Mixed Feelings

The White Collar season finale has come and gone. I want to say that it's a depressing reality we have to face, but I find that my heart just isn't in it. I'm really not that upset about it at all actually. Part of my calm comes from knowing that production on Season 3 has already begun. It's amazing, the state of relaxation that comes over a fan knowing he/she's got another full season on it's way. I'm comparing this feeling of ease with the tension I experience every time I think of Community and its impending doom.

There's another reason I'm not terribly depressed about the end of White Collar Season 2 though, and that's that I was rather disappointed by the finale. I feel kind of like I imagine Mozzie must every time someone tells him that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. I keep saying to myself, "But there's a so much better, more intricate, more sinister explanation that just makes more sense."

What am I talking about? None of my predictions for the end of the season came true.

This is something I was expecting. The White Collar writers have a way of conning me even when I think I've got it all figured out. It's part of what I love about the show. In an age of dramatic television where every "twist" seems to have been done before, and you can predict plot points months in advance, White Collar has always managed to keep me guessing. Usually they manage to out-think me though, not under-think me.

In the online commentary for the finale, show runner Jeff Eastin said that he felt that this episode finally and completely puts to bed the driving plot line of Seasons 1 and 2, ie Kate and the Music Box. So let's look at the resolutions we arrived at this week, character by character.

We'll start at the bottom and work our way up.

Kate: In response to a Paleyfest question, Jeff Eastin has definitively stated that Kate Moroe is really dead. While I desperately wanted her to come back for the effect it would have on Neal, I can't say that I'm really surprised. As I mentioned before, I don't particularly feel that the actress could convey the subtleties required to pull off the "ex-con-woman turned by love," that would be required if her character were to return. However, based on one of Adler's lines in the finale, I believe my general concept of Kate (she began as Adler's lackey, but fell in love with Neal, and decided to back out and run) is the only prediction I actually got right. After Caffrey accuses Adler of killing Kate, Adler shoots back that Neal "changed her," saying something to the effect of "the Kate I knew wouldn't have had to die." Still, if Eastin would let her come back from the dead, they wouldn't need to force Alex into such a prominent role.

Alex: I still have too many questions about Alex's involvement in this episode to take Jeff Eastin at his word that the Adler storyline has been fully wrapped. Why did Adler kidnap her, for one? It is revealed midway through the episode, as Peter and Neal try to diffuse the TNT in the U-boat hatch, that Adler had no idea of Alex's connection to the German soldier who received the last radio broadcast from the scuttled U-Boat. I understand why Adler picks up Neal, and Peter by association. I just still have no clue why Alex would have been present. The only explanation that makes any sense to me is that she had to have been working with Adler but withholding that crucial piece of information. If anyone has a better explanation though, I'd love to hear it.

Also, her new position as one of Neal's love interests rather than just a casual and occasional exciting option for the Neal Caffrey flirtation is one of the only aspects of the White Collar plot that I have ever felt to be unnaturally imposed on the storyline. But more on that when I get to Neal.

Peter: This is a twist I didn't even guess was coming, Peter once again distrusting Neal. Burke's final moments in this episode have set the tone for Caffrey's entire Season 3 journey. It brilliantly returns both of our leads to their positions at the beginning of Season 1, with both distrusting the other. Usually pushing the restart button on character based shows feels cheap and false. See every episode of Glee ever. The White Collar writers, though, have managed to set up a scenario where, realistically, in a single moment, all the work Peter and Neal did to develop their mutual partnership has been pulled away. I can't wait for Peter to start questioning Neal's motives on every decision again. It should be interesting if they manage to make it continue to feel fresh. There is a huge risk though, in a character driven show like this, that forcing the characters back to a pre-growth state will make them feel tired and boring as Peter and Neal spend the next season resolving issues they have already spent two seasons resolving.

