Entertainment Fridays

Warning: The following post has nothing to do with sports, Nebraska or otherwise. It's the end of February. Nothing is happening. That said, I'm going to talk about television and, yes, even the Oscars. You can stop reading now if you wish.

Remember when Dillon had to host their rival school after it was destroyed by a tornado? This is sort of like that...At the risk of having this space labeled as an FNL fanblog, I'll dispense with this next item carefully: there might be hope for Friday Night Lights yet.

According to the Variety piece, NBC is actively looking at sharing the beloved show with one of its sister networks a la the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (aka "NOOCH"). TNT, CW, E!, G4 and Comcast Entertainment Network (whatever that is) are all named as potential weekend daddies for the Panthers which is fine because I get all of those channels. Unfortunately, DirecTV is also mentioned in the article. That, I don't--and won't--get.

Now that's it. No more FNL talk until there's either a) a decision or b) a new episode.

Call it, Jun-o...I had a scary, irrational thought the other day. I'm going to be absolutely furious if Juno wins the Oscar for Best Picture on Sunday. I was reading some fluff about what would happen if the Academy recognized comedy like it should--and I'm a card carrying member of this camp--and the mere notion that the little comedy that could might win on Sunday filled me with rage. I cringed. I crumbled the paper. Why do I care so much?

Because this isn't the year for a comedy to win the Oscar. The year Gladiator won, or even last year with The Departed? Fine. Those were both good movies but not exactly Citizen Kane. We have Kane-level movies this year.

Let me say first that Juno was a fine, fun movie with a tragically hip soundtrack. I'd call it Garden State but good. The entire movie was perfectly summed up near the end when Juno had the following exchange with Bleeker:

Juno
'Cause you're, like, the coolest person I've ever met, and you don't even have to try...
Bleeker
I try really hard actually.

That was Juno. A cool movie that was painstakingly designed to be cool. Is that enough in year that features the best work of both the Coens and Paul Thomas Anderson?

I hope to hell not.

Seeing as how this blog was named after a Western--please note: not the Beastie Boys song--I'm entirely biased in my account of No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood. However, biases have never stopped me before and I think I have the critical masses behind me that would support this anti-Juno stance so let's break down the Best Picture race Derby style:

No Country for Old Men 3/1 -- The ending? Huh? I'll just say this: everything you need to know is in the title. It's that simple. And haunting. And beautiful.

The morning line favorite but will have to come off a long layoff with a November release date. Coens could benefit from the career award tendencies of the Academy.

There Will Be Blood 4/1 -- The second choice by a slight margin. This movie really did remind me of Citizen Kane in that when it was over I didn't immediately like it but I did immediately recognize its brilliance.

A stone cold closer, this movie's stretch run more than makes up for the slow (poetic? elegiac?) first two hours.

Juno 12/1 -- See above. Lacks Academy bloodlines.

Atonement 15/1 -- I didn't see this movie, but it has the apparently weepy, period-piece pedigree the Academy loves. I'm sure it's fine but there's no reason to settle for fine this year.

Michael Clayton 30/1 -- I've seen the trailer for this movie at least five times and I'm still not sure what it's about. Clayton with Clooney seems sort of like Baffert's fourth-best entry in the Derby. No doubt good but far from his best.

To put it another way: you don't put Kent Desmoreaux on this horse.

In summary, I'm fine with TWTB winning but I like NCFM a little more and I think given Paul Thomas Anderson's relative youth, the Academy will too. Of course, Juno or even Atonement could spoil the entire thing.

And what about after we learn who wins? Go see In Bruges. It's probably the most original and enjoyable tragicomedy to come out this decade.