Why Is Jennifer Lawrence Up So Early?: My Immediate Reactions to the 2012 Oscar Nominations

The big moment has come and passed. Jennifer Lawrence looked as happy as one could be, announcing Best Picture nominees at 5:30 AM alongside Academy president Tom Sherak. Why are the nominations announced at 5:30 AM? That’s a very good question. I like to think that the Academy takes some perverse pleasure out of knowing that all of the nominees – and many that they have chosen to ignore – are sitting raptly by their televisions after a sleepless night, or even better, being awoken from the deepest of sleeps to be told that the 13.5″ golden statue has come calling. The better question, though, is why I got up to watch the announcement live, with Good Morning America playing Madonna’s “Hollywood” incessantly in the background. And now, without further ado, my obviously extremely important take on this morning’s Oscar nominations…

There Was a Time When Awards Shows Were Always Surprising. And Then There Were the 2011 Emmys…

I’m going to mostly ignore the fact that WordPress just notified me that people have been getting linked to this blog through Google by searching for “comic con naked” and “wonder woman naked.” Ew. But totally my fault for that Comic Con post title. Anyway. FOX presented the 63rd Primetime Emmys on Sunday night, and, like with any awards ceremony, it was full of totally expected wins, complete surprises, and some major comic mishaps. If you read my Emmy preview and saw last night’s show, you’ll notice that I was…wrong. Very, very wrong. Here are my thoughts on last night’s wins, losses, and memorable moments!

“Stan”ding Room Only (Bahaha I Made a Funny!) for Lee: Montreal Comic Con, Day 2

Montreal Comic Con 2011 concluded today, with a combination of great moments, major disappointments, and even more people in their underwear getting spray-painted (no pictures this time, though!…more on that later). After yesterday’s spendfest, my wallet felt a little healthier today, as did the geek buried not-very-far-beneath-the-surface. My feet, on the other hand, still hurt thanks to the unnecessary extra hours of standing accumulated courtesy of some pretty atrocious planning.

Is That a Naked Woman Being Spray-Painted Into a Wonder Woman Costume?: Montreal Comic Con, Day 1

The two day Montreal Comic Con started today at Place Bonaventure in (duh) Montreal. I showed up at opening time and stayed until the last panel of the day had finished in order to take in all of the sights, singing, and stars. You would be right to consider this a massive geekfest, but for those geeks lucky enough to attend, it’s also a surreal chance to meet idols, artists, friends, and local salespeople.

Every Awards Show Season Begins With an Emmy Preview! (Where’s “Parenthood?” People still watch “The Office?”)

This Sunday marks the 63^rd annual airing of TV’s Emmy Awards. The Emmys are, of course, the Oscars of TV. Unless you count the Golden Globes, that is…or the SAGs…or the TV Critics Association Awards… Okay, so there are a lot of awards shows in Hollywood, but, well, I keep watching every year, so I’m certainly not going to complain!

With every awards show comes a certain amount of controversy over the list of nominees, and this year is no different. Like so many other TV and movie fiends, I’m going to take this opportunity to give my opinion of this year’s Emmy nominees: who is going to win? Who should win? Who else should have been nominated? Considering the television renaissance going on right now (don’t believe me? Turn on your TV!), there are a LOT of other potential nominees. This is also your chance to sound off – any snubs that are still bothering you the week of the ceremony? Any nominees that you’re happy are finally receiving their due?

Summer 2011 in Review: The Really Good (Maya Rudolph), the Really Bad (Michael Bay), and the Rest of It (Mutants and Monkeys!)

Fiscally, summer 2011 was a mixed bag for Hollywood: a record-breaking box office total of $4.4 billion from the first weekend of May through Labor Day marked a 1% increase over the same time period last year. Attendance was also up 1%, according to the National Association of Theater Owners, to over 546 million. These numbers might look good in black and white, but the reality of the situation is that 546 million attendees is the third-lowest number since 1997, and that 1% increase in the box office total? It was made possible only by a 2+% increase in the average ticket price, from $7.89 to $8.06! Of course, to filmmakers this isn’t a big deal, especially considering the ridiculous 41% increase in the international box office this summer, but such a minor increase in attendance and box office total compared to an unusually dramatic ticket price increase could mean only one thing: moviegoers are challenging the proliferation of sequels and 3-D movies with their wallets, and considering the low quality of many “blockbuster” 3-D and IMAX movies, the message is clear.

You can find out more about the nitty-gritty of this summer’s box office numbers from Reuters, Entertainment Weekly, or the sites mentioned above, but if you’d like to hear my take on some of the biggest releases of summer 2011, read ahead!