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.

He wasn’t nearly as well known as Farrah Fawcett or Michael Jackson, but Sky Saxon, a garage rock star from the 1960s, also died yesterday.

Despite the hubbub caused by major celebrity deaths, Holly Cara Price noticed his passing, and in this week’s Price Point, she’ll tell us why we should notice it, too.

Take it away, Holly…

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I feel like we should discuss our Michael Jackson memories. Normally, I’m not the sort of person to be affected by celebrity deaths, but then again, this is the first time someone famous has died who was such a constant presence in my life. Even though he hasn’t been truly popular in a decade, Michael Jackson was just always there.

So am I going to cry? No. Am I going to look for a copy of Moonwalker on DVD? No. But I am going to listen to “The Way You Make Me Feel Tonight” and feel wistful.

And I’m going to share this Michael Jackson-related memory. It’s my favorite:

When I was growing up, my mom was a second grade teacher, and during her school’s talent show in October 1984, she joined some other teachers in a recreation of the “Thriller” video. I was in first grade, and I remember being so excited to see my mom in zombie make-up and wild hair, dancing to the coolest song from the coolest video ever made. To me, it made my mom even more awesome than she already was.

So thanks for that, MJ. 

Anybody else want to share?

The woman in this New York Times story embodies my idealized definition of what it means to be a New Yorker.  When the lights from a new park shine directly into your living room, you don’t get mad. You turn your house into a stage.

I hope she gets her own Off Broadway show.

If you’re feeling too productive today, then why not head over to Low Resolution or Tomato Nation? They’re both running bracket-style tournaments that are apt to suck you in with their deliciousness.

At Low Resolution, overseen by Roommate Joe, you can find the Double-Oh Trailer Tournament, which is pitting movie trailer against movie trailer in the quest to name the single best preview of the decade.

Tomato Nation, whose proprietress Sarah Bunting wrote that awesome piece about Unsolved Mysteries for The Critical Condition, is hosting the N Cereal AA. Once the dust settles, the tourney will choose the ultimate cereal of all time.

Both tournaments are underway, but there’s still plenty of time to vote. Show your love for the Bring It On trailer and Boo Berry! Live it up!

Those of you who follow my Twitter feed are aware that this afternoon, the German public television station ZDF is coming to my apartment to interview me about the rise of ultrasound technology, as pioneered by a company called Holosonics. 

Since most of you don’t have access to ZDF—unless digital cable is a lot more inclusive that I realize—I want us to talk about this stuff, too.

Here’s the deal: Ultrasound technology tightly focuses sound so that it can only be heard by a limited number of people in a given environment. When a sound is played from normal speakers, everyone in a room can hear it. When a sound is played from a Holosonic system, you might hear it, but the person two inches away from you might not.

There are many uses for this sort of invention. Artists have already created installations with it, and in a recent display of contemporary fashion, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts gave each collection it’s own soundtrack. The collections were inches apart, but the music supporting them didn’t overlap. 

And unsurprisingly, advertisers are all over this thing. After the jump, check out a video of an A&E promotion using the technology:

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