Neal: I'll admit it, I cringed every time Sara was on the screen tonight. The love triangle seemed arbitrary and stupid the entire episode. The entire episode, that is, until the final moments, when Neal finds himself in a warehouse full of Nazi treasure. Suddenly I was able to see Sara and Alex not as potential love interests in an unnecessary love triangle that seems out of place in a show that has traditionally focused more on the bromance between Peter and Neal. But as I watched Neal's final moments, I suddenly understood. The girls themselves are unimportant to the viewers. Sara or Alex, whichever Neal chooses the audience will get plenty of eye candy and plenty of attitude. The writer's aren't putting Neal in a love triangle for us.

They're giving him this choice between girls as a metaphor for the much bigger life choice he now faces. Neal can go good, or Neal can go bad. Sara represents the straight and narrow path Neal has been following beside Peter, whereas Alex represents the wild and crime fueled life he had before. It struck me that my inability to realize the metaphor the entire time was kind of stupid, especially after I had already commented weeks ago on the upcoming choice Neal would face between his house and the white picket fence or the lock picked open windows of other people's penthouses. Granted, when I made the comment then it was because I was expecting Kate to be the counterpoint to Sara, not Alex. I still think Alex's relationship with Neal is being shoe-horned in when Kate would have been the more natural choice though.

Conclusion: Overall, a decent stand alone episode. The shots with Neal and Peter on/in the U-boat made me giddy, and I loved the final cliffhangar question posed at the end. Which of Neal's accomplices moved the art, Alex or Mozzie? More importantly, did Neal have anything to do with it? As a teaser for Season 3, the episode has done an excellent job at raising the stakes on the central question of Caffrey's character raised earlier this season during talks about his Father. Neal may want to be good, but he was born bad. Can he overcome his natural tendencies for crime, and does he really even want to?

As a wrap up of Season 2 (and Season 1 since it was all a direct continuation) the episode fell short. An elaborate Adler con may seem like a conspiracy theory of absurdly large proportions, but I still maintain that the pieces would have fallen together better. The lingering questions of Season 2 all got resolved, but they didn't necessarily fit together as well as they could have.


White Collar has raised the bar for dramatic television writing to an unheard of high, it was inevitable that they'd fall a little short of my expectations every once in a while. But they're still miles above most other shows on the air right now.

Spoilers (No Spoilers Present)

There are two reasons I am different than professional television critics, and neither of them are quality of opinions or caliber of writing. The only differences between me and professional critics are as follows. One, I do not get paid to write these blogs that you read. Two, I do not receive episode screeners from the networks to review the day before a show airs.

Why do I bring this up now? Because this week I find myself without access to cable television. Which means I am stuck watching all my favorite shows on Hulu, if they have a reasonable licencing contract, or on DVR at the end of the week if they don't. I would much rather have a screener copy just be delivered to my door. That would be nice.

Why am I telling you all this? Because White Collar falls into that second category. I will not be able to watch this week's episode, the season finale no less, until Thursday evening. Tragic? Yes. So here's my request, my plea, to my readers. I know you will be tempted to talk to me about the season finale airing tomorrow night. You will want to flock to my blog in record numbers and comment on my in depth review of the episode and Season 2 as a whole. You will want to discuss the finer points of Vincent Adler's plot against Neal and Peter's make out session with Sara and what it means for Kate in the end. You will want to talk to me about this episode.... Don't.

You can feel free to talk about Chuck, Raising Hope or How I Met Your Mother, or even the season finale of Greek. Spoil those for me all you want. But please, for the love of all that is sacred in television (and the list isnt' long, but White Collar is at the top), don't spoil this one for me.

On a related note, Jeff, I will not be reading any comments from you or your wifey until Thursday evening. Just in case.

Week in Review

Monday:

Castle: A > Excellent conclusion to the two parter. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Castle has TV's best romance because the whole show is about the romance without relying on it to tell the story. Brilliant.

