The Only One That Will Have Him

No matter how divisive Lost has been for the last five seasons, there has always been one character everyone has can agree on: Benjamin Linus. So it should come as no surprise that in the very divisive final season, an episode called "Dr. Linus" is being hailed as "terrific" by not just Alan Sepinwall and Maureen Ryan, but by Ain't It Cool talkbackers as well.

Far be it from me to rain on the parade—after all, unity among Lost fans is like the television version of peace between Israel and Palestine—but no matter how deep my love for Michael Emerson runs, I didn't think "Dr. Linus" was terrific. Solid, sturdy and entertaining, sure, but for a Ben episode, nothing that happened really floored me. This wasn't "The Man Behind the Curtain." In fact, parts were extremely weak, saved only by Emerson and his co-stars. During Ben's big emotional showdown with Ilana, the dialogue was stiff and treacly to the point of distraction. All I could think about was, "How hard would I be laughing if these words were coming out of the mouths of Emile De Ravin and Jorge Garcia right now?"

Bombs Away

The problem with Oscar postmortems? They're irrelevant by the time afternoon rolls around. So, considering it's well past lunch hour, this post has as much timeliness as those Betty White "For Your Consideration" ads in Variety. Still, how could I not comment on what was, as my friend called it last night, "the dullest f'n Oscars in history?"

Despite the big ratings—this was the highest rated telecast since 2005—the show could not have been worse. In fact, I'd venture to say this was my least favorite Oscars ever.

Wondering why? Check out my reasons after the jump.

Hooray for Hollywood

It has been kind of a banner 24 hours here at 42 Inch Television. Last night, my latest contribution to the New York Times blog, Room for Debate, was published. This particular entry centers on the Academy Awards and whether or not they promote film artistry. Put me on the side of, "Yes, they do!" because—as I mention in the piece—would anyone even know what The Hurt Locker is if it weren't for the Oscars? The non-existent box office tally tells me no.

And as if that kind of coverage weren't enough, Jeffrey Wells from Hollywood Elsewhere actually linked to the Room for Debate post and referenced both this blog and my name. Jeffrey Wells! The craziest and most around-the-bend film writer on the internets actually agrees with something I wrote. This is an honor that could have only been surpassed had he buried me instead. There is nothing more satisfying and crazypants than a good Wells rant.

Anyway, enough self-promotion! This post was really designed as an Oscar predictor. so without further adieu, here are my picks for Sundays big night.