by John Walters

A Medium Happy birthday to Lena Gercke, who turns 28 (or, if you’re a Leap Day stickler, 7, today…)

Starting Five

#TuxSoWhite

1. Hollywood Blame Night

On the one hand, it seemed a little odd to spend three and a half hours preaching to an audience that people of color need to be included more in Hollywood when the host of the show, the musical director, the president of the Academy who gave a laugh-free speech about such, and two of ABC’s pre-show hosts were African-American. On the other hand, even the lead in The Martian was played by a white dude, and we all know that Martians are little green men.

And so last night in Hollywood, host Chris Rock turned the Oscars into a blackout. And what will the reviews say? Does it matter: To paraphrase Ellen DeGeneres’ final words in her Oscar monologue two years ago, “You either unequivocally praise Rock’s speech, or you’re racist.”

One idea to garner more African-Americans Oscar nominations next year? Make the movie version of Hamilton, pronto.

2. Oscar Thoughts

Beavan and Blanchett. Coming this fall to MTV.

Other Oscar thoughts, observations: The (Jack) Black History Minute was clever….Was  Jenny Beavan present at the Waco biker shootout?….Missed opportunity for Chris Rock to note that the only creature of color to get significant camera time in The Revenant was a bear, and he didn’t get nominated, either…She’s beautiful, but were you wondering what was going on with Angela Bassett’s cleavage?….Mark Rylance killed your Oscar pool, didn’t he?….Let’s see, we covered diversity, on-campus sexual assault and priestly pedophilia: #OscarsSoLiberal…That Sam Smith song was rather a snooze, no? And it won. There wasn’t a tune from Straight Outta Compton that they could’ve shoehorned in?

Furiosa showed up with both arms

Ali G. delivered…An Oscars without George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, or Brangelina. What is this world coming to?….Another missed opportunity for Rock: “Room is a film about a roomful of white people only, kinda like tonight’s show.”….Hollywood kid actors usually induce a gag reflex, but Jack Trembley is honestly pretty cute (I bet he got some action at the Governor’s Ball)…Great intro from Louis C.K. about the Documentary Short Oscar winner having anxiety about putting the statue in his/her crappy apartment (I glanced over at my Emmy when he said that and nodded) (yes, that was a humblebrag)….Watching the intro to Brooklyn gave me goosebumps again; if you haven’t seen it, I recommend…Did you notice that George Miller’s black streak of hair is exactly where Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s white streak is?….Solid acceptance speeches by Inarritu and Leo, by the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyp_DVgT260

Michael Keaton has had major roles in the last two Best Picture Oscar winners. Who does he think he is, Al Pacino?….$65,243 in loose change in that theater last night for Girl Scout cookies? You’ll get ’em next year, Lisa Dunn….Six Oscars for Mad Max: Fury Road, all deserved (I still can’t believe they didn’t take advantage of the bungee-chord guitarist)…Charlize Theron, still the most unearthly creature in the room….I don’t think the Entourage movie made the opening montage….Yes, Lady Gaga’s voice is amazing and the message is important, but by that point in the show I was so punch-drunk from the preaching that it was hard to care: the lecture-to-entertainment quota was highly unbalanced…Spotlight, a mild surprise over The Revenant (even though it was a better film)….I’m down with what Leo said about global warming, but it’s ironic that he said they had to go to the ends of the earth to find snow: they should’ve gone to the city where they filmed Spotlight last winter: Boston had plenty of snow.

3. Bang! Bang! Oh what a Shot From Curry!

Either Stephen Curry or Lionel Messi is not going to win SI’s Sportsman of The Year award this year—yes, I know it’s still February. That’s going to be a shame.

Besides the 40-foot game winner launched with about 2 seconds to play in OKC, besides the dozen three-pointers that evening (tying an NBA record), consider that in the final three games of a six-game road trip, three games played in four nights, Curry scored 42, 51 and 46 points. Talk about putting a team on your back. Superlatives are not enough for the season he is having.

4. “KKK? Can You Spell That?”

“Make America Hate Again”

The media tried to put baby in a corner. Or at least tried to paint him into one. After David Duke, former Imperial Wizard of the KKK, publicly endorsed Donald Trump for president, CNN’s Jake Tapper attempted to get El Trumpitan to publicly disavow the KKK. So your choices are either alienate all of black America (and millions of others) by refusing to do so, or to alienate a portion of your voting base.

