A show I watch is airing its final season, but I've liked each successive season less than the one before it. Now I resentfully consider the unwatched episodes. Will I watch them anyway? This is the great cosmic riddle.
I want so much to talk about Pluribus with someone, but I am watching it by myself, months after it first aired, while existing in a friend community where no one else has seen it. THIS Is the loneliness that Carol feels, pretty much.
I can't decide how to feel about Sue Grafton getting all the way to the Y book, then dying before she could write the Z book.
In the 21st Century, only five Oscar winners for Best Original Song have also reached the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100. They are...
(1) "Lose Yourself"
(2) "Let It Go"
(3) "Skyfall"
(4) "Shallow"
and, as of tonight,
(5) "Golden"
Thanks to Autumn Durald Arkapaw's win in Cinematography and Cassandra Kulukundis' win in the inaugural Casting race, a woman has now won at least once in every current Oscar category (except, of course, Actor and Supporting Actor).
Autumn Durald Arkapaw is the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. (Yes, the first woman ever to win in this category.)
Something fun to consider before they give out the screenplay awards.
The other ties were Best Actor in 1931/1932, best short doc in 1949, and best documentary in 1986.
A tie for live action short! This is the 7th time this has happened, including in 1994 when there was ALSO a tie for live action short. The last occurrence was 2012, for sound design. The most famous tie was between Katherine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand for Best Actress in 1968.
Amy Madigan is the 9th performer to win Best Supporting Actress as the only Oscar nominee from her film.
She follows Mary Astor, Claire Trevor, Margaret Rutherford, Goldie Hawn, Linda Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Angelina Jolie, and Penelope Cruz.
Amy Madigan's win for "Weapons" is delightful just like Ruth Gordon's win for "Rosemary's Baby." Beloved veteran actress does great work as a supernatural villain in an excellent horror film.
In years to come, this is a retrospective Oscar film festival I look forward to attending.
Nerdy response incoming! "Space Man" was such a big hit on the British chart (where it peaked at #2) that it was included on a volume of Now! That's What I Call Music! That likely triggered its inclusion on "coffee shop" style playlists around the world.
And finally, Geeta Gandbhir is nominated for two different films this year: The Perfect Neighbor in Documentary Feature and The Devil is Busy in Documentary Short. She is running things in the doc categories!
Robert Kaplow, nominated for his screenplay for Blue Moon, worked as a high school English teacher in New Jersey for over 30 years. He retired in 2014. He kept teaching, even after his novel Me and Orson Welles was turned into a 2008 film.
Three actors have a gap of over 20 years since their last nomination:
Amy Madigan. (40 years. Nearly a record! Only Judd Hirsch waited longer, I think.)
Kate Hudson. (25 years)
Benicio del Toro. (21 years)
Nicholas Pike, who was nominated for writing a song in the movie Viva Verdi, has a long history as a composer for B-horror projects. His credits include
Critters 2: The Main Course
Tales from the Crypt on HBO
The Shining miniseries from 1997
C.H.U.D II: Bud the C.H.U.D.
Natalie Portman got her fourth Oscar nomination today, for producing the animated film Arco
Here's a thread of deep cut Oscar trivia about today's nominations...
Many thanks to @cole.fyi for taking these photos and making me feel like a halfway normal person during the photo shoot!
When you’re playing NYT Spelling Bee and you know the word is spelled “facsimile,” but you try “facimile” juuuust in case.
The view from my TV: @sarahdbunting.bsky.social delivering wit and wisdom on ABC’s new doc series DIRTY TALK
I miss her, too! She's welcome to visit any time.
Yesterday she barked at @markblankenship.bsky.social for an hour and a half. Today, she is in love with
AND THEN YOU BEAT HIS ASS WITH “CORIOLANUS”
cc @markblankenship.bsky.social @cole.fyi
You’re playing Zero. “A Shakespearean Tragedy” comes up. You’re sitting with this guy
The countdown concludes! Here are my top 10 songs of the year, featuring at least one track that made me laugh out loud. lostsongs.substack.com/p/my-top-40-...
As is my custom, I am counting down my top 40 songs of the year. Here's the first batch of songs, including punk, country, and new music from the lead singer of Fun. lostsongs.substack.com/p/top-40-son...
I write sparse, brutal tales about life on ALF’s home planet under the pen name Melmac McCarthy
As a kid, I thought the reference to Mother Hubbard was just the cleverest thing.
At long last, @sarahdbunting.bsky.social and I are able to investigate Madonna's music.