Everyone, it’s time to put some “Scrantonicity” into your lives.

While that might be a very lame reference to The Police tribute band that the character Kevin drummed for on NBC’s The Office, it still is a call for you, the listening public, to put the Scranton, Pa., band A Social State on your “bands to watch in 2012″ list.

The band’s new record Everyone’s Your Friend transports you back to the early 2000s, when that emotional, immediate rock ‘n’ roll sound ruled. The record is at times driving, fun rock ‘n’ roll with a soul while at other times it’s more serious, subtle and melodic.

One of my favorite tracks is “Adams Apple.” Being a fan of more of more high-energy rock ‘n’ roll, I personally enjoyed this track the most. The song comes together together in an explosion of rock, passion and emotion. It’s the vocals, bass, drums and guitars bounce off each, creating this sheer wall of rock ‘n’ roll gold. It evokes such emotion from the listener, that you can’t help but get romantic about it.

One aspect of A Social State that really stands out are the vocals of lead singer Ed Cuozzo. His voice has this quality that harkens back to Pinkerton-era Rivers Cuomo. And frankly, don’t we all miss that era of Weezer? He has this soulfulness, this emotion to his voice that really makes you focus on and grasp the lyrics.

So if you are thirsting and longing for a new voice in the rock scene, a new band to get behind and believe in, listen to A Social State.

Wednesday saw the return of two television behemoths: the respected Kiefer Sutherland in his first major small-screen role since his iconic turn as Jack Bauer ended in 2010, and the substantially less-respected Tim Kring, who won our hearts with Heroes in 2006 before promptly eating them in front of us. His new show is Touch, and if you’re still feeling the sting from the second season of Heroes, you might want to sit this one out.

Touch is about a “emotionally challenged” child who sees the mathematical patterns in the universe and his hopelessly disconnected father who tries to make sense of it all. Technically, those are just characters. I have absolutely no idea what the show is actually about, and I don’t think Tim Kring does either. What’s clear is that this joins Pi, Knowing, and countless others in the occasionally entertaining “everything is connected” genre. How exactly is everything connected? Numbers, of course. That and the fact that everyone in the ensemble cast has an affinity for orange soda.

Photo: Brian Bowen Smith/FOX

I wouldn’t call Touch a science-fiction show as much as I would a fantasy show (a sciencey fiction, if you will). Kring seems to be in love with the mysticism behind the idea that numbers control the universe, but not half as interested in any of the actual science that exists to support the theory. Instead, he supports it by choosing a few numbers and inserting them into different points in the story along with a couple bottles of orange soda. The result is kind of like listening your stoned freshman roommate ruminate about like, stuff, man. The show is so satisfied with the idea it’s completely blowing your mind that it doesn’t take the time to listen to you explain that there’s nothing remarkable about the popularity of orange soda. There’s an excuse for this, I suppose, since today’s general audience doesn’t have the patience for slow-burning hard sci-fi, but the Kring doesn’t seem willing to admit that he’s taking the low road.

The real thrill is watching Kiefer Sutherland return to television with his talent in mint condition. I only wish it could have been for a more satisfying show. Kiefer Sutherland is a damn good character actor, and character actors have one of two options: they can go to the movies, where they get to flex their versatility but have to accept the title of “that guy,” or they can make their home at the small screen, where they get the recognition they deserve but find themselves chained to same role even after the show’s expired. Kiefer was fortunate enough to get a taste of both worlds, but I can’t shake the feeling that Jack Bauer has forced him into a corner where he gets to play “the other Bruce Willis.” I’m happy that Martin Bohm isn’t an ass-kicking defender of the Patriot Act and even happier with the emotion Kiefer brings to an emotionally sterile show, but ever since watching Dark City I’ve been dying to see him step away from the conflicted father role and give us something truly unexpected.

Touch takes a massive scope, stuffs it with a fistful of existential minutiae, and pats itself on the back before the job’s done. At the very least, there’s something superficially entertaining about watching a cellphone swap hands from New York to Baghdad, but once the episode cuts to black, it becomes apparent that there’s no real purpose beyond the impressive façade.