And so Donald, who is so outspoken about so many issues (that he knows very little about beyond a bumper sticker phrase), was circumspect and replied that he needed to do more research on the organization. You see, he is a politician, after all.

Donald, if I were your press aide, I would have told you to reply, “I love getting an endorsement from Daisy Duke. She’s gorgeous!”

5. Is He Your Pal Joey?

Ohio State’s Joey Bosa is 6’6″, 276 pounds. And he had a terrific combine? The question is how do you reconcile his J.J. Watt infield potential with his Johnny Manziel off-field potential? And how do you reconcile that Ole Miss’s Robert Nkemdiche is probably both more of a physical freak AND more of an off-field concern than Bosa?

I wouldn’t worry about drafting either of these guys if my name was Bill Belichick. Outside of him, though, it becomes a concern.

Music 101

Monday

I’m not as astute a Wilco fan as many of my friends, but there are quite a few in-the-know people who’ll tell you that this is their favorite post-Nirvana American rock band. They worship at the altar of Jeff Tweedy. The Chicago-based band has never come close to having at Top 10 hit, but this is my favorite song of theirs. And way better live.

Remote Patrol

Better Call Saul

10 p.m. AMC

“Chuck, take off the space blanket.”

I just want you to love this show as much as I do. Is that so wrong?

Welcome to the Film Room! Our cerebral cinephile, Chris Corbellini, has made his Oscar picks. Without further adieu…

When the Best Picture winner is announced tonight, note that while the actors and director initially draw your attention on stage, it is the producer who gets a chance to speak, and almost always takes that Oscar trophy home. In this category, the producer matters.

Who is that masked man who will be all over the Oscars tonight? Hint: It’s not Hannibal Lecter.

In the words of one of my former bosses, producers are the ones building the airplane when you’re already at a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. They option the script and develop it, get all the contracts signed, put world-class talent (and ego) together, watch the money, hire connected folks’ kids and make them feel important, sign off on locations, lie, cheat, steal and basically touch everything involved until the director says action and cut. And when you factor in the dailies — footage shot that day, screened on set — they often have input on that as well.

These are the folks who are being honored in that final category on Oscar night. And I think that’ll be the difference in a Best Picture race that’s very close to call at the line. The Producer’s Guild Awards already honored the The Big Short as their best picture. And if producers don’t have the pulse of their own industry, who does?

So I’m going against the movie with all the momentum (The Revenant). Here’s how I see it all shaking out:

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo Matt Damon, The Martian Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl 

Who will win: DiCaprio. This has been snowballing for some time. It’s not his best performance, or his second-best performance, or the bronze medal, but voters believe it’s time. When you put DiCaprio’s mug on the one-sheet poster of your own movie, you’ll be able to buy your own Malibu property within two weeks of the movie opening. He’s over 40 now, and with an Oscar, he checks off everything a movie star needs to remain bankable, and the business knows it.

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, Carol Brie Larson, Room Jennifer Lawrence, Joy Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn 

Who will win: Larson. Easiest category to predict. A few months back I met and chatted with an actual Hollywood studio head (predictably, he wanted to talk sports with me, and I wanted to talk movies), and when I asked if he’d seen anything recently that blew him away, he immediately mentioned Room, and in particular, Larson’s performance. I’m going with the insider on this one.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE 

Christian Bale, The Big Short Tom Hardy, The Revenant Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Who will win: Stallone. Don’t call it a comeback. He’s been here for years.

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight Rooney Mara, Carol Rachel McAdams, Spotlight Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Who will win: Vikander. Admittedly, I’m going with the crowd here. Would like to see Jennifer Jason Leigh take this little statue home, but not this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD3ZSqCKOCg

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa Boy and the World Inside Out Shaun the Sheep Movie When Marnie Was There 

Who will win: Inside Out. Full disclosure here: I once owned Pixar stock, and that didn’t suck.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol The Hateful Eight Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant Scare

Who will win: The Revenant. The elements are beautifully and brutally captured in The Revenant. The greatest strength of that picture. You can tell from the trailer alone.

COSTUME DESIGN 

Carol Cinderella The Danish Girl Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant 

Who will win: Mad Max. Don’t f-ck this up, Academy. The obvious choice is the best one. The director told his costume department “I want batsh-t crazy” … and they DELIVERED.

