Not much going on today.

How 'bout some Otis?

"Try A Little Tenderness"/Peter Bjorn and John




Meal of Links

Eddie Murphy WILL host the Oscars. Fuck skewing younger, bring on the funny.

Hitch on 9/11.

States with the most uninsured people. Rick Perry's Texas has the most with 27.2%. Mitt Romney's Massachusetts has the least at 5.3%. Yet, Romney still backs away from it.

Robert Duvall still gives great interviews. His views on show business are always refreshing.

Exercise Yard

3-D TVs just aren't selling. So much so, that ESPN may shut down ESPN 3-D. Probably ahead of its time, but with not much programming, added expenses like 3-D goggles and a shitty economy, what do you expect?

Visitor

36 Down: "Star Wars" mastermind (5 letters) Answer: Lucas

Last night was my first try at attending the Cleveland Oktoberfest . OK, I'll say it. I didn't have any German food. It was too warm to even think about having a pigout session. I just stuck with the beer at this sauna. Hofbrau's Oktoberfest Beer being a really keen brew. Beer was relatively cheap here. If you stayed away from promotional cups and all, the German beers were $5 and I think Buds were only $4 for a draft pounder. You cannot beat the carny food, as I had a gyro. Overall, a nice gastric experience.

The crowd showed up despite the heat, however. There seemed to be an unusual attraction from the human glockenspiel activity. These people would come out every hour on the hour. Do a little German dancing and then throw stuff to the audience. It sorta reminded me of the lines at the Food Show where people would stand in them for a lengthy time, just because something was free. The items tossed were mainly beads, but I think there were other trinkets and t-shirts were also distributed. I didn't really get this attraction, but it seemed to be very popular, so I won't quibble too much.

The Cleveland Pops Orchestra was scheduled to appear there during this evening's rain. Even with the shower, let's hope more people observed that than the clock.

Meal of Links

One of the great things about Harry Shearer is he tracks the Olympic movement. Well, lookee here. The no-fly zone in London next summer may bankrupt firms. You know, small companies like flight schools.

Not that I've watched it in years. And it's hard to believe that Channel 8 always used to cancel US Open Tennis coverage because of it. But it will be strange to see the MDA Telethon proceed without Jerry Lewis. Such an odd breakup.

How a cinema saved a town. Kind of a neat story.

Economy class is getting better. Apparently on airlines I don't frequent.

An R who left the cult. That's why even an off-year election is important.

Somehow this guy is always overlooked when it comes to hosting the Oscars. How about Eddie Murphy?

Another Ed Gein tribute. This time, it's "Ed Gein, The Musical". I am laughing so hard, I could barely type that.

Exercise Yard

The Cubs may stop serving Old Style at Wrigley field. That's a shame. However, even Giant Eagle has such a wide selection of beer these days, these old brands are bound to suffer.

Having said that, I'm off to finish a Modelo.

Visitor

None, on a cloudy Sunday.

Need to put a hold on that Saint Tressel Statue. As Jim Tressel resigned this morning.

This whole scandal started with something I thought would be his doom. That is, knowingly playing ineligible players. The NCAA looks the other way on some things and completely ignores others, but that's not something they are going to let slide. With the Ray Small comments burning up sports talk for another two days this past week, it became obvious this would be what OSU would deal with until they met with investigators in August.

They have no distractions of spring football or actual games. So any comments by former players or, heaven forbid, any hint of further allegations was going to muddy the waters the next two months.

SI has the goods.

Meal of Links

I'm convinced it's part of a viral campaign. But if there were any doubts about David Fincher being capable of handling "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo", this alleged trailer solves that. Shaky camera at beginning and end. Trent Reznor/Karen O. "Immigrant Song" "The Feel Bad Movie Of Christmas". Book it now.

"The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" Trailer



Is it too early to talk about the Oscars? Clearly, nothing released stateside yet is a contender. "Tree Of Life" is here this month, so that'll signal the start.

First it was IFC. Now it's PBS. Commercials during programs. BTW, last night I stumbled across "Wedding Crashers" on TBS, I think. "Jesus Christ" was dubbed in for "Cheese and rice.". So, Isla Fisher is hitting Vince Vaughan and he is yelling, "Cheese and rice!" multiple times. Amazing.

Patriot Act. It's still here. Debate in the house lasted all of 30 minutes.

The economics of barbecue. Eastern NC BBQ great. Western NC BBQ tragic.

Exercise Yard

Swansea beats Reading and joins the Premier League. The first Welsh side to make it.

Visitor

49 Across: Slurpee seller (11 letters) Answer: Seven-Eleven

How did Charlie Sheen get on Twitter so fast?

Sheen. Lunatic or marketing genius?

Who said it? Sheen or Gaddafi?































Meal of Links

An old interview with the Unknown Comic. What brought that up? You'll see.

The day that movies died? Do you realize there will be a movie called "Stretch Armstrong"?

The New York Daily News has dropped an entire page of comics. They had the balls to drop "Marmaduke".

Hey, it's Saint Tressel reading The Cat In The Hat. Or doing a Buck Henry imitation.

Let's go for a ride...(go full screen)

Downhill



Jeff Probst on the death of soap operas.

Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem kissed at the Oscars. That's why we had that long shot of Penelope Cruz on ABC. they didn't show it.

After shoveling a lot last Friday, I stumbled upon "The Cable Guy". Didn't like it when it came out and I still don't like it. But the new DVD is out now, and Judd Apatow talks about it. And other things.

Palin, once more, does not understand the first amendment. Where are your forefathers now?

Exercise Yard

Bob Probert had CTE. CTE's profile is growing with each of these brain donations by athletes.

Visitor

56 Across: "The Gong Show" regular with a paper bag on his head, with "the" (12 letters) Answer: Unknown Comic (I know this is Tuesday's, but, come on, it's the Unknown Comic)

Oscar Recap:

What was that disaster of a show I just finished watching? I actually thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway would do a nice job hosting. But Franco seemed to say "Fuck it!" around 9:00 and then Anne became the "Whoo Girl". After every intro, there was a "Whoo!" from Hathaway.

Next year's host needs to be either:

Charlie Sheen: "Yes, I'm on a drug and it's called Charlie Sheen." -OR-

Kirk Douglas and Eli Wallach. Kirk leers at the babes while Eli does his bird whistles from "Wall Street 2".

OK, so the Oscars get two young hosts and then beat us over the head with old stuff? Good grief, we had two presenters present a presenter. Hilary Swank (whose career might be dead)-Kathryn Bigelow and Billy Crystal-Bob Hope (who's really dead). My God, we had a "Gone With The Wind" clip.

Tom Hanks has fallen so far down the acting ladder, he is presenting the first awards.

Can you believe Roger Deakins lost for Cinematography? Again? Oscar Scoreboard: "Alice In Wonderland" 2, Roger Deakins 0. "The Wolfman" 1, Roger Deakins 0. I believe "True Grit" had the second most nominations ever, not to have a win. The guy who beat him, Wally Pfister, used to do Skinemax movies. Good God.

Melissa Leo, in her typical rambling speech, dropped an F-bomb, caught by the 7-second delay. And I think she hit on Kirk Douglas, her presenter. If Dick Clark makes you cringe, make sure you catch Kirk's act these days. Painful. I guess since Jack wasn't around, they needed Kirk as the Old Hollywood connection. And it was only the 83rd Oscars, not some special anniversary. Anyhow, Melissa was seen singing, "Somewhere Over The Fucking Rainbow" at the end of the show with PS 22.

