This week in The Price Point, Holly Cara Price takes a look at the Michael Jackson Aftermath, and she discovers how mourning the star has become its own business.

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Welcome back to the Best Picture Expansion Project, where we imagine that the new Academy rule for Best Picture Oscar nominees, which increases the field from five films to ten, was in effect between 1943 and 2008.

Today, it’s time to visit 1999, which got two of its Best Picture nominees shockingly right and two of them terribly, terribly wrong.

(To visit the rest of the Best Picture Expansion Project, please go here.)

But before we start, I have a question…

I don’t feel comfortable covering any year before 1977.  My movie knowledge is just too spotty. Is there anyone out there who’s up to speed on what might have been from 1943-1976? If so, drop me an e-mail. I’d love to have you write an entry or two.

And now, on with the show!

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We might as well capitulate to them. The new singles from Colbie Caillat and Mariah Carey are going to be everywhere for the next few weeks.

Caillat, who’s best know for that “crinkle my nose” song (a.k.a. “Bubbly”), just released “Fallin’ For You,” a mid-tempo ballad that hit the top three of the iTunes chart in less than a day.

Carey, meanwhile, is scorching the airwaves with “Obsessed,” and after she releases the song to the digital marketplace next week, she’ll probably snag her nineteenth number one single.

But are these songs any good? Let’s find out…

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I don’t watch Wimbeldon, but now I don’t have to. Instead, I can read this awesome drinking game based on Wimbeldon coverage, written by the estimable Roommate Joe and Sarah Bunting.

Their drinking game is as insightful as it is hilarious. Thanks, y’all!

Welcome back to the Best Picture Expansion Project, where we imagine that the new Academy rule for Best Picture Oscar nominees, which increases the field from five films to ten, was in effect between 1943 and 2008.

We’ve looked at 2008 and 1995, and now we’re revisiting 1988, a year that should be recognized as a high point for movie comedy. 

Struggling to remember what was in theaters 21 years ago? Understood. You can find a comprehensive list right here.

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Welcome back to the Best Picture Expansion Project, where we imagine that the new Academy rule for Best Picture Oscar nominees, which increases the field from five films to ten, was in effect between 1943 and 2008.

Yesterday, we imagined the five extra nominees for 2008, and today we’re looking at 1995, which has one of the weirdest Best Picture slates in recent memory.

Before we begin—and per Ferretrick’s excellent suggestion—you may want to check out this list of Oscar-eligible films that were released way back in 1995. 

My suggested nominees are after the jump, and I want to know yours. How many of us will support Canadian Bacon?

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You may have heard that starting next year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will nominate a whopping ten films for the Best Picture Oscar. That’s how they did it from 1931-1943, and in that period, there were years when a dozen films got tapped for Oscar’s biggest bauble. Compared to a dozen, ten isn’t so many.

Personally, I think this is a good idea. Why not make the race more interesting by recognizing more films? 

Besides, since the “lifetime achievement” winners are being bumped to an offscreen ceremony and another rule change essentially guarantees that there will only be two nominated songs to perform, the Oscars will probably be short on content. The extra nominees will provide much-needed filler.

Come January, we can argue about the “Big Ten,” making passionate claims about which films barely made the cut and how The Hangover’s exclusion is even more egregious in such a wide race.

Until then, though, we should debate which films would have been Best Picture nominees if the  Big Ten had existed between 1944 and 2008. 

That’s right! It’s time for The Best Picture Expansion Project! 

Every day this week, I’ll select a recent and identify the five additional films that should have received Best Picture nominations. Once I’ve tossed out my gauntlet, I want to hear your thoughts, reactions, and demands.

I’m beginning with 2008. Let the expansion begin!

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Welcome to Sucker Punch, the only blog post that ranks the gaudiest moments on this week’s episode of True Blood.

This time, the trashy goodness comes from minotaurs, crazy doctors, and a pastor’s wife with some very special pudding.

To learn more, join me over at The Huffington Post.

And don’t forget to check out my new video, where I argue why True Blood and Big Love both deserve major Emmy nominations.

Hey y’all… here’s The Critical Condition’s latest video. It’s a stirring call to arms that explains why Big Love and True Blood both deserve serious attention when the Emmy nominations are announced next month. Check out my arguments and let me know what you think:

As always, many thanks to Brad at Art Meets Commerce for his exceptional cinematography and editing.

So I went to see Sandra Bullock in The Proposal. And I laughed. And I enjoyed Sandy B and Betty White. And I ogled Ryan Reynolds.

But also? I was troubled. The movie essentially argues that women will be happier if they cede all their power to men, and that’s kind of … icky. (And I know I’ve been talking about gender politics a lot recently, but they are always there, you know?)

For more on The Proposal, read how I break it down at NPR’s Monkey See blog.