Filmography 2011

Last December, the wonderful YouTube user GenRocks put together a sort of mash-up of the films of the year, what she deemed "Filmography 2010." This year, she's done it again, describing this one as "a 230-film retrospective that celebrates this year’s movies and their amazing capacity to transport us through the boundaries of space, time, and identity." I just love it; I love it because it's so many films -- including the bad and the ugly (yes, that was Bucky Larson you saw in there) -- but all of them together sort of give you this feeling that films really can change things, that they are powerful, moving, and sometimes, they're even great. Obviously I'm reflecting because it's the end of the year, but really -- we were the audience to all of these living, breathing works -- doesn't this video make you proud to be a part of that?

Let's talk about the Golden Globe noms

Or, if we're taking the dramatic route here, let's talk about the travesty that was the Golden Globe noms. (It all began with she-devil Sofia Vergara as announcer.) There's nothing I love more than being negative about the Academy, the Screen Actors Guild, what have you -- but really, I like the Hollywood Foreign Press! I love the boozy fun that is the Golden Globes! Usually they nominate okay(ish) people. But the snubs this year -- they're unavoidable and in a way, kind of unbelievable. Let's take a look.

Best Picture, Drama
War Horse
Ides of March
The Help
Moneyball
Hugo
The Descendants

Really excited for Hugo. So innovative, and one of the few films I can think of in the past 10 or so years that's equally watchable for kids and adults. (Plus, it's Marty!) That's really the only good thing I have to say about this category. First, War Horse doesn't hit theaters until Christmas day, but I saw the stage version and it was so bad I left half way through. Not even mildly interesting. Even if the film is 100 times better, it's King's Speech-style Oscar bait. There's no substance behind the swelling music. Same with The Help and Moneyball -- predictable, awards show fodder. As for Ides of March, it was a letdown -- there's already one Clooney vehicle on the list, the fantastic Descendants -- they should have eliminated Ides of March, kept The Descendants, and had five nominees like every single other category. Films that should be included but are not: Girl With the Dragon Tattoo...Shame...Beginners...Drive...and I would have loved to see Harry Potter in there as well -- as this awards season is its last -- but no such luck.

Best Picture, Comedy
The Artist
50/50
Bridesmaids
My Week With Marilyn
Midnight in Paris

I'm actually happy with this category other than My Week With Marilyn, and that's because there's nothing I hate more in the world than Hollywood's obsession with Marilyn Monroe. If they made a movie about Marilyn Monroe that starred Heidi Montag as Marilyn, it would get nominated for an Oscar because it would be about Marilyn. It's tired. We all get that she was beautiful and talented and died too young, right? Okay! Let's move on! If I see one more young starlet referencing her as a role model or one more Vanity Fair cover promising to reveal Marilyn's secrets...I'll lose it. I mean. I've lost it already.

Best Actor, Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Ryan Gosling, Ides of March
Michael Fassbender, Shame

I may or may not have shed a tear or two when I saw the Fassbender nom. Obviously if you've read one post -- one sentence -- of this blog before you know I'm a huge fan, but really, the nom is just so vindicating, so deserved. If you haven't seen anything Fassbender's been in yet, you need to go to his IMDb and figure yourself OUT. Props to Clooney for the Descendants nom -- maybe he'll finally realize he doesn't always have to play himself? The Brad Pitt nom is understandable, but still, his performance was strangely similar to his in Troy a few years back, what with all the emotions and the close-ups. Look at me, pondering. Look at me, throwing a table. Look at me, acting. Maybe it's not even him -- maybe it's that his being in the public eye so much makes it impossible for us to forget he's The Brad Pitt when we watch him in a movie. DiCaprio is, as usual, completely deserving of his nom -- and it's about time too, so here's hoping it'll be his year. About Gosling -- again, he was better in Drive. Would've liked to seen Ewan McGregor in that spot for Beginners or the brilliant Michael Shannon in the spot for Take Shelter instead.

Best Actress, Drama
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Rooney Mara, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs

Right on to Viola and Meryl. Viola is fantastic, and Meryl goes without saying. Meryl should win it but won't, because everyone thinks she's won everything so she always gets shut out. (She's actually only won two Oscars -- but let's be honest, she's deserved to win all 16 she's been nominated for.) This will go to Glenn Close -- it's an incredible performance, and the film itself will be studied in Gender Identity classes for years to come. Tilda Swinton is one-note, so no thank you, and you all know how I feel about my number one girl crush, Rooney -- I'm almost as excited for her as I am for Fass. (And not just because I love her. The performance was worthy of the nomination.) Not good news, however, for Elizabeth Olsen, who was an early favorite for Martha Marcy May Marlene. Had the studio released the film a few months later, she would have been a shoo-in.

Best Actor, Comedy
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris
Joseph Gorden-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love

No matter how much I loved Crazy, Stupid, Love and Midnight in Paris, Gosling and Wilson didn't really stretch their acting legs in their respective films. (That's me being kind. They played themselves.) I'm thrilled that JGL was recognized, but that's my inner fangirl -- my outer, more knowledgeable self knows it should and will go to either Gleeson or Dujardin.

Best Actress, Comedy
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Kristin Wiig, Bridesmaids
Charlize Theron, Young Adults
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Of course, I'm the most excited for the two underdogs here, Wiig and Theron. Theron has already had her time to shine, so she won't get it, and Wiig will get shut out by the big-name actresses in the category. Speaking of big names, is there one award Kate Winslet hasn't been nominated for in the past 10 years? I mean that -- she just needs a Tony to get the EGOT. As for Carnage, again, strange enough, I saw the stage and not the film version, and again, I thought it was awful. I can't speak to the film, but it's a real actor-y project, big on dramatics and choices, so I wouldn't be surprised if Winslet or Foster took it home. If the vote is split between the two -- or if everyone indulges in their Marilyn obsession as usual -- it'll go to Michelle Williams, who should have won for Blue Valentine last year in the first place.

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, Drive
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method

This will go to Plummer -- as one Gawker commenter said, "legend + no wins + playing gay = gold." (He deserves it any way.) Would've liked to see Eddie Redmayne in here for My Week With Marilyn instead of Branagh, but still, it's good to see Viggo Mortensen back on the scene, as well as Jonah Hill getting some attention for his serious (and seriously good) turn in Moneyball.

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

So here's where the snubs really start. This is because, as you may have noticed, the HFPA doesn't split up the "supporting actor/actress" categories into Comedy and Drama, so people tend to get shut out. That's probably why Melissa McCarthy -- the real star of Bridesmaids -- wasn't nominated, but Kristin Wiig was. Not enough room for McCarthy in a category of strong dramatic performances. Would love to see this go to Jessica Chastain, but I think it'll go to Octavia. Also, cool to see Shailene Woodley get some recognition. She's fantastic. I think this means it's about time for her to leave Secret Life behind.