Mother: C+ > Why does this comedy insist on ending recent episodes with horribly depressing moments? Comedy means happy ending. Any freshman high school student can tell you that. Also, as much as I like Zoe, we already know she's not the mother. Granted, Ted is a better character when he's in a relationship, and Mother just got signed on for another two seasons, so the writers have a lot of time to fill. And like I said, I like Zoe, so I'll accept her presence for a few more episodes.

Chuck: B+ > Like I said before, there were moments this week that felt very old school Chuck. Plus I'm digging the Morgan and Casey as roommates sub-plot. I'm not liking the set up for the next Volkoff though. Chuck does just fine battling elusive entities (like Fulcrum and The Ring). There's no need to bring in new semi-regular characters to the spy world. They've already got too many to follow. How many times have we seen Jeff and Lester this year?

Tuesday:

Raising Hope: A- > We need more Virginia/Sabrina story lines. Those two are hilarious together. And who knew that it was possible to make fart jokes sentimental?

White Collar: B+ > The show that can do no wrong started weak. It got much better once Brooke was off the screen, but it couldn't fully recover from a casting mistake. 

Glee: A+ > There wasn't one.

Wednesday: 

Modern Family: B- > Rather underwhelming. I tried to write a piece on it earlier this week and just couldn't find enough to say. There really wasn't anything wrong with the episode though. It made me laugh, which is what it is supposed to do. 

Mr. Sunshine: C- > Looks like ABC scheduled this show right. I keep watching it because it's on after Modern Family and Matthew Perry catches my eye before I can change the channel. Otherwise I'm not sure I'd be watching it. The distribution of Ben's flash cards and the racist frat house B-plot were both depressingly predictable. I think I smiled a couple of times during the episode though. 

Thursday:

Was there anything new on any network?

Friday: 

Fringe: C > No new episode, but I felt like commenting anyway. I'm sick of the Peter/Olivia/Fauxliva love triangle. I really don't care. I watched Fringe from the beginning because of the Sci-Fi intrigue. Now they've made me groan every time they show me the other universe because I know it's going to have something to do with a baby I care nothing about.

All in all the week got off to a good start but just couldn't keep it up into and through the Wednesday hump. 

Any opinions on any of these shows? Or any others I didn't watch? Let me know in the comments section. I'd be happy to discuss. 

Twitter and Paleyfest

For those of you who don't know, Paleyfest is a huge television convention in California. Basically each day is devoted to a different show for two weeks. Each night there is a panel involving the stars and certain creative minds behind the shows for fans and television critics to ask questions. Tonight is True Blood night.

Now something you have to know about me is that I follow a lot of esteemed television critics on Twitter. It's how I get a lot of my background information. These critics are the source of my anticipation of upcoming television events (like no Community this week, or the one-hour Community paint ball episode season finale). They are also the source of my disappointment when I expect too much from any show on a given week. Overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses and I enjoy following these people on Twitter because I like comparing my ideas to theirs every time I read one of their reviews.

Now combine the two. All of these critics that I follow are at Paleyfest right now. Several of these critics (if not all of them) are live tweeting via cellphone from their seats at the panel. The result is that my Twitter feed has been constantly flowing with tweets about a show about vampires that I have no interest in. I don't want to "Unfollow" these people, because 98% of the time I appreciate the things they have to say. But today, they have forced me to abandon Twitter to maintain my sanity.

If I read one more tweet about how Sooki and X, Y, or Z vampire lover will or will not have plot lines next year, I swear I might stake someone through the heart, Buffy style.

Practice Makes Perfect

There was no new Community this week.

Some of you may have known that this brief hiatus was coming for over a week now. This group has as much free time to scan network websites and television blogs as I do.

Others of you may not have realized the time slot was being filled by The Office reruns until you turned on your TV's last night and were disappointed to see Steve Carell instead of Joel McHale. For that group, this may also mark the first time you have ever been disappointed to see Steve Carell.

