As the last notes of the not-remotely-accidentally-chosen “Fight the Power” fade from the closing credits of the 88th ACADEMY AWARDS telecast, 10 quick thoughts on the show and awards. 1.  Sometimes smart is all but indistinguishable from lucky, and that was the case for the Academy this year, which had chosen Chris Rock to […]

  It’s not hyperbole to say that the stakes are higher for tonight’s GOLDEN GLOBES than they’ve ever been before.  On the awards front, a full set of wide-open Oscar races means that most Globe winners will become instant Academy Awards favorites.  Meanwhile, on the broader level, the Globes will be Hollywood’s first major awards […]

> This year’s Academy Awards have so far engendered the kind of enthusiasm and excitement usually associated with a suburban DMV office on a Tuesday afternoon.  People seem to be sullenly resigned to the inevitability of THE ARTIST‘s victory, even though it would be unlikely to get anything like a majority of the Academy’s estimated […]

  The awards may be boring at tonight’s Oscars–Frances McDormand, Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney and Guillermo del Toro seem to be sure things–but the politics should be fascinating, as host Jimmy Kimmel and the show’s presenters and winners attempt to navigate a #TimesUp and still #OscarsSoWhite moment.  And no matter how predictable the […]

  In a Broadway season with seemingly just one overwhelming favorite (that would be Neil Patrick–wait for it–Harris), the Tony Award nominations were bound to have their share of omissions and oddities.  The full list of nominees is here, but these are some of the major categories and thoughts: Best Play ACT ONE ALL THE […]

  Verbal Kint once noted that that greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.  Just as impressively, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has accomplished the exact opposite:  against all evidence, its members have convinced a major television network, countless media outlets and millions of viewers that it does exist, […]

  Movie audiences can’t get enough of watching things blow up, and tonight’s ACADEMY AWARDS has the potential to explode before our very eyes.  Everyone knows the litany of what’s gone awry along the way, from the host/no-host mess, to the Most Popular Film Oscar that never was, to the foiled attempt to hold the […]

  Television as a medium seems to become more exciting and surprising practically every week these days, but one thing remains the same:  The EMMY AWARDS is still the weak, erratic sibling of the other major awards shows, even when the telecast itself is slickly packaged, as was mostly the case with tonight’s rendition from […]