Random thoughts - the Oscar nominations.

The time is upon us. Let's get right to it.

+ This year, there are nine nominees for Best Picture. I've seen a mere four (The Artist, The Help, Hugo and Moneyball).

- Nada for Young Adult. It took an AV Club story to remind me of this film, especially of Patton Oswalt's understated (and neglected) turn. I guess he can live with being a funny em-effer, but it still stings. (He seems to be taking it well enough, though.)

+ Loco boy makes good, part 1: editor Kevin Tent has finally been recognized with a nomination for The Descendants. He is (like me) a native of Western New York.

+ Loco boy makes good, part 2: Another first-time nominee: costume designer Mark Bridges, for The Artist...and a native son of Western New York.

- Biggest disappointment: no nomination for Albert Brooks in Drive. The one Oscar nomination the film would've genuinely deserved and it doesn't happen. What a crock of shit.

+ The Original Score category: The Adventures of Tintin (John Williams), The Artist (Ludovic Bource), Hugo (Howard Shore), Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Alberto Iglesias) and War Horse (John Williams). And not a Dragon Tattoo to offend the eye.

- Only two nominees for Original Song. No "The Living Proof". No "The Ballad of Rango". No "Pretty Bird" (rendered ineligible for some bullshit reason).

+ From Craigular guy to Oscar nominee: Jim Rash, Dean Pelton on "Community", co-authored the adaptation of The Descendants. I was so thrown to learn that it was the same guy.

? Best Animated Feature: two outside-the-box European features, two Dreamworks films and Rango.

- Nada for 50/50. Wasn't too crazy about this, but I figured it was a lock for Original Screenplay, as did many others.

- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close managed to squeak in with a Best Picture nomination (and a Supporting Actor nod for Max Von Sydow), despite uproariously nasty reviews.

- Can you believe that Gary Oldman and Nick Nolte have never been nominated until this morning? Weird.

+ Academy-Award nominee Jonah Hill...it sounds strange, no matter what, but he was pretty good in Moneyball.

- Nominee for Original Screenplay: Bridesmaids by Annie Mumolo and...Kristen Wiig. This is probably the statement that sends my readership into the negative numbers (assuming it's not already there) but I don't much care for Kristen Wiig. There it is. I gained a near-instantaneous dislike of her when I thought she was the 'Bitch please' girl. (Twas actually Michaela Watkins, who seems to have fallen into obscurity...so I guess karma works.) Wiig falls into two categories for me: insufferable on SNL and incredibly bland in films to the point where her roles could be played by literally anyone (Extract, MacGruber, How to Train Your Dragon). If you factor this...thing into the mix and, well, I'm not exactly angling for membership in her fan club. (In the interest of fairness, she was fairly amusing in Paul and she made a good impression in Whip It, suggesting to me that her talent is at the whim of the writing. I haven't seen Bridesmaids, so I can't judge fairly.)

+ Speaking of Bridesmaids, the film's other nomination went to Melissa McCarthy. Maybe, if the nods for The Help cancel each other out (as they are wont to do in situations like this)...nah, it might still go to Berenice Bejo. Hey, it's anybody's race.