Did anyone notice the Best Animated Short was won by a Short man?

Why did Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin wear the same white tux? They presented the Adapted Screenplay award to Aaron Sorkin, as I said, the bone for "The Social Network". BTW, after each Facebook joke, Jesse Eisenberg reacts as if he's really Mark Zuckerberg. And I knew the Original Screenplay would go to "The King's Speech". Unfortunately, the writer David Seidler stuttered as a kid and is apparently blind now as he asked, "Where's the mic?"

Hugh Jackman is sitting next to Halle Berry. Or Wolverine is sitting next to Storm. The bit about Jackman not wanting to sing with Hathaway. Was it a bit? I mean, if that needs to be explained, its humor was engulfed by the uncomfortable.

Russell Brand is a presenter on my Oscars. Get the fuck outta town!

Christian Bale and his beard won! Be sure you go to www.dickekland.com for boxing tips. Did he forget his wife's name there or crack? Hard to say.

ABC has the Oscar telecast through 2020. I hope Kirk Douglas is on.

Cleveland Oscar Scoreboard: Trent Reznor, 1. Bob Hope, 0.

I'm surprised that Matthew McConaughey had a shirt on. because it looked like he and Scarlett Johannson just had sex. Now every time I see McConaughey, I keep hearing him say, "Beef. It's what's for dinner."

Marisa Tomei gave out the Techie awards this year. This segment gets shorter each passing year.

Cate Blanchett with a godawful dress. Rick Baker wins for Makeup for "The Wolfman". Oscar Scoreboard: Rick Baker 7, Roger Deakins 0. Baker just lets his partner do most of the acceptance speech now.

Kevin Spacey introduces some Best Song nominees.

"Inside Job" wins for Best Doc. The only political statement of the evening follows that not one financial executive has gone to jail. That's after Oprah was kinda loitering by the mic.

As I predicted, "God of Love" won Best Live Short. The filmmaker also starred in the movie. He was a modern-day Cupid. He also thanked Delaware.

Robert Downey, Jr. allows Jude Law to increase his profile at his expense. Not sure what that was.

Jennifer Hudson intros the final Best Song noms and has trouble reading them. Weight Watchers is like a reverse "The King's Speech". I think I just saw Fake Dido and Indian Sting do a song. Then Gwyneth Paltrow does not do "Melissa Leo You", but a song from the Jim Thome biopic, "Country Strong". Randy Newman wins! He is now 2-for-20. Best speech of the evening. Randy Newman Chicken! Last time he won, he said, "I don't want your pity." Did you notice Newman is like Dale Jr., who doesn't have to thank anyone, like his sponsors.

I leave the room and the Dead People Scroll comes on unannounced. Jeezy creezy, Celine Dion is singing, so we can't hear who the cool kids were that everyone applauds. Leslie Neilsen in his umpire gear smiling. I am beyond happy the Dennis Hopper clip was from "Blue Velvet". Apparently, Lena Horne was the most important person to die last year. Or was this year's nod to diversity death. Not sure which. But it allowed Halle Berry to tear up and look vulnerable.

Tom Hooper virtually guarantees an almost sweep for "The King's Speech" by getting Best Director. He also directed "The Damned United", my soccer movie from 2009.

Jeff Bridges presents Best Actress to Natalie Portman. There is a guy sitting behind Portman that looks like Alan Colmes. On stage, she sends a shoutout to Luc Besson! Yes!

Sandra Bullock, on orders from her therapist, does return to give the Best Actor statue to Colin Firth. Y-y-ya-yawn. Then Sandy goes looking for McConaughey.

The Best Picture Oscar goes to "The King's Speech".

As PS 22 comes out to sing the closer, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow", all of the winners come back on stage. Hathaway starts high-fiving all the kids and I realize I can never go bowling with her.

It looks like Billy Crystal makes an appearance tomorrow on the Oscars for the heavy lifting. James Franco and Anne Hathaway have already said they are not there to judge anyone, which makes one wonder why they didn't get Crystal in the first place.

Oscar Predictions

After having seen virtually all of the nominees, here are the choices for the Oscars. I think it is unusually clear cut this year.

Best Picture: "The King's Speech"

In October, there was no doubt "The Social Network" had taken the lead. Up to that point, only "Inception" seemed Oscar-worthy. "Toy Story 3", as well, but that'll never happen. But "The King's Speech" was the only film I saw last year where people applauded when it finished. OK, I applauded at the end of "Marmaduke" for different reasons. I went in with zero expectations on "The King's Speech" and was taken aback by how good it was.

Best Actor: Colin Firth in "The King's Speech"

Here's your lifetime achievement winner this year. Firth has been nominated a few times. Tough for older Oscar voters. Jesse Eisenberg talks way too fast and Firth stutters.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman in "Black Swan"

Portman even took the Independent Spirit Award and should be considered a shoo-in. And I predict it will be at least 10 years before she gets nominated again. She makes some really odd acting choices. My vote would have gone to Michelle Williams.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale in "The Fighter"

Bale, as ever, absolutely leaps off the screen. Again. I'd watch him in virtually anything.

Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter in "The King's Speech"

Probably the toughest one to pick, but Carter is still the standout here, because Melissa Leo was so over the top in "The Fighter" which led to her Golden Globe and SAG wins. This one usually goes early and if Carter wins, "The King's Speech" will sweep.

Others:

Roger Deakins should win for Cinematography for "True Grit".

"Toy Story 3" gets Best Animated Film.

Tom Hooper should get the Best Director nod for "The King's Speech".

All the doc buzz lately has gone to Banksy. He'll win for "Exit Through The Gift Shop".

I saw the Live Short Films today and "God of Love", about a modern-day Cupid, was my favorite. "Na Wewe" will probably win though.

"The Social Network" gets a bone tossed to it, as Aaron Sorkin gets Best Adapted Screenplay. This consolation prize takes place a lot. "Sideways" and "Pulp Fiction" come to mind.

David Seidler will pick up the Best Original Screenplay for "The King's Speech".

Nate Silver gets in on the action.

This guy from Time is doing the 24-hour AMC Oscar Marathon. That would have been ideal here on Friday with all the snow.

Meal of Links

Hate talking on the phone? Here's why.

The economics of "Two And A Half Men". $250 million is in the balance if the show does not return next year. Obviously, a new show makes up some of that, but...

Libyans



I like it when a movie goes above the norm with its title sequences. IFC has its Top 50. Yes, Lola is still running. "Snatch" is in here. "Reservoir Dogs", of course. "Bullitt" gets some love. "Catch Me If You Can" is a classic throwback. "Warriors" with its montage of gangs almost made the top 10. Can't go wrong with any of the top 10.

Exercise Yard

Cleveland State won today and was determined to be a tri-champion of the Horizon League. Didn't matter as Milwaukee and Butler both won and are now seeded through to the league tournament semis. The Detroit loss on the road after the Butler home loss was probably the killer, although losing at home to Milwaukee didn't help. The road to March Madness just got a whole lot tougher, as CSU needs 4 conference tourney wins to advance.

CSU beats Green Bay, 64-57. Should have been over early, as Green Bay only shot 19% in the first half.

Visitor

11 Down: Goldfinger portrayer Frobe (4 letters) Answer: Gert

Well, they said the airport got 8.9 inches of snow today and I firmly believe it. Because I shoveled it for a long period of time today. I had the plow come by twice today. The first time was the small deposit, as usual, at the end of the drive.