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
George Clooney, Ides of March
Michael Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Would be happy to see anyone but Clooney go home with this award, as they were all incredibly strong movies with the exception of Ides of March. This doesn't look good for Fincher's chances at the Oscars for directing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, or for Steve McQueen's for directing Shame, as both were excluded from the category. As usual, likely because both films (as a whole) are just too edgy and divisive for awards season.

Best TV Series, Drama
American Horror Story
Boardwalk Empire
Boss
Game of Thrones
Homeland

What is this category? Really, what is it? American Horror Story? Boardwalk Empire? Boss? The fact that Breaking Bad isn't in here isn't frustrating just because I'm a fan -- it's frustrating because it simply deserves to be -- way before AHS, a Ryan Murphy-hot mess-pet project in its first season, and way before Boardwalk Empire, the most grossly overrated show in a long, long time. Breaking Bad is the best show on TV, and that's not really something that people argue about. They just accept that it's a fact. Otherwise, happy to see Game of Thrones and Homeland in there.

Best TV Series, Comedy
New Girl
Enlightened
Episodes
Glee
Modern Family

Again, not quite sure what the voters were thinking here. It's dumbfounding. No Parks & Recreation? No Community? Glee instead of the aforementioned two? What version of Glee are these voters watching? Modern Family was a given, good to see Enlightened get some attention, and for some reason, Episodes keeps squeezing its way in there. The real surprise here is New Girl, which is probably my favorite show of the season. If you're not watching, maybe Schmidt's online dating profile will convince you?

Best Actor, Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland

These are all well and good, and I'll let Buscemi slide as long as he doesn't win this year. If it doesn't go to Cranston, again -- something really is seriously wrong with the voters. (As if that isn't clear already.) He's a genius and I know I overuse the word, but in this case, it's just true. Yikes to no Hugh Laurie nod -- that's the first time he's been snubbed since House began eight years ago. That bathtub scene in "After Hours" had us all on our knees -- Yaitanes said it even had crew members crying behind the camera on set -- if all was right in the world, it should have made his nomination a no-brainer. But House has just become such a bad show over the past few years -- it looks like not even Laurie's acting can get voters to ignore that.

Best Actress, Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

So weird. So weird! These noms are Emmy-style strange. The Good Wife and Homeland noms were to be expected, but the rest are just confusing. First of all, if they were going to nominate someone from The Killing, it should have been Joel Kinnaman in the Best Supporting Actor category, who makes the show -- not Enos, who drags it down. Secondly, Madeleine Stowe is fantastic (if only she'd ease upon the Botox, and I say that lovingly!), but she is a supporting character. The lead is Emily VanCamp; that's pretty clear to anyone that watches the show. As far as Callie Thorne...I mean, it makes me want to throw in the towel. Wasn't there anyone (anyone!) else?!

Best Actor, Comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
David Duchovny, Californication
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Again with the love for Episodes! All these noms are pretty expected (with the exception of no Jim Parsons -- have people finally gotten sick of him?), but would have loved for Joel McHale to have been in there.

Best Actress, Comedy
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Laura Linney, The Big C

Solid category. Happy to see the Poehler love.

Best TV-Movie or Miniseries
Mildred Pierce
Too Big To Fail
Cinema Verite
Downton Abbey
The Hour

Again, a solid category with the exception of the exclusion of Sherlock. UGH.

Best Actor, TV-Movie or Miniseries
William Hurt, Too Big To Fail
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey
Idris Elba, Luther
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, Appropriate Adult

And again, another solid category with the exception of no Benedict Cumberbatch nom for Sherlock. But it's good to see Elba in there. Also, how great is Bill Nighy's staying power? He's a legend at this point. What else...strange that Dominic West was nominated for Appropriate Adult and not The Hour, but so be it.

Supporting Actor, TV-Movie or Miniseries
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big To Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

This is my least favorite category because again, they combine not only the dramas and the comedies, but also TV movies, miniseries and weekly shows. Like I mentioned with the supporting categories for films, that leads to a huge amount of snubs. And this is perhaps the category with the most deserving people in it and the least space for them. All of the nods here are rightly earned, but missing are countless actors that deserve it just as much: Neil Patrick Harris of How I Met Your Mother, Danny Pudi of Community, Max Greenfield of New Girl, Joel Kinnaman of The Killing, Martin Freeman of Sherlock, Ty Burrell of Modern Family, and worst, worst, worst of all, no Aaron Paul of (obviously) Breaking Bad. That for me was the biggest shock. He is that show; you watch him and you've never seen anything like him. (Courtesy of another Gawker commenter: "Did Vince Gilligan run over someone's dog with his car or something?")

Supporting Actress, TV-Movie or Miniseries
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce

Good to see everyone in here but Sofia Vergara, because she doesn't act so much as she does yap. The spot should have gone to Community's Alison Brie. Also, would love to see Evan Rachel Wood win this.

Best Screenplay
Midnight in Paris
Ides of March
The Artist
The Descendants
Moneyball

Midnight in Paris for the win! One of my favorite screenplays this year. As much as I love Sorkin, I would have preferred to have seen Beginners in Moneyball's spot, or maybe Young Adult, or even 50/50...Moneyball was light on dialogue; just not a good film, not a particularly strong screenplay at all. Not sure what Ides of March is doing in there either.

The rest are just sidenotes -- hopefully Tintin wins Best Animated Feature...the Best Foreign Film and Best Original Song categories are a bore...and fingers crossed that Trent Rzenor will take home the award again for Best Score for his work on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. See you all on January 15th for the liveblog...

The boys (plus Noomi) are back

The Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows press tour begins!

Paramore, new and improved

A bit of background first, for those of you who are not privy to the tale of one Paramore: they're a young, incredibly talented pop-rock band out of Nashville who got big around 2007 with their single "Misery Business," and have enjoyed a sizable following ever since. They're also fronted by Haley Williams (the rest of the band is all male), who's been garnering quite a bit of success lately. (Example: that's her voice on "Airplanes," one of the biggest hits of the year.) Whether she meant to steal the spotlight or not, it was always kind of bound to happen. Who wouldn't pay attention to an 18-year-old girl whose I've arrived-battle cry to the world of rock was "I'm in the business of misery"? I mean, just look at her. And that voice, that voice! If I had one wish, it would be to have Haley Williams' voice. (Sorry, world peace.)

Paramore has been pretty open about their inter-band rifts before -- they almost broke up before making Brand New Eyes, and Haley dated guitarist Josh Farro for three years before they broke up as well. ("Ignorance," "Playing God" and "Careful" are all about him.) But Josh and his brother Zac -- the band's drummer -- finally decided to part ways with Paramore last winter. Of course, they couldn't leave without writing their very own exposé, their "side of the story" -- an angry statement on their website about Haley getting too much attention and Paramore not feeling like a band any more -- classic backup-lead singer jealousy thinly veiled by hardly diplomatic language.

