OK, I know this mini-review of the big night is a couple of days too late, but I gotta say that, surprisingly, Hugh Jackman did not totally suck as host of the Oscars. The opening number was actually pretty funny and he tried his damnedest to keep a very bloated telecast light and lively, but, any w...

You know, everyone gets all excited about the Oscars every year, but really, isn’t it all just so boring? Once again, the show confirmed that it’s fairly easy to pick all the winners months in advance, with even our own Grand Poobah Neil Miller scoring a perfect 100% in the office pool (...

Tom Shales has spoken -- last night's Oscar broadcast was yet another in a long line of duds. But in between the new main show (the red carpet) and the army of awards handed to "Slumdog Millionaire," a few moments of grace stood out. Hugh Jackman & Anne Hathaway We expected a song and dance routine ...

The Indie Spirits award show on the Santa Monica beach, the day before the Big Show, is my favorite awards event. It's relaxed, convivial. Everyone hangs out outside for an hour or so before the lunchtime ceremony gets under way. Slumdog Millionaire wasn't up for any awards (eligible for foreign, it...

They say that when playing a sport it’s harder to go completely defeated than it is to go undefeated. The NFL in 2007 saw the Patriots go 16-0 during the regular season for the first time ever. One year later, the Detroit Lions went an unbelievable 0-16, another NFL first. And 2009 will be rem...

Just as Nostradamus predicted, this year’s Grammy Awards were as boring and fast-forwardable as usual, but there was one live performance that truly rocked our world. You guessed it…our boys from Radiohead did it again. Not only did Thom Yorke and company take home two awards (one for Be...

Milk scripter Dustin Lance Black, 34, tearfully accepted the Writers Guild Award for best original screenplay for Milk Saturday night by calling up the ghost of slain San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, the man who inspired Black when he moved to the Bay Area from San Antonio, Texas as a closeted ...

Despite the popular notion that all things Pixar must win all awards animation, the 36th Annual Annie Awards were dominated this year by Dreamworks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda, leaving cute little robot Wall-E out in the cold. And it wasn’t just the “Best Animated Feature” awar...

Came home from Slamdance with a wicked cold, so, forgive me ahead of time if I don’t over-analyze this year’s Oscar nominees. It’s not that I’m not excited about them — because there are some really cool movies in the running this year –but having slept on the cou...

The Oscar nominations are in and The Dark Knight did not make it to best picture. The Reader landed the slot instead, also scoring noms for Stephen Daldry for best director (over The Dark Knight's Chris Nolan), David Hare for adapted screenplay and Kate Winslet (instead of Revolutionary Road). The D...