The second time? Yikes! It was as if the guy wanted to get to the exact measure of the curbside. I can't recall a dumping well up the driveway like that. I saw it up the street where he had not earlier because of a parked car and man, it just poured over the sides like a tsunami.

All we can do now is wait for the flooding.

Meal of Links

The Cavs made some interesting moves before the NBA trade deadline. But has the NBA become the EPL? There are parallels.

This may be why the App Store and Google Apps beat RIM's App World. It is a difficult process to become a developer.

50 ads starring Oscar winners. F. Murray Abraham and Richard Dreyfuss as tough New Yorkers. Dustin Hoffman for VW! George Clooney in a rather obvious Nespresso ad. Al Pacino likes coffee.

A look back at the movie version "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". Johnny Depp is perfect as Hunter S. Thompson. I thought the scene where Depp is thrashing away with the fly swatter was genius.

Ken Jennings is still talking about Watson. Trebek was not happy.

Sympathizing with both Chuck Lorre and Charlie Sheen. I expect Charlie to visit just about every radio show in existence.

Americans is stupid. Only 52% think the healthcare reform act is the law of the land. 22% of our idiots think it has been repealed.

Would you pay a congestion fee at the supermarket. If it gets you ahead at Disney, why not the Iggle?

What is the real Best Picture? I think my last pre-Oscar task is the Live Shorts on PPV.

Kathleen Parker finally leaves "Parker Spitzer". I happened to catch a snippet of a program earlier this week and it was uncomfortable to watch. Spitzer asked multiple questions of Libyan experts while Parker sat there calmly, adding nothing to the proceedings. This continued when Spitzer even took the audience to the commercial break, which I thought Parker would do, to remind people she was still there. Unwatchable.

Exercise Yard

While the owners and the NFLPA are still meeting with the mediator, what to do about that schedule? Should it be 18 games or go back to 16 game in 18 weeks?

I think we are on track for the Super Bowl to become a Presidents Day Weekend tradition. Which would supplant Black Thanksgiving and the already-moved Daytona 500.

Visitor

19 Across: Danish poker star Gus (6 letters) Answer: Hansen

Hey, what's this. The Seattle Times editorializes the legalization of marijuana. This is the new casino money. Ohio should not ignore that fact. Get real and start taxing the damn stuff. And think of the job creation.

Meal of Links

Be sure to look for the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers at the Oscars. John Hawkes swears a lot, too.

The Scott Walker Prank Call. Yep, it happened.

The Best GIFs from the Oscar nominees. I think "The Fighter" is the best one.

More Awards. This time it's Mr. Skin.

Exercise Yard

Now we know all about Tim Horton's deathly car accident. He was drunk.

Visitor

17 Across: Country singer with the 1961 hit "Crazy" (10 letters) Answer: Patsy Cline

"Crazy"/Patsy Cline

We had some crime in the hood last night. Some brave soul went up and down everyone's driveway, looking for easy marks. Yes, I was one, as I left my car unlocked after chipping off a whole bunch of ice Monday, thinking last night's mix was going to be a nuisance. I suffered an incredibly minor loss. My neighbor, ouch. He got nicked bad.

Meal of Links

Memories...the 5 most dangerous cars. Of course, the Pinto was Number 1.

With St. Patrick's Day nearing, it's Shamrock Shake time. Here is your Shamrock Shake Locater.

If you stumble upon it, I guarantee you'll get some laughs. The world of Adult Swim.

Always had a thing for Judy Greer. So, here you go.

What you will see on the Oscar telecast. What really bothers me is when they basically show the trailer for nominated films. Why not pick the best scene, like they used to?

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Renting. Not a bad idea anymore.

Some people go ga-ga for their Oscar parties. Especially their food selections. "127 Hours", I guess, provides stumpy foods?

Palin with an old trick. The second online identity! Amen.

Exercise Yard

Norris Cole gets some ESPN love. He is clearly the best player CSU has had in the last 20 years, surpassing J'Nathan Bullock.

If the Gary Waters Era truly takes off, I look for Cole's number to eventually be retired.

Visitor

24 Across: Jazz guitarist Montgomery (3 letters) Answer: Wes

I'm thinking that NBC move to all comedy on Thursdays is not working. It tied an all-time ratings low for them this week. Hey, I'm watching "Archer" at 10, I can't tell you what NBC has on that time.



Meal of Links

Hal Needham is still around. Now, he's written a book. There was a time when his outtakes were better than his movies.

Oscars through the years. It's smaller than a bowling pin.

The Cars have a new single. Yes, The Cars! Is it just me or does this sound like Devo?

"Blue Tip"/The Cars



Congress can try and neuter Planned Parenthood. But don't touch military sponsorships in NASCAR.

In case you did not know, we are in the midst of "Black Thanksgiving". Enjoy.

Chicago elects their next mayor soon. In three days, if there is no runoff.

Exercise Yard

It is BracketBusters weekend, and for the first time in a long while, the matchups are pretty good. Cleveland State has a massive game at Old Dominion tomorrow. I'm still thinking no at-large bid from the Horizon League, but a win at Norfolk at least muddies the picture in that regard.

Looking ahead to your March Madness pool...do not sleep on George Mason.

Visitor

34 Across: Lonely guy in 60-Down (15 letters) Answer: Maytag Repairman

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday. And, for the most part, I think they got it right. I was a bit surprised of the love for "The Fighter". I did not think it was Best Picture-worthy, thus eliminating David O. Russell out of the Best Director category. But they both made it, unbelievably leaving out Christopher Nolan for "Inception".

Also, Amy Adams must now be the 21st century's Meryl Streep. She was good in "The Fighter" and for once, didn't play a nun. That somehow got her a nomination.

For me, the best nomination was the brother of Kenny Fuckin' Powers, John Hawkes, who was nominated for "Winter's Bone". Not onscreen that much, and I thought it would kill his chances, but he was one tough hombre in that role and deserved the nomination.

Other than that, I thought it was ludicrous to think "The Town" would get any nominations outside of Jeremy Renner. And it didn't get any other major consideration.

And the documentary nominations differed from the DGA list quite a bit. "Inside Job" and "Restrepo" made both lists. But Oscar went with "Gasland", which aired on HBO over the summer, "Waste Land", about a landfill in Brazil, and "Exit Through The Gift Shop" which if it wins, how do we know the real Banksy picks up the award? That's why the DGA didn't go for it. "Client 9", "Last Train Home" and "Waiting For Superman" were the other DGA nominations.

Where to see all this stuff? Crocker Park is the place to be this weekend as many of the nominated films and actors are out there. Even Franco, Kidman and Michelle Williams. Meanwhile, I'm psyched and will be there for "The Mechanic" with Jason Statham. The Capitol has the Oscar Short Films starting Feb. 11.

You can also catch these films on Time Warner On-Demand:

"Inception"
"The Kids Are All Right"
"The Town"
"Toy Story 3"
"Winter's Bone"

Turner starts 31 Days of Oscar on February 1.

Meal of Links

Leave it to Hitch. "The King's Speech" contains some untruths.

Yep. He's my congressman.

You don't hear much about Charley Pride these days. But he was big.

It's the last column for The Miminalist. Oh, Bittman will stay with the New York Times, but he'll be doing other things.

America's Top 10 New Sandwiches. I want the Crispy Drunken Sandwich immediately.