Also, is too much to ask for screenwriters to step away from the “super-powered autistic child” trope? If you’re going to use an overwrought and saccharine portrayal of mental illness, maybe stick with “they’re just like us” instead of “they’re warlocks!”

I’m not the type of guy to say I told you so …

… But I told you so!

[Check out Michael Dworkis' reviews of Allen Gregory episode 1 and episode 2.]

Taking a risk on new programming, FOX thought Allen Gregory would be a perfect complement to the Animation Domination lineup on Sunday nights, running alongside The Simpsons and Family Guy.

They were wrong.

Networks take chances on new shows, and sometimes they succeed, and at times they fail. Hundreds of pilot pitches are made, and few make the cut. How Allen Gregory actually made it as far as it did is still a bizarre wonder. Sure, it had Family Guy director David Goodman and Hollywood star Jonah Hill behind it. That is all it had. There was no story, no plot, nothing to keep audiences interested. Even the characters appeared shallow and uninteresting.

The main character, Allen Gregory, is a self-professed genius socialite who enjoys knocking everyone down a peg and acts like he rules the universe. Packing a restaurant-style lunch, Gregory hopes to win the love interest of the ugly and obese school principal while belittling his school teachers and abusing his fellow students. What is worse, the stereotypical supporting characters are bland and make no significant contribution to the show. The jokes are repetitive and not at all funny. If there was a joke which did come across funny, it was beaten like a dead horse to the point where it lost all hope of saving the episode. The fast-talking nature of Gregory caused other characters to speed up their speech. Terrible. Nothing could be understood, and by the end of an episode, viewers were glad not to have retained any knowledge of the debacle they had just watched.

The attempts at cheap shock value made it a clear sign this show had nothing new to offer and appeared more like a rushed attempt to air new programming. Reruns of King Of The Hill would have performed better. The ratings for Gregory tanked faster than any show in FOX Sunday night television history. By the third episode, reruns of The Simpsons outperformed Gregory. The dismal ratings drawn by Allen Gregory caused ratings for the rest of the animated shows on FOX to drop on Sunday nights. Needless to say, that was the last straw to have Gregory pulled off the air.

The announcement canceling of Allen Gregory was made on Jan. 8 by FOX President Kevin Reilly. The mid-season sees the debut of the animated Napoleon Dynamite series, which I am sure FOX executives pray will receive better reaction and better ratings.

No, it will not see any resurrection thanks to similar cult demand like Futurama and Family Guy. You see, those shows are entertaining.

Almost a year ago, I sat down with Circa Survive guitarist Colin Frangicetto for a brief interview for my radio show on the Rutgers University station 90.3 The Core about a new side project he was concocting called Psychic Babble. In the short conversation we had, Frangicetto described Psychic Babble to me as “part real band, part electronics,” but that was all I really knew of the project. That and it was “amazing,” according to Circa Survive singer, Anthony Green, who I also interviewed that night.

A few months later, Frangicetto released his first album under the name Psychic Babble called My Brother’s Ears/My Sister’s Eyes. Ever since my first listen, I have been recommending Psychic Babble to mostly everyone who I have come across that loves music, and now I get to pass the torch on to the readers of Pop-Break. I encourage everyone to check out Psychic Babble, regardless if you like Circa Survive or not. Believe me when I say that this is completely different from any Circa Survive track.

Colin was cool enough to take the time out to talk more in depth about Psychic Babble and his 2012 plans for the project.

Pop-Break: How would you describe Psychic Babble’s sound?

Colin Frangicetto: That’s a good question. I don’t know. I’m not good at that. I feel like a lot of musicians are not good at describing their sound. Is a hard thing to describe. I think it’s inspired by old classic rock, like The Beach Boys and Peter Gabriel. I like old classic songwriting. So I would say older stuff from the ’60s mixed in with the newer indie/experimental sound.

PB: I’ve heard before that Psychic Babble is described as “chillwave.” Would you put yourself into that genre?

CF: I’m definitely influenced by “chillwave.” I like Washed Out, Toro y Moi, and Panda Bear so I would say that you can definitely find that bedroom stuff mixed in with old stuff like The Beach Boys.

PB: What makes Psychic Babble different from Circa Survive?

CF: There are a lot of reasons why Psychic Babble is different from Circa. For one, it’s just me. I’m playing everything and writing every part. So, that in itself changes it a whole lot. Circa is a very different band. It is a group dynamic. The most prominent thing people notice about Circa is how we work together. But this project is a solitary effort. I also think Circa is far more aggressive and much more dynamic than Psychic Babble. The stuff I write on my own is more slow burning, atmospheric, drone-y, and repetitive. A lot of it feels more like background music. Psychic Babble is more passive and lyrically much more simple.

PB: How did you come up with the name Psychic Babble?

CF: I just thought of it one day. I just thought of a bunch of ideas and wrote them down on a piece of paper. Psychic Babble stood out to me. I’ve heard of the phrase psychobabble before, but I wanted to pair psychic and babble to make it more confusing and a little a less familiar.

PB: I didn’t see many tour plans for Psychic Babble since the release of My Brother’s Ears/My Sister’s Eyes. Are there any touring plans or shows in the works for this year?

CF: Hopefully. The goal right now is to focus on Circa. and then after we make the new record and do some editing, in the middle of that I’ll be writing and recording the new Psychic Babble record. My goal is to do a new record before touring. Hopefully I’ll play some small venues after the new material is finished.

PB: One of my favorite tracks off the album, “Five Fold Kiss (Don’t Sleep),” was recently tuned into a music video. Did you have any involvement with it?

CF: Yeah, I was involved in the beginning of it. I talked to the director, and he’s a good friend of mine, and he’s really creative, and he agreed to do a video for me. He just did me a really big favor and agreed to do it for practically nothing, which is good because I was funding Psychic Babble on my own. He has a lot of strong visions, and in the middle of that, I noticed he had his own thing going on. I always hated traditional music videos. I always felt like it was really awkward to be a part of a music video. I took advantage of not being a part of it now that I’m on my own.

PB: My absolute favorite track off the new album is “Nothing Familiar.” Is there any back story on the track?

CF: I basically wrote it in 2008 while we were writing Blue Sky Noise. At the time, I was moving in an apartment with my now wife and basically, I wrote that song with the memory of being on tour and feeling like everything around you is unfamiliar and you’re separated from everything in your life. It definitely has a sad somber feel in the verses, and I wanted to have that sadness but also hope. It’s just about feeling lost and being okay with it and trying to let a difficult time pass and to kind of find your way back. It was kind of like asking my friends and family for hope and help in trying to find my way back.

PB: Will you be releasing more music under the name Psychic Babble in the future?

CF: Yeah, I sure hope so. I’ve been slowly working on cover albums that I’ll release for free on the internet. That’ll see the light of day more than anything else. There are also some mix tape kind of ideas I was thinking about. Right now, Circa is priority, and I’m doing a lot of visual art right now, so it’s kind of a break. Last year was very hectic/ I spent a lot of energy on My Brother’s Ears/My Sister’s Eyes so it’s kind of nice to take a break from it to focus on Circa, being a husband, painting, and hanging out.

PB: I loved the remixes you did for Anthony Green’s first album Avalon. Will there be remixes for Beautiful Things?

CF: I did one song so far that you are probably going to hear at some point. It just comes down to time. I just got all the spins for the rest of the songs, so I’m going to mess around with them. My life now is just so different than when I did the Avalon remixes. I had a lot of free time when I did the Avalon remixes because Circa was on a break and Anthony was on tour, and now I’m married and have a lot of things going on.

PB: What are some of your inspirations both musically and non-musically?

CF: Anything that moves me emotionally. Often times, it’s everyday life, things that happen, or something that someone close to me goes through. Sometimes it’s a movie, a piece of art, a book, or a dream. I think nine out of 10 times, it’s everyday life and the stuff you think about when you’re alone.

PB: What are some artists you are currently digging?

CF: The new St. Vincent record is really, really good. The newest M83 album is really good. Youth Lagoon, the new Lost Panda Bear album, and the newest Portugal. The Man album are all great. O’brother’s new album is really cool. Basically, it’s a lot of the music that came out between the middle and the end of last year.

PB: Is there anyone you would like to work with in the future?

CF: For me personally, I think about [that] more in terms of producers. Someone I always think about is Danger Mouse. I love every record he’s ever recorded, and that would be the coolest shit ever. There would be a lot of people that would be cool, but I don’t have the confidence to think I would work with any of these people. I would love to meet/talk shop with anyone in U2 or Pearl Jam because they are my two top favorite rock bands. Talking to them for an hour would change my whole outlook on things.

PB: Lastly, I want to mention your art. Any new prints fans out for purchase? Where can fans look at your pieces and purchase them?

CF: I have a Facebook art page. The link is: www.facebook.com/colinfrangicettoart. I have a web store on Big Cartel which is theunconsciouscollective.bigcartel.com. I sell prints and originals through my e-mail, which is: buymyartdude@gmail.com. I put up new work for viewing on my facebook art page, my twitter, and my tumblr.

brent johnson digs up a lost Oscar-nominated treasure in an open letter to the Academy’s music branch …

Dear Music Branch of The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences:

What happened?

You know the Oscar for Best Original Song? The one you give each year to the best tune written specifically for a movie? It used to be great.

Over the years, you’ve awarded pop stars, recognized underrated tracks and treated us to lovely surprises. You’ve given trophies to Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Isaac Hayes, Barbra Streisand, Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Sondheim, Bob Dylan, Bjork, Randy Newman, and Eminem. You’ve nominated Elvis Costello, Sting, and Aimee Mann.

Remember 14 years ago when you won the love of indie rockers by shockingly nominating Elliott Smith’s haunting ‘Miss Misery’ from Good Will Hunting? Yeah, that was cool.

But last few years, you’ve made me sad. You snubbed Prince, Paul McCartney, Jack White and Karen O. You ignored Bruce Springsteen’s fantastic title track to The Wrestler. And this year, you outdid yourself by nominating only two songs: ‘Man Or Muppet’ from The Muppets and ‘Real In Rio’ from Rio.

Granted, the former was written by Bret McKenzie, one half of the great Flight Of The Conchords. So kudos for that.

And I’m aware that a song needs to receive a significant number of votes to even be nominated — hence why in recent years the category has fallen short of a full five entries. But last I checked, Elton John & Bernie Taupin (Gnomeo & Juliet), Mary J. Blige (The Help) and Chris Cornell (Machine Gun Preacher) all wrote songs for movies this year. You’re telling me none of them were good enough?

Plus, there’s the ridiculous rule that kept Madonna’s ‘Masterpiece’ from W.E. — the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Song — out of the Oscar race. Apparently, a song must be written ‘specifically for the film and be used either in the body of the film, or as the first music cue in the closing credits.’ Madonna’s song played second in the credits. Thus, it isn’t eligible. What?

Let me remind you of the gems the Academy used to recognize. Thirty years ago, there was a song called ‘One More Hour.’ It was a pretty waltz from Ragtime — written with grace by Randy Newman and sung gorgeously by Jennifer Warnes. The melody keeps rising, flushed out with aching strings. It sounds like the lament of someone yearning to feel the grandeur of life in their dying moments.

I’m sure most people have never heard it. And Christopher Cross’ ‘Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)’ ended up winning the Oscar that year. But at least ‘One More Hour’ was nominated. I doubt that would happen today.

So my dear Academy members, I implore you: Please, please, please end this recent streak of shunning the music that helps make these movies so marvelous.

Sincerely,
Brent Johnson
Managing Editor
Pop-Break.com

If you yearn for a simpler time when South Park was more about swearing children than biting social commentary and The Simpsons satirized the American household rather than influenced it, you probably had high hopes for Unsupervised. Or at least you would’ve, if you’d heard about it. FX proved it can stand in league with AMC when it comes to quality cable programming, but it just doesn’t seem to have the promotional budget to draw a crowd. Thus, Unsupervised sat patiently behind Burt Reynolds’ Archer episode ready to collect the leftovers. Frankly, it deserved better.

Created by three of the writers of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (no, not the three you’re thinking of), the show follows two best friends: the hyperactive Joel (voiced by creator David Hornsby) and the more pragmatically reckless Gary (a nasally Justin Long). They come off as a more amiable but equally irreverent Beavis and Butthead, building lighting rods on the roof and coming up with colorful nicknames for breasts. I’d consider it an endearingly familiar territory, if it weren’t for the original duo making their return last year. The show places them in the universal fish-out-of-water story that is the ninth grade. The boys are transplanted from their comfort zone of DIY conductors and bad hygiene to a world rife with cigarettes, hypersexuality, and hormonal violence. While the boys don’t have the maturity it takes to fit in, they do have an ace up their sleeve: extremely neglectful parents. The complete absence of guardians or even a proper role model renders the boys adults in the eyes of even the much older students. Of course, that only lasts until they lose their cool.

I won’t go into specifics, because there aren’t many to go into. The events play out in a predictable fashion, abandoning an arching conflict in favor of a sequence of awkward mishaps. The writers seem to be focused on setting a precedent. They want to make sure you’re okay with the idea of Unsupervised before they start getting creative. That’s fine, but it makes the pilot somewhat redundant. It’s much more satisfying to understand the characters and their universe by watching a story unfold around them than it is to watch a 20-minute exposition.

It does have an undeniable ’90s charm that really makes it hard to change the channel. It reconciles the all-too formulaic animated sitcoms of FOX with the all-too bizarre eleven minute curios of Adult Swim to recall a time when cartoons where foul, uncivilized shows made by foul, uncivilized people.

It some respects, I’m still anticipating Unsupervised. The pilot doesn’t show us a whole lot of humor or creativity in its writing, but it feels less like incompetence and more like cautious restraint. But cautious for what reason? With an all-star cast (including Kristen Bell, Romany Malco, and Fred Armisen) and a solid, familiar hook, the show can easily push limits without risking alienation. And the given that the creators’ alma mater is the most wonderfully alienating show on television, it’s a disappointment that they didn’t. It seems like it might take a few more episodes before the show finds its pace.

Plot: Black pilots are trained for flight combat in the Tuskegee program during World War II, but are never given a mission of any validity due to their color. When their opportunity comes, they are determined to prove their worth as fighter pilots.

The first 15 minutes of Red Tails is a complete train wreck. I seriously considered walking out, it was that bad. The very first shot of the film is of a German pilot, and the delivery of his first line is some of the poorest acting of I’ve ever seen. Now as the movie went on, it actually settled into something passable, but the inexperience of this director (Anthony Hemingway) permeated throughout the entire film.

The first scene is an aerial attack, and it’s completely lifeless. I can’t stress how horrible the acting is when the pilots are in the planes. This is especially apparent when it’s focusing on the Germans who are portrayed as goofy comic book villains. There’s one guy with a scar across his face. Come on, the scar! Wow. The only thing missing was him shouting “I’LL GET YOU NEXT TIME, GADGET!!” It’s really that ridiculous. There are also the white pilots who are skeptical about the Tuskegee airmen covering their backs. Their dialogue is some of the worst I’ve ever heard in a movie. The delivery was middle-school play level quality.

Now for some odd reason, the acting was actually decent once the pilots were out of the planes, and just hanging out on the air base. There’s a core group of pilots we follow, and they are all clichés, but they at least have distinct personalities, and are very likable. That’s what saved this movie from being completely awful: you really want to root for these characters. The friendship between the two leads, Captain Marty ‘Easy’ Julian (Nate Parker), and the rebellious Joe ‘Lightning’ Little (David Oyelowo) who never follows orders had some good tension. Although, ‘Easy’ has this drinking problem that is never really resolved, and the movie just kind of forgets about it at the end. That’s some lazy writing right there. The other two notable performances are Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., who really aren’t given that much to do. Howard is pretty good, but Cuba, well…let’s just say that Oscar he won seems like it was in an alternate universe.

One of the reasons you’ll even consider seeing this film is for the flying scenes. Aside from the opening (which really does blow bags), the rest are pretty good; they just aren’t amazing. The direction is a mess. They’ll be times where we’ll see some bad ass Star Fox level barrel rolls, but then they’ll be moments where it lacks any sort of energy. There’s one moment in particular where a major character dies, and the reaction by everyone is on par with the emotions of sharpening a pencil. What the hell was Hemingway thinking!? How do you not say, ‘Yeah, we should probably do another take of that.’ All the dramatic moments are like this. When it’s an aerial scene, the action is solid, but the drama and acting are downgraded to absolute crap.

While I like the characters, and there are some intense battles, there are just way too many negative elements that unfortunately make this a bad movie. The direction is just so poor. It feels like a made-for-TV movie at times. And I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Don’t half ass the score! It can really set the tone. And this score … ugh. George Lucas produced this … he couldn’t get John Williams?

Rating: 4.5 out of 10 (Bad)

logan j. fowler and bill bodkin look at the film where Liam Neeson fights wolves …

Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided: Rent.
I gotta admit, The Grey looks kind of epic. Plane crash in a freezing wilderness starring Liam Neeson and wolves? Yeah, that’s an equation for awesome. While I don’t think this one will be theater fare, I’m sure to pick it up come rental time. I know this Trailer Tuesday breakdown was short, but really, no major analysis here. Liam Neeson. Rabid dogs. It’s gonna be cool.
– LJF

Theater, Rent, No Thanks, Undecided: Rent.
The annual January Liam Neeson action flick has been unleashed upon us. In 2010, Taken turned out to be a real gem, a fantastic sleeper. Who thought a Liam Neeson action flick would be that entertaining? Then there was Unknown and that was solid, nothing special. I think The Grey will fall somewhere in between these two films in terms of quality. It could be a really solid action flick and if Neeson delivers, like he did in Taken, we’re in store for a really fun movie. I also have a lot of faith in director Joe Carnahan, who has delivered really underrated action films like Narc, Smokin’ Aces and yes, The A-Team. He always evokes fun and dynamic performances from his actors and his camerawork is always unique and interesting. Yet, there’s been nothing in this or any trailer I’ve seen for this film that is really grabbing me by the throat and screaming at me to plop into my local multiplex to see this.
– BB

For an awards season some have called predictable, there were a slew of surprises this morning when the Academy Award nominations were announced. Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay — all of them had shockers and snubs.

Pop-Break co-founder and resident Oscar expert Brent Johnson looks at the major categories …

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight In Paris
Moneyball
The Tree Of Life
War Horse

Major Snubs: Bridesmaids, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Quick Thoughts: This category was supposed to be a mystery. It turned out to be a bit baffling. The Academy changed its voting rules this year so that only films receiving five percent of first-place votes make the category. That meant anywhere from five to 10 films could have gotten in. Nine made the final cut. Not seven. Not 10. Nine. Really? And at least one of them was completely unexpected. Extremely Loud, a polarizing Sept. 11-themed film, had been snubbed by every pre-Oscar awards group — but somehow made the list here. War Horse also slipped in after it seemed to have faded this awards season. The Tree Of Life was not a total surprise — its love-it-or-hate-it reviews fit the new voting rules well. And Moneyball — a film that recognizes the beauty of baseball and manages to touch non-sports fans — more than belongs in this race. But nine nominees? You might as well have had 10. That way you could throw in a gripping choice like the very violent, very modern Dragon Tattoo. Or a solid, underappreciated drama like George Clooney’s The Ides Of March. Or a well-loved, box-office hit, like the smart and saucy Bridesmaids.

Early Prediction: The Artist is still the favorite. But Hugo picked up steam this morning, scoring the most nominations: 11 to The Artist‘s 10. And don’t count out the Golden Globes’ best drama winner The Descendants. As for The Help? There had been talking it could be a spoiler, but it failed to score directing and screenplay nods — which is not a good sign.

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BEST ACTOR
Demian Bichir (A Better Life)
George Clooney (The Descendants)
Jean Dujardin (The Artist)
Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Brad Pitt (Moneyball)

Major Snubs: Michael Fassbender (Shame), Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar)

Quick Thoughts: Sid & Nancy. The Professional. The Contender. All roles that should have scored the great Gary Oldman Oscar noms over the years. Finally, he gets one. Thank God. It wasn’t a surprise to see Leo bumped out despite the gravitas he brought to playing J. Edgar Hoover. The bigger shock was Fassbender — a young star in the midst of a breakout year — missing the cut. Instead, the final slot went to Mexican actor Bichir. His inclusion here was similar to Javier Bardem’s nom for Buitiful last year — a praised performance from a little-seen film that manages to slip in.

Early Prediction: This could end up a race between two Hollywood megastars who turned in fantastic, nuanced performances: Clooney and Pitt. That is, if the charming Dujardin doesn’t steal it.

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BEST ACTRESS
Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs)
Viola Davis (The Help)
Rooney Mara (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)
Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady)
Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn)

Major Snub: Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin)

Quick Thoughts: Some thought Mara’s daring portrayal might have been too much for the Academy. But she snatched the final slot from Swinton. Good for her — especially since her work in last year’s The Social Network deserved more attention, too.

Early Prediction: This category will come down to one question: Davis or Streep?

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh (My Week With Marilyn)
Jonah Hill (Moneyball)
Nick Nolte (Warrior)
Christopher Plummer (Beginners)
Max Von Sydow (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close)

Major Snub: Albert Brooks (Drive)

Quick Thoughts: I love that you can now say the phrase ‘Oscar nominee Jonah Hill.’ He deserves that title for his subtle work in Moneyball. As for Brooks? His against-type turn was apparently muscled out by Von Sydow, who cashed in on the sudden love for Extremely Close.

Early Prediction: Plummer — a beloved veteran actor who has never won — is the one to beat here.

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo (The Artist)
Jessica Chastain (The Help)
Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids)
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs)
Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Major Snub: Shailene Woodley (The Descendants)

Quick Thoughts: It’s a shame Woodley isn’t here. She was so powerful in The Descendants, going toe-to-toe with George Clooney at the height of his prowess. It’s also a tad surprising. The Academy often loves young actors — especially in the supporting categories. But the final slot went to this category’s only previous nominee: McTeer. As for McCarthy? Her nod isn’t a shocker, but it’s good to see the Academy didn’t ignore a true comedic performance.

Early Prediction: It’s Spencer’s race to lose.

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BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen (Midnight In Paris)
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Terrence Malick (The Tree Of Life)
Alexander Payne (The Descendants)
Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

Major Snubs: David Fincher (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Tate Taylor (The Help), Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

Quick Thoughts: It was a surprise but not a total shock for Malick to push out Fincher for the final spot. The Academy does go on love streaks with directors (think Woody Allen in the late ’70s), and Fincher has been on their shortlist the last few years by crafting some of the most edgy mainstream films around. But what does the Academy’s powerful directors’ branch love even more? Respected vets like Malick.

Early Prediction: This one’s is a toss-up. Hazanavicius, Payne or Scorsese are all possible.

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BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)
Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids)
J.C. Chandor (Margin Call)
Woody Allen (Midnight In Paris)
Asghar Farhadi (A Separation)

Major Snubs: Will Reiser (50/50), Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni (Win Win), Diablo Cody (Young Adult)

Quick Thoughts: The screenplay categories often feature surprise entries. This year, it’s the timely Wall Street drama Margin Call and A Separation, the favorite to win Best Foreign Film.

Early Prediction: Expect Allen to win his fourth Oscar for his clever, beguiling ode to nostalgia. Unless, of course, an Artist sweep is in the works …
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BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (The Descendants)
John Logan (Hugo)
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (The Ides Of March)
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin (Moneyball)
Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)

Major Snubs: Tate Taylor (The Help), Steven Zaillian (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Richard Curtis & Lee Hall (War Horse)

Quick Thoughts: Clooney’s political thriller went from Oscar frontrunner to also-ran this awards season. But his nom here is an unexpected consolation prize. But the bigger shock was Tinker Tailor‘s inclusion over Best Picture contender The Help.

Early Prediction: It’s a fight between the smart, touching and emotionally wrenching Descendants script vs. the smart, touching and quick-witted Moneyball script.

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FINAL NOTE: The Academy’s increasingly perplexing music branch picked only two nominees for Best Original Song: ‘Man Or Muppet’ from The Muppets and ‘Real In Rio’ from Rio. Really? This used to be a category filled with pop stars, wonderful tunes and exciting surprises — like Elliott Smith’s nod in 1997 for ‘Miss Misery’ from Good Will Hunting. But the last few years, they’ve snubbed Prince and Paul McCartney. This year, it was Elton John and Mary J. Blige. What the hell?

Longtime fans of Nada Surf harbor an unspoken fear: Eventually, the band is going to stumble and release a record of relatively mediocre material. The key word here is “relatively.” Considering that to date, they’ve put out five consecutive studio albums of distinctive and beloved power-pop, their average is arguably unparalleled. Henceforth, a “relatively mediocre” album has seemed highly likely — if not inevitable — for years.

Truly, singer-songwriter Matthew Caws is bound to run out of uniquely beautiful melodies. Surely, his well of poignant, clever and quotable lyrics will run dry. Undoubtedly, the core trio, unchanged since 1996, will run out of original ways to arrange these songs. But with their latest effort, The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy, Nada Surf defies the odds once again, not only delivering an album that stands shoulder to shoulder with their previous material, but also shines with a unique energy that could very well make it a fan favorite.

Across 10 tracks, the band is in top form, performing with a confidence befitting of their expert songcraft. Each tune is a gem and a welcome addition to their catalogue. This time around, however, the band is joined by second guitarist Doug Gillard (Cobra Verde, Guided By Voices), and his presence on these recordings seems to have infused the band with more punch than usual. The arrangements are still as carefully constructed as ever, but the band ignites every song with electric energy, brimming with a youthful (but refined) exuberance. To the point, album opener “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” wouldn’t sound out of place on the band’s 1996 debut High/Low, crashing out of the gate with buzzing guitars over a galloping beat. But this is not the Nada Surf of old. Whereas on their debut, Caws’ impressive guitarwork stood alone, on TSAITA, his tasty tones intertwine with Gillard’s punk-influenced technique, creating vibrant enveloping soundscapes for every track, layered with ear-catching detail.

“Waiting For Something” is a pop-rock firecracker that grooves with high-speed soul and features one of several killer guitar solos on the album. On its gorgeous bridge, Caws sings, “This new peace/I can feel it now,” and he makes you feel it, too.

Elsewhere, the band is in full shimmering folk-pop mode on the Byrds-esque “Jules And Jim.” The stunning “When I Was Young,” however, stands out as the album’s most epic and dynamic track. Beginning with quiet, acoustic arpeggios, Caws sings about new love and reminisces about the innocence of youth, before the bass drops in low and foreboding over a beat that builds to a dramatic stop. Then, the band suddenly kicks in loud but at a slower tempo to great effect. “When I was young/I didn’t know if I was better off asleep or up,” Caws sings. “Now I’m grown up/I wonder what was that world I was thinking of.” A string arrangement accentuates the bittersweet middle ground between nostalgia and longing.

At the end of the day, TSAITA is the sound of a seasoned, four-man pop-rock band making music with guitars. Nada Surf are not Radiohead, and to this point they have not been compelled to deconstruct and then redefine themselves. On the contrary, Nada Surf is more like the indie-rock equivalent of James Taylor — a distinctive, comforting voice and a familiar, beautiful style. Like him, they are more genre-defining than genre-defying. Caws continues to write songs that are simultaneously sad and soaring, hushed and hopeful, with simple, honest lyrics that speak to the heart. That is why their fans love them. Nada Surf are aware of their comfort zone, but they are not walking down the same old paths. Rather, they continue to blaze new and exciting trails — albeit in the same lush forest of a thousand pop possibilities.