Oscar: The Morning After

Interesting Oscar telecast last night. First, congratulations to The King's Speech on its four awards, including Original Screenplay, Director, Actor and Picture. It's nice to actually have a film worthy of being called Best Picture again. I think the Academy forgot what that title meant the last couple of years.

No real surprises as far as awards. Now the program, that's a different story. Some observations below.

Can't say I was thrilled at the prospect of James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting this year's show. Unfortunately, neither did anything last night to change that. Franco looked bored throughout the broadcast and Hathaway gushed over every presenter she introduced like some starstruck teenager. This isn't the MTV Movie Awards or the Golden Globes, it's the Academy Awards. Is it so hard to find an experienced host that can actually engage and entertain an audience? More on that in a second.

Nothing against Kirk Douglas, but was he really the best choice to present Best Supporting Actress? Where was last year's Best Supporting Actor, Christoph Waltz? Probably stuck in security behind last year's Best Supporting Actress, Monique.

It's obvious from his standing ovation that the Academy still loves Bill Crystal. I was seriously hoping he was going to do an intervention and take over hosting the show. He's still the best they've ever had. No one knows how to engage and entertain an audience like Crystal. Billy, other than 700 Sundays, I don't know what you've been doing for the past decade, but it's time for a comeback.

Was it really appropriate for Hilary Swank to assist Kathryn Bigelow in presenting Best Director? If Bigelow didn't want to speak, at least have another director present the award.

The Irving G. Thalberg Award is presented from time to time to individuals who have consistently maintained a high quality of film production over their careers. Past winners include Cecil B. DeMille, Walt Disney, Bill Wilder, Robert Wise and Steven Spielberg. This year's recipient was Francis Ford Coppola. This award is a big deal and deserves to be a an important part of the broadcast, not quickly referenced in highlights from a dinner three months ago.

One more plea, Billy. The Oscars need you. We need to party like it's 1991.

2011 Oscar Predictions

Picture: The King's Speech
Director: Tom Hooper, The King's Speech
Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech
Actress: Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, The Fighter
Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Original Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, Inception

Enjoy the show on Sunday. Check back Monday for a review and to see if I got any right.

It Can't Be Business As Usual For Book Chains Anymore

Sad day for the bookselling business. After weeks of speculation, Borders Group announced today it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and will close 200 stores by the end of April.

As someone who worked in the book trade for 15 years, this really should be a final wake-up call to the industry that the current superstore model just doesn't work anymore. Why would consumers want to pay full price on a $25 hardcover when they can get it on Amazon for $15 without paying a silly membership fee.

Today's book chains are more or less showrooms for Amazon. You go in, get a cup of coffee, browse the aisles, write down your titles, go home, order online and save 20-50%. About the only thing I ever buy at a superstore is a magazine or a mass-market paperback, and that's if I have a 30% coupon.

Back in the '80s and early '90s, chains like B. Dalton, Crown, Bookstar and even Borders discounted everything. You felt like they actually cared for their customers. But as the superstores grew, so did the overhead and soon we were back to paying the full list price. Oh, but if we bought their rewards card we could save 10%. Why should we have to pay anything to save money?

Buying anything, whether it's groceries, clothes or books, is all about price. We work hard for our money and have countless living expenses. When we do part with our limited disposable income it's not going to be for the full list price. Not when someone else has it for less.

Look at the music chains. Tower Records and Wherehouse all failed because they didn't adapt to a changing environment. Granted, digital sales were a major factor, but when you're selling CDs for $18.99 and Amazon has the same one for $9.99, your not going to stay in business for very long.

The book chains will say the turnaround is due to to emerging digital market, not price of product. That may be a small piece of the puzzle but readers, real readers, still prefer a physical book in their hands - the weight, smell of the paper, turning the page, discovering a title via an engaging cover on an actual bookshelf. I'm sorry but eReaders just don't offer the kind of intimacy true book lovers crave. Never will.

So should the remaining chains just pack up and let Amazon rule the day? No, bookstores are still viable. They just need to respect their customers more. Eliminate the pesky membership cards and go back to to offering discounts across the board - mass market, trade, hardcover. The sheer volume of stock you order from wholesalers and publishers keeps your cost per unit low. Pass some of the savings on to consumers. If you're store overhead can't support it, close stores. You don't need three in a five-mile radius. Give readers a reason not to go home and order from Amazon. Your discounts may not be as deep, but something's better than nothing and readers will respect the effort. Make going to a bookstore special again.

20 Years of Lambs

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs, arguably the greatest psychological thriller ever made.

The film opened on February 14, 1991 (yes, Valentine's Day) to favorable reviews, featured two respected actors (Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster) and was based on a bestselling novel. But it's a safe bet that nobody entering the theater that weekend had even the slightest inkling of just what they were in for the next two hours.

Lambs tells the story of Clarice Starling (Foster), a young FBI recruit who is plucked from training in Quantico to interview incarcerated serial killer Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter (Hopkins) in hopes of obtaining a psychological profile on serial killer Buffalo Bill (aptly named for the hide he collects from his victims) before he strikes again.

A psychiatrist in public life, Lecter is more interested in analyzing Starling than being any help to the FBI. But the fresh-face trainee proves to be a worthy adversary and eventually earns the respect and affection of Lecter who begins to throw little morsels of clues her way on just who Buffalo Bill might be.

As Starling follows the trail, Lecter's knowledge soon comes to the attention of a U.S. senator who believes Bill is behind the abduction of her daughter. Lecter agrees to provide more information but only to the senator in person. Soon he is transported to her home state for a face-to-face where Lecter sets in motion his elaborate plan for escape.

From its deft screenplay by Ted Tally, chilling score by Howard Shore, atmospheric photography by Tak Fujimoto and unflinching direction by Demme, Lambs perfectly balances crime, suspense and horror, enveloping you in a world few films of its type ever have. From Lecter's cell block to Buffalo Bill's lair, the film oozes such a raw creepiness that it holds you spellbound - mouth agape, heart in your throat - for the entire 118-minute running time. You want to to look away but you can't.

As masterfully crafted as the film is, it's the two lead performances that make it a film for the ages.

From her backwoods drawl to her youthful persistence, Foster embodies Starling heart and soul. She is our virgin eyes through this terrible world and we desperately need her to guide us to the light. At the beginning, Starling is just a raw recruit looking to make her dead father proud. By the end, she is a battle-tested veteran who's experienced things not even the most seasoned of agents could have ever imagined.

Hopkins' Lecter is quite simply the most terrifying and unsettling character in screen history. His evil is a subtle, refined one - cool, underlying, manipulative. You feel if you look or listen to him too long he'll have you doing things you never thought yourself capable of. But the character is so engaging and original that even as he's leaving a trail of carnage you can't help but root for him.

The Silence of the Lambs became a worldwide phenomenon, grossing more the $270 million and earning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay, the last film to sweep in all the top categories. The film spawned a sequel and two prequels but none of them came even close to duplicating the magic of the original.

So grab some fava beans and a nice Chianti, cuddle up with your Valentine and spend the evening with Hannibal and Clarice. (Yeah, my wife wouldn't go for it either.)