How hard can it be to produce a decent Oscars show?  That’s the question I ask myself every year.

It’s been two short years since the Franco/Hathaway trainwreck detonated on the stage of the (then) Kodak Theater.  Last year the show’s producers overcompensated by dusting off Billy Crystal’s hackneyed schtick after Eddie Murphy bailed on them.  It didn’t help that, in addition to stale jokes, Billy brought with him an off-putting attitude of “You people are lucky I came back to save the Oscars.”  It was unfunny and condescending.  Last year’s telecast wasn’t as bad as the previous catastrophe; it was merely boring.

*Please note that this article is an opinion-editorial.


If you don’t live in Los Angeles, this news may have bypassed you this week: Robert De Niro cast his hand and footprints in cement in the courtyard of Grauman’s Chinese Theater.  First of all, I do realize that the Chinese Theater has gone through a recent name change, and it’s no longer considered “Grauman’s.”  (I’m going to keep calling it by its proper title, because the name change is really stupid.  Ah, corporate naming rights!  You’ve given us the Staples Center, the Nokia Theater, and the University of Phoenix Stadium!)  I assume everybody understands the magnitude of being asked to do this.  It’s a much bigger deal than getting a star on the Walk of Fame.  If you’re ever in the area, take a stroll down the Walk of Fame and be amazed at the vast number of performers you’ve never heard of before.  Hell, if selected by the committee, you actually have to pay for your own star.  We throw this word around too much, but getting immortalized in Grauman’s cement means you are an icon.

I’m on record saying Justified is the second best Elmore Leonard adaptation of all time, a close second to one of my all-time favorite movies, Out of Sight.  Even though Graham Yost and his crew do a great job of getting the Elmorian tone just right, it’s always a pleasure when the master himself lends a hand.

SPOILERS BELOW

First of all, you simply have to love the title of this episode, especially when the final image of last week’s installment was a gruesomely severed foot.

I mentioned that the episode from a couple of weeks ago (I believe it was Episode Four) was really dull and almost nothing happened that moved the season-long story arc about the long-missing Drew Thompson forward in any way.  Tonight, we got almost too much plot, but it made for a lively episode. 

SPOILERS BELOW

Love is in the air at Fanboy Comics!  In this magical month of romance and enchantment, the FBC Staff and Contributors decided to take a moment to stop and smell the roses.  In the week leading up to Valentine's Day, a few members of the Fanboy Comics crew will be sharing their very personal "Love Letters" with our readers, addressed to the ones that they adore the most. 

My Dearest Buffy,

First, let me express my deepest apologies for requiring a holiday like Valentine’s Day to declare not only my love for you but also my unending respect. To paraphrase Ron Swanson, Valentine’s Day was invented by Hallmark to sell cards. We shouldn’t leave these matters of the heart to be spoken on specified days on the calendar, and, for that, I ask you to forgive me.

I am a better man today because of you, Buffy Anne Summers, and I mean that in the most literal way possible.

Now, that’s more like it!

After coming out of the blocks like Usain Bolt for its first three episodes, last week’s Justified was uncharacteristically dull.  It was easily the weakest episode since the first season.  After roaring out of the gate with the mystery of Drew Thompson, last week’s outing literally offered nothing about the overreaching season arc.

SPOILERS BELOW

I think we know where Disney is spending all of that Avengers money.  Even after recently acquiring LucasFilm for $4 billion (Imagine the number of red, plaid shirts George can buy with that!), the $4 million per 30 seconds ad rate for Sunday’s game isn’t slowing Disney down at all.  We knew they’d be showing commercials for Oz and The Lone Ranger.  Now, we know that Tony Stark is on deck, as well.

That was kind of a buzzkill.

After roaring out of the gate with three stellar outings of the new Justified season, showrunner Graham Yost and company take their collective foot off the gas this week. It’s not uncommon for this to happen, as past seasons have featured more stand-alone episodes until the more serialized stuff comes in the back half of the season.

SPOILERS BELOW

Evidently, there’s a football game on Sunday bookending the Beyoncé concert.  Nobody asked, but I predict the 49ers will win a very physical, low-scoring game at 24 – 21.  About 100 million people are expected to tune in and many of those will be watching specifically to see the commercials.

Disney has just announced that Brad Bird’s uber-secret, new movie previously called 1952 now has a new title:  Tomorrowland.  As a huge Disneyland geek, I must say that a movie named after my favorite part of the park is pretty exciting.  Look for more new, cryptic clues about the film to come in the days ahead.