Breaking down Bridesmaids

I've had my doubts about Bridesmaids ever since the first trailer came out and despite the film's popularity,my urge to see it was completely nil. However,with the two Oscar nominations that the movie received recently,the time to rent this gal pal flick was now.

After watching the entire film last night,I have some different conclusions about it. While I didn't find it laugh out loud funny,there were engaging plot developments and characterizations that held my interest right up to the end credits.

Bridesmaids does have it's charms but all of the hype that glitters around this ensemble number is not gold. Before I go any further,there will be discussion of key plot points here,so spoiler alert,Will Robinson!(you have been warned):



THE CHICK FLICK SITUATION

The biggest balloon to be burst at this party is the whole "this is not a chick flick!" mantra that everyone connected with Bridesmaids has been chanting nonstop to the media. Folks,I know that you meant well with this and your goal was to break out of the girlie ghetto that Hollywood sets up for this kind of film but you are also doing this movie a big disservice.

The truth is,Bridemaids is a chick flick with bathroom humor and major league swear words. I say this not only as someone who's seen quite a few of the films in this genre but as a reader of chick lit as well. The main plot of this movie could easily serve as the storyline of a book by the likes of Sophie Kinsella or Jennifer Weiner.



Our leading lady Annie(Kristen Wiig)is feeling incredibly inadequate as her life is taking more that one turn for the worse. Her bake shop went bust and her boyfriend dumped her at the same time,leaving Annie two step away from broke.

She's working at a job she hates,her only effort at a love life is being a jerky guy's occasional booty call and her housing choices are between staying with her eccentric mother or her eccentric roommate and his creepy sister.

The one bright spot is her best friend Lillian(Maya Rudolph),who has just gotten engaged and wants Annie to be the maid of honor. Annie is thrilled to be helping her lifelong friend but getting overwhelmed at the finances of her wedding duties,not to mention one of the other women in the bridal party determined to horn in on their relationship. If that doesn't sound like a typical chick lit novel,I don't know what does:






THE FIERCENESS OF THE FUNNY

Calling Bridesmaids a chick flick or worthy of the chick lit label is not intended as a put down. Rather,I think it's kind of sad that such a female friendly film like this has to be in constant denial about what it really is in order to bring in more box office revenue.

Also,while I did find some of the dialogue amusing(one of the best lines to me was "I've seen better tennis playing in a tampon commercial"),many of the notorious sequences in the film,such as the infamous food poisoning at the dress shop,felt pretty forced there.



Frankly in my opinion,there was plenty of material on hand already to make
some fabulous funny moments,such as Annie's rivalry with Helen,that had a more organic connection to the story.

Those threads weren't as strongly woven as they could have been and when they were being picked up on,the temptation to go above and beyond gave those scenes a halting quality.

For example, the scene where Annie has had enough of Helen ripping off her ideas and pitches a fit at the bridal shower started off alright but trashing the decor while getting into a shouting match with Lillian about bleached body parts killed the joke. Over the top can work but it's a very delicate balancing act for any comedic actor to take on and can leave you falling flat on your face. Not to mention falling back on easy physical humor.

Gross is as gross does,and while it can be fitting at times,a good gross-out has to come across as natural. No matter whether it's guys or gals, a gag worth gagging over should fit like a glove(granted,not a glove that you'd want to wear often):






THE MELISSA MCCARTHY FACTOR

Melissa McCarthy has had a great rise in her career,thanks to her lead role on Mike and Molly as well as this film,and as a fan of hers,it's been wonderful to watch. Her take on Megan,the brash and bold member of the bridal bunch,is a breath of fresh air as no matter what the circumstances are,she stays true to herself.

From hitting on the man sitting next to her on the plane to Vegas to swiping as many puppies given as bridal shower gifts as she can,Megan is shameless when it comes to enjoying life on her own terms.

To me,her best scene was when Megan decided to give Annie a pep talk about dealing with her problems. She opened up a little regarding her own seemingly happy go-lucky nature and gave Annie the emotional kick in the pants that was needed. While Melissa did bring the funny,she also contributed to the real heart of the story:



Overall,I had to say that Bridemaids was better than I expected but it could have been a lot better than it was had they embraced the female bonding aspects of the plot more and cut down on the gross outs. Kristen Wiig is right not to want a Bridesmaids sequel,since there's no need to continue this story other than sheer greed,and perhaps the success of the film will encourage Hollywood to take more chances with female focused material.