Since the breakup, Paramore's three remaining members have been very clear about the fact that they are still a band and are still going to make music together -- and finally, here's the proof, and my goodness. Very rarely do songs just wreck me, but this one does without question. A beautiful, emotionally loaded ballad; the lyrics a very clear reference to the breakup of the band (and the loss of two best friends -- Haley met the Farro brothers when she was just 13 years old). And I love the incomplete sentence -- "In the mourning / All my worries..." It's open-ended. Side note: this is the acoustic version, which is incomplete, but Warner Music Group kills dreams and removed the longer, studio recorded one from YouTube.



And no, you're not crazy if you think those beginning chords sound a bit like Fleetwood's "Landslide" -- check this out, from a Paramore concert a little while ago.



Any way, stay tuned this month for my coverage of the Golden Globe nominations -- they're announced in less than 10 days (!). Where does the time go?

Everything is beautiful

and nothing hurts.

Armie Hammer FTW as usual

His answer when New York Magazine asks him what it was like to kiss Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar? "It just felt like kissing. I also had to shoot a machine gun in the movie, but no one asks about that." Armie. Congratulations on that perfect answer. Congratulations on your everything. (Fingers crossed for a Best Supporting Actor nod for him, but it feels like there's just not enough buzz...)

Two other things -- I love this -- six writers and their book collections. (My mom has the best book collection of all time, by the way. She's not on that list, but...just for the record.)

And Michael Fassbender is a GQ Man of the Year! HE IS GOING TO BE SO HUGE SO SOON. You know that feeling you get when your favorite band becomes really popular and you become weirdly protective of them? I'm going to be the embodiment of that feeling. I'll to try to limit the number of times I say "I told you so" or "I knew about him first," but I can't make any promises.

Politicking

All of these presidential debates lately (one of which started a few minutes ago) have me nostalgic for The West Wing. Below, one of my favorite moments...



And on a different note, can we talk about how FLAWLESS New Girl and How I Met Your Mother were this past week? There was not one moment during New Girl where I wasn't laughing. And How I Met Your Mother! I think our crazy kids have finally hit their stride this season -- Marshall quoting Edgar Allen Poe was brilliant, and Barney and Robin -- particularly the scene in the rain -- it all just felt right. And finally, two almost-too-good-to-be-true casting items -- Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to join Tarantino's Django, and Paul Bettany is in talks to play a sex god for Showtime. (Dear Showtime, you guys are twisted and I like it.)

November things

The Shame trailer has been out for a while now (also known as Michael Fassbender's Impending Oscar Movie) but this new clip has me SO EXCITED I CAN'T EVEN. IT DESERVES CAPS, YOU GUYS. IT DESERVES CAPS. Fassbender's Brandon is so charming and real and kind of nervous, in a way...and the one long shot is classic Steve McQueen, just like Hunger. It's brilliant, all of it. Just thinking about it gives me butterflies. (Weird?) Also, the movie just got an NC-17, considered a badge of honor on this blog, so here's to that. (Other exciting upcoming films -- Hugo -- a whimsical holiday goodie, and a kids movie that's Scorcese-directed, so not to be missed -- and Chronicle, a sort of off-kilter superhero moving starring Friday Night Lights' own Michael B. Jordan.)

Speaking of the Oscars (God, has it really almost been a year since the last?), New York Magazine has already started a "watch," if you will. And I'm fine with that! It's never too early to talk awards shows. They've got Rooney Mara and David Fincher in their Best Actress and Best Director categories, respectively, for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, which I am looking forward to almost as much as Shame. Good stuff.

Here is the first trailer for Magic City, Starz' new show that's basically Mad Men but starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny from Grey's Anatomy, for those of you not in the know), and set in my second hometown, Miami. It doesn't disappoint...

Other TV things -- if you're not watching New Girl, you need to be! Last night's episode was as close to perfect as Fox gets. (Speaking of Fox, you guys -- Glee is painfully bad. I haven't been watching lately, but last night I did, kind of by accident -- and I had to mute it after 10 minutes.) Finally, Ringer is meh, but Jason Dohring as an English teacher acting opposite Zoey Deutch, who is quite talented in her own right -- is really something, especially for The CW.

And last but not least, interviews! Zach Galifianakis and Aaron Paul on Conan on the same night...Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake doing the History of Rap 3 and cracking each other up endlessly...and finally, Diablo Cody and Joel McHale. Cody actually does really fun interviews with actors in a trailer and posts them on YouTube, and in this one, Joel (as usual) showcases his humility, brilliant comedic timing, and...parenting skills? Check it out below.

Mindy Kaling

speaks the truth. It's the sad truth, but still -- it's the truth. I'd be worried for women everywhere if women like her didn't exist. Mindy is brilliant, the piece is brilliant -- just read it.

Emmys 2011 Liveblog!

5:59 Hello all! Quick reminder: as usual, this isn't an actual "liveblog," so to see updates, you'll have to refresh the page every couple of minutes. Sorry I'm not sorry. Any way...here we go!

6:03 Chris Colfer is the first guest -- "Ryan Murphy is very good at spilling information [on the new season of Glee] that we're not supposed to say." Oh my god, please, please let that be a thinly veiled insult...

6:06 NO POINTS for Nina Dobrev for saying she's honored to be compared to Blake Lively.

6:08 Cobie Smulders looking like the angel that she is...

6:15 The back of Lea Michele's dress is open, and my god. Remember when she wasn't 80 pounds?

6:19 Poor Sarah Hyland is having to apologize for her impression of Lea Michele on Fashion Police this Friday. NO. Do not apologize! It was amazing!!

6:28 Giuliana asks Rainn Wilson why The Office avoided revealing/choosing a new boss for Dundler Mifflin in their season finale. Giuliana! A question that's not about his diet and/or significant other! Good job, girl!

6:29 Oh, and there she goes. "Who's your celebrity crush?" Welcome back, Giuliana.

6:40 Darren Criss' glasses: no. No no no. He looks like Terry Richardson.

6:42 The new Charlie's Angels gals seem to have absolutely no chemistry with one another. Yikes.

6:45 Just when things were getting a little boring -- Kathy Griffin kisses Ryan Seacrest on the lips. Thank you, Kathy!

6:50 An absolutely adorable interview with Christina Hendricks, who looks beautiful, and her husband Geoffrey Arend. She always does interviews with him (whereas a lot of other stars have their spouse stand to the side, particularly if they're not famous), and it's clear why -- Ryan asks stupid questions and Geoffrey cracks Christina up. It's very, very sweet.

