Academy Gets It Right

The Really: So much of the awards show got it right that it would be a shame to nitpick too much.

It felt like the pros were in charge. Jackman was great and his opening number was a hilariously complete instant classic.

But because Sean Penn deservedly won for Milk we did not get to hear a Mickey Rourke moment at the Oscars so here is his Independent Spirit Award speech (NSFW) for his win yesterday for Best Actor. And we like Eric Roberts too.

Your Oscar Viewing Begins Now

The Really: Some of you are going to watch the Oscar stuff all day. You know you will. Really.

"Countdown to the Red Carpet" (E!, 2-6 p.m.), which psychs viewers up for the red carpet. Then, from 6-8 p.m., Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic cover celebrity arrivals on "Live From the Red Carpet."The TV Guide channel (not available on Cablevision Systems) also will be on the red carpet from 6 to 8 p.m., with "Live at the Academy Awards" with Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone hosting.

Domer Comes Down With Swine Flu

The Swine Flu has cast an ugly shadow over the picture of "touchdown" Jesus at the University of Notre Dame. Here is the university's press release about the student. Wonder if this will change the President's plan to attend the disputed appearance at the university or at least provide cover or an out.

Oscar Rehearsal Footage

The Really: Nikki Finke says this is real...

Hugh Jackman is hosting the Oscars. Yeah, is a Wolverine but he is a Broadway type and has hosted the Tonys a couple of times. The top hat and cane stuff looks pretty old school but look at the guns on that guy.

And The Oscar Goes To...Matilda

The Really: If Heath Ledger wins the posthumous award for his role as The Joker in Dark Knight, it will go to his daughter Matilda when she reaches 18.

The Academy has decided the proper line of succession for the almost certain Oscar for Heath Ledger would go to his family and to be given to his daughter Matilda when she is 18. The logic.

President Obama's First International Trip

The Really: The President's first foreign trip is...Canada?

Don't get us wrong, we love the Canadians; we can see them from here! But they eat poutine and they are on the way to Alaska so... But that Ice Road Truckers is one cool show. Oh, and their national anthem is THE BEST, bar none.

Joey Ramone And Cher: Seperated At Birth

The Really: Jes saying.

Seperated at birth.

Will Someone Kindly Say Something Nice About Hugh Jackman?

The Really: What is all this hating on Hugh Jackman as host of the Academy Awards?

You know. Wolverine? Australia? --well, nevermind the Australia thing--Oklahoma? What did Hugh Jackman ever do to you? Well, we are solidly in the Hugh Jackman camp. We like him as a Tony host and we will like him just fine as the Oscar host.

Stuff Bumping Into Other Stuff

The Really: Lost in the fear and desperation of the world economic crisis (and airplane crashes and such) comes little reported news of nuclear submarines running into each other and satellites smashing into each other. You would think space and the oceans would be too big for such stuff to happen.

Nuclear subs from Great Britain and France collide.

Russian and American satellites crash creating a debris field that could take out many more satellites.

Capt. Sully Versus Octo-Mom

The Really: News outlets fight to meld the heroic Capt. Sully and the Octo-mom into a news cycle fraught with "recession" woes.

Click the link to see how the sausage gets made in this article from the television critic of the Los Angeles Times about Sully v. Suleman.

If You Believe They Put A Man On The Moon

The Really: Where is Joaquin?

Mickey Rourke: The Comeback Is Complete

The Really: What exactly is wrong with Mickey Rourke?

It is long way from Diner.

He won the BAFTA and the Golden Globe and will likely win the Oscar. The lifetime comeback award is all his. But what exactly is up with Mickey Rourke?

A New Political Patry: The Obstructionist Old Party

The Really: The GOP has become so marginalized that it is no longer the GOP but the OOP.

The spiritual leaders are Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter and the National Chairman says work is not a job. The stimulus package is a spending bill (duh) and the real answer to the disaster that George W. Bush and his robber barons has wrought is to do NOTHING! What a corker!

OOP: You ruined the country and we are not going to take it anymore.

Why Are The BAFTA's More Interesting Than The Oscars?

The Really: The Oscars could take a little schooling from the British Academy Awards (BAFTA).

The Orange British Academy Awards last night were as good as it gets. Funny, raunchy and poignant without being maudlin and where else is Terry Gilliam going to get a lifetime acheivement award?

Here is the award for the late Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight.

Once Upon A Time People Got All Excited About E-Books, Then, Not So Much. But Can The IPhone Make The Kindle Hip?

The Really: Nobody is ever to going to make people read books electronically.

Well how about if they put the Kindle on your IPhone? Well that's a different story.

Many years ago publisher's got all excited about e-books...all those messy costs for paper and binding and the remainders, sheesh the remainders. The print to demand model looked perfect to reduce the costs of books but there was just one problem. Except for the pricing and royalty structure of books, the book is THE PERFECT technology. It is portable, can be read on a plane, a train, or under a tree, or in bed. It doesn't require electricity. Most don't weigh too much and they are solid things which can be placed on a shelf for easy access or thrown against a wall if they pique.

The Kindle promised to be a nice cross between the e-paper requirements for distribution of books but didn't electrify (pun) the reading public...what is left of it.

But what if you put the Kindle on an IPhone? Now you are talking. A hardware device as much beloved as a book itself. Now we are getting somewhere.

Two Big Events In Tech That Will Largely Go Unnoticed

The Really: The best looking HD TV is leaving the market?

The Bad: Say it ain't so Gizmodo who reports that Pioneer (the sponsor of the endlessly beautiful Smithsonian Channel to which this writer is addicted) will be leaving the TV market.

The Good: A Delta Communications e-paper reader which is (get this Kindle!) readable. Just kidding Kindle you have come a long way --but why do you insist on looking so ugly? Call Mac for design tips.

DP May Be A DB Which Means Christian Bale Might Be OK

The Really: Christian Bale's tirade was totally justified!

According to Radar Online: Bale became a hero to cast and crew after his tirade against Hurlbut, who was widely despised, sources tell RadarOnline.com exclusively. "Hurlbut was a condescending (bleep) to everyone," a source told us. His favorite line was "Why don't you go stab yourself in the head, you idiot." Maybe Bale's not such a bad guy after all.

What Does Kate Winslet Have To Do To Win An Oscar?

The Really: Kate Winslet has been nominated 6 times for an Academy Award but she will not win again this year?

Why? Cause the Best Actress Golden Globe winner was not nominated for her role in Revolutionary Road. Instead she is nominated for her role as an unrepentent NAZI! Well, duh. How is the Academy going to give her an award for that!

Read the analysis in the Los Angeles Times via oscarseason.com.

Daschle Withdraws Name From Consideration: Democrats Having Trouble Finding Democrats Who Pay Taxes

The Really: Democrats really can't find people without tax problems for positions in government?

Or is the reality that everyone --if you look hard enough--has tax problems. Even ones they do not know about.

In related believe it or not vetting mistakes the Chief Performance Officer (Nancy Killefer) has withdrawn her name from consideration due to some sort of tax problem...

Super Good Super Bowl: Super Bad Commercials

The Really: This really was a great game; an epic back and forth battle but the commercials were Super Bad.

Singled out for worst was the Dorritos commercial were some guy crunches a chip and a women's clothes fly off revealing a teenage boy's underwear fantasy. Cheap.

But the best to my mind was the Hulu.com commercial. Witty, funny, delivered with 30 Rock precision by Alec Baldwin and by the way, the place were you can see all the Super Bowl commercials.

Oh yeah. Pittsburg won 27-23 but it was in doubt till the end.