So,I'm willing to raise a glass in their honor and send some congrats their way,with the hope that Bridesmaids blazes a path that others can follow to film fame and glory. At the very least,this should inspire future drinking games for Oscar parties to come:

Oscar nominee parodies a-go-go

Oscar fever is well underway,with one slight hitch. The Golden Raspberry awards(aka The Razzies)have decided to move back their nominations and their awards ceremony,which usually tagged along side the rest of the regular film award crowd.

They'll announce their nominees on February 25 and give out the prizes on April 1. While it is fitting that the Razzies be handed out on April Fool's Day,the risk of being late with the punchline is one that is taken with this move.

Then again,movie parodies can be fun just about any time if done right. Let's look over a few mock versions of this year's Oscar contenders and see if any of them are potential Razzie contenders:



A major player for this Oscar season is Moneyball,the insider baseball flick with six nominations under it's belt. Movie critics and sports fans alike adore this based on a true story depiction of how the manager of the Oakland As teamed up with a statistical analyst to recruit less expensive but more reliable athletes that would lead them to victory.

The folks at SNL,however,decided to go down a rather realistic path in showcasing their version of the film. To be fair,this mock Moneyball is somewhat backed up by several memoirs and a few Congressional hearings:





Meryl Streep's performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady has gotten more than it's standard share of Oscar buzz,causing people to wonder if she'll be the one to take the gold home this time out.

However,would those same folks be cheering if another iconic diva of stage and screen were the headlining heroine of this film? A very intriguing notion to consider,hey,moi?:





Another front runner in this race, War Horse is a real throwback to the golden hued yesteryear of Hollywood,right down to the old school look and sound of it.

Part of this movie's appeal is in the promotional package it comes in and getting every detail perfectly in tune with the tone of the piece was vital. Especially when it came to the narrator of the trailer,who needed to enunciate each word correctly:





Serious cinema lovers waited quite a while for directer Terrace Malick's latest epic,The Tree of Life,which helped to make it an arthouse darling. The movie did rack up a good number of film festival prizes as well as accolades but it didn't resonate with regular movie-goers in the same way.

The quality of all involved in this film is not in doubt but as the trailer indicates,many saw this story as a confusing mix of metaphysical musings and a Midwestern family drama that doesn't settle as well as popcorn butter topping does during the course of an afternoon matinee:



Before Oscar night,we'll have many more parodies to choose from,I am sure.Having a sense of humor about something you love keeps you on balance and makes you appreciate that format much more,in my opinion.

Meanwhile,if Billy Crystal is feeling overwhelmed by the large number of nominated films to sing about,he might want to sign this little guy up(as a warm-up act,at the very least):

Thrity Umrigar makes you appreciate The World We Found

It's been too many years since Armaiti has seen her three best girlfriends,Kavita,Laleh and Nishta,when the four of them were student activists during their college days in Bombay of the late 1970s. After her move to the U.S.,loosing touch with the girls became all too easy.

Getting the old gang back together is an idea that all of them placed on the back burner,particularly since their old revolutionary spirit has died down since then. Armaiti decides to reunite them but insists that,instead of her returning to India, the three of them visit her in America.

This request is mainly due to her health;Armaiti is slowly dying from an inoperable brain tumor and wants to have one last wonderful time with her old companions. Despite their drifting apart from one another,her friends are eager to share what time they can with Armaiti as soon as they can:





However,the girls have more to deal with than sorrow over the impending loss of their dearest friend and joy over seeing her again. Kavita's love for Armaiti is more than platonic and this situation causes her to consider being more open about her true romantic nature.

Nishta is trapped in an oppressive marriage with her college sweetheart,a man who deals with the prejudice that his religion receives from society by embracing the most extreme elements of it. Her life is so closely monitored that even thinking about seeing Armaiti seems like an impossible dream.

Laleh also married her college boyfriend,Adish,but their union is a far happier one even with the regrets about giving up on their former ideals and settling into a contented middle class life. As memories both good and bad surface for each of them,their reconnection becomes vital and plans of action must be made for this one last chance to be together:





Thrity Umigar's fourth novel,The World We Found, is a rich,engaging portrait of former friendships and former times that are defined by where these experiences took everyone involved for better or for worse.

