The Morning Fix: Oscar edition! NBC sets summer plans and will air Emmys live. E!’s latest reality mess.
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After the coffee. Before betting on whether ABC will really pull the signal (and the Oscars) from Cablevision this weekend.
Tip sheet. Time to wrap up those Oscar pools. Will ‘The Hurt Locker’ beat ‘Avatar’ or will they cancel each other out and clear the way for ‘Inglourious Basterds’? Can Jeff Bridges croon his way to a trophy? More importantly, can hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin make the show more watchable? The New York Times and USA Today offer up guides on who to bet on. How about betting on the TV audience? Last year’s show drew 36.3 million viewers. The year ‘Titanic’ was the big hit, some 55 million watched. Can ABC hit over 40 million this Sunday or will its feud with New York cable operator Cablevision derail the ratings?
‘The Hurt Locker’ vs. ‘Avatar.’ Wall Street Journal critic Joe Morgenstern looks closely at the battle between David (‘The Hurt Locker’) and Goliath’ (‘Avatar’) and why the two movies are not as different as they may seem. The WSJ also notes that if ‘The Hurt Locker’ does win, it’ll be the lowest-grossing best picture winner in history. Just asking, but anyone know why the WSJ no longer has links to its Marketplace section on its home page? It doesn’t make my life any easier.
Just make sure I don’t have an obstructed view. More best picture nominees means more producers and writers and anyone who had anything to do with a nominated movie scrounging around to try to get a seat at this Sunday’s Oscar show. Variety on the seat situation. Oh, and do yourself a favor and avoid Hollywood on Sunday if you can. Still have questions? Here’s the Hollywood Reporter’s guide to all you need and don’t need to know about the show and the awards.
Damn, and I just bought my Hugo Boss tux. Danny Glover is urging Oscar attendees and nominees to leave the Hugo Boss outfit at home. He’s protesting the clothing company’s move to shutter a union plant in Cleveland. Details from the Wrap.
‘Alice in Wonderland’ poised for big things. Frankly those posters freak me out, but Walt Disney’s ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is supposed to open north of $75 million this weekend, reports the Los Angeles Times. Me, I’ll wait for the DVD. I hear it’ll be out faster than usual.
Apparently the Shadow doesn’t know. Sony Pictures has let its rights to ‘The Shadow’ expire and now the Sam Raimi project is being shopped, says Variety.
Burglary charge? Oh cool! Los Angeles Times ace Harriet Ryan looks at E!’s latest reality show featuring the Neiers sisters, one of whom was charged with burglary and is suspected of being part of the infamous ‘bling ring’ of teenagers and young adults who were robbing the homes of Hollywood stars and starlets. Of course, this only makes the show hotter to E! How come no one on Capitol Hill asks E! parent Comcast about this stuff while they’re grilling them on its attempt to take over NBC Universal?
Summer school. NBC unveiled its summer programming plans and confirmed that the Emmys will air live coast to coast. It’s the first time the Emmys have aired live across the country since 1976. Broadcasting & Cable’s Melissa Grego, who first broke the Emmy news a few weeks ago, has details on that and the network’s summer shows.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Wesley Snipes is hoping for a comeback; so is the taxman. Fred Willard offers his thoughts on this Sunday’s Oscar show.
-- Joe Flint