More of you may not have realized there was no new Community last night until you eagerly opened up your Hulu queues this afternoon and panicked, thinking that the absence of a new episode meant that Hulu and NBC had contract negotiation troubles and forced your favorite comedy into a licencing agreement that required a thirty day delay. These people should probably take a moment to ponder NBCUniversal's Gollum-like schizophrenia. 

Still others of you may not have realized there was no new Community this week until you started reading this blog entry. You are the reason that we fans are still wondering if there will ever be a season 3. You're dead to me.

However you found out, it's likely that your day was a little less bright when you did. Unfortunately that very disappointment is something that is going to become all too common, all too soon. You see, Community is currently filming its final episode, which means that the summer hiatus is now only a few episodes/weeks away. And when that time comes we will have to go not one mere week, but entire months without new episodes of Community to sustain our palette for humor. Or White Collar to sate our thirst for crazy conspiracy theories. Or dozens of other shows that fufill many other sustenance related metaphors.

So thanks NBC, for giving us a little practice to ease us into the heartbreak we all know is coming. If only it didn't promise to be so unbearable.

I guess that's what DVD Box Sets are for.

Normality

Today an interesting thing happened. I did not watch any television of any kind. I call this a tragedy.

My friends in the "real world" call it normal.

How sad and boring it must be to live that kind of life.

As Promised

Any of my regular readers should know that I have a pretty unhealthy love affair going with USA's Tuesday night drama, White Collar. Generally speaking, I tend to take the "This Show Can Do No Wrong" approach when I watch it, more often than not because it doesn't. The only times I ever see fit to really question the genius minds behind White Collar are always in regards to casting choices. 

It's never the men. Tim DeKay and Matt Bomer (Peter and Neal respectively) are perfect together. The two have a natural chemistry that makes them fun and easy to watch week after week as they hatch schemes and right wrongs. Willie Garson (Mozzie) takes a note out of his character's playbook and steals every scene he's in with comedic flair that it's hard to find in a good drama. No, the men are as close to perfect as human actors can come.

The women on the other hand... There must be a shortage of talented actresses in Hollywood right now because the women never seem to be on par with the men. Now, there are exceptions to every rule. So far, Marsha Thomason (Diana) and Gloria Votsis (Alex) have done nothing to make me question their roles on the show, but they may be the only female semi-regulars who haven't. Actually, that's an exaggeration, Diahann Carroll (June) is pretty solid as well.

First, there's Alexandra Daddario (Kate). I get into discussions about this particular actress and her talent on a fairly regular basis. I am always quick to defend her, but that's mainly because she has the naturally piercing blue eyes that they artificially give Neal in all the promotions materials. Every time she's on screen I forget that she's supposed to be acting or telling the story and just lose myself in her eyes. That in itself is a bit of a problem with the actress, she's so beautiful that it's distracting, but I figure that has to be how most of the female Collars (fans of the show) feel every time Matt Bomer is on the screen, so I'll let it go. But her acting has some issues too. Alexandra delivers every line she is given in a passionless monotone. The thing is, and why I'm quick to defend her, is that passionless monotone may have worked really well in "Forging Bonds." If I'm right and Kate is in on Adler's quest for the music box from the beginning then Kate is conning Neal, but not a natural con-artist. Imagine yourself thrust into that role. That sort of awkward emotionlessness is exactly how she would sound when she was supposed to sound "lovey-dovey." So I hold out hope that maybe her distractingly dull acting is a conscious choice. If it's not though... I have often speculated with friends that when Jeff Eastin was originally developing White Collar, Kate was meant to have a much larger role in the plot arc of the show, but he was forced to scale back after the show runner realized that the actress just didn't fit the world. Of course, given that she was never signed as a series regular in the first place, only a recurring character, that theory is pretty groundless. If Kate doesn't turn out to still be alive and part of Adler's long-con on Neal in the end, though, I'm willing to bet that Alexandra's performance might be a significant reason why. 