The story sounds dreadfully sad at first,but as you get deeper into the minds and hearts of the characters,you can taste the sweet along with the bitter. One of the best components of the book is that all of the players are well fleshed,including the men. Even Nishta's controlling husband is given some space to showcase his point of view,which doesn't justify his behavior yet allows you to understand why he does what he does.

One of the strongest relationships amongst this cast is between Laleh and Adish,a couple who are each other's true yin and yang. Each of them are solid characters on their own but together,the two of them nicely display a realistic love that allows forgiveness for well intended errors as well as constant devotion:



The World We Found is a thoughtful look at how the more things can change,the basics can still remain the same. This novel should be high on the list of must reads for book clubs everywhere and is now available at a bookseller near you.

Even if you've never one of Umigar's novels before(this is my first time reading her work)and feel a little daunted by something that looks so serious, fret not. Her pace on the page is well measured but not rushed or too leisurely,not to mention that her themes of friendship and love,particularly female bonding, are universal,regardless of time,place and tradition:

Downton Abbey is not the only realm where Dowager Dames rule

Out of the many characters ,both upper and working class,that are featured on Downton Abbey,the one that everyone relishes hearing from the most is Violet,the Dowager Countess.

As played by the enchanting Maggie Smith,this grand dame is a formidable yet off putting charming woman in her own way. Her opinions on the right way to proceed in any circumstance are not always agreeable nor are her attitudes regarding new people,places and things rather open minded.

However,you wouldn't dream of shutting her up. Either from respect,fear or amusement at whatever is bound to be delivered from her vast mental resources,any quip from Dowager Countess Violet is to be treasured:





The term "dowager" simply means a widow of considerable financial means but it also implies a strong influence amongst those in her vicinity when it comes to the manners and morays of the day.

Dowagers have held their own within pop culture circles throughout the years and with the current craze for Downton Abbey types,this is a fine time to showcase some of the most memorable of these venerable ladies.

Jane Austen created a truly iconic dowager in Pride & Prejudice, when she introduced the Lady Catherine De Burgh. Darcy's determined to have her share of the conversation aunt has many admirers for her take no prisoners approach to life.

Whether she's passing judgment on the musical talents of her guests or shocked at opinions given by decidedly young people,Lady Catherine is quite the original. A good score of talented actresses have portrayed her on film and my personal favorite is Barbara Leigh-Hunt's version in the 1995 miniseries, a real gem of a performance:





In the novel and film adaptation of Stella Gibbons' Cold Comfort Farm,many of the traditional melodramatic types from English literature of the 19th century were set up for satire and no mercy was given towards Aunt Ada Doom,the demented matriarch of the Starkadder clan.

Her reclusive nature and constant rants about seeing "something nasty in the woodshed" as a child allowed her to dominate the entire household and be as catered to as a queen.

Her rule slowly came to an end with the equally determined influence of great niece Flora Poste,who managed to bring all of the Starkadders out into the wider world. Even Aunt Ada became a better person from such forcefully gentle nurturing and dropped that whole woodshed business once and for all:





England is not the sole source of dowagers;plenty can be found on our shores as well. The most beloved of The Golden Girls was Dorothy's mother,Sophia Petrillo,a woman whose finances couldn't always be verified but her sharp tongue was a real asset.

While her dubious wisdom was regularly petitioned for,Sophia was capable of enjoying life just as much as her daughter and roommates did. When called to action,however,she was the best defense against an increasingly challenging world:





Even through visits from Nana Mary on Roseanne weren't as frequent as everyone would have liked,any episode with her was one to watch. Nana Mary was a favorite amongst every member of the Connor family,despite the occasionally embarrassing comments that came along with her.

It's hard not to like Nana Mary,who is a free spirit yet set in her ways. She may be a sweetheart but not when it comes to sharing her potato salad recipe. After a few minutes with her,you can clearly see where the sense of humor in that bloodline came from:



Dowagers can come in all sizes,shapes and incomes,yet one trait is truly necessary.
Her presence on any scene should be able to discomfort someone. If the mere thought of her imminent arrival doesn't set off alarm bells with at least one person,then she's not doing her job.

You wouldn't want to do without her for that reason as well. Having such a delighting demanding diva on hand makes any pop culture occasion a really regal treat:

Top Chef TX 's chicken sandwich showdown,TAR's new teams and a Downton Abbey duet

Before the next round of Top Chef Texas began,the remaining competitors were visited in the break room by Charlize Theron,who wanted to thank them personally for the wonderful food made for her evil queen feast.

