That Time of Year Again

So it’s Oscar season which means I’m overflowing with opinions about how Sunday night should play out.

Best Supporting Actress

Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams

This is always a fun category, especially since it typically houses the youngest nominees such as Hailee Steinfeld’s nomination for True Grit. A slew of critics are predicting that she’ll go the way of Anna Paquin in The Piano and win the category, but I’M predicting she’ll go the way of the girl who was nominated for Whale Rider a couple years ago. Remember her? Yeah, exactly.
Will win: Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Should win: Amy Adams in The Fighter. Both fighting women were great but Amy Adams was pure genius.

Cheap 2 Cents Update

Mitch Pileggi in Supernatural

According to The Ausiello Files, Mitch Pileggi is returning to Supernatural for a multi-episode arc in Season Six as Sam and Dean’s maternal grandfather. This will be interesting to see because his character has been dead since before Mary and John Winchester were married. I’ve already let my skepticism be known about the forthcoming sixth season, and this news really isn’t helping to raise my expectations.

In other news, Steve Carrell has announced that he’s leaving The Office after the upcoming seventh season which means that it’s officially the beginning of the end for the series. The recent Season Six was the first time the series showed signs of wear, and without Michael Scott  it will get tired fast.

Finally, also reported by The Ausiello Files, Criminal Minds has decided not to pick up A.J. Cook’s contract for the upcoming new season. Even though I watch the show, I don’t think this will affect it in the least. J.J. is arguably the most boring, one dimensional character of the ensemble. I’m a little concerned about them deciding to cut back Paget Brewster’s episode count, but at least she isn’t leaving the show altogether. If the show can survive Mandy Patinkin’s exit, no one will even notice A.J. Cook’s.

Wide and Prejudice

Promo poster for Huge

When looking through the television screen, diversity is something that can sometimes be hard to find. African American, homosexual, Arab, overweight… For those of us that don’t fit that straight, thin, white “ideal” there has been a limited choice of relatable characters in scripted series. Throughout time this has slowly improved, but even now in 2010 we still come across underrepresented demographics. Despite half of the citizens of the United States being classified as overweight, and the average size of an American woman being 14, being overweight still has a negative stigma and is socially acceptable to openly ridicule and criticize. There have always been overweight men on television, but the overweight woman has been largely invisible. Up until now, the only representation of the overweight on television has been NBC’s The Biggest Loser and Oxygen’s Dance Your Ass Off where overweight people strive to be the one to lose the most weight. Why are people so uncomfortable with talking about weight? Yes, there are serious issues coupled with being obese, such as diabetes, cholestoral and heart disease. The issue being ignored in pop culture as well as society is the difference between being morbidly obese and ill versus being overweight and healthy, but to society, visually unappealing. There’s a distinction that isn’t often recognized.

“See Ya, Connie!”

The happy couple

(SPOILER ALERT: Read only after watching Party Down‘s Season Two finale)

One of the best sitcoms on television since Arrested Development; Party Down‘s Season Two finale entitled “Constance Carmel Wedding” didn’t disappoint. Centered around the highly anticipated return of Jane Lynch’s Constance Carmel and her wedding to an elderly film producer named Howard Greengold, the typical awkward Party Down hijacks ensued. Constance was her usual gleeful self, and the reunion was fun to watch. Especially with Howard trying to guess who each of the characters were based on the stories he’d heard from his bride. Mixing up Henry and Roman? Genius. As Constance corrects Howard, “No he’s the failed actor. THAT’S Roman.”

Greatest Hits

After seeing so many “Top 10 Glee Performances” lists on the internets, I decided to make my own Top 20 for the whole first season.

20. “Safety Dance”

Episode: Dream On
Performed by: Artie Abrams

I love dream sequence performances, and this one might be the best. Plus bonus points for Kevin McHale’s dance moves.

You’re Standing on My DVD

I

Daria Complete Series DVD

It’s finally here. Since Daria left the air in 2002, the show’s fans, myself included, have been waiting for the Complete Series DVD to be released. In late 2009 we got the news that finally the full saga of Daria Morgendorffer and Lawndale High would be available for our DVD viewing pleasure and all our dreams would come true. Right? Not quite.

Bird’s Eye View

The mythical Lost island

Eye Candy

Serenity: Shepherd's Tale - November 24

Forget Sex and the City…

The Friends

…Give me a Friends movie! Courteney Cox was talking to the LA Times recently about wanting to do a Friends movie. Entertainment Weekly did an amazing write-up on it, better than anything I could do. Check it out.

Sam and Dean’s Swan Song

Sam and Dean with Lucifer

(SPOILER ALERT: Read only after watching Supernatural‘s Season Five finale)

It’s all been building up to this. The moment Sam’s girlfriend Jessica was murdered by old yellow eyes in the pilot of Supernatural, it set in motion events that brought the brothers to the climactic battle that took place in the finale of Season Five entitled “Swan Song.” Initially, the story was that Sam was chosen by Azazel (aka yellow eyes) to be his warrior. Well, Azazel chose a few different people and then had them duke it out to see who would come out on top. In this fight Sam ends up being killed which prompts Dean to sell his soul at the crossroads to bring Sam back. The third season is all centered around figuring out how to get Dean out of his deal which will cause him to be dead in a year’s time. Unfortunately, the brothers fail and Dean is killed by hell hounds and sending him to hell.