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

Amy Cartel Land The Look of Silence What Happened, Miss Simone? Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Who will win: Amy. When a documentary is so well received it’s offered as an in-flight movie, it’s got a good shot at Oscar.

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

Body Team 12 Chau, beyond the Lines Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness Last Day of Freedom 

Who will win: Body Team 12. Could see “Spectres of the Shoah” here, too.

FILM EDITING

The Big Short Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant Spotlight Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Who will win: Mad Max. All that footage of blood, explosions, desert, minimalist dialogue, and cutaways of Charlize was sewn together into heart-thumping entertainment. What a runner’s pace they maintained here. There must have been moments where the editor(s) thought, “How do I make two hours of a car chase feel fresh at the 50 minute … 90 minute … 110 minute marks?” and he/she/they absolutely nailed it.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Embrace of the Serpent Mustang Son of Saul Theeb A War 

Who will win: Son of Saul. This one has some buzz going in. Otherwise I’d just be throwing darts at the titles here blindfolded, and hoping I hit one.

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Mad Max: Fury Road The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared The Revenant 

Who will win: Mad Max. That lunatic with the flaming guitar looked like a member of KISS who dumps his face in a bucket of acid every morning.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

Bridge of Spies Carol The Hateful Eight Scary Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Who will win: The Hateful Eight. The new Star Wars score had the original to riff from, and the rest of the field didn’t wow me.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

“Earned It,” Fifty Shades of Grey “Manta Ray,” Racing Extinction “Simple Song #3,” Youth “Til It Happens To You,” The Hunting Ground “Writing’s On The Wall,” Specter 

Who will win: ’Til It Happens To You. No way the Academy is going to award Fifty Shades of Grey anything on Oscar night. They’ll give it to Lady Gaga instead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nr6wdTPGFmI

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Bridge of Spies The Danish Girl Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant 

Who will win: Mad Max. They didn’t just build a set. They built a new world. In many cases the vehicles were more important characters than the actors.

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

Bear Story Prologue Sanjay’s Super Team We Can’t Live without Cosmos World of Tomorrow 

Who will win: Bear Story. Could see World of Tomorrow here too, due to the name recognition.

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

Ave Maria Day One Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut) Show Stutterer 

Who will win: Stutterer. But Day One is a real player here as well. An Afghan-American woman on her first day as an interpreter with the U.S. Military is a nice, tidy, high-concept short.

SOUND EDITING

Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Scare Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Who will win: Mad Max. There were just so many audio tracks to put together. Screams. Exhaust. Gunfire. Actual fire. It’s a noisy movie, but it all make sense on the screen.

SOUND MIXING

Bridge of Spies Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Star Wars: The Force Awakens 

Who will win: Revenant. This one was the toughest to choose. Experience tells me The Revenant, my gut says Mad Max. With sound mixing, it’s what sound you hear above the rest in big moments and small. Again, Mad Max is a lot of noise that works. But Revenant pulls out sounds from the wilderness.

VISUAL EFFECTS 

Ex Machine Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Who will win: Max Max. For the sandstorm, and the seamlessness between the “that must-be-illegal” stunts and the nip/tucks of the special fx around them. Kudos to all the below-the-line staffers on this movie (everyone but the producers/director/actors). They brought their A-game.

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

The Big Short Brooklyn Carol The Martian Room

Who will win: The Big Short. Makes you laugh, Makes you want to lead an angry mob down to Wall Street. You can put this movie in a time capsule labeled “2008” because it deftly encapsulates the financial crisis. And it takes an ages-old story — big business screws the little guy, and almost everybody is the little guy — and puts an innovative spin on it. Every producer in La La Land is looking for that. As funny as the explanations are, the fact that the script had a character that was almost relatable (Steve Carell) — a finance king with a guilty conscience?!? — was the most surprising, and welcome, part of the picture.

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

Bridge of Spies Ex Machine Inside Out Spotlight Straight Outta Compton 

Who will win: Spotlight. When I look at this category I ask: “What script is so good they could have made it on a minuscule shoot budget without any stars, and still put together a winner?”

Under that criteria, one original script stands apart from the rest. A true story of just shocking evil and the perils of faith in the church. Each character in this ensemble cast gets a moment to remind us of that, while also showing how burningly efficient they are at their jobs.