Charlize confessed that she's a total TC geek and was thrilled to be part of the show,as well as get to talk to the chefs. They were wowed by that and so was I.

The next day,Cat Cora(who will be hosting a cooking competition show on Bravo called Around the World in 80 plates) joined Padma for the Quickfire challenge. There were three teams of two and all of them had forty minutes to de-vein two pounds of shrimp,shuck a crate of corn and make pasta noodle. With the remaining time,they had to cook a dish featuring those three ingredients.



Grayson and Chris were the last team to start cooking but their plate of fettuccine with roasted corn and shrimp won this challenge. Immunity was not on the table but they got to split ten grand,which was pretty sweet.

Paul and Edward might have beat them if Paul had gotten the shrimp on the plates before time ran out. Fortunately,Ed wasn't mad at him for that since they had to go up against each for the Elimination Challenge.



Each team had to make head-to-head dishes that would be served at a food drive/block party for at least two hundred people. Once they decided on their main course and sides,Padma then tasked them to make a light version(since this challenge was being sponsored by Healthy Choice).



The Top Three for this Elimination round were chosen by the diners,which I think the judges were less than thrilled about in some regards. Grayson and Chris went with a chicken salad sandwich and hers was deemed better,partly due to the fact that she made her sandwiches to order.

Grayson also used olive oil mayo(a low amount)and wheat buns,plus a watermelon salad with arugula,pumpkin seeds and feta. The judges thought it was just okay and in particular,Judge Tom told Grayson that she needed to be more ambitious than that.

She defended herself handily,pointing out that her other competitors went with meatballs and barbecue,not the most daring culinary choices out there. I'm with Grayson on this;after all,this was a block party and most folks would expect a nice sandwich at such a venue. At least Judge Tom accepted her counterpoint with good grace:





Speaking of good grace,Ed and Paul both went with Asian barbecue yet it was Paul who was declared the winner by the diners and the judges. He used turkey for his kalbi,served on lettuce and made an eggplant white peach kimchi for his side.

He won fifteen grand,which increasing his cash winnings on this show seriously. It's a good thing that Paul is such a nice guy and not a braggart at all. The jokes made about him raking in the dough from his fellow chefs seemed to be kindly meant,a positive thing to see on a competition like this.



The big problem with Ed's barbecue(other than the meat being too chewy)was that he automatically assumed that Asian style was healthy by default. His kalbi had beef short ribs on homemade bread and a kimchi chipotle puree with pickled cucumber.

Making his own bread earned him a bonus point with the judges but Ed's insistence that he did so as a healthier alternative to rice didn't fly. Dude,they're both starches,that's like switching bacon for ham.



Despite going down the healthy road,Chris had to pack his knives and head off to Last Chance Kitchen(where Beverly has finally broken Nyesha's winning streak). He made the crucial error of preparing his sandwiches ahead of time,causing them to dry out.

While he did make a tofu mayo the judges liked,the watermelon salad that Chris served had pineapple ice that didn't melt well enough. He did try to toss Grayson under the bus by saying that she didn't select ingredients as healthy as his for her chicken salad but fresh made sandwiches are preferable to dried out ones,sorry!

Next week,Pee Wee Herman stops by and yes,everyone is going to the Alamo! The catch is that they have to go by bike,which makes the proceedings that much more interesting,to say the least:





Quite a few changes on Downton Abbey,as Isobel stormed off to France upon being bucked by Lady Cora over who was in charge of the convalescent patients residing in the house and Ethel was given instant notice by Mrs. Hughes,upon being discovered with one of the officers in a truly compromising position.*sigh* I knew this would happen and yet,hope that she isn't totally abandoned here.



The main romantic focus of this particular episode,however,was Mary and Matthew. Everyone is still wanting those two crazy kids to get together but,for the time being,they remain apart in more ways than one.

As Mary is determined to let Matthew go and find happiness elsewhere,reports of him and William being missing in action caused her heart to still beat wildly for him. Even Edith was considerate of her sister for once and gave Mary a heads-up on the situation,which her father wanted to conceal from her as long as possible.

