The 2010 Oscar Winners...Before They're Even Nominated

Considering what a disappointing year for movies 2009 was—as much as we all loved The Hangover, that it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay by the WGA should tell us everything—it shouldn’t be surprising that the lead up to the 2010 Oscars has been so… mediocre. And yet, after seeing the results from the SAG Awards over the weekend, boredom has officially arrived. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that awards season is one big echo chamber, but when even the supposedly goofy ceremonies like The Golden Globes and SAG pick the same winners as everyone else, something is amiss.

Our Long National Nightmare: Conan O'Brien Departs NBC

At the risk of committing ouroboros, here's what I wrote on Twitter this morning about the days two biggest news events: "John Edwards admits he father Rielle Hunter's daughter. Conan leaves NBC. What's next? Mark McGwire saying he used steroids?"

Nothing makes the news cycle seem less relevant than when stories break that we already knew about. Putting aside Edwards for a moment—because, truly, does anyone actually care about him anymore—Conan leaving NBC was the worst kept "secret" on earth. With minute-by-minute updates of his exit negotiations posted on The Wrap (#teamconan) and TMZ (#teamleno), plus Conan's nightly evisceration of NBC on The Tonight Show, only the dimwitted didn't know this was happening. Putting a bow on the entire thing feels utterly redundant.

And so does writing anymore about what has become The Late Shift: Part II. Think about it: has anyone brought anything new to the table on this story in the last week? Not even a little. To recap: Conan is being screwed, NBC is stupid and Jay Leno is a manipulative asshole, hellbent on world domination. Be sure to tip your waitress on the way out.

Boom, Roasted: Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Blast Jay Leno

If there has been more compelling television over the last six months than what happened during the late night hours this past week, it was probably on Mad Men. But otherwise: wowsers. Of course at the center of all this is Conan O'Brien and, once again, the leader of Team Coco spent most of his show last night railing against NBC and Jay Leno. For the record, I found his Wednesday night broadcast—the one that featured Kenneth the Page (Jack McBrayer, FTW!) giving a tour of the "soon-to-be former home of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" and Ricky Gervais flat-out murdering—to be funnier than last night, but that doesn't mean he didn't get him some body blows.

Take, for instance, this joke about how he was offered the chance to star in a porn movie: "Just as we're about to climax, I get replaced by Jay Leno."

Ouch. Like I said on Twitter last night: if Conan is hosting The Tonight Show tonight, I'll be surprised; if he's hosting on Monday, I'll be stunned.

Masturbating Bear: Why Conan O'Brien Should Rise Above the Great Late Night War of 2010

By now, you've read and re-read so much about Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and the ostensible sequel to The Late Shift that your eyes have likely gone cross. Too bad! Time to uncross them and make room for another opinion.

Conan's scorch the earth statement about NBC and their handling of the late night situation is the type thing rarely seen nowadays: a gigantic and public "eff you." And predictably, it has been met with universal praise across the Internet. Team Conan (or Coco as it were) is alive and well as he's standing up for everyone who ever wanted to tell their inconsiderate and idiotic bosses where to stick whatever it is that needed sticking.

Good for Conan! Except...

Chuck vs. The Problems with Chuck: The Season Premiere Recapped

While I'm certainly not as much of a water carrier for Chuck as Alan Sepinwall, my love for the show runs quite deep. For what it's worth, the spy comedy with a heart of gold has landed on my personal top-ten list for two straight years. And, depending on what night you ask to me, there's a chance I'll admit to loving Chuck more than any other show on television. (Bear in mind, that doesn't mean it's the "best," but that I have a better time watching episodes of Chuck than I do watching anything else.) My bonafides in regards to Charles Bartowski and the staff of the BuyMore couldn't be more established.

That said, I was on the fence about season three to begin with.