In 2112 the SCENE exists as an underground communique’ for regime opponents. To avoid Temple Priest persecution, SCENE writers hide their identities by using pseudonyms. The 2112 Media Rants column is authored by “Seldes.” Seldes’ Media Rants column of June 2112 recalls the corporate media coverage of the 2012 Wisconsin recall movement: By 2012 it had become clear that news media should meet three key responsibilities: establish the CONTEXT for public controversies, CALL OUT undemocratic actions of public officials, and take leadership in building a small-d democratic COMMUNITY. In Wisconsin in 2012 during the reign of Temple Priest hero Scott Walker, the corporate media failed spectacularly at all three.

Governor Scott Walker’s union busting Act 10, passed with limited public testimony, was put forth under the pretext of Wisconsin being “broke.” Instead of treating the core contextual issue of whether Wisconsin was “broke” as a question of fact to be resolved by rigorous journalistic investigation, corporate media treated the question as one that could not be reliably answered. Whether Wisconsin was broke was “in the eye of the beholder.” The same pattern appeared when it came to calling out the undemocratic actions of public officials. Scott Walker remains the most extreme product of the “pay toplay” politics brought to the Badger State by Republican governor Thompson in the 1990s and then reinforced for many years by Republicans and Democrats alike. While occasionally lamenting the corrupting influence of Wisconsin’s broken campaign finance rules, major media failed to connect the dots and establish as FACT the hijacking of Wisconsin’s government by monied interests. The best reporting came from independent, nonpartisan groups.

Case in point: The Center For Media and Democracy (CMD), building on a foundation laid down earlier by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, Common Cause, and others, exposed how the hyper corporate American Legislative Exchange Council(ALEC) exerted excessive public policy influence; ALEC model bills and budget provisions were at the core of the Walker legislative agenda. From 2008-2012 legislative ALEC members received $276,000 in campaign contributions from ALEC corporations, while Walker received $406,000 in the same time period. Corporate media in 2012 insisted on calling themselves government “watchdogs” at the same time leaving it to public interest groups to do meaningful watchdog investigations. Most disturbing in 2012 concerned the media’s failure to stand up for democratic community values while simultaneously enabling divisive and antidemocratic politics. Governor Walker and his cohorts learned early that no amount of demonizing opponents, hardball politics, or convoluted spin could prod the corporate media bosses into saying “ENOUGH!” Some noteworthy examples:

*UW Madison history professor William Cronon wrote a New York Times opinion piece, “Wisconsin’s Radical Break,” comparing Walker to communist hunter Joe McCarthy (another Temple Priest favorite) in terms of both forgetting good government lessons of neighborliness, decency and mutual respect. Then in response to a Cronon blog post about ALEC, the Wisconsin Republican Party filed an open records request seeking access to his emails; a clear attempt to silence a critic. *After Wisconsin citizens collected nearly a million signatures to launch recalls against the Governor and Lt. Governor, efforts were made to degrade signers in a disgusting display of antagonism toward basic citizenship rights. Not even theGannett Corporation, a behemoth self portrayed as a champion of First Amendment freedoms, could bring itself to stand up to the bullies and defend the basic right of their own employees to sign a petition.

*A video surfaced showing Governor Walker advocating a “divide and conquer” strategy to turn Wisconsin into a red state. And when he didn’t like the reports of job losses occurring on his watch, 3 weeks before the recall election he came out with a “more accurate” way of measuring job creation that could not be verified until 3 weeks after the election!

Since the reporting on these atrocities upset partisans on all sides, the corporate press concluded they must be doing something right. With 100 years of perspective, we now know conclusively that they did everything wrong, and paved the way for the stupefying Temple Priest Press we are now subject to in 2112.

Oscar Speaks Loudly To The 'King' With 12 Nominations

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"The King's Speech", a film about the speech impedient of King George VI, leads all movies with 12 nominations, including Best Picture, at this year's Academy Awards.

The nominations were announced this morning at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Hollywood, presented by Academy Chair Tom Sherak and last year's Supporting Actress winner, Mo'Nique.

"The King's Speech" dethroned perceived frontrunner "The Social Network" at the Producer's Guild Award, winning the Best Picture prize there, recently. "The Social Network" was friended in almost every single high-profile awards ceremony for Best Picture until then, including the Golden Globes. "The Social Network" is tied with "Inception" as the third-most nominated movie with eight nominations.

The nominees for Best Picture are "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Inception", "The Kids Are All Right", "The King's Speech", "127 Hours", "The Social Network", "Toy Story 3", "True Grit", and "Winter's Bone".

The Best Director category is back to the same old "Boy's Club" after Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win this coveted Oscar race last year. The five men up for the prize are Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan", David Fincher for "The Social Network", Tom Hooper for "The King's Speech", David O. Russell for "The Fighter", and the Coen Brothers for "True Grit".

The nominees for Best Actor in a Motion Picture are Javier Bardem for the Mexican film "Biutiful", Jeff Bridges for "True Grit", Jesse Eisenberg for "The Social Network", Colin Firth for "The King's Speech", and this year's Oscar co-host James Franco for "127 Hours".

The nominees for Best Actress in a Motion Picture are Annette Bening for "The Kids Are All Right", Nicole Kidman for "Rabbit Hole", Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone", Natalie Portman for "Black Swan", and Michelle Williams in "Blue Valentine".

Noticeable snubs included Andrew Garfield ("The Social Network") in Supporting Actor, Mila Kunis ("Black Swan") in Supporting Actress, Mark Wahlberg ("The Fighter") in Best Actor, and Christopher Nolan ("Inception") for Best Director. "Waiting for Superman" was snubbed in the Documentary Feature race, where it had been the perceived favorite to win that award.

Wahlberg and Nolan, however are competing in the Best Picture category, as producers of "The Fighter" and "Inception", respectively. Nolan also got an Original Screenplay nomination, as well.

Winners will be announced at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, which will be broadcast live on ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on February 27. James Franco and Anne Hathaway are the hosts, and the Oscar show this year will be produced by Don Mischer and Bruce Cohen.

To view the complete list of nominees, go to http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/83/nominees.html.

Last-Second SAG Predix + Directors Guild Upset Alert

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The Screen Actors Guild Awards will begin in a little over an hour, as Hollywood's actors celebrate themselves. The Fighter leads with five nominations, including Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Here are the final predix for all 13 races:
Cast, Motion Picture: The King's Speech
Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Female Actor: Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Supporting Female Actor: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Female Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Cast, Drama: Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Female Actor, Drama: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer (TNT)
Cast, Comedy: Glee (Fox)
Actor, Comedy: Ed O'Neill, Modern Family (ABC)
Female Actor, Comedy: Betty White, Hot in Cleveland (TVLand)

Last Night, The Social Network took another setback as Tom Hooper won the Director's Guild prize for helming The King's Speech. The King's Speech leads with 12 Oscar Nominations, including Best Picture.

Other Director's Guild Winners:
Martin Scorsese- "Boardwalk Empire" (TV Drama)
Mick Jackson- Temple Grandin (Miniseries/TV Movie)
Michael Spiller- "Modern Family" (TV Comedy)
Larry Carpenter- "One Life to Live" (Daytime Soap)

Screen Actors Guild Awards- Real-Time Updates

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The 17th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards begin in a few minutes, where Hollywood actors salute themselves in 13 categories. Academy-Award winner Ernest Borgnine (Marty, McHale's Navy) will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award tonight as well. At 94, Borgnine is not missing a beat, and he is still actively working on projects.

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8:00PM- I love seeing actors on the Red Carpets; Actors sharing why they are actors

8:03PM- Betty White (Hot in Cleveland) and Alec Baldwin (30 Rock) begin the celebration of the SAG Awards presenting the first category of the night- Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series.

8:06PM- Steve Buscemi wins the SAG Award for his role as Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk Empire. Emmy next?

8:07PM- "I was given an award by Alec (Baldwin) and Betty White [...] I didn't know that this was going to be the first one, and I'm nervous."- Steve Buscemi

8:08PM- Annette Bening and Mark Ruffalo present the first nominee for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture- The Kids Are All Right.

8:10PM- Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives) and Cory Monteith (Glee) present the second award of the night- Female Actor in a Drama Series.

8:12PM- Julianna Margulies wins her 2nd in a row for The Good Wife.

8:13PM- "I love my job so much, and I'm so grateful to Robert and Michelle King for giving me the job of a lifetime."- Julianna Margulies

8:14PM- "My beautiful friends and family, you are so inspiring to me."- Julianna Margulies

8:15PM- First Commercial Break

8:19PM- Promo about joining Angie Harmon's Conversation on Twitter during the Awards

8:20PM- Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Taye Diggs (Rent) present the Nominees for the Ensemble Cast in a Drama Series.