Of course, now that we are "assuming" Kate's death is permanent and Neal is moving on with his life, the writers have introduced Hilarie Burton (Sara) as our favorite con-man's new gal. There's been a little flirting here and there between the two of them since the insurance agent came on the scene early in season 2, but I've never really felt a strong romantic connection between the two until this episode. I'm still holding out hope that they've rushed Sara and Neal's love story through to give Neal a "tough" choice to make when Kate shows up next week, alive and well. We'll see though. Anyway. There has been a lot of internet criticism of Hilarie Burton from people who weren't fans of her earlier work in One Tree Hill. I, however, am a huge fan of her on White Collar, generally speaking. I think Sara fits in with the Neal/Peter boys club in a natural way that Dianna can't because of her subordinate relationship to Peter, and a major part of Sara's natural ease and charm comes from Burton's portrayal of the character. My only qualm with Burton is related to my earlier comment about Sara's romance with Caffrey feeling forced. Watching Sara interact with Neal in this week's episode, I was struck by how awkwardly Burton played Sara's scenes with Neal leading up to the awkward moments. Did that make absolutely no sense? Let me elaborate. Essentially, the moments between the two characters when they said good bye and then awkwardly continued walking together was perfectly natural and seemed incredibly realistic. The awkwardness in the hall of records after Mozzie catches Neal with his pants down (almost literally) was tremendous. No complaints. But both of the scenes leading up to those two, when Burton seems to be trying to infuse her dialogue with the supposed-to-be-building romantic tension, those seem forced and more than a little off-putting. It's when Sara is being awkward before there's a reason to be awkward that things are awkward. There, did it make more sense that time?

Then there is Peter's love interest. Before I start complaining, I should admit that Tiffani Thiessen (Elizabeth) has gotten much less distracting in Season 2, or maybe I've just become more acclimated to her style. But there's something about her acting that jars with the rest of the show and pulls me out of the story temporarily whenever she's on the screen. Every time I watch her, I can't help but think that maybe she's still stuck acting in an early 90s sitcom. Seriously, I challenge you to watch Season 1 of White Collar side by side with any episode of Saved by the Bell. Tiffani Thiessen (who played Zack Morris' love interest, Kelly) was great on that show, because the style of acting required was entirely different for that style of show. She still acts exactly the same way, so I can't say that she's a bad actress. The problem is, now, on White Collar, a show that has very real and dynamic characters, every line she delivers seems too overstated and fake, which makes her stand out from her peers. Kind of the opposite of why Alexandra stands out. 

Which brings us to this week's episode and the jump-start of it's collusion plot, which came in the form of whistle-blower Brooke Argyle. The actress who plays her (she's not listed on IMDB as being billed for this episode so I don't know who she was) has a line delivery so thoroughly lacking in nuance that it makes Alexandra's Kate sound like Morgan Freeman. It was astonishing to me that the show had cast this particular actress in such a vital (albeit small) role. Watching the opening scene between Brooke and Elizabeth was like an exercise in patience. I never once considered changing the channel, but I did struggle not to block my ears at times. 

Thankfully, Brooke's role was small enough that we didn't have to deal with her very much, and the rest of the episode flowed forward as one of the smoothest and most comedically entertaining episodes we've seen in a while. 

Notable show moments included: Peter and Neal switched places, with each pretending to be the other for the purpose of relaxing and soothing our frightened whistle-blower (who I never once believed was actually frightened.... or a living person for that matter). From the moment Neal announces himself as Elizabeth's husband, the laughs just don't stop coming. Particularly, a moment right after Peter has agreed to the switch, both men go out onto the balcony of the Bureau and Neal casually mimics Peter's gestures while the latter announces their new plan to snickers from the agents. As Peter finishes his announcement and Neal assumes his role, Neal does the infamous double finger point, calling an agent up to his office which prompts Peter's confused and exhasperated "What are you... You don't even need him." I rewound my DVR and replayed this moment twice more before moving on with the rest of the episode.