Marriott bids adieu to porn. I guess people are bringing their own.

I don't know what it is. But I wouldn't put my lips on it.

The Old Spice Guy returns.

Taco Bell. It ain't all beef.

You do realize there is a May 2 GOP debate? No one has declared yet. What if no one shows up?

I will be watching this series. Simply beacuse I was the only one in the theater to get the Stirling Moss reference in "The Crying Game".

Exercise Yard

Since I have tickets to March Madness this year, I am intrigued by the most recent Bracketology. Both CBS and ESPN have agreed.

If Ohio State and Pitt maintain how they're playing and both get No. 1 seeds, they will play here. That means we will see a No. 1 seed in both sessions on Friday and probably see them both again on Sunday. Not bad.

Visitor

17 Across: Diana Prince's alter ego (11 letters) Answer: Wonder Woman

The bowl season has finally ended. Let me say this, I don't know how professional gamblers do it. Here I am, in this pool for the bowls, and I found myself watching more post-season NCAA football than ever. Yes, that was me watching the Kraft Hunger Bowl late on Sunday, pleading with Boston College to score in a 20-10 game, as I was getting 9.5 points. They obliged with a late, barely-made field goal to make it 20-13.

BTW, I have to go back to Christmas Eve and blame Tulsa for my avid interest this year. While driving home late after dinner, I had the Hawaii Bowl on the radio, lamenting the fact that Hawaii was getting killed. Two days later, I realized I had picked Tulsa over Hawaii and that gave me a 5-2 start. Somehow, that signalled to me that it was "Game on".

So, the Kraft Hunger Bowl allowed me to be in the running for not even first, but second place in the pool. That shows how crazy it was. All for a tie for second place, but with a cash prize. I had Oregon getting 3.5 points, and expecting a track meet, I had 81 points in the Tie-Breaker to win second place. As soon as I heard this from Kirk Herbstreit on Oregon's first drive: "Oregon is running a formation they have not used all year...", I knew I was cooked. That said to me that Oregon didn't feel they could beat Auburn using their prolific offense, so they had to try and outsmart Auburn. Hence, new plays, trick plays, any new look to confuse the opposition. I shut it off at 11:00, knowing my point total would not be reached. Not even close. So, I guess I'm happy Oregon covered, but it didn't mean anything to me.

However, I may have stumbled upon the proper betting technique. In this pool, you pick all 35 bowls ahead of time. That means any spreads that change, coaches that get fired, and other items don't matter. By December 17th, you have to look into the crystal ball and make your picks for all the games. I did and out of the 35 bowl games, I was 25-10 against the spread. Maybe I should bet events three weeks out from here on. OK, I spent maybe 20 minutes on the whole process, but still, I was awfully prescient this season.

And my interest really picked up on New Year's Day. That was really the make or break day for me, as I had kinda stumbled between the holidays. And I had a good New Year's, picking 5 of the 6 games correctly. After the early non-cover of Texas Tech over Northwestern on 1/1, I had the next 12 games in a row right, to put me back in contention.

So, what did I learn?

Virtually every team that scored first ended up winning. If you fell behind early, you were cooked. As a matter of fact, I think the only comebacks from a significant margin were Florida International over Toledo (17 points) and Louisville over Southern Miss (14 points). I had both Florida International and Southern Miss and they beat the spread.

Bad beats?

The late interception return by Iowa over Missouri cost me.

The salute after a TD by the Kansas State receiver against Syracuse. Missed the subsequent 2-pointer, which may have led to an overtime win.

Northwestern had a late interception return against Texas Tech.

Worst games (Blowout Division)?

Mississippi State 52, Michigan 14.

Alabama 49, Michigan State 7.

Troy 48, Ohio 21.

Worst game (Non-Blowout Division)?

Central Florida 10, Georgia 6.

Total misreads?

Did not see these wins at all: Illinois over Baylor, Washington over Nebraska, Maryland over East Carolina.

Late steals?

By far, the late Florida Pick-6 against Penn State with 55 seconds left. That was the only way I could win that one. Florida giving 7.5 and up by 6. It was either Penn State scoring or, if not, Florida running out the clock.

Wisconsin, getting 3.5, and scoring a TD with 2 minutes left against TCU to make it 21-19. They blow the conversion, TCU runs out the clock, OT is avoided, spread is beat.

Meal of Links

It may be getting near the end for Borders Looks like it's another Circuit City.

This will make you think. Or cry.

Seattle superhero gets "Kick-Assed". Unbelievably funny.

Peter Yates died the other day. "Bullitt" is still one of my all-timers. The scene where Steve McQueen's Mustang first appears in the bad guys rear-view mirror, and obviously the subsequent chase, is a classic. There should be a tribute on Turner. If there is, "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" needs to be included. Absolutely loved that one.

DVR alert. First, I'm gonna try the boxing series on FX. "Lights Out" premieres tonight. Tomorrow, "The Dude Abides" is on PBS. And if you have to ask who The Dude is, well...Thursday, Michel Gondry directs "Jimmy Kimmel Live".

A look back at the Ravishing one. Rick Rude.

Diet Myths. From the "Eat This, Not That" dude.

Jenny McCarthy and vaccines. Again.

Here he is. Johnny Paycheck, Job Shover. That one song clearly obscures his greatness.

ABC gives the Oscars more red carpet treatment, up to 90 minutes this year. Hopefully, better hosts!

Palin's missed opportunity. Seems she'll lay low for a while.

Exercise Yard

Michigan signed Brady Hoke as its new coach. Probably not a bad choice. He comes Lloyd Carr-approved and for a defensive coach, he surprisingly has had some prolific offenses.

He had Nate Davis at Ball State, and if you watched the bowls like I did, San Diego State had a fun offense to watch. Can easily see him improving the team immediately.

Visitor

43 Across: Actor Neeson (4 letters) Answer: Liam

On the Sixth Day of Christmas

It shocked me a few weeks ago when I heard a Pogues song used on a commercial. The times they are a changin'. But "Fairytale of New York" is the most unconventional one that gets some play around the holidays. I really enjoy this one as Shane and Kirsty do a bangup job on it. Plus you get Matt Dillon as a cop.

"Fairytale of New York"/The Pogues with Kirsty McColl



My brother and I went to the Cavs game tonight. We are streak breakers. The Cavs definitely took advantage of the Knicks having two tough games with the Celtics and the Heat and won in overtime, 109-102. Anderson Varejao proving to be the star of the game with 14 points and 17rebounds.

The Knicks could not shoot straight in the second half and the Cavs somehow scraped enough points to get this one. It appeared to be Tsingtao Beer Night, as the Tsingtao Girls danced at halftime. Yes, they were showing their Tsingtaos. I assume they sell that beer there, but I got a Bud Light from the Beer Guy.

Meal of Links

How to find better answers online. Google alternatives, that is.

Here is the easiest path to an Oscar for a woman. It's scientifically-approved.

Pitchfork has the top tracks of 2010. Well, you can't go anywhere without hearing "POWER" by Kanye West.

Best new beers. The Goose Island one with the 13% ABV looks outstanding.

DADT was repealed. Joe Lieberman deserves credit and how about President Obama who could have kicked him to the curb 2 years ago. And Voinovich was a yes. Maybe they should name a bridge after him. But this is the Senate and they are actually doing things this week? Too bad the DREAM Act went down. Next, it's the START treaty.

Turner gets it right with their Blake Edwards tribute. These are the essentials.

