Thursday, March 18, 2010

Annals of Government Idiocy

Those infamously contaminated FEMA trailers purchased in the wake of Hurricane Katrina may be coming to your town in the near future. Yes, the powers that be have decided they are safe to sell on the open market. In fact, eBay already has a bidding space ready to go. The Washington Post has been all over this like fleas on a hound, so click here for the sordid details.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Academy Awards Doldrums

Another boring Oscar presentation that dragged on for far too long and was short on entertainment value is now part of the historical record. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were underused and clearly lacked the energy level demonstrated by Neil Patrick Harris in the opening number. Perhaps Doogie would have been a better choice for host. I was not too surprised at the outcomes.

"Avatar" may have become too huge too fast for its own good to garner significant awards. While groundbreaking as a work of cinematography and CGI, it lacked the raw grit, immediacy and political relevance of "The Hurt Locker."

It is also unfortunate the Coen brothers "A Serious Man" was largely overlooked. It was one of my fave pix from last year. There were also no real surprises or upsets in the actor and actress categories to protect me from the occasional urge to doze off.

Found the dance numbers that illustrated the soundtrack themes to be beyond lame, but this awards show in particular always seems to have difficulty figuring out how to showcase musical numbers. One can only hope that the 2011 show will be better. After all, hope for the best and expect the worst!