Another wonderful physical bit comes at the end of the show, and just goes to show how the actors have bought into the subtlety of the writing style. Both Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay have realized that it's the little things that make their show great, and they strive to get the details right. After an early prompting from Elizabeth reminding her husband that Neal "doesn't put his hands on his hips," Peter and Neal spend the entire episode in reversed postures. Until the very end of the episode. During Peter and Neal's final exchange regarding Neal's forging of an FBI Badge, Neal tells Peter he needed it because he "was an FBI Agent." Peter calls him out on it. "Was?" He asks pointedly and Neal agrees, "was." At that exact instant, when Neal has officially relinquished Peter's life and position back to him, both men reverse their postures. It's a fantastic visual moment. 

Cliffhangar: Then of course, there's the final moment of the episode, revealing that Adler is after Alex, who "supposedly" has known what the music box leads to the entire time. 

Downside - It may render my theory that Alex has been working for Adler void. If Adler already had Alex in his pocket then the entirety of his con on Neal becomes pointless. Or so it would seem. Before admitting defeat though, I would also argue that if Alex knew what the music box has led to the entire time, then she also had no reason to help Neal "try" to find it. After all, we have to remember from "Forging Bonds" that she's the one who put Caffrey onto the music box in the first place. Either she would keep him away like she would be trying to keep away Adler, or if she needs Neal's help for some reason, she would just ask him for help directly, rather than through the music box quest. So, I'm still holding onto my theory that Alex doesn't realize what she knows and has been working for Adler, who only just realized (just before Mozzie) who she is and what her family connections link her to. Now, thinking he's been betrayed, Adler is subversively going after Alex (via the tail we see at the end) and whatever the fractal antennae leads to. For all we know, it's Alder on the phone with Alex at the end. 

Upside - Even if I'm blatantly wrong about everything including Alex and Kate, it only serves to show exactly why I love this show so much. The writers can manage to out think me at every turn. 

So here's to expecting that the season finale blows my mind, and here's hoping it ends with Alexandra Daddario's Kate stepping from the shadows with a villainous "Hello, Neal."

Realizations

Last night I realized, if I want to up my viewership, all I need to do is announce a live blog. That magic refresh button seems to do wonders for my page view count. Last night's Oscar blog got three times as many viewers in 24 hours as any other post has in total. So thanks to all those who tuned in. I know Chester enjoyed it. Hopefully the rest of you did too. (Yeah, that's what we call a shout out, Cheddar, how do you like them apples?)

Today I realized that I really need a day job. As much as I love my afternoon/evening job, driving two hours to and from work every day is becoming tedious. Anybody know anyone hiring for mornings in Seattle? At this point I'd scrub toilets. I just need something to pay rent. 

An hour ago, I realized (again) that negativity is too easy. After a week's worth of Charlie Sheen and almost 24 hours of Oscar-bashing, I'm sick of it. Is it ironic that I'm complaining about people complaining too much? I wouldn't know. Alanis Morissette has forever ruined my understanding of that word and its definition.

Tonight I realized that I may not be ready for Chuck to end after all. Also, that Chuck and Sarah make a very good looking pair of bank robbers. That scene of tonight's episode where the soon-to-be-newlyweds rob a crime syndicate bank while interspersing bits of dialogue about their upcoming wedding may have been one of the most enjoyable Chuck moments of the last two seasons. It was like classic Season 1 again.

Just now I realized this was a lame theme for a blog post.


UPDATE: Just realized why I love Jon Stewart. http://tv.gawker.com/

UPDATE: A quote from this week's Fairly Legal, which I'm finally watching. "Very few people can create something. Most people, they comment on it...." Final realization - I really want to be a television script writer. Time to focus on the spec scripts. 

The Oscars

And only ten minutes over time... not bad. Thanks to you who read along with me, and those who will try to sort through this mess later.

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Kings Speech... which means of the awards I predicted, I only got one wrong... I saw an interesting quote on Twitter earlier today that sums it up pretty well. "I've seen Civil War reenactments with less predictable winners than tonight's Academy Awards."

