Academy

Nothing tests ethics like a recession. To prove this, the Academy Awards ceremony broadcast is now accepting spots for films and has cut the price of an advertisement to $1.4 million.

I could understand the concern. If someone sees an advertisement for the latest Adam Sandler flick, they could confuse it for an Academy Award nominee. The Academy has put some restrictions on the types of ads that can be used which will hopefully prevent such a mix-up. Sadly, these restrictions have only permitted for one studio advertisement so far: Disney-Pixar's Up.

It does seem a bit of a conflict of interest from getting advertising revenue from organizations to whom you are giving awards. At least Hollywood will not be confused for a society of principle. Studios big and small have always used their bank accounts and marketing campaigns to purchase an Academy Award nomination anyway. This just makes the process more obvious.

How do you feel about watching an Academy Awards broadcast with movie ads?

I know most of you have been kept awake at night by disturbing thoughts that there just might not be enough reality television. Thankfully, the folks over at the FOX-owned MyNetworkTV have heard your cries in the night and are developing some new (and not so new) reality shows.

First, the short-lived NBC series Meet my Folks is coming back with the same format of parents deciding who their children should date.

There's also Jail, a new series from John Langley, the creator of Cops. As the name suggests, this series will look at life in prisons all over the United States.

No matter what I do to make my Oscar viewing experience bearable (parties, alcohol, hookers) I always end up wanting to put a gun in my mouth by hour two.

First, let me say that Ellen DeGeneres was very funny and did a great job hosting. Also the song by Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C Reilly was the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

Now let me ask you this...how stupid were those dancers?

Emmy voting began on June 4th, which explains all the Battlestar Galactica advertisements I've seen all over the web on industry pages lately. SciFi is campaigning pretty heavily for Emmy nominations for its highest-rated show. It has shipped the entire season of Battlestar Galactica on DVD to voting members of the academy (supposedly, some of those DVDs are for sale now on EBay).

The Los Angeles Times website, The Envelope, has a full list of television shows that are campaigning for Emmys by purchasing ads in industry magazines, on websites, and by sending DVDs to members. Interestingly, canceled shows like Alias and Arrested Development haven't even bothered to ask 'for your consideration' this year.

Emmy nominees will be announced July 6.

Fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi sparked a lot of discussion following his behavior on the red carpet last week while co-hosting the Golden Globes arrival show for E! Some outrageous moments include grabbing Scarlett Johansson's breast, looking down Teri Hatcher's dress, questioning Eva Longoria about her pubic hair, and referring to Charlize Theron's character in Monster as a "scary dyke with bad teeth." Yes, he was totally sexually harassing these women. Although none of those actresses have filed any complaints about their treatment, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is skeptical about whether Mizrahi should be working the red carpet during the Oscars. A spokesman for the Academy said they expect that Mizrahi won't behave like that on their red carpet and, if he does, "I cannot predict what we would do afterwards."

Did anyone watch the E! preshow? Was it offensive? I didn't see it, but this totally makes me want to watch the Oscars preshow in March. I'm hoping he takes Russell Crowe down a notch or two.