8:22PM- Boardwalk Empire wins the SAG Award for Ensemble Acting in a Drama Series.

8:23PM- "I lost my speech on the other paper [...] I'm glad we won, because I love all the actors in the cast."- Steve Buscemi; "I have time left, and I'm supposed to keep talking."- Buscemi

8:24PM- The President of the Screen Actors Guild- Ken Howard (1776, The White Shadow, Grey Gardens)

8:26PM- Dennis Haysbert (24) introduces a segment on commercials and actors who keep us entertained through advertising.

8:29PM- Jason Bateman (Arrested Development) presents the fourth category- Female Actor in a Supporting Role (in a Motion Picture).

8:31PM- Melissa Leo wins the SAG for The Fighter.

8:33PM- "Thank you girls for helping me bring home a man I can be with tonight."- Melissa Leo (on her SAG Award, giving a shout-out to the actresses who played her daughters in "The Fighter")

8:34PM- 2nd Commercial Break

8:38PM- Among the commercials in this break are a dude texting while driving (a clip of which was seen in the aforementioned commercial montage) and a movie with Liam Neeson and January Jones.

8:39PM- Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live, Parks and Recreation) presents the nominees for Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

8:41PM- "The best actor in this category, according to some people tonight....is Alec Baldwin."- Amy Poehler

8:41PM- Alec Baldwin repeats as Best Male Actor in 30 Rock.

8:42PM- Jon Hamm (Mad Men) presents the award for Female Actor in a Comedy Series. "They called the funniest female actor in comedy to present this award...me"

8:44PM- "The funniest actress according to Amy Poehler and the Teamsters...is Betty White."- Jon Hamm; Betty White, at 89 years young, wins the SAG Award for Hot in Cleveland, the first major award for 15 year-old cable network TV Land.

8:46PM- "I cannot believe this. And they had to get the old rollout at the stairs. There wasn't a prayer. I'm so lucky to be at 89 working with...(applause)...You didn't applaud when I turned 40, but I'm working on the happiest set on the business."- Betty White

8:47PM- Helena Bonham-Carter, Colin Firth, and Geoffrey Rush present the second Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture nominee, The King's Speech.

8:49PM- Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles) and LL Cool J (NCIS: Los Angeles) present the Ensemble in a Comedy Series category.

8:51PM- Modern Family wins the SAG Award for Ensemble in a Comedy Series.

8:52PM- "When the cast wanted me to speak, I said, 'Geez, I hope we don't win.'"- Ed O'Neill

8:53PM- Another Commercial Break

8:58PM- Back again. Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman present the third Ensemble Acting nominee, Black Swan.

9:00PM- TV Veteran Tim Conway (McHale's Navy, The Carol Burnett Show, announcer to TVLand) introduces the Lifetime Achievement Award to Ernest Borgnine.

9:08PM- "And they don't make them like Ernest Borgnine anymore."- SAG Awards Announcer

9:09PM- Morgan Freeman (Red) presents the SAG Award for Lifetime Achievement to Borgnine. ("Ernest Borgnine is a practicing Italian.")

9:11PM- Ernest Borgnine, at 94 years young, gives an eloquent acceptance speech.

9:12PM- More categories coming up after this commercial break, plus the In Memoriam Tribute

9:16PM- Flipping back to the Pro Bowl during the commercial break; on 4th & 9, Philip Rivers slings a touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne in traffic, to cut the NFC's lead from 42-7 to 42-14. A lot of catching up to do for the AFC.

9:17PM- Robin Wright (Santa Barbara, Forrest Gump, Empire Falls) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) present Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries.

9:20PM- An absent Al Pacino wins for his role as Dr. Death in You Don't Know Jack.

9:21PM- Armie Hammer, Spider Man (Andrew Garfield), this Generation's Sinatra/Michael Jackson (Justin Timberlake), and Jesse Eisenberg (last night's SNL host) introduce the fourth Ensemble film nominee about Harvard classmates who create Facebook, The Social Network.

9:22PM- Rosario Dawson (Rent) and Josh Duhamel (All My Children, Las Vegas, When in Rome, Transformers movies) present Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries.

9:23PM- Claire Danes wins the SAG for her role as Temple Grandin.

9:26PM- Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank introduces the In Memoriam Segment

9:29PM- In Memoriam: Jill Clayburgh, Leslie Nielsen, Lynn Redgrave, Robert Culp, Gloria Stuart, Kevin McCarthy, John Forsythe, Anne Francis, Pernell Roberts, Harold Gould, David Nelson, Frances Reid, Larry Keith, Patricia Neal, Danny Aiello III, June Havoc, James MacArthur, Barbara Billingsley, Gary Coleman, Rue McClanahan, Zelda Rubinstein, Fred Foy, Janet MacLachlan, Fess Parker, Lena Horne, Peter Haskell, Peter Graves, Dixie Carter, Tom Bosley, Kathryn Grayson, Peyte Postlethwaite, Steve Landsesberg, Eddie Fisher, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Dennis Hopper

9:30PM- Commercial Break

9:35PM- Only four categories left...Susan Sarandon presents the Award for Supporting Male Actor in a Motion Picture.

9:37PM- Christian Bale wins for his role in The Fighter.

9:38PM- Christian Bale is surprised by his real-life counterpart (Dickie Ecklund) on the stage accepting his SAG Award.

9:40PM- Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg present the fifth and final nominee for Ensemble in a Motion Picture, The Fighter.

9:41PM- "It's not like the DGA's. We're not gonna run five hours. We'll all be home for dinner."- Mark Wahlberg presenting The Fighter

9:42PM- Jeff Bridges presents the Female Actor in a Motion Picture Award.

9:44PM- Natalie Portman dances to victory as the Best Female Actor in a Motion Picture for Black Swan.

9:45PM- Portman thanks SAG for everything; Portman has been acting since 11

9:46PM- Coming up- only two prizes left- Male Actor and Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture. (flipping back) NFC leads AFC 45-28 after three quarters.

9:51PM- Back for one last time as Nicole Kidman presents the Male Actor in a Motion Picture Award, the penultimate category of the night.

9:53PM- Colin Firth wins the SAG for his role as King George VI in The King's Speech.

9:55PM- "I'd like to thank security for letting me into the building."- Colin Firth, jokingly, while accepting his SAG Award

9:56PM- All the excitement has led to this. The final award of the evening, brought to you by Donald Sutherland (M*A*S*H, Klute)

9:57PM- The cast of The King's Speech wins the SAG Award for Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture, therefore putting another nail into The Social Network's coffin.

9:58PM- "It shouldn't be called the SAG award, it should be the Uplifting award."/"This film was originally going to be called The King's Therapist's Speech."- Geoffrey Rush, accepting the SAG Award for The King's Speech.

10:00PM- This game is over. I'm having second thoughts of accepting The Social Network's friend request.

A recap of the Guild Awards coming in February's BC Bulletin, which will be coming up like roses on Tuesday afternoon.

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards- LIVE REACTIONS As they Happen

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In less than 20 minutes, the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards Telecast will air LIVE from the Staples Center on CBS. Winners in all but ten of the 109 categories have already been announced prior to the telecast (if they did all 109 categories, we'd be up until dawn).

7:45PM- The Red Carpet Pre-Show is dwindling down already. Stars galore from the music industry are out on the red carpet.

7:50PM- Ten minutes and counting...winners so far include Bruno Mars, Lady GaGa, Rihanna, Pink!, John Legend, Seal, and Sade.

7:55PM- Cinco minutos (Five minutes) until the show. Other winners include "Empire State of Mind" (Rap Song/Rap-Sung Collaboration), "Need You Now" (Country Performance- Duo or Group with Vocals/Country Song), "**** You" (Urban/Alternative Performance), and "Crazy Love" (Traditional Pop/Vocal Album).

8:00PM- For the next three and a half hours, it's time to celebrate music, starting right now with a celebration of the "Queen of Soul"- Aretha Franklin.

8:01PM- Clips of Aretha Franklin at the Grammys before the musical celebration begins.
LL Cool J- "Aretha Franklin is and will always be the Queen of Soul." Aretha is in Detroit under the weather and unable to attend the Grammys.

8:02PM- Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch (from Florence and the Machine), Yolanda Adams, and Martina Bride get the Grammys started with the musical celebration of Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, and "A Natural Woman", Franklin's breakout 1967 hit song.

