Why I Am Not Going to See 'The Queen of Versailles'

... and what that has to do with “The Newsroom”

I’ve never caught the reality TV bug.

That’s not to say I am some NPR-listening, TV-eschewing, well-read, pop-culture adverse elitist snob, although I do listen to NPR. I just can’t watch a reality show without mentally scanning the room for “the biggest loser,” so to speak, and feeling that person’s pain. Heck, I can’t even watch the Olympics without thinking about the poor souls who didn’t make the team. I guess I’m just one of those “everyone should get a trophy” saps people hate nowadays.

"The Queen of Versailles"

There is one kind of reality show creation that I can join in public scorn on – I have no problem rolling my eyes at the people you love to hate. I’m just not very interested in watching them. So when my Twitter feed starting buzzing about this movie, “The Queen of Versailles,” the story of the fall of a billionaire and his ex-model bride and their quest to build the biggest house in the world, I immediately said “pass.” Don’t care if they go from collecting marble to Wal-Mart shopping sprees. Don’t care how engaging and funny they are. I don’t want to watch them lose everything. Why should I? We’ve been watching real-life people lose everything for three years now, and it stinks. And this desire to laugh at people we don’t know on purpose in movies and TV is one of the worst things about us.

And this reminded me of a recent episode of the HBO show “The Newsroom.” “The Newsroom” has been written about ad nauseam, and criticized for everything from its strategy of setting its story starting in 2010 to comment on recent real news events, to what some seem to see as writer Aaron Sorkin’s personal war on women.

"The Newsroom"

But what struck me in a recent relevant episode was how Sorkin dealt with the subject of reality TV, something that has become so ubiquitous in our culture we rarely even talk about it anymore.  The plot involved news anchor Will McAvoy’s distaste for it, and willingness to voice this distaste, even though it kept getting him in trouble. First he is horrified to learn a gossip columnist who he meets at the staff’s New Year’s Eve party is doing a “takedown piece” on a “Real Housewife”-type character for having a secret child. Then, on a date with a different woman, he is again shocked to discover his date dying for the details of this story he finds to be out-of-bounds. The date shrugs her interests off as a “guilty pleasure.”

And the fact that this bothers Will does seem old-fashioned. Still, we are out there, and many of us prefer watching dramas and comedies to reality shows. In my duties as an entertainment editor, I have had to follow pretty much every kind of reality program there is at this point – singing (“American Idol”), strategy (“Survivor”),  dating  (“Bachelorette”)  and ??? (“Big Brother”). 

And the only thing they are good for in my opinion are “30 Rock” parodies. I'll take “The Queen of Jordan" or "MILF Island" any day. 

Why the Lost finale did not "suck"

ABC image/ Jack and Vincent prepare for the end.

WARNING: I am going to talk about the end, because last night the show "Lost" ended. I think it's OK to do that.

Last night, while I was waiting for the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" special to start, I popped on Facebook and Fark.com to see what people were saying about the "Lost" finale. Overwhelmingly, one word was coming up again and again - "sucked." I won't get into why we can't be more eloquent in our criticism here, but I am here to tell you why it did not, in fact, suck.
This obsession with answers that cropped up in season six of "Lost," and became almost deafening the closer the finale got - I'll admit, I got a little caught up in it early in season 6.
The closer it got to the end, the more I reverted to my "Lost" mantra, I am along for the ride. And today I understand perfectly what they were doing.
The "Lost" finale was about closure, not answers.
As I watched people reunite, still wondering what was going to happen, I didn't even think about wasting time, or what made the island so special. Because who cares. In the end, the island was mystical and had electromagnetic energy and a lot science geeks got off on that, but what really kept us watching were Jack, Sawyer, Hurley, Sun, Jin, Locke, Ben, Charlie, Claire, Desmond, Sayid and Kate - well, maybe not so much Kate (although she was awfully good in the finale). It was the characters.
The last 15 minutes, I could not stop sobbing. I was sobbing as much about saying goodbye to the show as what was happening on screen. And the final image, although it now seems obvious, I never tried to figure out what it would be, and therefore it was a beautiful, perfectly appropriate coda.
You can say I'm thick for not figuring it out. I will tell you I got to experience it fully for not obsessing about being "first" for knowing what it would be.
And when you think about it, many of the answers were already there. I read a particularly annoying article the other day with "50 questions 'Lost' must answer!" - What was the Dharma Initiative? - seriously? A failed attempt at Utopia thwarted by a murderous Ben Linus. Next question? No wonder Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof did an interview with Wired magazine where they basically said "Lost" fans are toddlers always asking "why? why? why?"
I miss the characters already. Namaste.

Coming soon to a TV near you

The fall announcements are coming in -- "upfronts" to people in the biz -- and one of the quirkier offerings is the reboot of "Hawaii Five-O." It just seems to me that the ship may have sailed on this one. However, Daniel Dae Kim from "Lost" is in it, with Alex O'Loughlin from "Moonlight," Scott Caan of the "Ocean's Eleven" movies and Grace Park from "Battlestar Gallactica," so it could be good.

Here's the opening credits. This is a test of how you are, whether or not this makes you smile.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0i0ik3WO68

Dancing with the Stars - Buzz's ouster

In this ABC photo, Evan and Anna show how it's done.

No one can be shocked, and most must be a little relieved, that poor Buzz Aldrin's dancing was put out of its misery this week on "Dancing with the Stars."

His reasons for doing the show kind of said it all - he was doing it for fighter pilots, veterans, the space program, old people - but was any of that about dancing?
The 80-year-old was a charmer, no doubt - although his early constant flirting with dance partner Ashly kind of came off as "creepy old man" more than "grandfatherly."
This week, the rehearsal footage revealed a lot of drama in the couples, but not for Evan and Anna, who soared to the top of the leader board, and dazzled with their quickstep. Evan's broken toes did not affect his performance in the slightest.
Several of the other dancers pouted and bickered - some broke the rules, like Nicole and Derek, who may have given a show-stopping performance, but there is a week devoted to freestyle and this was not it. Some gave performances that were best described by the judges themselves, as "odd" and "hard to watch" - looking at you, Kate Gosselin.
Early concerns were Evan may just come off as too "boring" and "normal" for this glittery program. But this week certainly showed that being good at what you are supposed to do and following the rules holds its own benefits - a chance to move on to the next week.
So there are benefits to being the nice, good, hard-working guy after all. I for one hope it continues to work for Evan.
 

Dancing - Shannen's ouster

Shannen Doherty and partner Mark Ballas on Monday on "Dancing with the Stars." / AP photo

The internet is abuzz with speculation since Shannen Doherty's unexpected elimination last night on "Dancing with the Stars."
What it came down during the broadcast to was three surprises, two within the first minute of the show:

1) Buzz Aldrin was safe

2) Pam Anderson was in the bottom two

3) Kate Gosselin survived, and was not in the bottom two

I would not call Shannen's elimination that much of a surprise and will explain why here. Let's go point by point.

1) Buzz got sympathy votes. He clearly cannot dance, but he's a sweet old guy and people felt sorry for him. I would contend a better way to show him support would be to let him off the show - he does not know what he is doing - but he wants to be there, so I don't think I am right about that.

2) Think about this. Do we really think "Dancing with the Stars" demographic and Pam Anderson's fanbase are the same? Maybe we did before last night, but they are obviously not. I thought Pammie laid it on a little thick for both dances - but showed more talent in her foxtrot. The judges loved her both times. America's housewives didn't want to watch her exude her Pam Anderson-ness any more. If she's going to survive, she's going to need some Maxim readers, stat.

3) In this contest, we vote FOR someone, not against him or her. If the voting was against, I still think Kate and her tantrums and hair extensions would be out for sure, but there are some people out there who look at Jon with his Ed Hardy shirts and skanky girlfriends and think it's a wash, they're both awful - so it looks like she squeaked by for now. Plus, we love the drama. The tabloids wouldn't keep putting her on the cover if we weren't buying. Remember, "Jon and Kate" only became a real hit after their marriage hit the skids.

And that's what did Shannen in, too - drama, or more precisely, a lack of it. She and her partner were all smiles, she was doing it for her dad, she was crying and grateful - she was the anti-Kate. People made their choice. They voted off the woman who talked about her dad and got along with her partner, and kept the one who treated her partner like one of her kids and caused him to walk off at one point during the second episode (a first, host Tom Bergeron chirpily said).

If it's something different than that, prove me wrong.

Anybody else worried about Evan Lysacek about now?

Dancing with the Stars

My latest project is I have been following Olympic Gold medalist Evan Lysacek in his quest for the mirrorball on "Dancing with the Stars."

I have been Live Tweeting the episodes and they show up on this page on Monday and Tuesday nights. Also, I do a recap that runs in the Naperville Sun.

Here are the first two stories.

http://bit.ly/bz1AAJ http://bit.ly/9pc6e4

http://bit.ly/bz1AAJ

It's the Oscars!

I am tweeting the Oscars for work, so I will updating my blog here from time to time.

Why is Amanda Seyfried at the Oscars? Because she looks like a dress hanger. Can't wait until her 15 minutes are over.

Sandra Bullock looks like an Oscar herself. She says she's always pessimistic - she should have been a little more about "All About Steve."

Ryan Seacrest just told Tyler Perry that Mo'Nique "is here." No way, she showed up? Why would she do that?

As I struggle not to throw up during Red Carpet coverage (I've already switched from E! to the TV Guide Channel), quick quiz - who saw all 10 Best Picture nominees? Yes, I did and yes, I am showing off.

Oh my God! Antonio Banderas has a grey beard!

So far, people who should not be allowed at the Oscars: Melanie Griffith, Sarah Jessica Parker, Miley Cyrus, Rachel McAdams....

Kathryn Bigelow is a FOOT taller than Ryan Seacrest! Hilarious.

More people who don't belong: Jennifer Lopez, her husband Skeletor, Demi Moore (the white haired freak on E! only wants to talk these people)

Nice try at lurking, Clooney.

More people who don't belong: Keanu Reeves (whoa) - on the screen on E! at the same time as Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Nice.

More people who don't belong: Keanu Reeves (whoa) - on the screen on E! at the same time as Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner. Nice.

Robert Downey Jr. Siiigghhhhh.............. That is all.

I saw a trailer "Tron Legacy" today and it looks awesome. (Sorry, Jeff Bridges was just on)

Anybody else want to stab Guiliana and the white-haired guy on E! in the eye yet? SO glad it's almost 7!

It was funny to watch the opening montage on ABC and see if any of the couples were still together. I don't think a single one was.

The parade of WTF continues: Cameron Diaz, Jake Gyllenhaal and his dumb video game movie, Zac Efron...

There may be a divide between the movies I am looking forward to and the movies "America" is looking forward to. Hence these presenters.

It's NEIL PATRICK HARRIS! I am cheering! Is anyone else?

Oh, and look, there's that damn Helen Mirren. ... Steve, that's DAME Helen Mirren.

Oh, is it too late? My big prediction is Josh Larsen @larsenonfilm will not like the Oscar hosts and I will love them. Every year.

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds") That's an uber bingo! His speeches are weird, but at least he writes a speech.

Best animated feature: "Up" The people who work on animated films seem so much happier than regular people.

Best Song: "The Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham and T-Bone Burnett from "Crazy Heart"

This show is really moving along. Everyone is going to win their Oscar pool, the way this is going...

RDJ, what with the sunglasses?

Best Original Screenplay: Mark Boal "The Hurt Locker"

I love Mark Boal's story. Embedded reporter with an idea. It's the dream.

John Hughes tribute time. Matthew Broderick, cute story. I imagine he really does hear about Ferris every day.

I think the John Hughes character that I resemble most closely is Duckie. Think about which one you would be.

The animated short feature was actually pretty interesting. Perish the thought, learning something during the Oscars.

Animated short: "Logorama" Nicholas Schmerkin (which actually looks pretty cool)

Documentary short: "Music by Prudence" Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett

Live Action Short Film: "The New Tenants"

Ben Stiller's a Na'Vi! Ben Stiller's a Na'Vi! I really don't care what he does, I laughed the whole time anyway. DON'T TELL ME IT'S NOT FUNNY JOSH I DON'T CARE

These clips are reminding me of great moments from these films. Like "the parking lot" rabbi in "A Serious Man."

Best Makeup: "Star Trek" (I missed this earlier during Ben Stiller's silliness)

Adapted screenplay: Jeffrey Fletcher "Precious"

Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique "Precious" The second leas surprising award of the night.

Art Direction: "Avatar"

Costume design: "The Young Victoria." Quick poll: how much do you hate it when a winner points out "wow, I already have two of these." Esp. when you haven't heard of the person.

Come on, salute to horror films. We still have 2 sound awards, score, cinematography, documentary, editing, visual effects ...

Sound editing: "The Hurt Locker" Score one for Team Bigelow

Ha, look at this sound guy. He looks like someone from one of the horror movies.

Sound mixing: "The Hurt Locker"

So now we can forever say Academy Award nominated film "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." @larsenonfilm did say it had good sound.

Cinematography: "Avatar"

People with dead careers talking about dead people. How fitting.

WHY IS THERE DANCING? Interpretive dancing "The Hurt Locker"? I believe the young people call this a FAIL.

Some things are controversial, but I have never heard anyone say "you know what I love? The dancing."

Original score: "Up"

Visual effects: "Avatar" Well, duh.

If you have not seen these films, these clips are awfully revealing.

Best Documentary Feature: "The Cove"

That's right Tyler Perry, they will NEVER say your name at the Oscars.

Film Editing: "The Hurt Locker"

Best Foreign Language Film: "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" ("The Secrets in Their Eyes")

This Best Actor intro is eating up a lot of time.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges "Crazy Heart." If you ever wondered how many times you can say "man" during an Oscar acceptance speech and still sound cool, that was it.

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock ("the Blind Side") Sandra Bullock thanks her mom while her husband, the motorcycle man, cries. Ain't that America?

YEAH! Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow "The Hurt Locker." I wish her speech wasn't so dull.

Best Picture: "The Hurt Locker." I had a feeling about "the Hurt Locker" since I saw it in June. I've been pestering people to see it since then. it's just a great film. I don't want to say I told you so, but, well, I think I told you so. Good night, everybody.

I want to go to there

Hi Jon!

This week Jon Hamm hosted "Saturday Night Live" and proved something that I have been saying for a long time - "Saturday Night Live" can still be funny. It seems to all come down to the host these days.
The worst show this season, ironically, was hosted by January Jones, Hamm's co-star on "Mad Men," who proved she hadn't spent one second thinking about the gig since she said she'd host.
The best, like Hamm and Joseph Gordon Levitt, who used his monologue to perform an homage to the classic song "Make 'Em Laugh" from "Singin' in the Rain." Levitt indicated he started working on the bit as soon as he got the hosting job.
I could show you so many bits - and I suggest you look up the digital short "Sergio" and the sketch "New Senator." I will leave you with this, my personal favorite, featuring Hamm and musical guest Michael Buble as restaurateurs.

Extraordinary Measures and healthcare

Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser hash it out.

"97 percent of people will not have the courage to post this as their status update. Women are dying of breast cancer and this is wrong. For the 3 percent who post this, it is an important issue. Only 3 percent of people will have the courage to take this stand. If you are one of them, post this as your status update for an hour to pass it along."
Status updates like this are showing up on Facebook like wildfires. And like everything else about this ever-present social network, they have fans and detractors.
I read an article recently that summed it perfectly for me: slactivism. You post an update, but have you really "done" anything? Will any minds be changed because of what you had the "courage" to post?
My husband and I have further wryly noted to each other that these "controversial" statuses are rarely things that people would ever come out against. Really, do you know anyone who roots for cancer?
I would call "Extraordinary Measures" a slactivism movie. You go to it, feel good that you feel bad for those poor people, and go on with your life.
The problem was, I didn't have that reaction at all.
The film is competently acted - after all it features Harrison Ford, albeit in a completely made-up character in a "true story." But that's only part of the issue, as far as I am concerned. This is the first movie that made me not want to jump up and cheer, but jump up and poll the audience's political views.
The audience, besides my son and I (who was assigned the film for his freelance movie reviewing job), was composed entirely of elderly people. The film centers on a family with two children with a terrible genetic disease called Pompe disease. In simple terms, the disease chokes the body to death by enlarging organs to the point where the person cannot breathe. Persons afflicted do not live past childhood.
Treatment, as you can imagine, is quite expensive. The Crowleys manage because Mr. Crowley (Brendan Fraser) works at a pharmaceutical company (one of the more interesting, and actually true, elements of the story) at the beginning of the film. They meet an eccentric scientist (played by Harrison Ford) who may hold the key to curing their children.
At one point Aileen Crowley (played by Keri Russell) says plainly it costs $40,000 a month to care for the children. It was at this point I simply wanted to stop the film and start questioning the audience.
What if these people were poor and had no insurance? What if they were black or Hispanic? Would I hear sniffles then? Would you clap at the end then? What if they needed the government healthcare I have seen elderly people (granted, maybe not these exact elderly people, but maybe, who knows) on television screaming their heads off about?
It's no longer a nice Hollywood movie with well-behaved, pretty white children with means. What then?
I realize slacktivism is easier. You get your happy ending, and you can go home to Fox News. But I'm just asking questions. Isn't that what they do on Fox News, too?

Screen Actors Guild Awards

A bunch of people talk about being actors to introduce this show instead of Ricky Gervais fake (or real?) pissing everyone off. This seems to go over better.

Best male actor in a TV comedy series: Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock"). Don't they call lady actors actresses? Not any more! Larry David did not clap for him. Probably sick of him winning... Alec thanks the union, and reminds us all that negotiations are coming up. Oh swell. No more strikes!

Christoph Waltz and Diane Kruger introduce the first nominated film ensemble, "Inglourious Basterds." Nice dress, Diane.

Anna Paquin has boooobs and she wants you to see them.

Best female actor in a TV comedy series: Tina Fey ("30 Rock"). Why can't I have hair like that? She wanted to tell NBC that they are very happy. Cute.

There was a "Team America" clip in the funny moments montage. Did you see it?

Best TV comedy ensemble: "Glee." What is funny about people singing obviously lip-synced songs? Just askin'. (I personally laughed at every clip but theirs, did anyone else notice that too?)

The second nominated film ensemble is "Precious."

Best male actor in a film supporting role: Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds"). I see he remains committed to his "making the speech related to the event" with his convoluted Screen and Actor and Projectionist speech. Still, he's so sweet.

Felicity Huffman is screwing up again?! UNREAL! Alec Baldwin saves the day. Take that conservatives!

Best female actor in a drama TV series: Hollywood love them some Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife"). "My parents have been so supportive of every role ... well, except 'Snakes on a Plane'...."

Best male actor in a drama TV series: Michael C. Hall ("Dexter").

The third nominated film ensemble is "An Education."

Best ensemble performance in a TV drama: "Mad Men." It was nice to see "Mad Men" get something again!

Blah blah blah blah Ken Howard, no Haiti doesn't have anything to do with tonight, and George Clooney doesn't want any more attention for the telethon.

Sandra Bullock finds Betty White annoying. Here here! "She named four shows after herself - most people would give up after three ....." Wow, there was a time when Betty White was not really old. She has been around forever, hasn't she? Betty came up and the first thing she says about Sandra Bullock is "Isn't it wonderful to see how far a girl as plain as her can go?" Plus she has made at least three sex jokes in her speech, which is hilarious and more gracious than anything else tonight so far. She is 88!

Best female actor in a TV movie or miniseries: Drew Barrymore ("Grey Gardens"). Her entire speech may be composed of the word "um."

The fourth nominated film ensemble is "The Hurt Locker." Also, I think Jeremy Renner is wearing a velvet suit.

Best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries: Kevin Bacon ("Taking Chance"). The guy who helped Kevin learn how to act like a Marine is on his third tour of duty. No fun.

Sigourney Weaver got to do the death montage. So she's got that going for her.

Best female actor in a film supporting role: Mo'nique ("Precious"). She is getting more confident.

The fifth nominated film ensemble is "Nine." And after Mo'Nique's powerful speech, these skinny minis and their little dresses all look a little silly.

Best male actor in a film lead role: Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart"). I just saw this film and Bridges is very good in it, but I am getting a little worried about "Up in the Air" and "The Hurt Locker." These two films aren't getting the awards they deserve. "Bone turned me onto a great singing coach ... he does it over the phone ..." This guy is about 93% The Dude.

Please, for the love of God, keep Warren Beatty away from the actresses!

Best female actresses in a film lead role: Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side.") Wel, well, now she's beaten Meryl Streep. It is ON. I predicted this week that she would beat Meryl Streep at the Oscars this year. Mark My Words.

George Clooney said he was on "The Golden Girls" in 1986 and he thanked Betty White for her discretion.

Best ensemble cast is: Inglourious Basterds! What a shocker! I couldn't help but cheer, even though it was still a disappointment for "The Hurt Locker." Who doesn't love an underdog story? The cast of "Nine," maybe.

Lost meets 24

I found this on FARK.com. It's a 24-style real time video of the Lost plane crash a fan made from clips from various episodes. It is pretty well-done, and should leave you anxious for the premiere, which is in 12 more days.

Lost returns at 8 p.m. Feb. 2! See you there!

How can they not find 10 movies?

In honor of this blog post, which states that Motion Picture Acedemy members are struggling so hard to find 10 movies to name to the newly expanded Best Picture category some are considering Sam Raimi's "Drag Me To Hell," I have decided to release my top ten movies of the year.

The Academy does not send me free screeners. I am just your average movie-loving normal person. I actually go out and SEE movies, or rent them. And I managed to find 10 good enough to make a list! Imagine if I was invited to premieres and received them free in the mail! Get off your duffs, Academy members! Check these out, anyway...

These are in no particular order, after the first three... It's just too hard. And my criteria, which I learned from my friend Josh Larsen (check out his list here) is does this film make me feel something? Does it stay with me after I have left the theater?

1. The Hurt Locker: The first war movie to really engage me, about a bomb diffuser who can't quite tone it down at the end of the day. On the edge of my seat from start to finish.

2. (500) Days of Summer: Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschenal in a one-sided love story so real you'd swear they peeked in your windows. You may need a hug when it's over. Everybody's been through this.

3. Watchmen: Screw "The Dark Knight" (yeah, I said it). This film, based on a landmark graphic novel, gives us a peek at what the world might look like if there really were masked heroes. Who would want the job? Be careful what you wish for.

Inglorious Bastards: Quentin Tarantino's usual brand of insanity - this time contemplating a world where the Jews had defeated the Nazis. Audacious doesn't begin to cover it.

Up: Pixar never leaves home without the whole bag of tricks, but I would pay special attention to the way this film treats the lifetime love affair of Mr. and Mrs. Fredericksen. The short, silent montages of their relationship are more romantic and fulfilling than most of what passes for movie romances today.

Fantastic Mr. Fox: Simply the funniest, most surprising film to come from the mind of Wes Anderson (with some help from Roald Dahl). So light on its feet, and hysterically funny.

Up in the Air: You've heard it all, so I'll be brief. Watch the wedding scene and tell me that Jason Reitman is not on his way to becoming one of the great American film directors of the 2000s. Go ahead. I'll wait.

District 9: A sweet but bumbling civil servant (Sharlto Copley) walks into an alien slum known as District 9, and changes everything he and the world knows about these misunderstood "prawns." A dizzyingly original, thought-provoking picture, "District 9" will stay with long past its final heartbreaking image.

Where the Wild Things Are: Spike Jonze's underappreciated gem based on Maurice Sendak's classic book reflects the chaos of childhood and what it really means to be a wild thing at 9 years old. Does the fact that it connected with adults more than kids say more about them or about us?

Away We Go: As a vagabond young couple about to face parenthood, John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph give out-of-nowhere performances in Sam Mendes' funny, surprising journey about what a family is.

It's Golden Globes time again!

Tonight, Golden Globes night, it had the nerve to rain, and all the stars were very, very brave about walking around in it and not complaining too much. There should be special awards just for that.

The Red Carpet is done and it's time for the first big award show of the year - the Golden Globes! As the show begins, I am becoming increasingly aware of NBC's crappy lineup. No wonder I only turn it on on Thursdays.

Ricky Gervais immediately lit into Steve Carell, so the night is off to a good start.

First award of the night: Best Supporting Actress - film: Mo'Nique ("Precious")

Best Actress in a Comedy - television: Toni Collette ("United States of Tara"). Tina Fey losing to "Glee" chick, OK, (even though I don't watch "Glee"). This, oh, come on! NO ONE WATCHES THIS SHOW!

Best Supporting Actor - television: John Lithgow ("Dexter"). A little reality sinks in as Lithgow thanks Michael C. Hall, who recently announced he has cancer.

Paul McCartney introduces the Best Animated Feature Film category with some genuinely funny banter. "Up" wins.

Kate Hudson looks like a cake wreck. And even though her film ("Nine") is supposed to be terrible, why is it I still REALLY want to see it?

Oh Ricky, you are such a loveable brat. I love you, anyway. Good God, Felicity Huffman has gotten so much less cool since got on "Desperate Housewives," that now she can't even read?

Best Actor in a Drama - television: Michael C. Hall ("Dexter")

Best Actress in a Drama - television: Julianna Margulies ("The Good Wife")

Boy, how cheeseball does that "Extraordinary Measures" movie look? Does Harrison Ford need to get out of the house THAT badly? It looks like Lifetime movie, at best.

Let me get this straight. CHER thinks Ricky Gervais is being tacky. Okee dokee.

Best original song - motion picture: "The Weary Kind," T-Bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham

Best original score - motion picture: "Up," Michael Giacchino

Every time I see a Luke Wilson AT&T commercial, I am just so very sad for him. Is he supposed to be a movie actor? Also, I don't care how many times you say "The Marriage Ref" is produced by Jerry Seinfeld, it's still reality trash.

Best Miniseries: "Grey Gardens." This drove me nuts at the Emmys too. No one saw this! No one cares about the eccentric unknown relatives of the Kennedys.

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy - film: Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia") She looks really pretty tonight. She was really delightful as Julia Child, too.

Best Actor - miniseries: Kevin Bacon ("Taking Chance")

Best Actress - miniseries: Drew Barrymore ("Grey Gardens"). What a charmer.

Best Screenplay - motion picture: Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner ("Up in the Air"). What was the deal with that woman married to Ivan Reitman?

Best actor in a comedy or musical - television: Alec Baldwin ("30 Rock")

Best Foreign Film: "The White Ribbon"

Best drama series - television: "Mad Men." Peggy looks hot! This is a big award for so early in the night it seems.

OMG it's Taylor! TEAM JACOB!!! (That is for my niece Lauren) I could hardly love Joseph Gordon Levitt more. Isn't he adorable?

Best supporting actress - television: Chloe Sevigny ("Big Love") I do not like this woman. OMG Playtone?!? Did we know Tom Hanks produced this show?

Best supporting actor - film: Christoph Waltz ("Inglorious Basterds"). He seems like such a sweet, non-evil man.

I think Robert DeNiro just went off the teleprompter. It's during the part about Martin Scorsese having sex with film. Scorsese is being presented with the Cecil B. DeMille award.

Best director: James Cameron. Come on, say "Eywa has heard you!" He's kinda downplaying it. He is freaking speaking Na'vi though, which is so James Cameron! He'll never stop being James Cameron! His wife is a skeleton, by the way, yuck.

Best TV show: "Glee." OK, "Glee" is about the importance of arts education? That's like "The Office" being about Human Resource training. FAIL

Ah Mike Tyson, that loveable rapist! Maybe I'm the only one who remembers this...

Best Musical or Comedy - film: "The Hangover." Golden Globe-winning comedy "The Hangover." It was a really funny film.

Did Arnold just say "This is Avada"? What is Avada?

Ricky Gervais is afraid of Mickey Rourke!

Best Actress in a drama - film: Sandra Bullock ("The Blind Side"). She first took a swipe at Ricky Gervais for making a joke about the awards being bought off. It kind of made the rest of what she said sound a little less sincere.

Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical - film: Robert Downey Jr. ("Sherlock Holmes") "First I'd like to thank Susan Downey for telling me Matt Damon was going to win and not to bother to prepare a speech." I couldn't type fast enough, but look up his speech on youtube. My God, could I love him more?

Best Actor in Drama - film: Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart")

Best Drama - film: "Avatar" "Eywa has heard you!" Please say it this time! Just give it up for yourselves? Really, James? I think I'd rather you spoke Na'vi.

Ricky got some good shots in, although most of the people as expected, were not very good sports. I was a little surprised "Avatar" did as well as it did. It did not seem like an awards-y kind of film.
And I still wish James Cameron had said "Ewya has heard you."

The 'Lost' Supper

OK "Lost" fans, here we go. One month to go, and it's getting serious. I saw this done for "Battlestar Gallactica" too. Clearly Locke is the diety, but what else do we know? In the original Judas is on the left, and the reactions of the disciples are important. What does this tell us about the end of the series?

Let's speculate, Losties!

"Lost" returns at 8 p.m. Feb. 2 on ABC!

Do I have to remind you guys it's only a movie?

Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and Jake (Sam Worthington) in "Avatar."
It appears when you are James Cameron, there's only one way it's gonna go. Of course, the guy didn't help himself by declaring himself "The king of the world!" with an armful of awards when his last movie swept the 1998 Oscars. There's gonna be a backlash, and it's gonna happen before your movie even comes out.
Because of this kind of thing, I was a willing participant in the pre-release anti-"Avatar" bandwagon. After all, the first trailer didn't give us much of a clue as to what the film was about, and ended up bearing a more than casual resemblance to a dismal animated film called "Delgo." Check it out on Youtube sometime (it won't stay up here). It's eerie.
Then there was the hype itself. "The first fully animated characters ever featured in a live action film." Um, are you kidding? You're gonna hang your movie on a Jar Jar Binks? Good luck with that.
Fast forward to a couple months later, and the reviews started coming out. And they were good. My friend Josh Larsen at larsenonfilm.com gave it 3 and a half stars, and he was as skeptical as I was (check his review out here). An 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. The same on Metacritic. Big budget action movies by popular guys like James Cameron don't usually do this well. So pretty soon I was done making fun and fully in the "OK, I'm checking it out" crowd.
"Avatar" is an astonishingly rich film, one that needs to be experience in a theater. The visuals are gorgeous, and it must be said immediately, the Na'vi are not Jar Jar Binks. But there is much more to this film than pretty pictures, although they are beautiful. The story is better than average for a film like this, which is admirable. So often the plot gets lost with science fiction and fantasy. Clearly this film was a labor of love for Cameron, who wrote it and spent many years on it, and he should be proud. It was also nice to see something that Cameron has always featured in his films, strong female characters, in particular Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), the Na-vi heroine.
The story is a classic one about an indigenous population and what happens when it is found that they have something valuable on their land. And that's where my headline comes in.
In the past week I have read everything from this movie being an inexcusable example of white guilt to it anti-American. What it is, is a movie, and a good one, with a good story, fantastic visuals and a nice message.
Let's not get all riled up now. Let's just have a little fun.