Remember when they turned off Niagara Falls? We have proof.

Exercise Yard

In the first of two big Cleveland basketball games today, Cleveland State visited West Virginia. They lost, 74-63. If they had won, they would have been ranked, as they would have remained unbeaten.

So, in typical fashion, the fans who may have whispered about them, perhaps be intrigued by them, maybe see them in person, will now be distracted by other things. And the crowds will remain small and then everyone will wake up when they have a shot at March Madness.

Visitor

9 Down: Plastic ___ Band (3 letters) Answer: Ono

My brother and I attended the Cleveland State-Robert Morris game last night at the Bart. Kind of an odd weekday start at 6:00. Strange beforehand, but nice to get home early.

The Vikings may be on to something here. For they managed only two baskets in the final 14 minutes and were still able to win, Because they had a 22-point margin at one time. That got frittered away late down to 2, but they survived. Mainly it was the attempt to pound the ball inside, without any concerted effort to break down the Robert Morris zone.

So, the Vikings find themselves unbeaten at 8-0, the first Division I team to win 8. Defense is carrying the day, as the opponents have a FG percentage of .369. That's a Georgetown-in-their-heyday kind of stat. The RPI is at 20. The mid-major rank is 5.

League play starts this week in Wisconsin and it's traditionally the toughest road swing for Cleveland State. If they can somehow win 2 games, we can start to have a discussion of a league title. Especially since Butler has fallen out of the rankings for the first time in memory. But CSU has not won since 1999 in Milwaukee and 2006 in Green Bay.

Meal of Links

Home stretch for "Terriers" tomorrow. I actually wrote an e-mail to save the damn thing. It was a proud Tiger Beat moment for me. BTW, "Archer" returns on FX on January 27.

Michael Douglas talks about his health. Seems to be on an uptick presently.

The funeral aftermath of Pat Burns did not go so well. His widow was robbed. They even took his wallet.

How to sleep. Currently, I have been getting into some really deep REM action.

Nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards are out. Looks like "Winter's Bone" is one to watch for Oscar, already picking up some Gotham awards. It's on PPV, I'll get to it this week. BTW, Kenny Fuckin' Powers brother is up for Best Actor in it.

Anne Hathaway and James Franco to host the Oscars. Great idea! Not so fast, my friend.

Getting further along in Nashville. Today, it's Brad Paisley.

Barry Sanders Goodness



Even Pravda hates Palin.

Exercise Yard

Adrian Wojnarowski has written another anti-LeBron column. Always fun to catch up with these. (Hat tip to Paul)

So, LeBron scores what, 50 on Thursday?

Visitor

46 Down: White House family (6 letters) Answer: Obamas

I hustled after work to get over to Cinemark to fit in a screening of "Knight and Day" before the NBA Draft. This is the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz flick that opened yesterday. I thought the trailer was hideous, but since I won't be in line for "Twilight" next week, I'd thought I'd see this.

Actually, it wasn't bad. I can't really put my finger on why this is doomed to fail, but I can get close. The scenes that were meant to be funny, should have delivered more laughs than they did. And some of them were actually funny. But I don't know if the humor just sailed over everyone's heads or why it seemed to not consistently connect with the audience.

This was really a Cruise/Diaz vehicle, who probably shared 96% of the screen time. Paul Dano had a nice, small support role. Viola Davis and Peter Sarsgaard were basically wasted. Saw some new trailers today. Of course, "Inception" is getting a big push and I've seen this one for a while. But I saw the "Salt" trailer with Jolie. That looks promising. Those two are July releases.

Also saw the "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" sequel. And a first time for "The Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. And "Secretariat", as well. The first two are due in September, while the latter is an October release. There was one for the kiddies, "Rio", which said it is an Easter release. I'm assuming Easter 2011.

Meal of Links

Is it too hot to cook? Read this.

The Polaroid auction set some records. Including the Warhols.

Venezuela seized some US-owned oil rigs. The state-owned oil company wasn't paying the bills.

Will the Oscars move to January? Probably not. But, one argument, the Oscar bump, is a fallacy.

Sarah Palin is toxic. 52% react negatively if she endorses a candidate.

If you trust BP, listen up. Kevin Costner's water cleaning machine works.

Exercise Yard
































The World Cup lost another major soccer power as Italy failed to make the round of 16. It's setting up as a weird Quarterfinal as the matchups are dictating a couple of more will be gone by then.

The shift in power seems to be favoring South America, Asia and even CONCACAF (the US region) this time around.

BTW, here come the Mexicans.

Visitor

37 Across: "Annie" classic (15 letters) Answer: It's the hard knock

"Hard Knock Life"/Jay-Z

It's that annual night of celebrating the movie industry, while also affording everyone the opportunity to stab each other in the back. Yes, it's Oscar Night. Checked in on the Red Carpet Show on ABC, and I can only describe it as godawful. Terrible hosts (chick from "The View" who doesn't believe in dinosaurs, Kathy Ireland, etc.) and they could only find the editor of EW as host? Can't believe I would ever say I miss Chris Connolly.

And, so it begins...

The Hosts

This year's hosts were a duo, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. First time for Baldwin and third time for Martin. If you watch this every year as I do, you notice that, outside of the opening monologue, the role is actually reduced from what it was, even a few years ago. They rely on a disembodied voice to take us through most of the presenters, especially in the last 90 minutes, and that voice takes us in and out of any commercial breaks.

When Baldwin and Martin appeared at the end for goodbyes, you almost forgot they actually hosted the program.

One other thing. It's gone full circle. "The Oscar goes to..." has been replaced by the soul-crushing "And the winner is..." once more. See, it's for the kids. There are winners AND losers. Especially in Hollywood.

The Commercials

Before I start with the recap, a word on Oscar commercials.

The "Family Matters" commercial on their family party with Oscar Charades was outstanding.

How do women feel about buying birth control named after Carl Yastrzemski? That would be like men buying Ruth Buzzi condoms, I would think.

What was going on with Cervical Cancer? It's a perfume? It smells? WTF?

Cottonelle. Roll over. Not funny, old tired routine. But nice tie-in with much of the crap we've been exposed to this evening.

The Show

All of the Best Actor and Actress nominees appear on stage at the start to get their applause. They line up alphabetically, so it starts with Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock and ends up with Meryl Streep. Kudos to who thought of that.

Then we are ready for our hosts, but wait. That's Neil Patrick Harris music. As he sang, "What's he doing here?". Well, he is opening the Oscars with a song and dance to the tune of "No one wants to do it alone". For some reason, Melanie Griffith gets a screenshot during this segment. She is alive.

Steve Martin, wearing glasses, and Alec Baldwin descend from high above the stage and assume the position they will remain in all night. Did you notice? Martin had his hands clasped at all times and Baldwin let his arms hang uncomfortably at his side all evening.

Many, many jokes. Annual one about Meryl Streep losing. "Most losses".

Nice jab at "Last Station". Someone may need to poke Christopher Plummer at times. He's old.

"Invictus" joke: "About rugby and tension between blacks and whites."

Damn, corrected to, Dame Helen Mirren. "What's up with the Hitler memorabilia?"

The cast of "Precious" appears to be in a seating section provided by Southwest Airlines. Martin says he and the nominee both starred in their first film as a "poor black child".

For James Cameron, they both put on 3-D glasses. Nice touch.

I think Woody Harrelson got only a few screenshots all night, the lowest for any nominee. "He's so high." was uttered by Baldwin.