As overwrought as this love story is,you couldn't help getting a little choked up as Matthew made a well timed reappearance at the concert Mary was singing at and joined her for a duet:



That relief will be rather a short one,as next Sunday's episode puts Matthew and William back in the trenches and things may not turn out quite as well. Daisy's doubts about her love for William seemed to mellow when he was unaccounted for,so I hope that he isn't sacrificed to save Matthew. One heartache shouldn't outrank the other:





A new season of The Amazing Race is set to begin on February 19 and the list of teams has been announced. Amongst the contenders this time are a married couple in the Army,two female Federal agents,a pair of former Big Brother contestants and a couple of clowns.

No joke,one of the husband and wife teams are professional clowns,the kind who work for Ringling Bros and Barnum Bailey circus. Right off the bat,I love these two and rooting for them to laugh all the way to the finish line before hitting the bank:



RANDOM NOTES:

LUCK: HBO is about to air another dramatic series involving gambling,only this time it's set in modern times. Dustin Hoffman stars as a horse racing enthusiast just out of prison who is looking to get back in the game. With stellar back up support from the likes of Nick Nolte and Dennis Farina,this could be a real wild ride:

Why are 2 Broke Girls being held to a different standard that The Big Bang Theory boys?

There have been several articles recently about a press tour panel for 2 Broke Girls that went extremely awry. While the show has become a hit for CBS,it's also the target of strong criticism regarding it's content.

The show's creator,Michael Patrick King,and the leading ladies of this new sitcom(Kat Demmings and Beth Behr)were given a stream of accusing questions from the audience of reporters and critics about the racial and sexual humor on the show.



Things turned ugly,with heated remarks being exchanged by MPK and a few of the reporters. Some of those comments went on a personal level,which wasn't cool for either party to engage in.

What appears to be the main bones of contention between the 2BG crew and the critics was the supporting characters on the series who are mostly defined by stereotypes(the socially awkward Han and Oleg's constant sexual overtures)and that too many risque references are slipped into the dialogue on a regular basis.

Also,many people wish that the diner portions of the show were reduced and more focus placed on the growing relationship between the two leads,Max and Caroline. While some of this criticism may be valid,it might have gone over better had the folks presenting their opinions had used a little more tact and a touch less aggression. More flies with honey,as they say:






As a fan of 2BG,I do agree that not every joke,whether it's about sex,ethnicity or social status,hits the mark and it would be nice to see more character development amongst the rest of the cast. However,this is season one and as with other television series,it does take time for the kinks to be worked out.

What puzzles me,through,is the level of outrage. For example,I've been watching The Big Bang Theory in syndication and noticed that they get away with a lot of the same behavior that 2 Broke Girls are being put on the spot for. There are stereotypical characters(socially awkward Raj and Howard's persistence in hitting on every attractive female he sees)and humor that pushes those boundaries quite a bit:





There's also plenty of off color sexual humor and granted,2BG is more openly raunchy in that department,both shows are still going beyond the wink and nudge approach here. Why is there no problem with a subplot on TBBT where Howard used a robot arm as a sex aid and had to be taken to the hospital but people freak out when Max insists that Caroline has bought herself a "vagina bed"?

Why is it upsetting when Max makes a double entendre about "rear deliveries" and okay for Sheldon to use the term coitus frequently? This isn't a slam against The Big Bang Theory(which I like) but I'm starting to wonder if the critics would be as sensitive to these troublesome elements on 2BG if the title was instead 2 Broke Boys:



After all,both shows are on the same network and I'm reasonably sure that many of the other comedies on CBS such as How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men skirt similar issues. Crude jokes,on the whole,seem to be more acceptable on TV and film when they're coming from men than women. It's also a matter of taste yet what's gross for the goose should be gross for the gander as well.

I just find it a little bit disturbing that a sitcom that features a pair of independent females who are more interested in creating a better life for themselves than finding the perfect man(although romance is not out of the question)is getting hassled for the same material that just about every other friendship based sitcom starring guys gets away with.

Also wondering if some of this nitpicking has to do with class;maybe some people have no trouble with this type of humor when it comes from upper middle class males than working class women:



Eventually,this tempest in a TV teapot will blow over and if folks are willing to give 2 Broke Girls another season or two,some of these problems may solve themselves over time. Listening to suggestions on improving the show would be in the best interest of all concerned but that doesn't mean 2BG should take any crap off anybody either. If you want a bitch pass from these girls,you're looking at the wrong menu:

Plenty of shock and awesome on parade at the 2012 Oscar nominations

Bright and early this morning,the nominations for this year's Oscar race were announced with the usual amount of fanfare and there were a good number of surprises to be found on the list,both good and bad.

