Anne and James sweet as pie -- F is for Leo...

So how about that, a pretty decent Oscar broadcast, very tastefully done and produced with an eye on keeping the pace moving at a decent clip. Anne Hathaway and James Franco did a surprisingly good job as hosts, not trying to be anybody that they're not, they kept it simple and had fun and won me over on pure likability.

On the other end of the spectrum, the evening's most awkward moments came at the beginning, when Dick Clark -- I mean, Kirk Douglas presented the Best Supporting Actress award to Melissa Leo for The Fighter. Her acceptance speech was bad enough, a virtual parody of faux-surprise narcissism as she struggled to squeeze the entire pantheon of human emotions into her brief time onstage, no doubt for the benefit of any potential casting agents in the room --which is to say, all of them. But then she actually dropped the F-bomb, trying to somehow show she's just a regular gal. Color me outta there. The harpie actually took Kirk Douglas' cane away from him as they left the stage -- way to convince us you're not really all that old Melissa. The look on James Franco's face afterwards was priceless.

Poor Christian Bale actually forgot his wife's name, and even after he -- and everyone else -- realized he'd done it, he still couldn't seem to remember her name. Amnesia, thy name is Oscar.

Of the seven main awards, I missed two -- Best Supporting Actress and Best Director -- I somehow spaced that Tom Hooper had won the DGA, effectively locking his win. But I guess five out of seven ain't bad.

A much tighter show this year, the song nominees were presented economically and quickly with not a single production number and and attempts at bits-of-business were brief. Not a bad job this year, guys. You kept it moving. Now somebody please move Melissa Leo.

Get thee to the UK: Frankenstein: Unbound!

If there's one theatrical performance I wish I could see right now, it's London's National Theatre production of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, directed by none other than Danny Boyle (fresh off of 127 Hours).

Frankenstein is poised to be this year's live performance sensation. Starring Jonny Lee Miller -- Boyle's own Trainspotting and so terrific last year on Dexter as a maniacal motivational speaker -- and Jeremy Cumberbatch -- The Beeb's stupendously reinvented Sherlock Holmes.

One of the things that makes this production such a captivating concept is that the roles are alternately played by both actors who take turns playing Victor Frankenstein and The Creature. A dynamic that's likely to make audiences feel that they haven't seen this Frankenstein unless they've seen it twice.

The play begins with a show-stopping birth scene, as a bloodied, naked Creature pushes through a membrane, embodying the state that all lives face as they emerge unprepared into the strangeness of our world, capturing the terror and awe of being born, staged like a surreal ballet. A sulfurous locomotive even takes the stage at one point, as Boyle offers up Shelley's 19th Century, an era of industrialization where man's aspiration to become God steams ahead of the moral compass necessary to control his creations.

Frankenstein marks a return to live theatre for Danny Boyle, who directed at the Royal Court Theatre before beginning his amazing filmmaking career. Exploring themes of innocence, parental and scientific responsibility and the nature of good and evil, Boyle and playwright Nick Dear have taken Mary Shelley's 1818 classic and rebirthed it as a timely and suspenseful Gothic tale, seemingly more relevant than ever.

Here's hoping these performances are captured permanently for audiences beyond the U.K. to enjoy. It just sounds astonishing!

What rhymes with store? THOR!!!

The first Hasbro Thor figures have materialized! There appear to be several sizes, with the 3 & 3/4" series (read Iron Man 2 scale) being the most common, sized to match their Marvel Universe line. No sign of Loki yet (who appears to be the short-pack), but the hammer-wielding one is staring to show up in Targets across the land. Not too shabby! The weapons are absurdly over-sized, but the overall sculpt and likeness is better than I'd feared. Can Cap' be far behind?!

The Greatest Day of the Year!!!

Ya know, movies and such rock, but MY SON'S BIRTHDAY trumps everything for consummate coolness and absolute joy! Anthony is TWO today, and all devices throughout the cosmos must grind to a halt to pay homage!!! Taking the day off to celebrate his miraculous little self and have family fun!

I'm not Red Skull yet, but I will be...

Hugo Weaving before he needs the SPF 5,000. Looks like a certain Cosmic Cube is about to inspire all kind of Uber-skull-strum-und-BANG!
Come on, July, get here already!!!

Another reason to upgrade your home theater

A man was shot and killed in a dispute over popcorn during a showing of Black Swan in a theater in Latvia. The victim, a 43-year-old male, accused a man of chewing his popcorn too loudly, which the accused did not take kindly to.

The shooter was a 27-year-old police academy graduate with a law degree.

Nice work, Fringeophiles!!!

The ratings for this Friday's episode of Fringe have improved! Averaging 4.1 million viewers, up 7% from the previous week. Any increase is a positive sign, as those on the show, including Joshuah Jackson, have been very vocal that we all need to be watching right now if we want the show back for a forth season. Since Fox moved the series to Friday's (aka The Death Slot), it's done well in the ratings, but it's an uphill battle to survive as Friday is a showkiller.

We live in an era where the overwhelming number of us DVR series television or wait for boxsets to have a Netflix binge. But unfortunately, shows still live and die by their overnight numbers and the power of the live audience. Fringe is simply way, way too good right now not to keep this saga going. It's just sensationally well told -- Friday's episode was a gem -- and each week is only seeing us become more and more invested in these characters.

Let's all keep watching!