8:07PM- Florence Welch belts out Aretha's 1968 hit "Freedom".

8:08PM- Jennifer Hudson belts out Aretha's 1967 breakout hit "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."

8:12PM- These five women of music brought down the house in this 10-minute opening tribute.

8:13PM- Aretha Franklin appears at the Grammys via pre-taped appearance.

8:14PM- Coming up, it's Lady Gaga's big performance, plus others, including Bruno Mars, Justin Bieber & Usher, Bob Dylan and Mumford & Sons, plus the first-ever Grammy Appearance of Mick Jagger (Jagger is paying tribute to the late Blues musician Solomon Burke).

8:15PM- 1st Commercial Break

8:19PM- Back at the Grammys, as Yolanda Adams, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, and Florence Welch present the Pop Performance by a Duo or Group Nominees- the first telecast award of the night. Nominees- The Cast of Glee, Maroon 5, Paramore, Sade, and Train.

8:20PM- The Grammy (the 100th of this Year, by the way) goes to "Hey, Soul Sister" by Train.

8:21PM- "Thanks, Justin Bieber for not being a duo or group."- Train, accepting the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group

8:22PM- Ricky Martin shows up on the Grammy stage and introducing Lady GaGa's "Born this Way".

8:23PM- Brace yourselves, here comes Lady GaGa.

8:28PM- 2nd Commercial Break

8:33PM- Coming up now, country singer Blake Shelton.
"She's not only the most talented person in the world. She's my fiancee."- Blake Shelton

8:34PM- Miranda Lambert performs her nominated "The House that Built Me", which Lambert dedicated to all the artists that came before the current crop of musical artists.

8:38PM- Lenny Kravitz introduces three-time Grammy nominee this year, Muse.

8:39PM- Muse performs on the stage. It makes you feel like you are actually seeing them play at a LIVE concert.

8:44PM- Bruno Mars, B.O.B., and Janelle Monae- among the acts coming up after this next (3rd) Commercial Break.

8:48PM- Ted Williams is back (new Kraft Mac & Cheese commercial), and Alicia Florrick is in love with Dan from Sports Night.

8:49PM- Ryan Seacrest- "Music always needs new voices." Seacrest introduces three artists with 14 Grammy nods this year between them- Bruno Mars, B.O.B, and Janelle Monae.

8:50PM- "Nothin' on You"- this is one of the best songs of 2010. A great song. "Beautiful girls, all over the world, I could be chasin', but my time would be wasted, because they've got nothin' on you..."

8:52PM- Bruno sings another of his hits, "Grenade".

8:54PM- Janelle Monae sings "Do You Know What You're Fighting For".

8:58PM- Zac Brown and some guy present the second category of the telecast (and 101st of the year)- Female Country Vocal Performance. Nominees are: Jewel, Miranda Lambert, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, and Gretchen Wilson.

8:59PM- The Grammy goes to...Miranda Lambert for "The House That Built Me".

9:00PM- "First Grammy performance, first Grammy ever..."- Miranda Lambert

9:00PM- Justin Bieber and Usher with Jaden Smith, Bob Dylan with Mumford and Sons and the Avett Brothers, Lady Antebellum, plus more, after...

9:01PM- ...4th Commercial Break

9:05PM- Eva Longoria- "In 2007, a young kid from Canada goes down to Atlanta, Georgia...", a video clip of Justin Bieber and Usher meeting for the first time....

9:06PM- Bieber, now 16, plays "Baby" on the guitar; This guy can strum it; and then they bring in the drummers- Taiko drummers, that is

9:08PM- Bieber then sings "Never Say Never"

9:09PM- Joining Justin is Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith's 13 year-old son, Jaden. (proud parents Will & Jada standing up to applaud)

9:11PM- "OMG"- Love this song- Usher can bring it...it's like watching the announcement of the starting lineup at an NBA game, or like one of those talk show promos on TV- the chorus of "OMG". This "OMG" is a 180 improvement from last week's snoozefest in Big D at the Super Bowl Halftime Show.

9:12PM- Bieber joins in at the end of "OMG".

9:13PM- Silver Garbage nominee Pauley Perrette and Paramour come out to the stage to introduce Best Rock Album. Nominees: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Pearl Jam, Jeff Beck, Neil Young, and Muse.

9:14PM- Yes! "The Resistance" can't resist the Grammy gold. Congrats to Muse for winning Best Rock Album.

9:15PM- More commercials....then Bob Dylan/Avett Brothers/Mumford and Sons, CeeLo Green & Gwyneth Paltrow, Lady Antebellum, Eminem and Rihanna, Eminem and Dr. Dre...

9:16PM- Commercial Break # 5

9:20PM- Selena Gomez and Donnie Wahlberg present the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album. Nominees are Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle, Lady GaGa, John Mayer, and Katy Perry.

9:21PM- The Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album goes to "The Fame Monster"- Lady Gaga

9:22PM- "When I wrote 'Born this Way', I imagined (Whitney) was singing it..."- Lady Gaga

9:23PM- David Letterman's Top 10 Surprises at the 2011 Grammy Awards

9:25PM- David Letterman introduces Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, and the Avett Brothers.

9:26PM- Mumford and Sons perform "The Cave" on the Grammy stage.

9:28PM- The Avett Brothers perform on the Grammy stage.

9:30PM- A big performance with Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, and The Avett Brothers, as they sing "Maggie's Farm".

9:33PM- Coming up are a lot of great performances...two hours to go...

9:34PM- Commercial Break

9:39PM- Lea Michele (Glee) and Clay Matthews (The Green Bay Packers) introduce Lady Antebellum who will sing a few hits...

9:40PM- "If You Don't Know Me By Now" is a tribute to the late R&B soul legend Teddy Pendergrass, who passed away early last year, and that's how Lady Antebellum begins their act.

9:42PM- "American Honey", and now one of the best love songs of the tweens, thus far "Need You Now". "Need You Now" won earlier for Country Song of the Year, and Country Duo or Group Vocal Performance. It was also heard in last Sunday's episode of Glee- "The Sue Sylvester Shuffle".

9:43PM- Miley Cyrus and the Kings of Leon (all Tennessee natives) come to the stage to present the award for Best Country Album- Lady Antebellum's to lose. Nominees are Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Jamey Johnson, Lady Antebellum, and Miranda Lambert.

9:45PM- "It's a quarter after one, and I'm all alone, and I need you now." Lady Antebellum wins the Grammy for Country Album of the Year.

9:46PM- Jamie Foxx comes up to the stage, introducing CeeLo Green and Gwyneth Paltrow, who will perform "Forget You" (Song and Record of the Year Nominee), also known as...

9:47PM- There are some groovy puppets dancing, and CeeLo Green is channeling Elton John in his outfit, while performing. The puppets are so sweet.

9:49PM- In comes Gwyneth. She sang this song of "Glee" and could win an Emmy for it on September 10. There was also the SNL skit where they introduced "Forget You". Priceless. Country Strong and Glee brought out the singer in Gwyneth.

9:51PM- Song of the Year is coming up....after this...

9:52PM- We're halfway home! Commercial break VII.

9:56PM- Neil Patrick Harris introduces Katy Perry.

9:57PM- Katy Perry sings songs from her nominated album "Teenage Dream"

10:01PM- Even Nicole Kidman is singing along from the audience.

10:02PM- Norah Jones, John Mayer, and Keith Urban sing "Jolene", a Dolly Parton song, in honor of Lifetime Achievement Recipient Dolly Parton.

10:04PM- Jones, Mayer, and Urban present Song of the Year. The five lucky nominees? "Beg, Steal, or Borrow", "Forget You", "The House That Built Me", "Love the Way You Lie", "Need You Now".

10:05PM- The Song of the Year is "Need You Now"- It's a quarter after one, and I'm all alone, and I need you now...and I don't know how I can do without....Surprise!

10:06PM- Coming Up is Eminem with both Rihanna and Dr. Dre

10:07PM- I'm Commercial Break the Eighth I Am...

10:12PM- Seth Rogen introduces Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Avril Lavigne, and Eminem.

10:13PM- Rihanna and Eminem sing "Love the Way You Lie", one of the most acclaimed performances of the 2010 eligibility period for the Grammys.

10:16PM- Eminem and Avril Lavigne

10:18PM- Eminem and Dr. Dre

10:19PM- I Need a Doctor to Bring Me Back to Life...

10:20PM- Jewel and John Legend present Best New Artist. Who will it be? Justin Bieber? Drake? Florence and the Machine? Mumford and Sons? or Esperanza Spalding?

