It’s time for Round Two of Wife Watch!, the only blog post that names the most powerful wife in this week’s episode of Big Love.

Head to my piece on the Huffington Post to find out this week’s victor!

** Thanks to Kevin at Art Meets Commerce for pointing this out: A writer at online magazine JamsBio has ranked every Beatles song, from worst to best, and written a review of each. I’m only passingly familiar with the Beatles’ music, and even I got swept up. Get sucked in for yourself…

** Meanwhile, my friend the Amateur Gourmet has written a funny/toucnig story about a Wii Fit telling him he’s out of shape. 

** And finally, Patrick at Show Showdown has an interesting report on a recent, star-studded benefit performance of A Little Night Music. Even if you don’t know the show, his vivid descriptions of actors like Vanessa Redgrave make the piece a great read.

It’s been a long week, y’all, and I am fried. I’m going take a nap, so until Monday, please enjoy this parody of “One Week” by Barenaked Ladies. The lyrics are weirdly insightful — I also remember entire songs I haven’t heard in ten years, yet I forget where I put my shoes.

Over at The Huffington Post, I just asked whether we need to divide male and female performances into separate categories, and whether documentaries, animated films, and short films should be separate from full-length, live-action features.

Let me know what you think!

This week’s guest critic has an amazing story to tell.

In keeping with a recent theme around here, Carol Elaine Cyr finally got around to seeing 2001 last year: It was an “important” movie she had avoided, but when she finally took the plunge… she had some seriously unexpected results.

After the jump, please enjoy Carol’s fantastic tale, which is both thought-provoking and moving. That’s like chocolate and peanut butter, y’all!

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Well, it’s official. This year’s Oscar nominations are all up in it.

Here are some fast facts and early thoughts.

(1) “Snubs” as we understand them may not be possible. According to this Variety story, the nominating system is so complicated that even Academy members may not understand it. Apparently, when you list your top-five favorites on your ballot, most of them will never get counted. So even if every person in the acting branch listed, say, Dev Patel, as their third-favorite supporting actor of the year, he wouldn’t get a nomination. That’s hardly a snub, but it looks like one from out here.

More thoughts after the jump!

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Last week, I asked about the top three “important” films that you just couldn’t watch, and I confessed that I don’t have the energy for so-called masterpieces like Apocalypse Now.

Now … I’m flipping the script. Oh, snap! Now I want to talk about our favorite “under-popular” movies. By “under-popular,” I mean films we love that haven’t quite become “classics.” Or films that were huge in their day–and that we still adore—but have been forgotten by the people at large.

After the jump, I’ll reveal my top three. Do you agree? Think I’m mental? A little of both? And what are your choices? I wanna know…

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The Oscar nominations are tomorrow morning, y’all. Can you stand it? To stoke the last bit of your furnace, here’s the third and final part of my dream Oscar ballot (And don’t forget parts one and two.) 

After I reveal my choices, let me know who you’d pick for Best Director and Best Picture!

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I’m still savoring the memory of Aretha Franklin’s diva-tastic performance of “America the Beautiful” at Obama’s inauguration.

Here’s why I loved it…

• That giant hat! Why have a small bow when you can have a gray explosion?
• Those ad-libs! I’m only sorry she didn’t name-check Chattanooga along with the Allegheny
  mountains.
• That voice! Um… no sarcasm on this one. I thought she sounded great. (Update: On second listen, no she doesn’t.)

Happy inauguration day, everyone! In keeping with the season, why don’t we “inaugurate” some ideal nominees for the Best Actress and Actor Oscars? Ha! That’s the kind of wit you get around here, folks. For free!

Anyway, after the jump, I’ll continue my dream ballot (here’s part one and part three). Let me know who’d you choose!

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