George Clooney is staring again. Like a guy who had to pay for parking, when he couldn't find a parking meter.

Kathryn Bigelow looks great for a 58-year old chick. "Gift basket with a timer" was what she sent to ex-husband Cameron, while "he got her a Toyota."

They said a Jewish joke, so (as Oscar usually does) they show one of the Coens.

Sandra Bullock looks over-makeupfied.

First presenter of the evening is Agnes Mishkin. No, it's Penelope Cruz. No, Penelope, no! Don't do it! No! Aw, she started speaking. She is there to deliver the Best Supporting Actor award. Of course, it goes to Christoph Waltz, as it should have. I think he gave that same speech at the Golden Globes and has since refined it.

Ryan Reynolds intros "The Blind Side". There are 10 Best Film Nominees. Get used to this adding time.

Steve Carrell and Cameron Diaz are out next for Best Animated feature. "When you are as beautiful as Cameron and I...". The joke here is that Steve is replacing Jude Law as presenter. No one gets it. "Up" wins. And Ed Asner, the main voice in the film, seems to be in the Bob Uecker row.

Time to mention two things here. First of all, virtually every woman you see tonight, is sporting a Veronica Lake look with their hair. Second, the presenters, especially before the kiddies go to bed, are skewing toward a younger demo.

Now, it's Miley Cyrus (and that truck driver voice) and Amanda Seyfried for Best Original Song. Which, thankfully, we don't have to hear in their entirety. Randy Newman looks like he'll lose twice more this year. And he does. The song from "Crazy Heart" wins. And T-Bone Burnett is definitely sporting a T-Bone look this evening. But T-Bone lets the other guy do the thankin'.

Some guy intros "District 9". Now "District 13", I like. I didn't see "District 9".

Next up, it's Tina Fey and Robert Downey, Jr. to present Best Original Screenplay. Downey is channeling Peter Bogdanovich with his look this evening. They show Robin Williams in the crowd looking very serious. Tarantino might have been hosed here. "The Hurt Locker" wins. Did I just see Jane Seymour? I am sensing an omen with this win for "The Hurt Locker".

Not sure what is going on next. Now I do. It's a tribute to the late director, John Hughes. Molly Ringwald (yes, that Molly Ringwald) and Ferris Bueller with the honors. Ferris says for 25 years, people have been asking him if it's his day off. I assume he's punched a few of these questioners. How come Ducky isn't on? No clips. BTW, check out the March Vanity Fair. Fascinating article on Hughes. Omigod, it is Ducky! Let's see, after the clip package, on stage we have Ducky, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Macauley Culkin, Ferris, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. Judd Nelson = Freak Show. Mickey Rourke's agent has him on the line.

Samuel L. intros "Up". "Up", motherfuckers! Have you seen it!".

It's time for Animated and other Shorts. Carey Mulligan from "An Education" and an "Avatar" chick present. It goes to "Logorama". This is actually cool. There is a runaway Ronald McDonald, maybe driving a Toyota, going through this land of logos. Put it this way, I saw two M&M's get runded over. It's from a French guy, who is actually funny in his speech. No "Domo Arigato", but fine.

Short goes to "Music by Prudence". Guy starts acceptance, then seems to be interrupted by random woman who must be a slow Oscar-deserving walker. Because she knows way too much about the movie to be a random. Very odd. Security was on high alert, I imagine.

The next Short goes to "The New Tenants". Poor Tivi can't give his acceptance, because, as usual, Person No. 1 hogs the mike. For all of you kids out there, try to be Person No. 1, because Person No. 2 always gets shafted.

Ben Stiller is dressed up as a character from "Avatar" to present Best Makeup. Every year, he is picked to so something weird and I kinda like it. He admits "Avatar" is not even nominated and that he actually had two sets of Spock ears at home. Naturally, "Star Trek" wins.

The always lovely Rachel McAdams and Jake Gyllenhaal present Best Adapted Screenplay. "Up in the Air" has been cleaning up all the writing awards to this point, but there's a Tyler Perry sighting as "Precious" wins. I consider that an upset. Anyhow, the guy who won is taking forever with his speech. Hey, pal, prepare something next time, even if you have no shot. As Oscar always does, black man wins, so show Morgan Freeman, a fellow black person.

Another Oscar black person favorite, Queen Latifah, talks about the Governor's Award dinner. They honored Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, Lauren Bacall and John Calley. Corman and Bacall, who have better seats than Harvey Weinstein, take a bow to a Standing O, when people finally realize they are in the theater.

No wonder Robin Williams was serious. he is presenting the Best Supporting Actress Award. Of course, it goes to Mo'Nique. She tables the overly excited speech for the tough chick route. Talks about Hattie McDaniel incessantly.

British man, Colin Firth, intros British film, "An Education".

Sigourney Weaver is still gettin' it done at 60. She's on for Art Direction. "Avatar" with its first award and these winners had shitty seats. Kathy Bates looking tense. Keanu Reeves sighting.

Tom Ford and Sarah Jessica Parker come out for Costume Design. Tom Ford used to run Gucci, now he's a Director. Only in Hollywood. But he should have helped her out, as it was Bad Light Sarah Jessica Parker this evening. The winner brags about this being her third win and dedicates this win to those who will never win. Now that's why we like the Oscars. Hah!

Charlize Theron intros "Precious". A movie, quite frankly, I probably won't see. Looks like a laughfest.

For some reason, a Horror Movie Tribute has broken out. This gives Baldwin and Martin a chance to do a sketch where they are sleeping in the same bed. "That's gold, Jerry. Gold!". Actually, they could do this with Comedy. Same no respect, no awards, etc. routine. I think "Twilight" people introduce the clips. The girl coughs during her lines. Christ, I just saw Pinhead on the Oscars. And "Marathon Man" is not horror, my friends.

Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick are on stage to present Best Sound Editing. Morgan Freeman narrates. Maybe, one day, he'll meet up with his friend, Andy. "The Hurt Locker" wins and the guy can now afford a haircut. "The Hurt Locker" also wins for Best Sound Mixing.

The yummy Elizabeth Banks says three lines about the Science and Technical Awards and shows a photo of all the winners, surrounding her like a second grade class with their teacher.

John Travolta intros "Inglourious Basterds". "Let's kill some Natt-zees."

Sandra Bullock, sporting the Veronica Lake look. "Avatar" wins for Cinematography. She is talking as if she is still acting in "The Blind Side".

Demi Moore, sporting the Veronica Lake look, introduces the Dead People Scroll. Well, not exactly. She introduces James Taylor, who plays a Beatle song as the tape starts. Belatedly, I might add, as Patrick Swayze was first and you barely saw him and the next person. Others like Lou Jacobi "you cut the toi-key?", Dr. No, and God bless him, Larry Gelbart roll by. Karl Malden was last. I think he pulled his Academy rank on everyone.

J-Lo has a big dress on and looks like someone has redone her face when I was not looking. Her and an Aussie introduce Best Score. We hear the nominated music, but we have dancing, as well. Bathroom break! Couldn't they just show scenes from the movies? Actually, they don't even do that anymore. What we get are clips or even trailers, with no actual scenes from these movies. Anyhow, "Up" wins. Then the guy can't figure out where to get his award.

Bradley Cooper and Gerald Butler are probably mad at their agents, because they present a category, Visual Effects, with just 3 nominees. The winner is "Avatar".

Jason Bateman intros his own movie, "Up in the Air". OK, seems odd.