DIRECTING 

Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) 

Adam McKay (The Big Short) 

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) 

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (The Revenant) 

Lenny Abrahamson (Room) 

Who will win: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. All that suffering in the name of story. For every one minute of screen time, it took 60 minutes of somebody feeling a chill in their bones to make it work. He cut no corners out there. Neither did Leo, or his crew. Back to that studio head conversation I had: During our discussion he admitted that most movie directors have a “prime” not unlike a pro athlete, a 2-4 picture run that’s truly special, and obviously as a producer you want to catch that creative just as he’s entering that stage. With back-to-back directing Oscars, Alejandro is rolling, and at the same time, I wonder how much he has left.

BEST PICTURE 

The Big Short 

Bridge of Spies 

Brooklyn 

Mad Max: Fury Road 

The Martian 

The Revenant 

Room 

Spotlight 

Who will win: The Big Short. I know, The Revenant is a heavy favorite. Most are predicting a big night for it — the lead, the director and the production all walking off with Oscars. But remember, producers move mountains behind the scenes, and they honored The Big Short. When Carell ends the movie at his Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment by glumly answering “Sell it all,” I remember thinking “That’s the movie of the year.” I’m going against the tide here. We’ll see.

by John Walters

A Medium Happy 30th to Aussie actress Teresa Palmer, who appears in Triple 9, which is being released today. How’s that for a way to celebrate?

Starting Five

There did happen to be two other men in the debate, but this is as wide as the CNN lens went

1. GOPnado

Wow, what an—Polish workers—incredible—Polish workers—debate from Houston, even if only 60% of the GOP candidates were invited. A few of the highlights:

“Can somebody attack me, please?” –Ben Carson gets off the line of the debate, if not of his entire campaign.

Marco Rubio constantly jabbing Trump with “Polish workers” and asking what “Lines around the states” actually means.

Carson flashing his hands as if this were the measurements portion of a GOP Combine, noting that a film was made about them.

Now, shake those appendages, Dr. Carson. That’s it! Jazz Hands!

John Kasich basically telling radical Christian conservatives to get over themselves about baking wedding cakes for gay couples: “If you are in commerce, do commerce, and maybe pray for them later.”

Donald Trump: “Bigly.” (although he may have been saying “big league.”)

Marco Rubio: “Palestinians are not a real-estate deal.” Actually, Marco, that’s kind of what the entire discord is all about.

Ted Cruz, when told by Trump that he will not “allow people without health care to die in the streets,” wonders who will pay for it.

Carson: “The fruit salad of our lives.”

Anderson Cooper congratulates colleagues Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash on the debate. Wasn’t that their job?

2. Bench Reps-utation

Terron hopes to play running back in the NFL.

At Indianapolis’s other combine, the National Scouting Combine, Terron Beckham bench-presses 225 pounds 44 times. No one has ever done that many reps at the NFL Combine who was not an interior lineman, and only five of them have exceeded that. Ever. Odell’s cousin, who is the same age as he (23), never got into a college game (he quit after half a season at a D-3 school near Baltimore, but some NFL team is going to at worst sign him as a free agent.

3. Lone Star

Ridgeway is the lone Longhorn in Indy this weekend.

At this weekend’s NFL Combine in Indy, Southern Utah has three players: defensive end James Cowser, strong safety Miles Killebrew and cornerback LeShawn Sims. Harvard has two players, tight end Ben Braunecker and offensive tackle Cole Tone . The University of Texas has one, defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway.

4. “Make It Precipitate!”

“A Popeye’s organization.”

Two nights ago, but Trevor Noah crushed Dr. Ben Carson on The Daily Show for saying that Barack Obama “did not grow up black.” Funny, funny stuff.

5. FIFA, Foe, Fum

In a totally unrelated matter, Samantha Hoopes (above) is still wondering, “Wait, you put Ronda Rousey and that chunky gal on the cover and not me?!? WTF?”

Okay, question. Tokyo Sexwale: FIFA presidential candidate or illicit fetish euphemism from Better Call Saul? Answer: FIFA. Sexwale and Jerome Champagne (no, really) are both candidates in today’s FIFA presidential election in Zurich, although the favorite seems to be still Sepp Blatter Sheik Salman Bin Ebrahim El Khalifa, whose first order of business if elected will be to say, “Please, everybody, call me ‘Sal.'”

Also, worth noting that the Albuquerque Isotopes announced that they will be wearing these BCS-themed jerseys for their August 6 home game. “You will atone!”

Reserves

Good player, bad sport.