6:55 As usual, no one (including me) has any idea what Tracy Morgan is saying...

6:58 OH MY GOD ADAM SCOTT IN A TUX --

6:59 -- and Aubrey Plaza, my girl crush/dream doppelganger, looking ah-may-zing. Who is her stylist? She always shuts it down.

7:01 Seth Myers: "I look good, just not as good as the worst-dressed woman here."

7:02 Steve Carrell! Buddy, we've missed you! This is his last Emmys -- for a while, at least -- so here's hoping he wins tonight.

7:05 Hahaaa, I love Seacrest and Joel McHale together. Joel looks great, banters with Ryan about their respective heights, and says hi to the camera crew, who is actually his camera crew for The Soup. Class act.

7:07 Evan Rachel Wood, my second girl crush to show up tonight! And looking beautiful as usual. No one else has ever looked that good with short hair. No one else ever.

7:11 Lizzie Moss doing her usual ethereal, glittery, diamond-y look. Hey, if it ain't broke...

7:19 Only Zooey Deschanel could pull off her dress, and I love it. Some very cute girl talk between her and Julie Bowen. Julie Bowen is a girlfriend.

7:21 AZIZ!

7:22 Ian Somerhalder is rocking 90s boy band hair...

7:26 People who need to show the ef up: Hugh Laurie, Amy Poehler, and Kyle Chandler.

7:28 My wish is the Emmy God's command! It's Amy Poehler and Will Arnett -- and they completely take over, with Will interviewing Amy while Ryan stands to the side. I'm pretty sure they did this at the Golden Globes too, and it's so cute. They're always like two giddy teenagers in love...and she looks beautiful. Love the dress. And the manicure. And the ring.

7:30 Gwenyth looking like a goddess (obviously) in a sexy, sexy, SEXY dress -- practically see-through -- and giving Amy Poehler a huge hug

7:32 Sofia Vergara. Everybody, mute your TVs. (Or at least turn down the volume if you don't want an eardrum blown.)

7:33 I have a love-hate relationship with Rob Lowe, but it's sweet that he always brings his kids.

7:40 John Kraskinski being perfect as usual...

7:43 and Jon Hamm wearing Tom Ford. AS IT SHOULD BE.

7:50 Hamm's GF says their relationship works because there's no secrets. She must not know about Dick Whitman...?

7:51 It's the always-flawless Kate Winslet, acting funny and sweet and British as usual. Love her, love her, love her.

8:00 And it's off to FOX we go! Christina Hendricks is wearing hipster glasses, and rocking them.

8:01 Spock!

8:03 These are the weirdest cameos ever. Randy Jackson? Eric Dane? Kevin Nealon? Jeremy Piven being decidedly un-funny? (Except aw, hearing him yell "Lloyd" made me realize how much it sucks Ari Gold isn't around any more.)

8:05 WAIT, YES. THE MAD MEN BIT. PEGGY! ROGER! DON! AND PETE! PETE!!! I MISS YOU ALL!

8:07 Well, we made it 7 minutes without a Sue reference, and there she is -- tracksuit and all. Yawn...

8:09 Scorsese smiling! My night is made.

8:11 Someone is making a gif of Jon Hamm's finger pistol right now.

8:12 Cobie Smulders is tiny, y'all! This isn't funny, by the way...this singing group thing.

8:12 HAHA, Psych's True Blood impression.

8:13 The party rockers song makes me vomit. I'm serious. I'll be in the bathroom, vomiting.

8:14 This is a funny bit. Fallon is selling it.

8:16 Wow, Julie Bowen for Supporting Comedic Actress -- big upset! I like her, but it should have gone to Kristen Wiig. At least it wasn't Vergara.

8:33 HAH. Brilliant reaction shots from the Modern Family writer's wife. Speaking of Modern Family, the show is cleaning up right now -- winning both supporting awards as well as directing and writing.

8:35 OH MY GOD, TERRIFYING SHOT OF CHARLIE SHEEN GETTING READY IN THE MIRROR. I am scared, you guys. I am scared of that man.

8:40 Jane Lynch: "Welcome back to the Modern Family Awards." Nice.

8:43 I have nothing against Jim Parsons, but this is wrong -- no matter what you think of The Office or Steve Carrell, he deserved this award. That last episode was spectacular.

8:44 Hah! Rob Lowe/the show's writers are as annoyed with Sofia Vergara as I am.

9:06 God almighty, I'm tired of Jon Stewart winning this award. We need some Colbert up there! For once!

9:14 Is it okay if I say these shorts don't exactly translate to stage? Because they really, really don't...but hey! John Stamos! That's always good!

9:16 Love Kristen Wiig cheering for her dudes.

9:17 Unsurprisingly, the Lea Michele-Ian Somerhalder bit is the least funny of the night. She's (obviously) not funny unless she's Rachel Berry, and he's just...brooding off to the side awkwardly.

9:18 Oh yikes, Scott Caan is shorter than the extremely petite Anna Paquin.

9:20 Jon Stewart wins (obviously), but the best thing about this? Colbert's totally gracious reaction -- he leaps to his feet to give Jon a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. And wait -- my first serious laugh-out-loud moment of the night -- the reaction shot of Jimmy Fallon's pissed-off slow clap. Amazing. Need gif now.

9:21 Jon Stewart, speaking in TV language -- "it's our first callback of the night."

9:22 Jon Stewart's shout-out to Colbert is perfect -- "he's exquisite," Stewart says, and it's true. A surprisingly humble speech from J. Stew, and ahem, nice to see some female writers up there with him. (Whatever, I said it.)

9:29 What a cool drama montage. I don't care what anyone says or believes -- there is so much good TV on right now, particularly in the past 10 years. Some TV -- not all, but some -- is spectacular.

9:30 Oh, man. Longtime FNL viewers, it's our happy ending after all.

9:33 Margo Martindale FTW! Love the shot of the Justified cast and crew. Timothy Olyphant, we've come so far...the juice was worth the squeeze, right?

9:46 Dinklage gets Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Game of Thrones. So exciting. A very cool speech -- he thanks his dog sitter, acknowledges the other nominees -- "Come on. Any of you could be up here," and tells his wife she's just "amazing." Also, jeeeeze -- had no idea the Game of Thrones writers were so young! Those guys are living the dream.

9:52 You can't punch the handsome off Anderson Cooper.

9:54 Aww, man. This isn't a surprise, but I was pulling for either Connie or Elisabeth.

9:58 Everyone in this category deserves it, but Jon Hamm -- please?

9:59 Wow, wow, wow. Kyle Chandler gets it. Wow. Really though this was Jon Hamm's year.

10:08 Evan Rachel Wood just kills it whenever she's on screen. You can't take your eyes off of her. And Jane Lynch gets the best joke of the night with the cast of Entourage as the reason she's a lesbian.