Some were surprised to not see certain names up for contention such as Leonardo DiCaprio as Best Actor for J. Edgar and Trent Reznor for the score to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo(The Artist is nominated in that category,which will irk Kim Novak even more,I'm sure).

Others were amazed at seeing certain films like Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and The Tree of Life receive as much love as they did from the Academy,considering the lack of major attention from most of the major movie related award shows this season. Since both of those films are big league critical darlings(Tree of Life more so than EL&IC),it's not that startling to see them here.

Let's take a tour of some of the highs and lows of the Academy Award competition laid out for us and map out our routes towards rooting for the truly best to win:



ONE SMALL STEP FOR SCORSESE,ONE GIANT LEAP FOR HUGO AND 3D FLICKS

It was to be expected that the children's fantasy film Hugo would get some noms but no one anticpated that it would lead the pack with 11 nominations,including Best Picture and Best Director.

Granted,Martin Scorsese did win a Golden Globe for his directorial work here,making not only his first film for children but his first 3D one as well. As far as I know,a 3D movie has never been given this type of honor before and it could very well set a precedent,mark my words.

Hugo is normally the type of film that does well in the technical categories(where a strong portion of it's nominations lie)but rarely acknowledged in the major league sections of the show. Given that a key plot point is the revival of cinematic passion in innovative filmmaker George Melies,Hugo can be rightly seen as the little brother of The Artist(which racked up a respectable ten nominations),so perhaps this should have been expected all along:





A MUCH NEEDED TOUCH UP FOR THIS DRAGON TATTOO

Many movies still playing in theaters get a nice boost at the box office if they become major Oscar nominees and The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo truly needs that shot in the arm. It earned five noms,including a juicy Best Actress spot for Rooney Mara as the current incarnation of iconic heroine Lisbeth Salander.

Given the lackluster reception from audiences and doubts about follow-ups being filmed,this was the golden gift basket left on this film's doorstep. While Mara's chances of beating out Meryl Streep and Viola Davis are slim to none,having this role become her first Oscar nomination is not a bad way to go next level with her career:





BRIDESMAIDS BONANZA

A very pleasant surprise during the Oscar nominations was hearing Melissa McCarthy announced as one of the Best Supporting Actress contenders,due to her breakout role as the brash Megan in Bridesmaids.

Folks were keeping their fingers crossed for her but the odds weren't in McCarthy's favor,since comedies(especially raunchy ones)tend to get short shift from the Academy. Bridesmaids also landed a spot in the Best Original Screenplay category,giving co-star Kristen Wiig a sweet escape from the curse of SNL stars stuck in bad movie hell.

I'm somewhat torn about Melissa McCarthy's nomination,since I am a big fan of her work but on the other hand,rooting very much for Octavia Spencer to take the gold home here for her excellent performance in The Help(with Melissa and Octavia happening to be good friends,no doubt they'll be supporting each other that night).

Well,the best I can do is wish good luck to both ladies and having already seen The Help on DVD,adding Bridesmaids to my Netflix queue is my next step. After all,the parts with Melissa should be hilarious and that alone will make it worth checking out:





MAJOR MUSICAL MALFUNCTION

Speaking of The Help,while it's great that three of the main actresses from the film are nominated and that the movie is up for Best Picture,it is disappointing to not see any other nods here. Certainly,it could have been included in the Best Adapted Screenplay section or Best Director.

There was plenty of room to add The Help to Best Original Song,since there are only two tunes up for that award. That's right,two songs for the entire category;are you kidding me,Academy? Granted,this wasn't the greatest year for movie songs but if the Golden Globes can come up with five,you should have been able to do better than that!

Those two songs,by the way,are both from children's movies. "Real In Rio" comes from the animated feature Rio and the other is from the new Muppet film entitled "Man or Muppet?".

Nothing against singing Muppets,but surely there were just as many worthy songs from grown-up films to be competing for this award,such as Mary J. Blige's theme for The Help, " The Living Proof" ,that deserved to be nominated. I swear,Rodney Dangerfield gets more respect than Best Song does these days:



Oscar night is on February 26 and one thing is for sure,having Billy Crystal back as the host is a truly welcome relief. It's been awhile since he took the Oscar stage but this should be like coming home for him. Getting him to come back this time was a sheer stroke of luck,so with that in mind,let's rejoice in his return and hope that he might want to stick around until the right replacement appears: