Hello gang! A few notes and my Oscar picks. Shall we begin?

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LOVE THAT WRASSLIN!
Hey boss, not surprised Hulk Hogan caught your eye. If my math is right, when you were a sophomore he was the BIG MAN ON CAMPUS at your alma matter, Robinson High. Check your old year book.........the man's name is Terry Bollea. (It also helps me keep track of how old he is!--LOL. Nolan)

PLEASE WELCOME........SAM AND DAVE! (and Gary?)
It could be the concert duo of the year. Move over Elton and Billy..............here comes Diamond Dave and the Hag Man. If all goes well, this summer could see the oddest coupling of musical talent since Elton John took the stage with Emminem. Former Van Halen front men David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar are finalizing a deal that would put them and their prospective bands out on the road. Somewhere, Gary Cherone is asking, "how 'bout me?"

GET WELL WISHES
To Dr. Acula himself, Forrest J Ackerman, who developed a rather nasty cold this past week. Forry was scheduled to appear in Kansas City this past weekend (and sit down for a brief PCR interview) but instead came down with a bug that prevented him from flying in. I'm sure all of our readers join me in wishing him a speedy recovery. (My God, yes! Uncle Forry and I go WAAAY back. Hopefully you can still snag that CPR interview when he gets better!---N)

MOVING ON..........UP?
Actor Milton "Mel" Stewart passed away this week at the age of 72 due to Alzheimer's disease. Stewart appeared on "Scarecrow and Mrs. King" regularly, but is probably best remembered as Henry Jefferson, whose family lived next door to Archie Bunker on "All in the Family."

AND THE WINNER IS
Well, it's here again. The 74th Annual Academy Awards are upon us this Sunday and the time is now to submit your winning picks. The submission with the most correct picks will win some great movie related prizes! Good luck.

BEST ACTOR: To me, a two-man race. While Sean Penn, Tom Wilkinson and Will Smith turned in excellent work, it all boils down to two men who already have an Oscar on their mantle. Russell Crowe, who won last year for "Gladiator," turns in a multi-layered performance in "A Beautiful Mind," while Denzel Washington, who won a Supporting Actor award in 1986 for "Glory," does a 180 degree turn as a corrupt cop in "Training Day." Many people think Denzel was slighted when he didn't win for "The Hurricane" two years ago, and his performance would be a definite winner in any other year. Only two other actors have won Best Actor 2 years in a row (Spencer Tracy and Tom Hanks). I look for Crowe to make it three!
BEST ACTRESS: Once again, a two-person race. Nicole Kidman was great in "Moulin Rouge," as well as "The Others," and if the academy wants to award a great year she would win. However, Halle Berry and Sissy Spacek have topped my list since I saw their respective films. Spacek won this award in 1980 for her work in "Coal Miner's Daughter." Berry recently won an Emmy for portraying early black star Dorothy Dandridge, who, ironically, was the first black woman nominated for Best Actress. Look for Halle to go Dorothy one step further and take home the gold.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Two words: Ian McKellen. Look for Gandalf to be the Lord of the Oscars come Sunday night. Plus, having once shared a stage with this man, I can now put "I worked with an Oscar winner" on my resume!
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Ever since I saw her in "Labyrinth" in 1985 I knew she was destined to be a star. 17 years later, Hollywood finally learned the same thing. The winner is Jennifer Connelly.
BEST DIRECTOR: Peter Jackson is a most deserving nominee, considering he shot THREE films at the same time, and I think that further down the line, if the next two "Rings" films don't suck, he will be recognized. But the time has come for Ron Howard to be acknowledged for his skill. I only hope that when he wins he asks, "Is this the one for "Cocoon" or "Apollo 13?"
BEST PICTURE: Huge epic or triumph of the spirit? Despite the griping of some that "A Beautiful Mind" takes liberties with it's subject matter, it still draws us in to the schitzophrenic world of a genius! While "Lord of the Rings" did, indeed, top my list of the Best Films of last year, please note that one of the films I mentioned not having seen was "A Beautiful Mind." It definitely takes the prize this year.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Memento. Easily the most original of the year.
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: A Beautiful Mind.
ANIMATED SHORT FILM: For The Birds. If you saw "Monster's Inc." this short was on the print.
EDITING: Memento
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Ame'lie
SOUND: Black Hawk Down
SOUND EDITING: Pearl Harbor
ORIGINAL SONG: Paul McCartney/"Vanilla Sky." Never bet against a Beatle!
ORIGINAL SCORE: Howard Shore/"Lord of the Rings"
ANIMATED FEATURE: Shrek
ART DIRECTION: Lord of the Rings
CINEMATOGRAPHY: Lord of the Rings
COSTUME DESIGN: Lord of the Rings
VISUAL EFFECTS: Lord of the Rings
MAKEUP: Planet of the Apes...........oops, it wasn't nominated! Lord of the Rings.

Please note that I did not vote for either the feature or short documentary nor the live action short film. I did not see enough of these films to pick a clear favorite.

Good luck with your choices! Have a great week.