10:24 LESLIE NIELSEN.

10:34 Guy Pearce should get this...

10:35 and he does! "You're an extraordinary women," he says to Kate Winslet, and gives a funny and charming speech (which I didn't think he had in him after his CREEPIEST AND COMPLETELY CONVINCING PERFORMANCE OF ALL TIME as Andy Warhol in Factory Girl).

10:36 Finally, finally, finally Hugh Laurie.

10:38 Kate Winslet's jumping up and down thing is a little too enthused, but I love her, so I'll let it be. Umm, she's fast on her way to an EGOT, right? Does she have a Tony? Gwenyth Paltrow is, too -- she's got an Emmy now (for Holly Holiday on Glee), an Oscar, and could certainly try for a Tony...

10:49 Mad Men wins for Best Drama -- well deserved, but still bittersweet because I do think Jon Hamm getting Best Actor should have been how the night went. Plus, Mad Men has won this three times before.

10:55 I love how Gwenyth Paltrow doesn't need a guy to walk her out. Goddesssss...

10:58 Modern Family wins for Best Comedy. Shocking. Can we wrap this up so I can go watch the new Breaking Bad now?

11:00 That's it, everybody! Thank you all so much for reading...(Mom)...this was fun! Good night and good luck!

The best thing any of you will ever see

Elijah Wood is one of those celebrities that's just an absolute joy to watch when they do press. (Ex: Robert Downey Jr., Daniel Radcliffe, Amy Poehler...) He's so game; he's so happy to be there. Plus, who else could make "shut the f*** up" sound so...delicate? Seriously. Watch the video and see.

Two more Emmy snubs (and a liveblog reminder)

I'm thinking we should add Hunter Parrish and Justin Kirk to the list of people the Emmys have consistently snubbed. Was just watching the show's most recent episode, "Une Mere Que J'aimerais Baiser" (I know, I know), and had to go back to the beginning roughly three times just to catch every single one of their small moments and (forgive me for this one) choices. I'm just so consistently impressed by these guys.

And how fitting that Silas has finally become Nancy's competition? It's a brilliantly "big" moment, and big moments are not something Weeds usually recognizes -- so the shot of Andy and Doug's shocked faces as Silas packs up is as emotional as it is surprising. Weeds has always been something of a hot mess, but it's never been predictable. The show is worth watching because of that -- and because of these two.

And on a somewhat related note, a quick reminder -- will be liveblogging the Emmys as usual this Sunday, starting with the E! pre-show at 6. Seacrest, it's been too long...

Honey, I'm home

Hello all! Apologies don't make up for taking a 3-month break, but I am sorry nonetheless. I was actually busy working at another TV-centric site, Television Without Pity. Some pieces for your enjoyment:

1. It's So Hard to Say Goodbye: How to Fill the Harry Potter Void

2. Why Glee Shouldn't Have Cut Chord (Distributed to Yahoo!)

3. The Challenge: Rivals: Keep Your Enemies Closer

4. Just How Bad Are TV's Most Morally Ambiguous Characters?

5. ...and my all-time favorite, and certainly the most personal piece I wrote -- Veronica Mars: A Return to the Scene of the Crime.

If you're not watching Breaking Bad now...

it is TIME TO START. I cannot stress that enough. A preview of Season 4 came out today, and it looks like it's going to be even better than the last (if that's at all possible). There's also this fantastic behind-the-scenes article in Newsweek.

Also, off-topic, but worthy of your attention: Beyonce did a mash-up of Prince's "The Beautiful Ones" and Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire" at Glastonbury, and it was amazing. I usually don't like when people do Kings covers because no one sounds like Caleb, but Beyonce kills it. (Of course.) Check it out here.

June things I like

I know this post is long, but everything in it is amazing, so seriously try to check out however much you can. Here goes:

I am in love with this beautiful breakup song -- Robyn always delivers, but in this one you can just hear the pain in her voice. Bonus: Robyn + rap.

This is a video of Daniel Radcliffe getting quizzed on his New York knowledge, and acting adorable in general. "Two Boots is more than decent!"

I'm mad like everyone else about The Killing finale, but can I just say -- Joel Kinnaman is a revelation. If he isn't at least nominated for an Emmy, I will boycott. Speaking of The Killing finale, if you thought that made you angry, check this out -- we're not finding out who A is on Pretty Little Liars until the very last episode of the entire SERIES.

Michael Fassbender has been a fixture on this blog since it started, but he and James Mcavoy are the best bromance since Jesse and Andrew. If you don't smile at least once while watching this compilation, you should probably get that checked out.

This interview and this phone call just aren't getting old any time soon.

Everyone looked amazing at the True Blood premiere. And Evan Rachel Wood's new cut is killer.

Here's Adele making me cry...

...and here's Larry David being his usual genius self.

Best news ever: there might be an Inglorious Basterds prequel.

Portlandia isn't exactly new, but it is my new favorite show -- this is a three-minute clip, and I know you have three minutes to spare, so watch it.

Everyone is finally realizing how much January Jones sucks, and I love it.

Can't stop listening this band's cover of Super Bass -- for the best stuff, skip right to 1:56-ish. Also, it's Questlove!

Friday Night Lights' criminally under-used Grey Damon has a new job as the resident heartthrob on The Nine Lives of Chloe King, which I reviewed here.

Chloe Sevigny's fashion line kicks ass, and so do the dresses Gucci designed for Florence Welch. Speaking of dresses, this means it's officially time for me to have a Mad Men-themed party.

I'd watch Lin-Manuel Miranda read the phone book, so this video of him creating the final Tonys rap backstage during the actual awards show with Tommy Kail and Neil Patrick Harris is like a dream. Also, a billion points for their West Wing shout outs.

Hi, Joe Manganiello.

The Moneyball trailer is here! It gave me trailer chills, in a good way. (Those are the chills you get when there's that building, triumphant background music in movie trailers. Obviously.)

And finally, I never blog about art because I don't know anything about it, but I loved these too much not to post them.

Waiting sucks

"I remember the inquisition. I was around back then." T MINUS 18 DAYS.

For Amy, Forever Ago

Weeeelll, you've probably heard by now that Amy Winehouse headed to rehab today for what seems like the billionth time since she wrote a hit song about not going. But I'm a huge fan of hers, so I'm posting this video because almost always her personal life overshadows her talent. I'm not excusing addiction of any kind -- it's just nice to remember why she caught our attention in the first place. She's twitchy and fragile, but then she sings, and it's effortless. There's no denying Amy Winehouse is a mess (and maybe always will be), but there's no point in harping on it either.

Apologies

for the radio silence...it's been a busy couple of weeks. But I'm back now!