10:21PM- The Best New Artist of the Year is...WHOA!!!!! Talk about upsets. Esperanza Spalding wins the Grammy for Best New Artist.

10:22PM- "Thank you to the Academy for even nominating me in this category."- Esperanza Spalding

10:23PM- After Commercial Break Cloud 9, it's Mick Jagger's debut on the Grammy stage to honor the late music legend Solomon Burke. (Commercial Break # 9)

10:25PM- Goldderby Forums poster Benito Delicias- "This will be the best example of 'vote splitting' in history. Pretty much the only explanation." (on Esperanza Spalding's shocking upset win for Best New Artist)

10:28PM- Mr. Shoe/Matthew Morrison talks about the goods of the Recording Academy, and introduce Neil Portnow, the President of the Recording Academy

10:29PM- Portnow talks about the Grammy Foundation, and Grammy Camp, which will expand to New York this year. "The future of music is in great hands."- Portnow

10:30PM- "Nurturing the future talent are the goals that both me and the Academy have in common."- Matthew Morrison

10:31PM- The Academy will support Broadcast service, and internet radio, which will pay the artists for usage for work; and continue to stamp the fights of Free Speech; acknowledges David Geffen for winning the Industry Icon Awards; "One thing has not changed. You can count on the output of our creative community to keep our music playing forever."- Portnow

10:32PM- In Memoriam- going way too fast for me to keep up, includes Alex Chilton, Jimmy Dean, Lena Horne, Solomon Burke, Ronnie James Dio, Bobby Hebb, Margaret Whiting, and others.

10:34PM- Performing for the first time ever at the Grammys, in a tribute to the late Solomon Burke, Mick Jagger.

10:39PM- Mick Jagger gets a standing ovation at the Grammys.

10:40PM- Commercial Break

10:45PM- Trustees Award Winners--> Wilma Cozart Fine, Al Bell, and Bruce Lundvall

10:46PM- Kris Kristofferson introduces his co-star from the 1976 remake of the film A Star is Born, Barbra Streisand.

10:47PM- Barbra Streisand sings the Academy Award Winner for Best Original Song of 1976- "Evergreen" from...A Star is Born.

10:50PM- Nicki Menage and Will.I.Am present Best Rap Album.

10:51PM- Nominees- B.O.B., Drake, Eminem, Jay-Z, and The Roots

10:52PM- Eminem wins Rap Album of the Year for "Recovery", with the driving force being "Love the Way You Lie."

10:53PM- "I want to thank Rihanna for helping propel the album to where it is right now."- Eminem/"...What up, Detroit, Stand Up!"- Eminem

10:54PM- Commercial Break...and then Arcade Fire...and the Big Two

10:58PM- Puff Daddy/P. Diddy/Sean Combs introduce Rihanna and Drake, performing "What's My Name?"

10:59PM- There is a bonfire in the middle of the stage for "What's My Name"...

11:02PM- Husband-and-wife Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez present the Grammy for Record of the Year, which past winners have included "Volare", "Moon River", and "Bridge over Troubled Water". This year's crop? "Nothin' on You?", "Love The Way You Lie", "Forget You", "Empire State of Mind", and "Need You Now"

11:04PM- It's a Quarter After One, I'm All Alone, and I Need You Now...The Lady Antebellum sweep continues as "Need You Now" picked up Record of the Year.

11:05PM- ^^ Was performed at the Grammys last year.

11:06PM- Commercial Break

11:11PM- Jason Segel- "If you become successful and reach enough people, you can wear whatever you want. I wore a Superman cape when I was 12, and my nickname was LadyGaga." Segel introduces in their Grammy debut, Arcade Fire.

11:12PM- Arcade Fire lights up the Grammy stage.

11:16PM- Coming up...it's Album of the Year. Who will take claim to it? Arcade Fire? Eminem? Lady Antebellum? Lady Gaga? or Katy Perry? Find out in a few.

11:16PM- Commercial Break

11:21PM- The stars from the 1976 film A Star is Born- Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson present Album of the Year.

11:23PM- The Album of the Year goes to rock group Arcade Fire for "The Suburbs".

11:25PM- Arcade Fire, winners of the 2011 Grammy for Album of the Year perform a song to lead us out of the Grammy Telecast.

11:30PM- Complete Wrap-Up of the Grammys in the March BC Bulletin. Good night! Oscars in two weeks.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards- FINAL PREDICTIONS

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On Sunday, the 83rd Annual Academy Awards will air LIVE on ABC, hosted by Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco. In recent years, there haven't been that many big surprises on Oscar night, but Oscar pundits, both amateur, like A Man and His Awards, and professional, like the guys from Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and so forth, think that this year's top Oscar races are sealed shut.
　
Best Picture:
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

WILL WIN- The King's Speech
SHOULD WIN- The Social Network or Toy Story 3
UPSET CHOICE- Toy Story 3

COMMENTARY:
It looks like the Motion Academy will de-friend The Social Network with their choice of Best Picture. They will go for the inspirational story about the king who overcame a stammer to rule England just before World War II. Oscar voters love their period films. If The Social Network were made in the year 2050, then maybe it would get a shot here at winning. It's been a while since the most nominated movie has won Best Picture (The 76th Annual Academy Awards- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). That streak will end on Sunday as The King's Speech is crowned Best Picture.


Best Actor:
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

WILL/SHOULD WIN- Colin Firth
UPSET CHOICE- You're kidding, right?

COMMENTARY:
Last year, both Bridges and Firth were nominated. Bridges won the Best Actor prize for playing an alcoholic country singer. This year, it's Firth's turn as he plays King George VI, who overcame a stammer to assume the role of England's monarch following his brother's abdication.


Best Actress:
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

WILL/SHOULD WIN- Natalie Portman
UPSET CHOICE- Annette Bening

COMMENTARY:
Annette Bening is a good actress. She's well overdue for an Academy Award. Four trips to the Academy's Altar (1990- The Grifters, 1991- Bugsy, 1999- American Beauty, 2004- Being Juia), and she's gone home empty-handed all four times. Which is why it pains me to say that she'll go home empty-handed for a fifth time, because Natalie Portman has this one. Oscar voters love their Best Actresses between the ages of 25 and 40. Joanne Woodward, Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Julie Christie, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Jodie Foster, and the list goes on, they all fit this bill.


Best Supporting Actor:
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

WILL/SHOULD WIN- Christian Bale
UPSET CHOICE- Geoffrey Rush

COMMENTARY:
Bale is the clear-cut choice, but if momentum builds towards The King's Speech, be on the lookout for Geoffrey Rush to pull off an upset.


Best Supporting Actress:
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

WILL WIN- Hailee Steinfeld
SHOULD WIN- Melissa Leo
UPSET CHOICE- Steinfeld

COMMENTARY:
Anna Paquin. Tatum O'Neal. Patty Duke. All three were in their tweens or teens when they became Academy Award winners. Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Linda Blair also were tweens/teens that were nominated in this category. Young actresses fare well in this category. The original film won John Wayne his only competitive Oscar 41 years ago, and the remake will win one for this talented 14 year-old, who splashed into her big screen debut with the remake of this 1969 western.


Best Director:
Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Joel & Ethan Coen (True Grit)
David Fincher (The Social Network)
Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
David O. Russell (The Fighter)

WILL WIN- Tom Hooper
SHOULD WIN- David Fincher
UPSET CHOICE- The Coen Brothers

COMMENTARY:
Only six times in the history of the Academy Awards, have the Director's Guild picked different from the Academy. Tom Hooper won the Director's Guild, and in a recent interview, said he hopes to win the Oscar. Some critics blasted his direction of the Emmy-winning miniseries John Adams, which he ended up losing the Emmy in 2008. I think that Hooper will win the Oscar, as the Academy will not buck the trend set by the Director's Guild.



Best Animated Feature:
The Illusionist
Tangled
Toy Story 3

WILL/SHOULD WIN- Toy Story 3
UPSET CHOICE- the other two nominees

COMMENTARY:
It's such a sad, sad story. Poor Andy goes off to college, and our favorite animated toys, go their, as the old Journey album suggests, "Separate Ways". A win for the third Toy Story installment is also a win for the first two Toy Story movies, whose releases pre-dated this ten year-old category.

39th Annual Daytime Emmy Award Preview

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An Emmy Award.  Tonight, at the Daytime Emmys at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, it could be a big night for "General Hospital", as it could break one record it shares (most wins in a single year), and extend another record they already have (most Drama Series wins).