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And...... Best Picture goes to???

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I don't understand why people are calling this the "worst Oscars ever." There is nothing more wrong about these Academy Awards than any other year. Yes, James Franco could be a little more enthusiastic. Yes there are some awkward moments. Yes it seems to be dragging on. But let's be honest. It's an awards show. There is no way to make it into Modern Family. It just will never be that entertaining. It can't be. It isn't the same beast. I think this year was a valid effort by the Academy to try to make things a little more youthful but still pay tribute to it's history. Nice job Academy. They shouldn't stop trying to do better, but they also don't deserve the abuse I'm seeing them get on Twitter and Facebook and TV review websites.

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Jennifer Lawrence is absolutely beautiful. Just adding that comment.

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No one is surprised. - Natalie Portman wins best Actress.

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Not a fan of Hilary Swank. But I'm biased because I live in Bellingham.... if you don't get that joke, that's exactly why.

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Now that is a dress. Anne Hathaway's 27th costume change of the night.

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Gwyneth Paltrow has been proving she can sing for almost a year now. So why is it that I still cringe expecting her to fall apart every time I see her with microphone? She always gets away with it, even if she isn't perfect.
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Loving that the red glowing "Exit" signs just got featured in this song. #OscarDetailsYouDidntNotice

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I have basically stopped updating. Why? Because I'm no longer paying close enough attention to notice details. I'm getting bored Academy. Your "young/hip" awards show is losing my focus. Although the DownyJr/Law presentation was enjoyably light hearted. You'd think more people in a crowd of actors could pull off a scripted joke and make it sound natural.

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"A really sexy movie star... drink it in Hugh" - Billy Crystal makes the 87th Hugh Jackman crack of the night.

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At least he said "forgive me" before he made the political moment, and quickly moved it back to the movies. That's what we call a classy moment.

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Really? We're taking up time for an "autotune the movies" segment? The really sad part is that I'm kind of enjoying it.... Except the Twilight part. That just ruined it.

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"Who is this guy?" - What the world is thinking right now. But he's pretty funny and kinda sweet. Not bad Oscar rookie.

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Still need to see "Tangled." Also, this song has convinced me that I need to work with Zachary Levi someday. I've always loved him, but this makes him seem like he'd be fun to work with.

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So excited for this part!!! It's like the Grammy's but not ridiculous.

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Somebody actually wrote a speech. I didn't realize people did that at televised awards shows anymore. It sounded monotone, but at least it wasn't rambling. So let her finish!!!!!!!!

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If Twilight looked like that, I might actually watch it.

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Lord of the Rings to welcome Kate Blanchett. I'm interested to see where this goes. --- Ahh, make up. Of course?

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Why wasn't Daft Punk nominated for score? For the record, I want Zimmer to win. Just because I love him.

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Not sure how I feel about the business announcement during the awards show. It would be a little better if they hadn't already made that announcement a week ago. Then at least there'd be the "excitement" factor. As it was it just seemed out of place. Hurray! ABC will be showing the Oscars forever. I just can't care.

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Christian Bale winning supporting actor puts my count at 2 for 3. Also, my dad just commented: "He didn't sound like that in Batman. How did he hide his accent?" My response was "Acting."

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First Charlie Sheen joke of the night comes from James Franco in a dress. How long do you think it will be before he bashes the guy in a radio/tv/newspaper interview? But I thought it was hilarious.

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Anne Hathaway bashing Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables fashion. Priceless. Especially because it calls to mind the "I am WOLVERINE!" moment from two years ago when Hugh hosted.

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Is it unreasonable to say that the screenwriters should get as much time to speak as the actors? Seriously, Sorkin had less than half of the time that Melissa Leo had.

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How is Toy Story an adapted screen play? I know they just said it was based on the previous films but come on... We call those "sequels" not adapted screenplays.

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Yep. Toy Story takes home animated picture. Could it ever have gone any other way?