Clever transition time - speaking of being back, New York Magazine! Sometimes they exasperate me - too much content, too much ass-kissing - but they have been on their game lately, producing two fantastic TV-centered pieces. The first one is literally the article I would write if I had all of the resources NY Mag does - they interview current top showrunners, explaining that we are, after all, in the age of "creator as star." They ask Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan what show made him want to write for TV (The X-Files), How I Met Your Mother creator Carter Bays what show he wishes he'd created (Saturday Night Live), and Cougar Town creator Kevin Giegel the current showrunners he most respects (the guys over at Friday Night Lights). Among others answering: the creators of Community, Justified, 30 Rock, The Good Wife, The Office, Parks and Recreation, the list goes on...it's just heaven. Seriously, and I think this is true for any medium at all - the coolest thing is to hear the greats talk about who they see as the greats. Kevin Spacey lovingly mimmicks Jack Lemmon on Inside the Actor's Studio, Aaron Sorkin refers to Broadway theaters as "cathedrals" in The New York Times - it's even exciting to hear the younger crowd like Andrew Garfield and James Franco talk about the first movie that made them cry (In the Name of the Father and My Own Private Idaho, respectively). In fact, one of the best parts of this past awards season was the standing ovation for Robert Deniro at the Golden Globes. It's just cool to see people who routinely deliver in their own career display humility and respect for their peers, as well as total, unbridled excitement about what they do. Any way, there's lots of that in here.

The second is a series of behind-the-scenes photos of four of the shows mentioned above during filming - The Good Wife, Breaking Bad, Community, and Sons of Anarchy. It's a sort of companion piece to the article - another when-the-cameras-aren't-rolling type of thing. I loved these from Rolling Stone about a year back, and this series is in the same vein. Below, a little preview - Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman gets made up on set in New Mexico.

The end's not near...

it's here.

Thank you, Vulture

Someone needed to do this.

A little Silver Fox

to get you through the day. Blue hoodie!

The boy who lived

Watch from 3:40 to the end to see what doing something "with heart" really looks like.

Observe

the genius that is Bill Hader. He just, you know, worked for Iron Chef America for a little while, did a Tony Blair impression, and joined the cast of SNL.

Start spreading the news

Good news: American Pie original cast reunion! Lots of Jane Eyre press for Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska! Rob Lowe isn't leaving Parks & Rec to take over the trainwreck that is Two and a Half Men! (The preternaturally handsome John Stamos isn't taking over either!)

Bad news: American Idiot is shutting down. That's about it. I guess this is bad news too, because it's hilarious but didn't get traction during Oscar season. Everything that needed to be said about the ridiculousness of Black Swan is said in this video...but it's two weeks too late. Natalie Portman already has her Oscar (we will avenge you, Annette Bening, I promise), and people continue to think Black Swan was some groundbreaking work of art. Kill yourself? It's ballet! Ballet!

Showbituary: Greek

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late post – I had exams last week, so that’s a valid enough excuse, right?

Here we are, though – the moment I’ve been dreading. (Kidding. But not really.) There are few shows I have watched from the very beginning – as in, watched the Pilot on the day it aired and continued all the way through – but Greek is one of them. Greek started when I was a junior in high school and ended last Monday, exactly a week ago, as I am ending my junior year of college. Without sounding too dramatic, it is sort of like the end of an era.

Most people didn’t watch Greek; it did get cancelled, after all -- but my friends and I watched it religiously, which is why it feels so very much like something is really ending for us. Greek was about Casey, Rusty, Cappie, Evan, Ashleigh…it was about their lives. But somehow, it was about ours, too. And isn’t that what makes a TV show good? That while Mad Men is about the 60s, Don and Betty’s broken marriage could mirror any today? Or while Walter White cooks meth, he eerily reminds you of your high school science teacher? A good TV show has to be about the human experience, no matter what character or situation it chooses to focus on. They need to feel the things we feel. So while Greek was about Greek life at college (all main characters were in fraternities or sororities), it was really just about being young. I am not nor have I ever been involved in Greek life, but the creators were smart enough to make it just one factor of the show. In fact, Greek was probably the only show for young people over the past few years that was about things we experience because we are young. No saving Bass Industries or attending galas every week like Gossip Girl, no murder mystery like Pretty Little Liars, not even the ridiculous music video director storyline on 90210. (I still love you, 90210.) Being young, yes, you do have to make some big decisions.  But mostly, it’s about feeling like 1) the world revolves around you and 2) everything that happens is either the best thing that ever happened or the worst thing that ever happened. “It’s not the end of the world,” Dale has to hilariously remind Rusty one episode. “Don’t you read the scriptures I leave on your pillow? There will be signs!” But I have to give the show credit for showing the non-dramatic, purely optimistic part of youth, too. For showing what it means to have so much hope for the future, to have faith that things can be better, that things can be as good as you had dreamed. 

Speaking of Bass Industries, do you think you’ll ever see Chuck have enough depth to give up his trust fund so he can be independent from his parents and their ideals? Because that’s what Evan did, the show’s resident golden boy. Yes, like most shows on TV, Greek is a cast of beautiful kids with white-people-problems, but not one of them is one-dimensional, and together, they’re something of a rag-tag bunch. They go to a school in Ohio, and much like my high school experience, they spend a lot of time trying to find things to do. But there are always hijinks and they are always peppered with generation-appropriate pop culture references. (“Can we all be mature and just say what we're really feeling? How the hell could they cancel Gilmore Girls?”) But perhaps my favorite part of the show is that of the relationship between Casey and Rusty – sister and brother.  In the very first episode of Greek, she pretended not to know him.  Her two-year boyfriend wasn’t even aware she had a brother. But his one request? “I just wanna be part of your life.” And eventually, he is. Rusty ended the series on Monday by telling Casey that thanks to her, he has “a whole universe.” And Cappie tells Casey in one of the last scenes, “You should’ve seen Rusty today. You would have been proud.” Her response? “I already am.”  Creator Sean Smith explains it as such: “The focus of the series, to me, was always about this brother and sister coming together. If he hadn’t gone to Cyprus Rhodes, they might not have this good relationship. And they’ve now gone through this adventure together and are always going to be there for each other. And that’s what I always thought was so winning about that relationship; for Rusty, part of him wanting to be in the greek system was him wanting to be closer to his sister.” 

“Coming together” is what I see as the overall theme of Greek. The best episodes are when all of these sworn enemies because of their house loyalties come together because they are really all each other has. Last season, all of the kids spent Thanksgiving together at the KT house, and just a few episodes before the finale, they spent the night at Dobler’s during a snowstorm. Whether you love or hate the people you meet in school, they know you. You have a history. And that is what outweighs everything.