Here are the final predictions, right here- http://djbcadventures.tumblr.com/post/25713960907/the-39th-annual-daytime-emmy-awards-preview-final.

We will NOT be Live Blogging the Daytime Emmy Awards tonight.  However, this post will be updated with the winners afterwards.  The next "A Man and His Awards" LIVE Blogging will be the Emmy Nominations on July 19.

Listen to The DJBC Happy Hour on WCRS-FM in Columbus, Ohio (or online at http://www.wcrsfm.org/) on July 9 at 8PM EDT, as the nominations for the 12th Annual Bryan Awards are announced LIVE.

FAREWELL: Richard Adler

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I wouldn't be too surprised to find that when the news of Richard Adler's passing at the age of 90 on June 21st started showing up on Twitter, news feeds and theatre sites, that many people hooked into them were wondering, "Who was Richard Adler?"  I am equally certain that when people found out he was half of the writing team that created  two classic musicals, Damn Yankees and The Pajama Game, many of them had one of those "ah-ha! moments."  But even after that, if you still had no idea who the man was, I bet you know at least one of his songs.

With his writing partner, Jerry Ross, Adler created music and lyrics for two back-to-back Tony-winning Best Musicals: 1955's The Pajama Game and 1956's Damn Yankees.  After Ross' death hewent on to write music and lyrics for just one show, the short-lived Kwamina, and the music for the even shorter-lived Music Is..., an adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, which he also co-produced.  Later, he was a producer of yet another flop, Rex and a 70's revival of The Pajama Game.

But it was his two Tony-winning shows that will be his greatest legacy.  Both shows have been revived in the last two decades and are perennials in regional, community and school theatres.  Four of his songs are a permanent part of the American Songbook and are constantly in pop culture:  "Heart" and "What Ever Lola Wants, Lola Gets" from Damn Yankees and "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway" from The Pajama Game. Even today, people of all ages could probably hum "Hernando's Hideaway" if prompted by a few notes.

Though I am not a big fan of The Pajama Game, I still thrill to "Steam Heat," and enjoy Bob Fosse's choreography of the number - funny, sassy and sinfully sexy - readily available from the PBS taping of  Fosse, which also includes a brief section of "The Blooper Ballet" and most of "Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, Mo." from Damn Yankees.  I am a much bigger fan of Yankees and find nearly every song a delight.  Who can sit still during "Who's Got the Pain?"  Or how about the smart lyrics of "Six Months Out of Every Year"?  The romantic and so simple it hurts "Near to You"?  And there is the amazing combination of book, music and lyrics of the courtroom scene in act two.



Still, it says so much about Adler's legacy that his two Latin-tinged tunes ("Hernando" and "Lola") are so much a part of American Pop culture that generations have heard it in revivals, variety shows, films and even commercials.  That "Whatever Lola Wants" still grabs the attention some 67 years since its debut speaks volumes, even if it is for a Diet Pepsi commercial.  (And it still retains its fun, sleek and sexy ways even in that context!)







I think it is pretty sweet that my 5 year old niece sings that song on cue and every time that commercial comes on.  When she's old enough, and when there is another revival of the classic, just maybe I'll get to take her and watch her eyes light up when that vamp starts.  By then, the song will likely be 75 years old or more, and another generation will fall in love with Lola, Joe and Applegate all over again.  What a great legacy.

Thank you for that, Mr. Adler.  Rest in peace.



Jeff3.294@jkstheatrescene (Twitter); jkstheatrescene@yahoo.com (email); Comment below (Blogger)

LAST-SECOND Golden Raspberry Award Predix

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Tomorrow, the 31st Annual Golden Raspberry Awards will take place. This jab at the worst of what the big screen has to offer has a stakes-all Worst Picture race. Tied with nine nominations apiece, are the two films at the Razzie leaderboard- The Last Airbender and Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Here is who A Man and His Awards' thinks will win tomorrow night.

WORST PICTURE:
The Bounty Hunter
The Last Airbender- WILL WIN
Sex and the City 2- SHOULD WIN
Twilight Saga: Eclipse- SHOULD WIN
Vampires Suck- UPSET PICK

COMMENTARY: Four of these five movies could win this (and all four of the movies I'm talking about are also up for Worst Remake, Sequel, or Prequel). It is safe to assume that "Airbender" takes it, because M. Night Shyamalan hasn't done a decent movie since "The Sixth Sense". "Eclipse", I am rooting for, because "New Moon" was snubbed in this category last year. "Vampires Suck" has a darkhorse shot, if an upset happens, "Sex and the City 2" would win in a New York minute, because the show should have stayed dead in the series finale, and now Sarah Jessica Parker wants to do "Sex and the City 3"? Just say no.

OTHER CATEGORIES:
Worst Actor- Robert Pattinson- Remember Me/Twilight Saga: Eclipse (WILL/SHOULD WIN)
Worst Actress- The "Four Gal Pals"- Sex and the City 2 (WILL WIN); Miley Cyrus- The Last Song (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Supporting Actor- Billy Ray Cyrus- The Spy Next Door (WILL WIN); Jackson Rathbone- The Last Airbender/Eclipse (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Supporting Actress- Liza Minnelli- Sex and the City 2 (WILL WIN); ANY of them (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Director- M. Night Shyamalan- The Last Airbender (WILL WIN); Michael Patrick King- Sex and the City 2 (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Screenplay- Sex and the City 2 (WILL WIN); The Last Airbender (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Remake/Sequel/etc.- Sex and the City 2 (WILL WIN); Twilight Saga: Eclipse (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Eye-Gauging Mis-Use of 3D- Cats and Dogs in 3-D (WILL WIN); The Last Airbender (SHOULD WIN)
Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble Cast- Twilight Saga: Eclipse (WILL WIN); The Last Airbender (SHOULD WIN)

Pre-Nominations for the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

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The Pre-Nominations for the soap opera acting categories for the 38th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were officially released by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (the one based out of New York), this morning.

For those who are foreign to how this works, this is the 9th year that the pre-nomination system was implemented, as it was inspired by former Young and the Restless Executive Producer David Shaughnessy in 2002. How it works is that after all of the soap opera actors decide where to submit, a vote is taken, and the top two vote-getters from each show get to represent the show in that category (Example: If Anthony Geary, Steve Burton, and Maurice Benard all submitted in the Lead Actor race for General Hospital, then a vote would take place to determine which of these two actors would represent General Hospital in the Lead Actor race for the Daytime Emmy nominations).

The nominations will be announced in May, with the ceremony taking place in Las Vegas on June 19.

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LEAD ACTOR:
(All My Children)
Ricky Paull Goldin as Jake Martin
Michael E. Knight as Tad Martin
(As the World Turns)
Jon Lindstrom as Craig Montgomery
Michael Park as Jack Snyder
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Don Diamont as Bill Spencer Jr.
Jack Wagner as Nick Marone
(Days of Our Lives)
Peter Reckell as Bo Brady
James Scott as E.J. DiMera
(General Hospital)
Maurice Benard as Sonny Corinthos
Steve Burton as Jason Morgan
(One Life to Live)
Jerry ver Dorn as Clint Buchanan
Robert S. Woods as Bo Buchanan
(The Young and the Restless)
Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott
Christian LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin


LEAD ACTRESS:
(All My Children)
Rebecca Budig as Greenlee Smythe
Alicia Minshew as Kendall Hart-Slater
Debbi Morgan as Dr. Angie Hubbard
(As the World Turns)
Maura West as Carly Tenney
Colleen Zenk as Barbara Ryan
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Susan Flannery as Stephanie Forrester
Katherine Kelly-Lang as Brooke Logan
(Days of Our Lives)
Kristian Alfonso as Hope Brady
Alison Sweeney as Sami Brady
(General Hospital)
Kelly Monaco as Sam McCall
Laura Wright as Carly Corinthos
(One Life to Live)
Kassie DePaiva as Blair Cramer
Gina Tognoni as Kelly Cramer
(The Young and the Restless)
Jeanne Cooper as Katherine Chancellor
Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Newman


SUPPORTING ACTOR:
(All My Children)
Cornelius Smith Jr. as Frankie Hubbard
Jacob Young as J.R. Chandler
(As the World Turns)
Trent Dawson as Henry Coleman
Eric Sheffer Stevens as Dr. Reid Oliver
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Patrick Duffy as Stephen Logan
Rick Hearst as Whip Jones
(Days of Our Lives)
Shawn Christian as Dr. Daniel Jonas
Jay Kenneth Johnson as Philip Kiriakis
(General Hospital)
Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer
Jason Thompson as Dr. Patrick Drake
(One Life to Live)
Brian Kerwin as Charlie Banks
Mark Lawson as Brody Lovett
(The Young and the Restless)
Doug Davidson as Paul Williams
Billy J. Miller as Billy Abbott


SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
(All My Children)
Melissa Claire Egan as Annie Lavery
Chrishell Stause as Amanda Martin
(As the World Turns)
Terri Conn as Katie Peretti
Lesli Kay as Molly Conlan
Julie Pinson as Janet Snyder
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Adrienne Frantz as Amber Moore
Heather Tom as Katie Logan Spencer
(Days of Our Lives)
Nadia Bjorlin as Chloe Lane
Arianne Zucker as Nicole DiMera
(General Hospital)
Julie Marie Berman as Lulu Spencer
Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis
(One Life to Live)
Robin Strasser as Dorian Cramer
Bree Williamson as Jessica Brennan
(The Young and the Restless)
Tricia Cast as Nina Webster
Amelia Heinle as Victoria Abbott
Elizabeth Hendrickson as Chloe Mitchell


YOUNGER ACTOR:
(All My Children)
Finn Wittrock as Damon Miller
(As the World Turns)
Mick Hazen as Parker Munson Snyder
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Scott Clifton as Liam Cooper/William Spencer III
Zack Conroy as Oliver Jones
(Days of Our Lives)
Casey Deidrick as Chad DiMera
Chandler Massey as Will Horton
(General Hospital)
Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos
Nathan Parsons as Ethan Lovett
(One Life to Live)
Edward Alderson as Matthew Buchanan
David A. Gregory as Robert Ford
(The Young and the Restless)
Opted not to submit in this category


YOUNGER ACTRESS:
(All My Children)
Brittany Allen as Marissa Chandler
Natalie Hall as Colby Chandler
(As the World Turns)
Opted not to submit in this category
(The Bold and the Beautiful)
Kimberly Matula as Hope Logan
Jacqueline McInnes-Wood as Steffy Forrester
(Days of Our Lives)
Molly Burnett as Melanie Layton
Shelley Hennig as Stephanie Johnson
(General Hospital)
Lexi Ainsworth as Kristina Davis
Haley Pullos as Molly Lansing-Davis
(One Life to Live)
Kristen Alderson as Starr Manning
Brittany Underwood as Langston Wilde
(The Young and the Restless)
Emily O'Brien as Jana Hawkes

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards- LIVE Reactions

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Just minutes away from Anne Hathaway and Best Actor nominee James Franco hosting the 83rd Annual Academy Awards from the Kodak Theater. Let's watch the Red Carpet pre-show.

8:12PM- About 17 Minutes Away; ABC's Robin Roberts is interviewing Best Actress nominee Nicole Kidman (wearing Christian Dior) with Keith Urban

8:13PM- Tim Gunn is interviewing Gwyneth Paltrow (wearing ??), who is performing "Coming Home" from Country Strong. Gwyneth wants to duet with Jay-Z, because he's a "Genius".

8:14PM- Robin is interviewing Best Supporting Actor nominee Christian Bale, the front-runner to win for "The Fighter". **15 Minutes Away**

8:18PM- One of next year's Razzie Nominees, perhaps- Matt Damon and Roger Sterling in "The Adjustment Bureau"...the ads have been played to death. Transformers 3 was introduced during the Super Bowl...yikes.

8:22PM- Robin Roberts interviews past Oscar and Tony host Hugh Jackman. Couldn't they have gotten him to host if both Anne and James suck?

8:23PM- James Franco is up for Best Actor. When was the last time an acting nominee hosted the Oscar ceremony?

8:23PM- Favorite Acceptance Speeches: Tom Hanks for Philadelphia (Best Actor) and Roberto Benigni for Life is Beautiful (Foreign Language Film)

8:24PM- Halle Berry is being interviewed wearing a Mark Hazel gown.

8:26PM- Robin Roberts interviews Tom Hanks, who is handing out the first award of the night.

8:32PM- James & Anne tell Leo DiCaprio that they will go into Alec Baldwin's dreams ("Inception")

8:33PM- James & Anne walk in and out of "The Social Network" and meet up with "The Fighter"

8:34PM- James (in a bear suit) & Anne now both have True Grit;

8:35PM- "The Naked Girl from 'Love and Other Drugs' and the guy from 'General Hospital' continute on through Alec Baldwin's dreams."

8:35PM- "News from the future- microphones get smaller."- Anne Hathaway (dressed up in 1930s attire)

8:36PM- In and out of dance rehearsal for "Black Swan" and now they meet up with Alec Baldwin; "A dream inside two other dreams, you just got Inception-ed."

8:37PM- James and Anne ride the Back to the Future car to get to the Academy Awards...and HERE THEY ARE! (applause, applause)

8:38PM- "Omigosh, you're all real."- Anne Hathaway (really, Anne, really?)

8:39PM- "It used to be, you get naked, you get nominated. But, not anymore."- Anne Hathaway
8:40PM- "Stand up straight. Steven Spielberg's here."- Anne Hathaway's mother

8:40PM- "I just saw Marky Mark."- James Franco's grandmother
8:41PM- "No, it's Academy Award nominee Mark Wahlberg."- Franco

8:41PM- "This has been a great year for lesbians in film."- Anne Hathaway; references to Black Swan (dancing lesbians), The Kids Are All Right and Toy Story 3 ("Where's the Dad?")

8:42PM- A look back at Gone With the Wind. Tom Hanks is presenting the first two awards of the night- Art Direction and Cinematography.

8:42PM- "Gone with the Wind was the first film to win for Best Picture, Cinematography, and Art Direction." Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, West Side Story, and Schindler's List, and most recently, Titanic also pulled this tri-fecta.

8:43PM- 3 Films are up for All three Awards; Up first, Nominees for Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter..., (the three films as Tom mentioned) Inception, The King's Speech, and True Grit.

8:44PM- The first Oscar of the Night goes to the team of Alice in Wonderland. Which officially means that this aforementioned tri-fecta WON'T HAPPEN AT ALL.

8:46PM- Nominees for Cinematography: Black Swan, Inception, The King's Speech, The Social Network, and True Grit.

8:47PM- The second Oscar of the Night of the night goes to Wally Pfister, for his Cinematography of Inception. Roger Deakins (the cinematographer for the Coens Brothers films) loses again.

8:48PM- Best Supporting Actress is coming up next...who will win? Jacki Weaver? Hailee Steinfeld? Amy Adams? Melissa Leo? Helena Bonham Carter?

8:51PM- 94 year-young Kirk Douglas comes to the stage in a standing ovation to present Best Supporting Actress.

8:53PM- Supporting Actress Nominees- Amy Adams (The Fighter), Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), and 14 year-old Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

8:55PM- "Colin Firth is not laughing. He's British."- Kirk Douglas

8:56PM- "I will never forget this moment. I've been nominated here three times, and I lost all three times. Everyone is still laughing."- Kirk Douglas

8:57PM- And the Oscar goes to...Melissa Leo for "The Fighter".

8:58PM- "Pinch me...is it mine?"- Melissa Leo; "You were much more beautiful that in 'The Fighter.'- Kirk Douglas; "You're much more good looking."- Melissa Leo (Leo and Douglas flirting with each other)

8:59PM- "Golly, I am so speechless...when I watched Kate two years ago, it was so ******** hard."- Melissa Leo

9:00PM- "Thank you Academy. It's about selling the motion pictures and doing the work. Thank you so much!"- Melissa Leo

9:01PM- "I thought 'F' stood for 'The Fighter'"- Anne Hathaway

9:02PM- Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake present the awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short; "I'm pretty sure they have an app for that."- Justin Timberlake

9:03PM- Can "Toy Story 3" be beat?

9:03PM- Animated Short Nominees: Day and Night, The Gruffalo, Let's Pollute, The Lost Thing, and Madagascar: Carnet de Voyage

9:04PM- The Oscar Goes to...The Lost Thing (Best Animated Short)

9:05PM- Animated Feature Nominees: How to Train a Dragon, The Illusionist, and Toy Story 3

9:06PM- The Oscar Goes for Best Animated Feature goes to...the REAL Best Picture of the Year- Toy Story 3. (the award goes to director Lee Unkrich, who is also up for Adapted Screenplay).

9:07PM- "The most awesome place on the planet to make movies."- Lee Unkrich (on Pixar, citing the Toy Story I creators)

9:08PM- Coming up, Original Screenplay. Who will win- The King's Speech? The Kids Are All Right? The Fighter? Inception? Another Year?

