I forgot to thank my agent

Well, that was interesting. Or was it?
While Jon Stewart did his best to keep the Oscar show moving, it still lasted three hours and 20 minutes. How that happened, I don't know - perhaps they could cut the comments of the president of the Academy? Does anyone ever not go pee during that two minutes? Still, the show was dependable, lacking in dumb gimmicks or experimental tactics (remember when they gave some awards from the aisle a few years ago?).

Here are more general thoughts:

YAY! If you're foreign born, you're gonna win an Oscar! All four acting winners - and a bunch more victors - were from outside the United States.

YAY! I would've been pissed if a song from Enchanted had triumphed over "Falling Slowly" from Once.

NAY! Can that Hanna Montana girl go away?

!!! I'd say Tilda Swinton was the most surprising winner. She looked shocked, or maybe that was her lack of makeup.

??? What drug in particular was Gary Busey on?

Who do you think should be host next year? Is Billy Crystal past his prime? Is everyone sick of Ellen? Should Whoopi make it five? We have almost a year to discuss it.

The Countdown

The Oscars are tomorrow night. And there will be a party. Oh, yes.

Since it is less than a day away, and I doubt many of the locals will read this before then, I hereby bestow my predictions upon you. Surprised? Here they are - the major ones, anyway. If I told you who I thought would win best Makeup, would either of us care?

BEST PICTURE No Country For Old Men It's been the leader of the pack since the beginning. Barring a major upset (beware Juno), this category is a done deal.

BEST DIRECTOR Ethan and Joel Coen for No Country For Old Men Ditto. They won the DGA, and that's almost always a precursor to who wins best director. Don't bet against them.

BEST ACTOR Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood Also a near-lock since the beginning. Some prognosticators are picking George Clooney, but anyone who has seen There Will Be Blood knows even Clooney can't fix this race.

BEST ACTRESS Julie Christie in Away From Her She has been the strongest contender since her movie was released last April. But she's not a lock like Day-Lewis - she is vulnerable, partly because she is somewhat anti-Hollywood. Also against her: she's won before, her movie was a tiny independent film, and there's been a late surge for both Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men Besides the fact that he's been the ultimate leader in this category, here's a bit of trivia: Oscar voters like bestowing the Best Picture winner (presumably No Country) with an acting Oscar - and this is their only chance.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There This is by far the hardest race to call. Really, I could see any one of them easily winning it except for (poor) Saoirse Ronan in Atonement. Amy Ryan was the critical darling; everyone loves Cate Blanchett, and she won the Golden Globe; Ruby Dee won the SAG for what amounts to a tiny performance; and there's been a late surge for Tilda Swinton. I just watched Michael Clayton again, and I must say, her performance is haunting.

Let's check back after the Oscars. I'll have pictures and tidbits for you.

No Longer Lost - Strike Over

The costly strike by the WGA left studios' pockets a little emptier and TV sets blazing with crap.

Now it's over, and your favorite shows should return ASAP - unless they don't return 'til fall (examples: Pushing Daisies and Chuck). The good news for Lost fans: on top of the eight already in the can, we'll get an additional five, for a total of 13, just three shorter than originally planned. Producers have promised the lost three episodes will be melded into future seasons.

What do we think of season four so far? I'm digging the flash forwards - it adds a layer to the mystery but does hint at answers. The new Losties, though, while interesting, are keeping me a little frustrated with even more questions. But I think it'll all be worth it in the end.

I especially dug last week's Sayid-centric episode - I sure wasn't expecting Ben to pop up, were you? What exactly do you think his front is? Killing all of Naomi's freighter friends? And who are the last two of the "Oceanix Six"? Talk amongst yourselves.