What else is there to say about the last episode? The writers blew me away one last time. I like shows that have scenes in their series finales that echo their early episodes, because it’s a wink to the viewers and a sort of thank-you-for-sticking-with-us-through-everything – think Sorkin watching Jimmy Smits get sworn in the West Wing finale and Claire getting a new car in Six Feet Under. Greek had a bunch of those moments. Casey drives away with Cappie instead of Rusty, Casey kisses Cappie at the bar instead of Evan, the reappearance of Jen K and Wade, the Casey and Rusty staircase conversations, and so on. The most gorgeous (albeit painful) scene was probably the tearing down of the KT house. From the shots of the heartbreakingly empty main room to Cappie’s look of relief and gratefulness when Evan joins him in the protest, everything was so on point. Katherine was brilliant as usual, and is perfect paired with Beav. Rebecca and Dale’s friendship was very sweet. Seeing Cappie with the loudspeaker, the leader of his house, was surprisingly emotional. Even Evan looked proud of him. And I was even more emotional when Cappie told Rusty, “you are my legacy,” and Evan and Cappie finally made up. Side note: Scott Michael Foster was really the heart of this series. Any way, when Evan sees Cappie and Casey kissing as I mentioned earlier, Evan tells them that it’s “as it should be.” Which is what the finale was representative of as a whole. Those who should have ended up together did, and those who were still growing and didn’t really deserve happy endings yet didn’t have them. The KT house still got torn down, but Dale got a girlfriend.

Greek was one of the most underrated shows I have ever watched, and a show that helped ABC Family get to the place it’s in now, with a larger audience and an identity as an up-and-coming cable TV network.  A commenter on Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago mentioned that they began to watch Greek as a guilty pleasure, but the more they watched it, the more it turned into something real. I couldn’t agree more. I started watching it as a guilty pleasure as well, but the show grew and so did the characters. It was quite a run, and I am incredibly sad to see it go. It was time, I suppose, but it is never really time.

The end of an era

Eulogy to come.

Community tackles another classic

Looks like it's time to re-watch Pulp Fiction!

Fun tidbits from the media’s Oscar coverage

Pre-show:

Just saw Jesse Eisenberg kiss Hailee Steinfeld on the cheek.

-Tumblr Blogger

"I kind of like being an underdog. Even if we come away and don't win, some people will say we were snubbed, and that's enough for me."

-Armie Hammer of The Social Network

Aaww, Andrew Garfield is carrying his invitation. Does he think he won't get in without it?

-Susan, Twitter

During the ceremony, things I didn’t catch:

"It feels like that top is still spinning…but I don't care anymore."

-Paul Franklin, Inception cinematographer, in his acceptance speech

5:25 p.m.: […] Andrew Garfield from The Social Network is fidgeting with his bow tie. Then Garfield sees someone he knows several rows back and playfully gives him the finger.

-Inside the Oscars: Moments you didn’t see on TV (AP)

The likeable Franco seems a bit overwhelmed by the gig.

-Deadline.com (Note: found this interesting! Calling him "overwhelmed" is suprising. General consensus is Franco was just over it.)

And from the after-parties (mostly Tarantino misbehaving):

"I think I'm gonna have to," Quentin Tarantino says, reaching for one from a passing burger lady. He turns to Adrien Brody in the carpeted breezeway between the terrace and the oak-paneled lounge. "On three, ready?" the motormouth director directs. "One...two... three!" Tarantino and Brody take enormous bites of their burgers.

-Washington Post

Kevin Spacey was seen sharing a joke with Sacha Baron Cohen, and Charlize Theron gave Jeremy Renner a hug after he missed out on the best supporting actor award. Justin Timberlake and Andrew Garfield mingled with Jake Gyllenhaal.

-The Telegraph

Mark Wahlberg and weary-looking Amy Adams dined at table No. 410 — brightening up a bit when a smiling Christian Bale played waiter and refreshed everyone’s Champagne.

-New York Daily News

Memo to the Winklevi: Stay single. When actor Armie Hammer arrived to the Vanity Fair party with his beautiful wife, Elizabeth Chambers, we got a big groan out of him by asking, "Where's your brother?" Hammer, who via the magic of CGI plays twins Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss in The Social Network gave us a playful punch in the gut, then one-upped us: "Vanity Fair would only give two tickets and I wanted to bring my wife. So I killed him."

-Chicago Sun Times

Colin Firth remained admirably modest. He was experiencing the most euphoric moment any actor ever can, but despite all the razzmatazz he remains the least "starry" of stars. "You know, we take risks and sometimes we get it wrong," he said. Smiling, he added: "And sometimes, mysteriously, we get it right, and it's a wonderful thing."

-The Telegraph

From any point in the throng the bouffante hair of Luke Matheny, who won the live action short film Oscar for God of Love, could be seen bouncing around. "Watch him, he's going to be a star," said one party veteran sagely.

-The Telegraph

Russell Brand is now friends with Danny Boyle.

-Washington Post

Spotted at the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party: gregarious Napster founder Sean Parker.

-New York Daily News

Walt Disney Studios Chairman Rich Ross was happy for his four wins -- 2 for Alice In Wonderland, and 2 for Toy Story 3 -- but admitted to me he had been holding out hope for Pixar's big grossing and well reviewed toon to win Best Picture. His mantra all season had been, 'If not this year, and not this picture, when?'

-Deadline.com

Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal, recently broken up, huddle in a nook by the bathrooms, under the forlorn gaze of a portrait of Greta Garbo. Gyllenhaal is using words like "care" and "feel." It is not a good spot to linger.

-Washington Post

Helena Bonham Carter looked upbeat, despite losing out in the best supporting actress category, and had a drink at the bar with her husband, director Tim Burton, and her mother. "I have a little dip but then you get over it," she said. "I do think people like you more if you lose, that's my theory." The glittery baubles Helena Bonham Carter wore in her hair at the Oscars were charms from flip-flops.

-The Telegraph, Page Six

The entrance to the Governors Ball was even more jam-packed with arriving stars than in past years. When a Chicago reporter (Yes, me!) accidentally bumped into Hugh Jackman, the cheerful Aussie joked, “Hey! Don’t let me spill this drink! I’ve waited all night for it — and I need it!”

-Chicago Sun Times

"Listen to your mother, and you'll be fine," a woman advises True Grit nominee Hailee Steinfeld, all of 14 years old and looking like a princess.

-Washington Post

Madonna, Mick Jagger’s got your number. We spotted Madge and an entourage, including daughter Lourdes, high-tailing it back to the valet at the Vanity Fair party before 11 p.m., and word is she posed on the red carpet – ensuring her attendance was recorded by the media masses – did a single lap inside, then bolted. We also hear Madonna's every calculated move on the red carpet was brilliantly deconstructed by Jagger – who wrote the bible on calculated moves – as he and a group watched via a closed-circuit TV feed that carried the action.