9:09PM- The last Oscar nominee to host was Paul Hogan in 1987 (Hogan was up for penning Crocodile Dundee). The last acting nominee to host was Jeff Bridges in 1985 (up for Starman). The only acting nominee to win was David Niven, who hosted the 1959 Academy Awards.

9:12PM- Back again. The first Oscar ceremony was hosted at the Roosevelt Hotel in 1928.

9:13PM- Josh Brolin and Best Actor nominee Javier Bardem (dressed in dapper white on white) present both Screenplay categories.

9:14PM- The Adapted Screenplay nominees: 127 Hours, The Social Network, Toy Story 3, True Grit, and Winter's Bone

9:14PM- The Oscar Goes To....Aaron Sorkin for "The Social Network"- Aaron's first Oscar win and nomination (he was SNUBBED for "A Few Good Men")

9:15PM- "It was impossible to win an award that Paddy Chayefsky won 35 years ago with the word 'Network' in it."- Aaron Sorkin

9:15PM- "I wrote this movie, but David Fincher directed this movie with an unsightful godliness."- Aaron Sorkin

9:16PM- music is getting harder ("Roxy Sorkin, your father just won the Academy Award, I expect to see some respect from your guinea pig."- Aaron Sorkin)

9:17PM- Original Screenplay Nominees- Another Year, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, and The King's Speech

9:18PM- And the Original Screenplay Oscar goes to...David Seidler for penning The King's Speech (all of them, hehe...)

9:18PM- "The Writer's Speech, this is terrifying. My father always said to me, I would always be a late bloomer. I believe I am the oldest person to win this Academy Award. I hope that record is broken quickly and often."- David Seidler, accepting his Oscar ("There are so many people and they are telling me to 'wrap up' now.") Seidler also acknowledges those who stutter.

9:20PM- Best Supporting Actor is up after the next break. Who will win? Geoffrey Rush? Mark Ruffalo? John Hawkes? Jeremy Renner? or Christian Bale?

9:24PM- Up now, Anne sings a parody of "On My Own" from Les Miserables.

9:25PM- James Franco dressed in drag. ("I just got a text message from Charlie Sheen."- James Franco)

9:26PM- Russell Brand and Dame Helen Mirren present Best Foreign Language Film.

9:26PM- The Nominees are: Biutiful (Mexico), Dogtooth (Greece), In a Better World (Denmark), Incendies (Canada), and Outside the Law (Algeria).

9:27PM- The Oscar goes to...In a Better World (Denmark), Susanna Bier, producer. This won the Golden Globe, and is Denmark's third Oscar win for Foreign Language Film.

9:28PM- "This is a real Oscar..."- Susanna Bier, accepting her Oscar

9:29PM- Academy Award-winner Reese Witherspoon presents Best Supporting Actor. The nominees are- Christian Bale, John Hawkes, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, and Geoffrey Rush. Is Bale beatable?

9:32PM- And the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor goes to...Christian Bale for The Fighter.

9:32PM- "Bloody hell, wow...what a room full of talented and inspirational people."- Christian Bale, accepting his Oscar

9:38PM- Tom Sherak: "I'm a Brooklyn boy, and I still root for the Dodgers."

9:39PM- Anne Sweeney, president of ABC-Disney and Academy President Tom Sherak announce the renewal of ABC and the Academy's "marriage" for the next nine Oscarcasts.

9:40PM- We go down under with two sexy Aussies, the lovely Nicole Kidman, and past Oscar host Hugh Jackman presenting the nominees for Original Score.

9:41PM- Mini-medley of Star Wars/ET/West Side Story.

9:42PM- The Best Original Score nominees are How to Train Your Dragon (John Powell- very loud and boistroius), The King's Speech (Alexandre Desplat- very pianic, and poetic), The Social Network (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross- very 9-inch-nails-ish), 127 Hours (A.R. Rahman- can he go 3-for-4?), and Inception (Hans Zimmer- he's won here before)?

9:43PM- And the Oscar goes to...The Social Network- Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame) and Atticus Ross

9:45PM- "I am six degrees of Kevin Bacon away from our next two presenters. Look it up on the Internet."- James Franco

9:46PM- Matthew McConaughey and Academy Award nominee Scarlett Johannson present the nominees for Sound Mixing, which are Inception, The King's Speech, Salt, The Social Network, and True Grit.

9:47PM- And the Oscar for Best Sound Mixing goes to...the team from Inception

9:48PM- The Nominees for Sound Editing are Inception, Toy Story 3, Tron Legacy, True Grit, and Unstoppable

9:49PM- The Oscar also goes to Inception.

9:53PM- Marisa Tomei presents what happened at the Scientific and Technical Awards.

9:55PM- Cate Blanchett presents Makeup and Costume Design Oscars.

9:56PM- The Makeup nominees are Barney's Version, The Way Back, and The Wolfman, which I believe are the lone nominations for these films. ("That's gross."- CB)

9:57PM- The Wolfman wins the Oscar for Best Makeup (Rick Baker and Dave Elsey, makeup artists)

9:58PM- "It was my ambition to lose an Oscar to Rick Baker one day, this is better."- Dave Elsey, accepting his award

9:58PM- Costume Nominees- Alice in Wonderland, I Am Love, The King's Speech, The Tempest, and True Grit

9:59PM- The Oscar goes to...Colleen Atwood for Alice in Wonderland (also won for Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha)

10:00PM- Colleen Atwood reads her speech verbatim. (she has great nylon gloves)

10:01PM- What is the Best Movie Song ever? "Lose Yourself"? "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp?" "Falling Slowly"? "Trolley Song"? "Footloose"? "The Time of My Life"? "My Heart Will Go On"? "Beauty and the Beast"? President Obama- "There are a lot of great songs, but if you go with one song, it's 'As Time Goes By'."

10:02PM- Kevin Spacey is on the stage..."Good evening, I'm George Clooney", saying lyrics from "Top Hat", introducing all four Best Original Song Nominees.

10:03PM- Randy Newman performs "We Belong" from Toy Story 3. Once the "Susan Lucci" of the Academy Awards, because of his repetitive defeats year-after-year, he finally won one in 2002 for "Monsters, Inc.".

10:04PM- Alan Menken (on the piano), Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi sing "I See the Light" from Tangled.

10:07PM- Commercial Break

10:12PM- Cute and wholesome Amy Adams and hunky Jake Gyllenhaal present the Oscar for Documentary Short Subject. Nominees are Killing in the Name, Poster Girl, Strangers No More, Sun Come Up, and The Warriors of Qiugang

10:13PM- The Oscar goes to...Strangers No More (Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon)

10:14PM- Amy & Jake also present Live Action Short, which the nominees are The Confession, The Crush, God of Love, Nawewe, and Wish 143

10:15PM- The Oscar goes to...God of Love (Luke Matheny)

10:16PM- Check those (Live Action Short) nominees out on ITunes.

10:17PM- "NYU, what's up?"- James Franco; "This was the year of the Movie Musical"- James Franco

10:18PM- A dubbed music video with highlighted clips from Harry Potter, Toy Story 3, The Social Network, and Razzie nominee Twilight: Eclipse.

10:19PM- Oprah Winfrey presents our next category, which is...Documentary Feature.

10:20PM- The Documentary Feature nominees are: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Gas Latin, Inside Job, Restrepo, and Waste Land

10:21PM- The Oscar goes to...Inside Job (Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs)

10:22PM- "In the three years since this recession began, NOT a single Wall Street exec has gone to prison, and that is WRONG."- Charles Ferguson, accepting the Oscar for "Inside Job"

10:23PM- Commercial Break

10:27PM- Jodie Dallas comes up to the stage. How many times has he hosted this shindig? "So, where was I?" "The producers asked me to tell you that this thing is running a little bit long, so the nominees for Best Picture are..."- Billy Crystal

10:28PM- "Bob Hope is what the Oscars should be, a really sexy movie star."; "Bob hosted the Oscars 18 times, I hosted it eight times, and was pooped after two."- Billy Crystal

10:29PM- A look back at the first nationally televised Oscar ceremony, back in 1953.

10:31PM- Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law present the nominees for Visual Effects.

