So lame.

I wasn’t planning to do a post about the potential Best Picture nominees. After all, the last thing we need is another blogger weighing in on the big categories. However, a reader asked. Plus, I just returned from AMC’s all-day marathon showing of the five nominees. I’m drunk enough off an odd sense of accomplishment–earned by what amounts to sitting on my butt for 12.5 hours–that I’m feeling entitled to an opinion.

My plan had been to watch only the three movies I had not previously seen. But there’s something about that room full of film geeks, all sucking on the included large soda and munching the included large popcorn (it was actually loud enough to distract me during the first movie…) that made me stay for the whole deal.

So here’s my quick-and-dirty take on why Little Miss Sunshine deserves the prize.

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It’s interesting (and potentially industry-shaping) to see a couple of actions lately from the FCC that seem to indicate it intends to take a more active role in television.First, news broke of a draft memo in which the FCC suggests that Congress can make laws restricting violence on TV, and that doing so would no violate the first amendment. Now comes a report that the FCC will issue a record-breaking fine to Univision for not honoring educational television requirements.I’m a little torn on what to think here.

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I don’t know about you, but most years when I fill out that entry form for the Oscar pool at this party or that, my selection for “Best Animated Short” is based on little more than which title sounds fun to me. Well, not this year! On Tuesday I caught a screening at the Academy’s theater of all of the animated and live action shorts nominated this year. (Thanks to my roommate who found out about the event, and thanks to the really nice lady who slipped me a ticket when I arrived two minutes late and discovered I couldn’t pay with plastic. Thanks, nice lady!)

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E! Online reports that wheels are in motion to put out a spin-off to Grey’s Anatomy, centering on the character of Dr. Addison Montgomery (formerly -Shepherd.) It’s interesting to see that the idea is at a very, very basic stage of development, and yet contracts are already in place. No ideas for the plot or the setting, but sign everyone up, quick. What a business.

It has been my contention for a while now that the storyline for this character is played out on GA, so I welcome seeing her move in a completely different direction onto her own show. I mean, do you really want to watch an Addison-Alex romance? Or more trashy hook-ups with McSteamy? Not I. So by all means, give her her own show.

ScreenwriterGuy says, the more redheads with leading roles, the better.

I recently underwent a tragic personal misfortune. It is the kind of turmoil that only those who have endured similar loss can comprehend.I don’t have TiVo any more. I moved from a TiVo-ed home to a primitive, unenlighted domicile lacking this particular luxury. My thumb still pulses three times whenever I see a commercial. And yet the commercial… plays… on. Hello. My name is ScreenwriterGuy. And I am an addict. (Hi, Screenwriterguy…) Of course, all I can do is try to move on. While I await roommate consensus and cable guy arrival, I have had to seek other methods of staying caught up with my shows. We live in a wonderful era, of course, because now the magic box on my desktop can do much of what the magic box in my living room has done in the past. TiVo-less as I am, I have started to explore the offerings of the various networks via the internet. Overall, it’s an impressive early effort the nets have made. Following are my observations, by network:

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