-Chicago Sun Times

"I don't want Best Picture," says one suit, presumably a producer. "Too much pressure." "[Expletive] Best Picture," agrees a friend.

-Washington Post

Sony Pictures chairman Amy Pascal, who really invested herself in Oscar season this year, hugged Best Picture presenter Steven Spielberg and thanked him profusely for the consoling words he said before announcing The King’s Speech as the winner. (“If you are one of the other nine movies that don’t win, you will be in the company of The Grapes of Wrath, Citizen Kane, The Graduate, and Raging Bull”, Spielberg reminded everyone.)

-Deadline.com

Now the tykes from Glee are swarming like gnats. There's the bossy belter at the bar. There's the pregnant cheerleader fussing with her shoulder straps. And by the front door, sitting on a padded pew, are the gay kid and the heavy girl, wallflowering, perfectly happy to gab and watch, as if this were an actual high school cafeteria instead of a dolled-up version of one.

-Washington Post

A director whom Hooper beat, The Fighter’s David O. Russell, was so ebullient you'd have thought he won. “Joel Coen just told me my movie was the best of the year. He can be a curmudgeon, too. That’s my prize,” he beamed.

-Deadline.com

One thing about four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening – she’s a class act. Often, after the Oscars, losing nominees hightail it right out of the Kodak Theatre, skip the post-parties and go home to lick their wounds in the company of family and close pals. But one of the first nominees to sashay into the Governors Ball was Bening and her husband, Warren Beatty, himself a past Oscar winner. “It just wasn’t my year,” said Bening. While her mouth expressed all the proper and gracious words, the actress’ eyes told a different story. You could just see her disappointment — even though Natalie Portman’s win was a foregone conclusion in many minds. Under his breath, Beatty whispered. “There will be another chance … another year. She’ll get her Oscar someday,” as a friend walked up to say, “I was so pulling for her!”

-Chicago Sun Times

As I traversed the Grand Ballroom of the Governor's Ball, I kept hearing that precise phrase -- “You were robbed” -- said a few times to everyone involved [with The Social Network].

-Deadline.com

"Yes, I am very disappointed about Best Picture. But I am just stunned that David Fincher didn't win, just absolutely stunned. This just proves it is all about campaigning and nothing else."

-Kevin Spacey

Ah, there's a real person. Luke Matheny, the shaggy young director of the Best Live Action Short who took the stage and joked that he shoulda got a haircut…Around the room, important people spot that mop of hair and flag him down. He's one of them now. For now.

-Washington Post

We catch Sarah Silverman's eye as she tries to sneak behind the bar to grab a bottle of water, as we patiently wait in line. She grins conspiratorially.

-Washington Post

We did read that New Yorker story about Paul Haggis's defection from Scientology - the whole thing! - so naturally we have much to discuss with him after he orders a tequila on the rocks with pineapple and a vodka soda with cranberry. Yes, he said, he liked the story. "And you are?" A reporter, we confess. The writer-director is civil and discreet and quickly moves to greet a woman we don't recognize a few feet to our left. Dismissed.

-Washington Post

Asked where his Oscar will reside, [Christian] Bale said his little daughter will “no doubt immediately grab it, make it hers and put it in her room with her dolls...and that’s fine by me.”

-Chicago Sun Times

Kevin Spacey is making a run for it. "I'm going to Franco's," he says as swells of velvet and chiffon heave him through the breezeway of the Sunset Tower. "What about Madonna's?" asks a tuxedo who's being towed the other way. "Nooo," Spacey says, twisting in the eddy of bodies. "No, that's all the way up Mulholland. It'll be a nightmare." "Life is a nightmare," the guy says, and they both cackle.

-Washington Post

At one end of the bar Donald Trump held court, while Tarantino did so at the other. The director could be heard shouting: "I'm a badass m------------ artist." Looking a bit star-struck Hailee Steinfeld, the 14-year-old star of True Grit, who wasn't born when Tarantino's Pulp Fiction came out, approached him and asked for a photo. Tarantino graciously suggested it should be the other way round.

-The Telegraph

In a room where everybody is somebody - Colin Firth swarmed by women demanding photos, Anne Hathaway giddy as a gazelle after hosting the show - is it possible that everyone's just nobody? The scene calls to mind Plato’s Cave, and questions about the durability of reality at 2 a.m. on Sunset Boulevard. The paparazzi are taking photos of one another. By 2:30 a.m., there are no famous people on the premises. The thing is: Only a tiny portion of Oscar winners are recognizable faces. The rest are tradesmen and off-screen talent. These unsung but awarded survivors huddle around their glinting statuettes like they're campfires. The clusters talk in hushed tones, waiting for the end.

-Washington Post

The final word, from a critic, on The Social Network Best Picture snub...

[The Academy’s] choice looks odd today.  And it will look odder still in the years to come.  This is no diss on Hooper (poor Tom Hooper, the fall guy) – it’s just the way of the thing.  Look over Oscar and film awards history and you will never see anyone snubbed, not even Martin Scorsese, to the degree Fincher was. …The critics chose The Social Network, inexplicably.  In a year that brought so many great films like Inception, Black Swan, True Grit, Winter’s Bone, Shutter Island, The Ghost Writer – The Social Network stood apart from them because it was and is perfect.  No, it doesn’t make you care about its characters, particularly.  It doesn’t spit you back out on the street seeing humanity as good and great and able to conquer speech and Nazis with the help of a wily speech therapist, but my god – what a movie.  All of these – great great films wildly, bravely, courageously directed - directed with hard core balls dangling between them legs - kicking down the door of convention, story above all else. 

-Sasha Stone, Awards Daily

...and this, perhaps the most important thing to remember about awards season: the spirit it began in.

"When the Academy Awards began in 1939, they were conducted in a spirit of irreverence, something that has practically disappeared from the event itself. 'They used to have it down at the old Coconut Grove,' Jimmy Stewart told me in the late 70s. 'You’d have dinner and alawta drinks - the whole thing was...it was just...it was a party. Nobody took it all that seriously. I mean, it was swell if ya won because your friends were givin’ it to you, but it didn’t mean anything at the bawx office or anything. It was just alawta friends gettin’ together and tellin’ some jokes and gettin’ loaded and givin’ out some little prizes. My gawsh, it was...there was no pressure or anything like that.' Cary Grant corroborated this to me: "It was a private affair, you see - no television, no radio, even - just a group of friends giving each other a party. Because, you know, there is something a little embarrassing about all these wealthy people publicly congratulating each other. When it began, we kidded ourselves: 'All right, Freddie March,' we’d say, 'we know you’re making a million dollars - now come up and get your little medal for it!'"

-Excerpted from Peter Bogdanovich’s "Who the Hell’s In It"