FlashForward - an exercise in tedium

Bryce, back from Japan

This fall I was looking forward to three heavily hyped dramas - ABC's "V" and "FlashForward" and AMC's miniseries "The Prisoner."
All have been huge disappointments, but "FlashForward" has been the most frustrating, because at least "V" and "The Prisoner" had the decency to end - "V" until March, anyway.
If you have not seen "FlashForward" - first, good decision. It is about the consequences of a worldwide event in which virtually everyone blacks out for two and a half minutes and flashes forward to April 29. You would think a phenomena like this would be enough for plenty of drama - how did it happen? What are the ramifications of such an event? - but sadly, too often this show focuses on mundane daily events in the characters' lives in a maddening way, or takes stupifying leaps of logic.
"The Prisoner" and "V" suffered the same fate - one of having a wonderful premise (in the case of "The Prisoner" an excellent show had already been made) and botching it in mind-blowing ways. This column will focus on "FlashForward."
This plotline, from the Nov. 19 episode, is typical of this show's complete lack of continuity. A minor character from the show, Bryce (Zachary Knighton), was revealed to have cancer for the first time.
Never mind that the show has been airing for around two months now, and all everyone does is talk about what happened to them before and after their flashforwards, when they aren't whining about their relationships. The fact that millions died on that day and no one spends a second mourning any of them is only one of the many annoying things about this program that I now suspect is written by teenagers undergoing ADD treatment.
Anyway, back to Bryce. Though Bryce discussed his suicide attempt, which occurred during the blackout, extensively with his friend Olivia (Sofia Walger), he has never mentioned the cancer. Why? Who knows? Anyway, now it's all he talks about, so he suddenly becomes obsessed with finding this Japanese woman. We also see Japanese woman's story.
The Japanese woman's deal is basically this - she starts out as this brilliant engineer and her flashforward shows her with Bryce. He is obsessed with finding her because she is happy and pretty and it proves he is still alive on April 29 (the date of everyone's flashforwards). She doesn't care about finding him, only about getting away from her job, which turns out to be boring.
In one insufferable scene, he goes to Japan to find her because he finds out that her T-shirt reveals where she likes to eat, and it's a small restaurant, and meanwhile she decides to shake the dust off this Japanese life and flees to - wait for it - America.
Do these two idiots really deserve to find each other? This kind of stuff happens all the time on this show, where people seem to have lost all their sense during their blackouts.
By the end of the show we still haven't seen how they hook up in the flashforward. They haven't met. It would be typical of the show to just drop their storyline all together.
Another problem is the show has a wonderful cast - Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Sofia Walger and Dominic Monaghan from "Lost" - all charasmatic actors who are awful here. It's not their fault. They have nothing to work with almost all the time.
I bet you have figured out the most irritating thing of all. I am still watching.

I (heart) this boy

Joseph Gordon-Levitt...

... Makin' 'em laugh.

On a weekend that saw the world going cookoo for Cocoa Puffs for a bunch of pretty boys in "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," another boy captured my heart on "Saturday Night Live" by quite literally falling on his face.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, most recently of "(500) Days of Summer," went on "Saturday Night Live" and did a few things that you just cannot do if you want to escape my ardor.
First of all, he bounded out on that stage with so much enthusiasm, you might have just thought he was TRULY thrilled to be there. After the debacle that was the January Jones episode, just a week prior, it was like watching a different show. After saying the customary "I'm happy to be here" he proved it by admitting he's been contemplating a monologue since he found out he would be on the show two months ago.
What he decided on was a tribute to Donald O'Connor's number "Make 'em Laugh" from the classic 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain." He nailed the number, and it was unlike anything I've seen on "SNL" in some time. If you hit the link above, you can watch it, too, and I recommend you do.
After that, the episode became more like a normal episode, with good and bad points. The "Palin 2012" was an unfunny attempt to do a Palin book joke. Surely there was something better. Kenan Thompson's "What's Up With That" is quickly becoming a hilarious new segment. The digital short featured Kenan Thompson, who had convinced Andy Samberg he was Reba McEntire by putting on a red wig and doing nothing else, was pretty good. There was more singing than usual overall, which I like.
There are always going to be people who say "SNL" is done, and I'm sure opening with a number from a 60-year-old musical will do little to change that opinion. But I thought it was pretty gutsy.

It's like 'Mad Men,' with consequences

Where would Don Draper be without his drink and his smoke?