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Really? That's the best joke they could come up with for Justin? "I'm Banksy"??? The "app for that" gag was pretty decent though.

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Extra points for accidental swearing while talking about fake looking acceptance speeches. I love her a little bit right now. Not really feeling her last line though.

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Well I'm 0 for 1. Congratulations to Melissa Leo though. I guess I need to see "The Fighter"

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Kirk Douglas, stalling on reading the Supporting Actress winner is making me crack up. I feel terrible for those poor women though.

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I agree, Kirk Douglas, Anne Hathaway IS gorgeous.

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Internet pundits are saying James Franco looks stoned... I think he just looks terrified. Maybe that's just me.

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My television has been commandeered during the commercial breaks by my father who wants to watch sports. Lovely.

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Funny how Tom Hanks' speech about the triple threats gets blown right out the window right off the bat by a film winning in art direction which was not nominated for either of the other two awards.

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How do we feel about the Oscars trying to be young, fresh and hip by looking back at its age-old history?

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FOR THE WIN! A Random Back to the Future reference to end the opening host video.... LOVE IT!

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"You just got Inceptioned" - Alec Baldwin

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"I loved you in Tron" - James Franco

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Apparently it was a year of dance and fights, if the opening montage was any indication.

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What was with Tom Hanks' mockery-ridden furious hand gestures?

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If anybody cares, here's my predictions...
Best Picture - Kings Speech
Actor in a Leading Role - Colin Firth
Actress in a Leading Role - Natalie Portman
Actor in a Supporting Role - Christian Bale
Actress in a Supporting Role - Helena Bonham Carter
Animated Feature - Toy Story 3

The rest I don't really care about. I think the two supportings could go other directions, but I'm pretty sure the other four are all but locked up.

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Breaking News: Actors Happy to Be Here at the Oscars

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Alright, I've got my frozen pizza cooked and cut, the chips are laid out, the dip is mixed, and an ice cold Pepsi (think they'll pay me for product placement?) laid out beside me. I am ready for the Oscars to begin... too bad there's still a half hour left.

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OK, I know I said I wasn't going to comment on the red carpet, but I've taken a peek at both ABC's and E!'s fashion coverage, and I'm cringing every time one of these "reporters" asks a question. Also... is it the year of ugly cream colored dresses?

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Live blogging the Oscars... just to see what all the fuss is about.

I'll just update this post with new information, so you can keep refreshing the page if you're actively interested, or you can just tune in after the ceremony to see all my comments out of context.

If anybody comments here during the Oscars, I'll try to address them live in the blog.

Starting at 8E/5P. I don't do all that red carpet nonsense.

Rerelease

When I first created this site, I didn't really have a good sense of what it was going to be or where I wanted to take it. Since I've started doing my daily post self-challenge, I have given the blog's intention a lot more thought. It has become a place for me to talk about both the stories I love, and why I enjoy them, and the stories I don't, and what irks me about them.

With the reexamined purpose in mind, I've made a couple of minor surface changes to the design of the blog to try to reflect what's inside a little more.

I arbitrarily changed the title to one that I liked better. Essentially, "Three Letter Acronyms" was mildly clever, but it didn't mean anything at the casual glance. You had to actually look at the blog to understand that it had anything to do with television. I'm hoping that the new title helps correct that a little bit. Also, "Network Reprogramming" was always a part of this blog, and when I replaced it as my signature with my name, I was sad to see it go. Now I'm glad to have it back.

After I changed the title, I had to change the subtitle description to match, so I stole a line from last night's introspective post, and made it work.

Then I changed the layout of that side a little >>> to play up the archive of old posts and highlight the available content a little more.

Then, to top it all off, I took the last half of my "Why Television?" post and made it its own page up at the top. I figured it served kind of as an "about the blog" kind of page.

I also considered changing the overall page design to a more standard white background with black text, but I couldn't find a pre-designed template that I liked with that color scheme. I'll keep working on it though, so don't be surprised if you take a look at a page one day and the blog looks entirely different.