Top Chef – Texas: Block Party

E:  Well, you knew it was coming. Really, how many times can they show inconsistent, wacky Chris pining for his lovely wife and child before giving him the boot?

M: Quick admission…  I was an idiot this week.  I went to re-watch last week’s LCK On Demand before watching this week’s episode, but accidentally selected this week’s, which opened with the shot of Chris J, so I knew who was gone before ever even starting the episode.  I’m not sure my viewing experience would have been much, if any, different, but still, I don’t like to know the ending before I watch.

SAG Award Predictions 2012

E: Coming as they do mere days after the Oscar nominees are announced, the Screen Actors Guild Awards assume a particular significance.  The Golden Globes let us know early who the favorites in a given race are; perhaps more than anything else, they shape the nominations.  SAG, however, winnows those nominees down to winners.  Sure there’ll be another 3 weeks before the Oscars, but it could be just time wasting (or time to see the nominees you’ve missed) in terms of the winners.  If Oscar is a popularity contest, SAG really lets us know who the popular kids are (especially since actors are the biggest branch of the Academy). When it comes to the movie awards, there aren’t a lot of categories where there’s any doubt as to the winners.  But those categories?  Well, they’re pretty interesting ones, and they are very much worth a bit of discussion.

Castle Review: “An Embarrassment of Bitches”

C: As you might be able to guess from the title (maybe), this week’s subculture on Castle was the world of dog shows. Although in actuality, the episode was primarily concerned with the star of a Kardashian-like reality show and a Dog Whisperer. So, no Best in Show-style humor here.

E: That was rather disappointing, wasn’t it?  I wanted to spend more time with neurotic pet owners.

M: I agree, there was very little in the way of dipping into the dog show subculture, not at least to the usual Castle level.

E: On the other hand, it did lead to what might have been the funniest line of the show – papparazzi swarming over Castle, then backing away in disappointment. “Hey, that’s not Jason Bateman!”

Downton Abbey, Series II Episode 3

E: After last week’s rather less eventful episode, Downton Abbey comes charging back.  Matthew and William are missing!  Cora muscles Mrs. Crawley out, and so the latter leaves England!  Mrs. Patmore might be stealing from Downton!  Bates returns! Everything you thought was going to happen with Ethel and the mustachioed Major actually does!

Oscar Nominations and Reactions 2012

E: Damn you, Dave Karger.  How is it that you sometimes know what no one else does?  How the heck did you call Max Von Sydow?

This morning’s nominations bring a happy number of surprises and more than a few nominations that weren’t so shocking.  And nine Best Picture nominees! Wow!

Let’s get to it.