Last night I watched a movie which really got me thinking - "The Days of Wine and Roses." It was released in 1962, and stars Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick as a devoted married couple who also happen to be a devoted pair of alcoholics.
Watching it, I was struck again and again by how our culture downplays alcohol use and alcoholism.
Very few films deal so honestly with the horrors of alcoholism as this one. In one scene, Lemmon's Joe returns, drunk, from a party and shames Remick's Kirsten for no longer drinking with him. Kirsten, who is nursing their baby at the time, pleads that the doctor says it will get in her breast milk and Joe spits at her "you're going to lose your shape" and other cruel comments until she reluctantly drinks.
In another Joe is so desperate for a drink that he tears apart his father in law's greenhouse looking for a bottle he stashed there. As he whines, "he stole it, he stole it," it's hard to look at him, he is so pathetic.
I couldn't help but think of Betty Draper from "Mad Men," sitting there glamorously with her cigarette and glass of wine, pregnant and then with baby Gene, or Don, coolly sipping his scotch, never seeming to get very drunk. Sure, their characters are not supposed to be a full blown alcoholics, but the relationship with alcohol for the characters on "Mad Men" is almost played for laughs on the show, and this movie takes place at the exact same era. It's almost as if 40 years of culture enlightenment have left us more in the dark as to how to deal with alcoholism.
Freddy Rumsen, the one character on "Mad Men" who was singled out as having an alcohol problem, was played off as a joke. Meanwhile, the other characters clearly use alcohol to hide from their problems, especially Betty, who drank to excess constantly while pregnant this season, and it is not addressed at all. Was it really that normal? In the film, Joe was fired from his job, and he and Kirsten lost everything because of their alcoholism.
I love "Mad Men," but it's clearly supposed to be a cool show. And whether we like to admit it or not, we certainly live in a culture that treats adults who don't drink as weirdos. I'm just raising a question.

My name is Wendy and I like "Modern Family"

A TV family that doesn't make you wince, ABC's "Modern Family."

It's about time I came out and admitted something that I have been keeping from even my best friends - I LOVE the new ABC comedy "Modern Family."
It doesn't look like my kind of show. It's traditional family sitcom, although blessedly laugh-track free. And even when I saw the promotional pictures in Entertainment Weekly, I made a face. It looked like the typical family sitcom stacked with smart-ass kids, cynical parents who hated each other. Plus it stars Ed O'Neill. You know. "Married with Children"? Ugh.
"Modern Family" is not that. It started showing up on all the TV critics lists as one of the top shows of the year, so I thought I'd check it out, and it turns out, it's my favorite new show of the year.
And best of all, it's popular! I can't tell you how many times I love a new show, and it's the first one to get canceled. It took years before anyone else I knew was watching "Mad Men" except my husband, so I am used to being alone on these things. But this show is being written and talked about all the time. And it's damn funny. My whole family watches and enjoys this show. And here's why:
1) It's not just funny, it's sweet. But it's really funny. Although we have a debate about clueless dad Phil (played by Ty Burrell) nearly every week, he is the best character on the show. His idea of keeping up with the times is understanding that LOL means laugh out loud, and then adds WTF means "why the face."
2) It's loaded with TV veterans who have deserved a better show. Julie Bowen (most recently of "Lost" in a small part as Jack's wife), Jesse Tyler Ferguson of CBS' "The Class," Sofia Vergara of ABC's "The Knights of Prosperity," as well as Burrell of FOX's "Back to You", and it could even be argued O'Neill, who recently told EW this was the first show he was in where when people said "I love your show" he was actually proud instead of wanting to reply "really? Why?"
3) It's one of the rare shows that I like that doesn't require a lot of thought or attention, but it's still worth watching, and I even look forward to it. Like "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "The Simpsons," "The Office," "How I Met Your Mother" and "30 Rock," it's one of a number of half-hour comedies that I tune into weekly and truly enjoy. Take that, those who insist the sitcom is dead. And unlike "FlashForward" and "V," two of the most overhyped shows of the year, this show is delivering, every time. I'd love it if you checked it out - because I said so.

'A Christmas Carol' wants you to know it's time to start buying stuff

Jim Carrey looks mad!

I went to see "A Christmas Carol" in 3D today and I am shocked to report it is not the worst movie ever. My son does mini-reviews for the local paper so I went in with him, my other son and their friend, who all were excited, with as much enthusiasm as I usually approach root canals and mammograms.
This movie had a lot going against it. First, is it based on a beloved tale which has already had several - not one but SEVERAL - distinctive definitive movie versions made of it already. It also features director Robert Zemeckis' latest attempt to force that creepy "realistic" animation on everyone, which manages to make people look like dead-eyed robots.
Why anyone has embraced these films is beyond me, but his previous movies featuring this technique, "The Polar Express" and "Beowulf," did well enough I guess. "Polar" was a big hit anyway. When "Beowulf" did not connect, I guess they decided, stick with Christmas. People like Christmas.
The movie is too dull for too long, but it takes a sudden and bizarre turn while Scrooge is talking to the Ghost of Christmas Present. It starts to get kind of weird, and this is where it becomes an interesting adaptation. Even the grotesqueness of the animation is useful here, as things we have seen and read again and again, like the servants picking over Scrooge's clothes, take on a new life.
Sadly, it doesn't last long, and then it's back to boredom. The Cratchits in particular suffer from from the terrible animation, which takes all the heart out of the exchanges between the parents (some of the best dialogue in the story).
It's sad when the very best thing about the moviegoing experience is the trailer to Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland," which will also be in 3D. Now, THAT made me gasp.