Matt Damon presents Best Doc. Jeepers, "The Cove" wins and Fisher Stevens is now an Oscar winner. Fisher Stevens! Remember him from the "Short Circuit" movies and he used to date Michelle Pfeiffer? Some guy held up a sign to text Dolphin to a number very eerily like my zip code.

First, Fisher Stevens, now Tyler Perry at the Oscars. Film Editing is his category. Somehow, Baldwin and Martin were shown in Snuggies. Not Cav Snuggies, but Snuggies nonetheless.

Almodovar, vying with Robin Williams as eldest presenter, and Tarantino present Best Foreign Language Film. Sort of a "Gay and Weirder" duo. I heard "Frawntz", not "France". Argentina wins for "The Secret in Their Eyes". "ole, ole, ole, ole...ole, ole." Guy brings up his whole family or something. I hate when non-winners get involved. This is not the Emmys.

Kathy Bates intros "Avatar" In glorious 2-D.

Best Actor is next. Introductions by (and, thankfully, no Googling this year of the nominees):

Michelle Pfeiffer-Jeff Bridges (sweet, but lengthy)
Vera Farmiga-George Clooney (cute, but "Crinkle in his eye"?)
Julianne Moore-Colin Firth (nice tribute)
Tim Robbins-Morgan Freeman (His friend, Andy, actually came to him this time)
Colin Farrell-Jeremy Renner (Farrell is shattering most of his stereotypes lately)

The winner, of course, is Jeff Bridges. I am not sure he was doing much acting as The Dude. I heard "groovy" and a few "man"s. I wish he had honored his Dad with, "It looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue." Beau Bridges got no mention.

Best Actress is next. Introductions by:

Forrest Whitaker-Sandra Bullock ("Hope Floats"...like a dead man)
Michael Sheen-Helen Mirren (she's a Queen and a Count-tess)
Peter Sarsgaard-Carey Mulligan (He's right. She's a keeper)
Oprah-"Precious" girl (She just got her Knight..I mean, Damehood)
Stanley Tucci-Meryl Streep (Quite devilish)

Sean Penn takes a break from wishing rectal cancer upon his enemies, babbles something about the Academy and finally presents the award to Sandra Bullock for "The Blind Side". Clinching not one surprise in the acting categories.

Barbra Streisand comes out to present Best Director. Come on, PricewaterhouseCoopers. Can't you keep a secret anymore? Kathryn Bigelow is there for the women, Lee Phillips for the blacks, and the rest, I guess, for all white men. Of course, Bigelow wins and it is well-deserved.

Tom Hanks, the Governor, saves us a whole bunch of time by coming out and opening his envelope immediately. The Best Picture award goes to "The Hurt Locker". I saw "The Hurt Locker" way back on August 3, and this is what I said at the time:

"The Hurt Locker" is clearly the best movie of the year, thus far. I get that it's only August and movies like this tend to be forgotten come Oscar time, but Jeremy Renner in the lead role, Katheryn Bigelow as director and the movie itself should be up for consideration next year."

So, I got one right. For a change.

Martin and Baldwin come on stage (oh yeah, they were the hosts) and bid us all farewell as the strains of "Hooray for Hollywood" were heard in the background.

A trip down Memory Lane. Here is a page (click for larger view) from the PD TV Week some 36 years ago. This predates remotes, cable, VCRs for the most part.

A few things jump out:

At 4:00 on Channel 8, it's "Vin Scully". It must be "It Takes Two", which I have erased from memory.

30-minute soap operas.

Channels 23, 43 and 61 not yet 24-hour operations.

Shows designated Black and White.

Day and night versions of "The Price is Right".

Channel 8 has "Thrill Seekers" on at 7:30!

"Porter Wagner" on Channel 23. Spelling errors back then, too.

A Cleveland Crusaders game on Channel 43.

Meal of Links

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin will host the Oscars. On paper, that sounds terrific.

The top 50 Movies of the Decade. By my count, I saw 22 of these in the theater. The most recent miss was "In The Loop" which was at the Cedar-Lee this past August for about a minute.

Nate Silver breaks down the election. I think the standout number is young people reverted back to voting form in an off-year election. They don't show up all the time.

Exercise Yard

Derek Anderson is bad this year. Now we have proof he is historically bad. In the last 40 years, through the first 8 games, Anderson's QB rating is the 14th worst. Some really bad QBs have made this list, as well.

BTW, here is what George Kokinis did every day at the office. Advance to 5:54.

The Penske File



Visitor

46 Across: Retailing pioneer R.H. ____ (4 letters) Answer: Macy

My goodness, Time Warner Cable is acting like a real cable company, for once. All of the HD channels that they have been promising for a while finally showed up. They are:

ESPNews, ESPN U, MLB, Golf Channel, Versus, TLC, Science, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Travel Channel, ABC Family, Lifetime Movies, AMC, Bravo, FX, Speed, CNN, Fox News and CNBC.

Plus, I finally got the full array of On Demand channels that I never had and always wondered if it took some ancient Chinese secret to unlock them.

But it looks like for the next little bit, that's it for any HD additions.

Meal of Links

The Oscars have decided to expand the Best Picture category to 10 films. First of all, can they find 10 films and if they can, will blockbusters make it or more small films. Seems animated and foreign films probably benefit the most. And, of course, it's 5 more films to see.

We found the Governor of South Carolina. He was hiking in Argentina, I guess. Another unbelievable story. Fox News still has trouble calling these guys R's.

Volcano pictures. From space!

This guy predicted Lucas Glover could win the US Open a week ago. I'll definitely use him for British Open fantasy advice purposes.

There are only 8 US newspapers covering Wimbledon this year. Maybe they can cover some of the odd betting patterns while they are there.

The craziest plan to save a newspaper. Ever.

Exercise Yard

US Soccer beats Spain, the World No. 1, in the Confederations Cup in South Africa. Quite simply, the greatest US soccer victory in my lifetime.

Now, if they would just get rid of the damn horns.

Vuvuzela, the South African Thunderstick



Visitor

37 Across: Pete Rose nickname (13 letters) Answer: Charlie Hustle

Time to catch up:

It never fails to amaze me when I hear folks actually wanting the PD to close down. the fall of Sheriff McFaul is Exhibit A on how the press is very much needed in this town. OK, it's years late, but the mood is right for more of this.

Joe Klein talks about Populist Rage.

If you find yourself traveling internationally, you can call and text. On the cheap

Last night's Obama presser? He did good.

The Top 10 SNL ads. Recent ones, that is.

2010 Oscars? Back to March. First time since '06.

Matt Groening talks.

Woody Allen writes.

Of course, they lip-synch on "Idol". Blame Janet Jackson.

This is probably it for U2.

Meal of Links

26 great shows that were cancelled quickly. And with "Andy Richter Controls the Universe" out on DVD, it was rightly included in this list.

The New York Dolls are still going and have a new album. Always a good time when one of their records is played.

GM still offers company cars to managers. And pays for gas.

Exercise Yard

Don Banks thinks major changes are coming to the NFL. Capless in 2010 probably leads to lock out in 2011. And that would end my ticket participation.

Visitor

34 Down: 2008 Libertarian presidential candidate (4 letters) Answer: Barr

Oscar Night 2009














I was a little late, because I was watching the other Jackmen (get it?) on NASCAR. Great counterprogramming move, I think.

Hey, the orchestra this year is behind Hugh Jackman and the seating arrangement of the audience is really different. Everyone seems so up close.