10:32PM- The lucky nominees are Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter..., Hereafter, Inception, and Iron Man 2

10:33PM- The Oscar goes to...the team from Inception

10:34PM- The Film Editing nominees are Black Swan, The Fighter, The King's Speech, The Social Network, and 127 Hours

10:35PM- The Oscar goes to The Social Network

10:41PM- Back to the Show! More Best Original Song nominees (and the winner), with Best Supporting Actress winner (from 4 years ago) Jennifer Hudson

10:42PM- "If I Rise" from 127 Hours with Florence Welch (without her machine) and A.R. Rahman

10:44PM- The fourth and final nominee for Best Original Song is sung by Oscar winning actress, turned country singer Gwyneth Paltrow (a future quadruple crown winner?), singing "Coming Home" from Country Strong.

10:45PM- Who will win Best Original Song? Will it be, "We Belong"? "I See The Light"? "If I Rise"? or "Coming Home"? Find out...RIGHT NOW!

10:46PM- The Oscar for Best Original Song goes to..."We Belong" from Toy Story 3. This is Randy's 2nd Oscar in only a mere 20 nominations. His first Oscar nods were for "Ragtime", 29 years ago.

10:48PM- "My percentages aren't great. This is my 20th nomination, and this is only my second win."/ "It's not really good television to take a list out and thank people."/ "At the Oscar luncheon, they have a lunch special called 'Randy Newman Chicken'." / "I want to be good television." / "You can find a fifth song from someone." / "I thank you all for this. The Academy has been very kind to me, so has the Music Branch. Thank You Very Much."- Randy Newman, in his acceptance speech for Best Original Song for Toy Story 3

10:49PM- After the commercial break, the Memoriam segment, a tribute to those we lost

10:52PM- In Memoriam (sung by Celine Dion- Smile): John Barry (composer- The Lion in Winter, Born Free), Grant McCune, Tony Curtis (No relation, but actor- Some Like It Hot), Edward Limato, Tom Mankiewicz, Gloria Stuart (actress- Titanic), William Fraker, Joseph Strick, Lionel Jeffries, Salle Menke, Ronni Chasen, Leslie Nielsen (actor- Airplane & Naked Gun series), Robert Radhitz, Claude Chabrol, Pete Postlethwaite, Bill Littlejohn, Pierre Guffroy, Patricia Neal (actress- Hud), George Hickenlooper, Irving Ravetch, Robert Culp (actor- Bob and Carol and Ted and Alice), Bob Boyle, Mario Monicelli, Lynn Redgrave (actress- Georgy Girl), Elliott Kastner, Dede Allen (editor), Peter Yates, Anne Francis, Arthur Penn (producer/director- Bonnie and Clyde), Theroin Aldredge, Susannah York (actress- Tom Jones/They Shoot Horses, Don't They?), Ronald Neame, David Wolper (producer- Roots), Jill Clayburgh (actress- Pippin, An Unmarried Woman), Alan Hume, Irvin Kershner (producer- Star Wars), Dennis Hopper (actor/director- Easy Rider, Waterworld), Dino De Laurentiis, Blake Edwards (director- The Pink Panther), Kevin McCarthy, and Lena Horne

10:55PM- Now with a tribute to Lena Horne, Academy Award winner Halle Berry; she was the first black performer to sign a long-term movie contract in 1943

10:57PM- "It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it."- Lena Horne

10:57PM- Commercial Break. What's left? The final four...cue Europe- The Final Countdown.!!

11:01PM- Two-time Annette Bening victor Hilary Swank presents the trail blazer herself, Kathryn Bigelow, who will pass on the torch she blazed 357 days ago today.

11:02PM- The nominees for Best Director- Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, Tom Hooper, The Coen Brothers, and David Fincher

11:03PM- The Director's Guild curse continues! Tom Hooper wins the Oscar for Best Director for "The King's Speech"

11:03PM- "Triangle of 'man-love'- Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, and Me"- Tom Hooper

11:04PM- Hooper tells the tale of how Hooper landed "The King's Speech". Thanks, Tom Hooper's mom! "With this tonight, I honor you, and the moral of the story is, listen to your mother."- Tom Hooper

11:05PM- Annette Bening (about to lose for the fifth time) recaps the Governor's Awards, which celebrated Honorary Oscar winners Eli Wallach, Jean-Luc Godard, Kevin Brownlow, and Thalberg Lifetime Achievement Winner, Francis Ford Coppola. Wallach, Brownlow, and Coppola get a standing ovation.

11:09PM- Up next- Best Actor and Actress. Who will win? Colin Firth? Annette Bening? Jesse Eisenberg? Michelle Williams? Javier Bardem? Jennifer Lawrence? Defending champ Jeff Bridges? Nicole Kidman? Host James Franco? Natalie Portman? Will Bridges hand over the Best Actress Oscar to Portman? Find out...in just a few short seconds.

11:12PM- Last year's Best Actor champ Jeff Bridges presents the nominees for Best Actress in a Lead Role, who are Annette Bening, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, and Michelle Williams.

11:16PM- The Oscar goes to...(or Jeff Bridges hands the Oscar to)...surprise...not! Natalie Portman dances off to victory in Black Swan.

11:18PM- This is such a sweet speech that Natalie Portman is giving.

11:20PM- Last year's Best (and Worst) Actress Sandra Bullock is presenting the Best Actor Academy Award, which whom the nominees are Javier Bardem, Jeff Bridges , Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, and your host James Franco (or 4 J's and a C); "How much is enough?"- Sandra Bullock (on Jeff Bridges)

11:25PM- The Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role goes to...duh, Colin Firth for The King's Speech!

11:25PM- "I have a feeling that my career has just peaked."- Colin Firth, accepting his Oscar

11:28PM- "If you'll excuse me, I have some impulses to take care of backstage."- Colin Firth

11:31PM- No film with England's monarchy as the Lead/Central role has won the Best Picture Academy Award in the first 82 years. Will "The King's Speech" speak out loudly to claim the top prize, or will one of these nine films dethrone the king- 127 Hours? Toy Story 3? The Social Network? True Grit? The Kids Are All Right? Inception? The Fighter? Winter's Bone? Black Swan? Find out...right NOW from Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg.

11:32PM- The Nominees again for Best Picture are Black Swan, The Fighter, Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The King's Speech, 127 Hours, The Social Network, True Grit, Toy Story 3, and Winter's Bone. "The winner will join a list of movies that include On the Waterfront, Midnight Cowboy, The Godfather, and The Deer Hunter. The other nine movies will join a list of movies that include The Grapes of Wrath, Citizen Kane, The Graduate and Raging Bull."- Steven Spielberg

11:34PM- A lovely Best Picture montage with Colin Firth from "The King's Speech" and his "our darkest moment" monologue.

11:36PM- The final award of the night, the momentum has built to this, the Academy Award for Best Motion Picture goes to....The King's Speech! For the first time in 83 years, a film about England's monarchy wins the Best Picture Oscar. The King's Speech won 4 Oscars.

11:39PM- That's all she wrote...um, no. The chorus from P.S. 22 from Staten Island has a treat for us, the Best Original Song of 1939- "Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz.

11:42PM- Welp, that's all she wrote. The King's Speech and Inception are tied with four Oscar wins, the most for any film. True Grit got skunked, just one nomination away from tying The Turning Point and The Color Purple as the losingest film at the Oscars.

11:43PM- Jimmy Kimmel Live after the Oscars is on in about a half-hour, with Tom Hanks, last night's Worst Supporting Actress Razzie winner Jessica Alba, CeeLo Green, and a bunch of other celebs. So, I'm going to go get some things done, and I'll be back for the After-Oscars Special...

12:32AM- Jimmy Kimmel Live After-Oscars Special- "The Week in Censorship".

12:36AM- "Hottie Body Fit Club" sketch with Jimmy K (fitness guru), with Scarlett Johansson (and Minka Kelly, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, and Kelly Ripa and Eva Longoria), as they do a new version of Pilates. This makes "I'm (um, yeah) Matt Damon" look like it was 80 years ago. Also in this sketch- Emily Blunt, Sofia Vergara, and a computer generated Lion.

12:47AM- Tom Hanks is now on chatting with Jimmy Kimmel.

12:50AM- "Toy Story 3 was the Best Movie of the Year."- Tom Hanks (on Jimmy Kimmel's After Oscars Special)

1:03AM- Tom Hanks in a great skit mocking Beauty Pageants. (which Rhonda Howard wins, lol...) "Houston, Tom Hanks has a problem."- Ron Howard

1:22AM- What a great night. Complete Oscar wrap-up in the March BC Bulletin. Now, closing things out on Jimmy Kimmel's After-Oscars Special is CeeLo Green with "Bright Lights, Big City" from his album, The Ladykillers.