The Oscars
© 2002 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Awards Shows, whatever …
By: STEPHEN LACKEYDate: Sunday, February 18, 2007
So the Grammy’s just finished up and now it’s time for the Oscars. When I was younger, I used to actually care about these awards shows. Now I wouldn’t necessarily watch them because they’ve always been way too long, but I was interested to see who won. But it’s commonly known these days that the Oscars go to the highest bidder. Some reforms as far as gift giving to voters have been made but under the table these awards are still bought. I haven’t taken these awards seriously since Shakespeare in Love beat Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture.
The People’s Choice Awards aren’t any better though. For example, Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest, while not the worst movie in the world (overrated though) I have to believe there were better movies out, and Click, don’t get me started. Where’s the awards show for the true hardcore movie fan, the one who knows the difference from popcorn fun and a truly good movie? The answer is there isn’t one. The best you can hope for are top ten lists from critics you really like. Maybe I’ll do one next year.
I have to comment on how thrilled I am that SCI FI Channel has picked up a fourth season of Battlestar Galactica. Why they would only pick up 13 episodes, and why they would hold off the premiere until next January are other questions. They can never do anything exactly right. It seems to me that they’d want to take advantage of the new audience growth and foster it. Viewers can be fickle and forgetful; if a series takes too long to come back viewers may not come back with them. If they only want to do 13 episodes it seems like it would be a better move to bring the series back this fall and do 6 episodes then and 7 in the spring. The recent announcement didn’t mention the earlier discussed direct to DVD movie. It might be wise decision to hold off on the movie until after the 13 episodes and use it as a way to tie up the series if it doesn’t get to come back for season 5.
Monday
PRISON BREAK (FOX, 8:00pm PST) “Bad Blood”
Michael and Sarah seek the help of ex-warden Pope after their first attempt to recover evidence left by Sarah’s father is thwarted. T-bag takes his new family on a road trip to his boyhood home and offers Susan. Mahone closes in on C-Note.
24 (FOX, 9:00pm PST) “Day 6 1 PM to 3 PM”
Chloe covers for another agent while Milo is thrown into unfamiliar duties (read: field work) and Jack faces a hard compromise.
HEROES (NBC, 9:00pm PST) “Unexpected”
Peter is disappointed by a betrayal, Claire can’t contain her anger at her father, and Matt loses control when Ted (radioactive man) appears with a new hero who has “wireless” abilities.
CSI MIAMI (NBC, 9:00pm PST) “Broken Home”
The parents of a babysitter are murdered on the property where she is taking care of a 12 year old child. The team believes there is a thief in the neighborhood that may be connected to the crime.
Tuesday
NCIS (CBS, 8:00pm PST) “Dead Man Walking”
An inspector with the Atomic Energy Agency asks the team to solve a murder, his own. The man knows he’s been poisoned and he wants to find the killer.
VERONICA MARS (CW, 9:00pm PST) “Mars, Bars”
Josh claims he is being framed for his father’s murder and asks Veronica for help. Oh and there’s a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt whoo hoo!
THE UNIT (CBS, 9:00pm PST) “Games of Chance”
The Unit heads to Germany to participate in military exercise games with other elite forces from around the globe when things turn real.
Wednesday
JERICHO (CBS, 8:00pm PST) “The Day Before”
Normally I’d say this is going to be filler, and it still might but the fact that we get to see what Hawkins was up to 36 hours before the bombs went off could offer some information on what he’s really up too.
LOST (ABC, 10:00pm PST) “Flashes Before Your Eyes”
Hurley gets Charlie to help interrogate Desmond for information because he’s been acting strangely since the hatch implosion. Sawyer and Kate return to the island looking for help to go back and save Jack.
MEDIUM (NBC, 10:00pm PST) “Second Opinion”
Allison’s dreams turn into nightmares as they foretell the death of her youngest daughter in 20 years.
Thursday
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (CBS, 9:00pm PST) “Fallen Idols”
A popular high school basketball player and his cheerleader girlfriend disappear after a successful game. Blood is found near a field house where the two hooked up and things went awry.
SMALLVILLE (CW, 8:00pm PST) “Justice”
A repeat of the Justice League episode. It may be a repeat but it’s better than the new episodes that followed it.
SUPERNATURAL (CW, 9:00pm PST) “Playthings”
It’s a full night of repeats for the CW. Hell they have enough viewers for their network they can afford to take a break! An old In is the center of mysterious happenings and deaths that at first seem accidental but with further investigation seem to be attached to the dark history of the Inn.
Friday
GHOST WHISPERER (CBS, 8:00pm PST) “The Walk In”
A corpse in a morgue is reanimated when it becomes possessed by the ghost of another. Melinda learns that this was not a random act as the ghost has a list of things to do and he needs this specific body to do them.
NUM3RS (CBS, 10:00pm PST) “One Hour”
A record company owner’s some is kidnapped and the kidnappers demand ransom to be paid to them in one hour. The investigation reveals that the father is connected to drugs and organized crime.
HYPERDRIVE (BBBC, 9:00pm PST) “Assessment”
The Space Marshall is fed up with Henderson’s incompetence and orders a ship inspection that’s nearly impossible to pass.
Saturday
MARS ROCKS: ONE YEAR LATER (DSC, 8:00pm PST)
A look at the historic 2004 mission to Mars where two Mars rovers were sent to the planet. The data they sent back is dissected and analyzed.
STAR TREK: BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER (HIST, 8:00pm PST)
An exploration of the STAR TREK series and films on pop culture hosted by Leonard Nimoy and featuring William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Kate Mulgrew, and Avery Brookes.
FIRE SERPENT (SCIFI, 8:00pm PST)
A film about a fire creature released on Earth due to solar flares. The film features some familiar STAR TREK and BUFFY faces.
Sunday
79th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS (ABC, 8:30pm PST)
Another year of overly long speeches and films getting awards from other filmmakers who have no real clue what the public appreciates, which is mostly a bad thing, but we wouldn’t want NORBIT winning any awards would we?
DRESDEN FILES (SCIFI, 9:00pm PST) “Bad Blood”
Harry helps a vampire who survives an assassination attempt.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (SCIFI, 10:00pm PST) “Dirty Hands”
Chief Tyrol is convinced to defy Adama and start a strike. Damn, sounds like more filler.