The musical tribute to the Best Picture nominees gets off to a slow start, until Anne Hathaway joins the fray for "Frost/Nixon". She must think she has no shot of winning to participate in this. Pitt and Jolie (with huge emeralds) are there and look great. Mickey Rourke is on a "20-minute delay".

OK, it's the first change in award format. 5 former Supporting Actress winners, Eva-Marie Saint, Whoopi Goldberg, Tilda Swinton, Anjelica Huston and Goldie Hawn introduce the nominees without any film clips. Swinton, as last year's winner, presents the award to Penelope Cruz. Her ingles is much improved. Hey, a tip of the hat to Almodovar from a most gracious winner.

What the hell happened to the long commercial breaks?























Tina Fey and Steve Martin present the writing awards. First up, Best Original Screenplay in a most original way. They have the original scripts on the big screen. "Milk" wins and enables its winner to take a shot at Prop 8.

Best Adapted Screenplay is next and goes to "Slumdog Millionaire".

Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black present a 2008 yearbook in Animation. I saw none of these. Of course, "Wall-E" wins for Animated Feature Film. The Animated Short Film goes to some Asian guy for a French-named film. Did he just say "Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto"? He did. I bet that he did that on a bet.























Daniel Craig and Sarah Jessica Parker (in her bad light persona) present (Does the music have to play during this award? It is annoying,) Art Direction. Goes to "Benjamin Button". Looks like they'll get the minor awards and the major ones will go to "Slumdog".






















Costume Design is next. "The Duchess" wins? WTF?

Parker and Craig are still on. they present Makeup and it goes to "Benjamin Button". Solely on that old-looking infant, I bet.

Here are two people I don't know presenting a "Romance in 2008" montage over a Coldplay song. I sneak a peek at NASCAR.




















Natalie Portman and Ben Stiller present Cinematography. Stiller is in full Joaquin Phoenix mode and I think it's funny. Portman says he looks like he came from a "Hassidic meth lab". The award goes to "Slumdog Millionaire".























Jessica Biel...sigh. She is on to talk about the Scientific and Technical Awards, which she hosted two weeks ago. She looks much better in that clip than she does tonight.

James Franco and Seth Rogen are fucking funny as their "Pineapple Express" characters watching a Comedy montage. They are joined by Janusz Kaminski, the great cinematographer, for no apparent reason and he's funny, too, as he acts like he's high. The three of them present Live Action Short and it goes to some German dude.

Time for Jackman to earn his paycheck. It's a Baz Luhrmann tribute to musicals. The lack of African-Americans on the program ends as he's joined by Beyonce. Wait a minute, it's Jackman live and Beyonce lip-synching? Some "Mamma Mia" and "High School Musical" people help. Jackman concludes with "The musical is back!" to a sitting O!























Best Supporting Actor is next. The 5 previous winners are Christopher Walken (with crooked bowtie), Kevin Kline, Alan Arkin, Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Joel Grey. Arkin calls him "Seymour Philip Hoffman". Tee hee. Walken introducing Michael Shannon is either luck of the draw or an intentional passing of the torch. Ledger is introduced terrifically by Kline. Of course, Ledger wins and Heath Ledger's family (Mom, Dad and sister) accept the award and I know that's a rarity. Well done.

Documentary 2008. I like docs. The famous Maysles Brothers direct the montage in which each nominated director discusses the art form. I've actually watched Maysles Brothers movies. Bill Maher is on to present. Of course, "Man on Wire" wins. How could it not? Even Petit shows up and does a little magic and balances the Oscar on his chin. Documentary Short Subject is "Smile Pinki", which I think I saw late night on Cinemax.

The Action montage is shown over "Tick...Tick...Tick" by The Hives. Let's see we get Jolie in "Wanted", the Hulk, Batman, Hancock, Bond, Iron Man and...Frank Martin!!! Will Smith then presents the award for Visual Effects. Somehow "Benjamin Button" wins. Sound Editing is next and goes to "The Dark Knight". I think I just heard ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky" for some reason. Is that in my head, WTF? Spreading the wealth in these post-production awards, "Slumdog Millionaire" gets the Sound Mixing award. Will Smith makes modern Oscar history by presenting his 4th consecutive award to "Slumdog Millionaire' for Film Editing.























Next up, Eddie Murphy presents the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Jerry Lewis. We get a Lewis montage over another Coldplay song. Lewis has been raising money for MDA for a long time now. The total? Over $2 billion. A standing O for Jerry, who delivers an uncommonly humble speech for him. Very classy.

Alicia Keys and some guy (OK, it's Zac Efron) present Original Score to A.R. Rahman for "Slumdog Millionaire". He is onstage really fast, like The Sidler from "Seinfeld". Give him some Tic-Tacs. Only 3 nominees for Best Song. Now I know why Rahman was so quick. He's handling duties for the 2 "Slumdog" songs. John Legend takes over for Peter Gabriel on the "Wall-E" song. Rahman wins again for "Jai Ho", which sounds like a Ricky Martin reject. If you haven't figured it out by now, the "Slumdog" sweep appears imminent.

Foreign Language Film goes to "Departures". It is from Japan. Didn't see it. "Domo arigato, Jose Canseco."

Dead People Scroll with Queen Latifah singing, "I'll Be Seeing You". I guess so we don't clap for the deaths of dead people. Paul Newman should be last, right? Hey, "Brooks was here". Has anyone tried to get that gun from Chuck Heston's cold hands yet? I'm just sayin'. Big ups for Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, too. But Newman was last. Another bet won by that "Domo arigato" guy, I bet.























Next up, Reese Witherspoon hands out best Director. Danny Boyle (Dan-nay!) hops up and down like Tigger when he wins for "Slumdog Millionaire". He even complimented the broadcast and I agree with him...this year's changes are shockingly aggressive and, by God, they worked.

The 5 former Best Actresses to present are: Sophia Loren, Shirley MacLaine, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman and last year's winner, Marie Cotilliard. They get a standing O and lots of wolf whistles. Kate Winslet gets it for "The Reader". Finally, she worked on a speech.




















The 5 former Best Actors to present are: Robert DeNiro, Ben Kingsley, Michael Douglas, Anthony Hopkins and Adrien Brody. They get a standing O, too! Sean Penn wins for "Milk" and gets to blast Prop 8, compliment Obama and say how great Mickey Rourke is.

Gee, the three big awards without a commercial break! Steven Spielberg is on to present Best Picture. The nominees actually have some clips shown. The winner is "Slumdog Millionaire". And I really don't like these award shows where entire casts go on stage and it's the first time I can remember where the Oscars allowed it. Maybe just this once for India, but that's it, OK?

Well, tonight's show with a final preview of 2009 movies over the closing credits accompanied by Beck doing Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box-Hat" clocked in at 3:30. Not bad.

Don't know if the ratings will reflect it, but the pace of tonight's show was great. Did Hugh Jackman really host it? He wasn't around all that much. But the audience was closer to the stage, so awards were accepted quickly. Shorter commercial breaks. Multiple award presenters saved time on lots of unnecessary introductions. The speeches, even the longer ones, seemed crisper. Music and dance numbers not so annoyingly long. I think whoever produced it, looked at where they could save time and they did a helluva job.

Could we do without the 5 presenters for the acting awards? Maybe. It would have been nice to see some clips. Especially if you hadn't seen the movies in question. Let's see the numbers in a couple of days.