I guess we shouldn’t let the weekend begin without noting Grayson Allen’s punk work last night in Durham. I’ll hand it off to The Big Lead here to discuss. Will only add that this, to quote young Mr. Allen himself, is “(bleeping) bulls(bleep).”
Notice the criminal mind of Allen, acting as if he’s innocent and walking over to help the FSU player up as if it were an accident. And notice how the Seminole player gets up and does not accept Allen’s offer to assist him.

Music 101

Carry On

Today is Phoenix native and The Format alum Nate Reuss’s 34th birthday. Here’s one of his two breakout hits from 2012 with Fun. It peaked at No. 20. Love Nate Reuss, love that incredible voice of his.

Remote Patrol

The Oscars

Sunday

ABC 8ish p.m.

Chris Rock returns as host. Leo as supposedly a 1 to 50 favorite to win Best Actor (you bet $500 to win $10). “Spotlight” has a chance at Best Picture, but “Spawtlight” does not. And as I’ve said before, if the bungee-cord hanging guitarist from Mad Max: Fury Road is not incorporated somehow into the proceedings, then that’s a major, major fail.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DcqnkzGEFQ

Did that dude even have a name? And how soon until Velvet Revolver signs him?

by John Walters

A Medium Happy 50th to Tea Leoni, whose name sounds like a dessert. Who wants to lick the spoon?

Starting Five

Macura: product placement.

1. X-Men

No. 5 Xavier defeated No. 1 Villanova 90-83 in a Catholic clash in Cincinnati. We aren’t all that excited about it because we all knew that the Wildcats are not the best team in the country. J.P. Macura came off the bench to score 19 for the Mouseketeers.

2. Morning Joke?

I used to occasionally tune in to Morning Joe on MSNBC, but then this happened: Russell Brand eviscerated Mika after she treated him rudely (“Joining us now…he’s a really big deal….I know; I’m told this”). Now, Joe and Mika are in hot water for their cushy relationship with The Trumpster, which was literally amplified by hot mic comments last weekend in which they sounded a little too cozy with him. Why it was Ned Flanders (a.k.a. Harry Shearer) who broke this news is a little odd, though.

3. Back Home Again In Indiana

One of the more intriguing prospects at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week: Harvard offensive lineman Cole Toner. The Greenwood, Indiana, native stands 6’7″ and is 300 pounds. Chances are that the Wonderlic test will not be his undoing.

4. “If I Hadn’t Gotten Married, An Apartment Like This Would Be My Life—And If I Hadn’t Made It.”

One of the better CCC episodes because our host, Jerry Seinfeld, is perfectly comfortable with a pair of comics who aren’t all that successful: Kathleen Madigan and Chuck Martin. This is as close as CCC comes to Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer taking a road trip to visit the Bubble Boy (p.s. Don’t feel bad, Chuck: your pad is way sweeter than mine).

5. Everybody Loves Draymond?

When they do the “30 for 30” on this Warriors season, last night’s 118-112 win at Miami will merit its own minute. With both teams trading one-point leads in the final 3 minutes, Stephen Curry (42 points) took and buried a pair of far-off-the-line threes from the top of the key. What made each stand out is that he did so courtesy of a pick from Draymond Green, both of which were illegal. The first was a moving screen, and the second was most definitely an offensive foul. Watch for yourselves (starting at 1:48).

Yes, I’m THAT GUY who insists that games be played by the rules. How annoying.

Music 101

The Ghost Within

You have to admire a band that has the nerve to name themselves And You Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead. You’re putting a toe tag on your career before it ever gets off the ground, but this 21st century act doesn’t care. This tune is from 2014.

Remote Patrol

The Longest Day

8 p.m. TCM

Tonight you can watch The Duke on TCM, or Duke on ESPN….

The story of the D-Day invasion, seen through the prisms of both the Allies and the Third Reich. John Wayne, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Eddie Albert, Robert Mitchum, Peter Lawford, Roddy McDowell, Fabian and Paul Anka, among others, star. I like to think of it as English Channel’s Eleven. A classic.

by John Walters

A Medium Happy 50th to Billy Zane, a.k.a. Cal. Sure, there’s room on the lifeboat for you.

Starting Five

Bryn Forbes sunk 7 of 10 three-pointers to pace Sparty in Columbus.

1. Holding Serve

On a wet and dreary Monday evening (at least here in the East), No. 2 Kansas and No. 6 Michigan State win on the road, while No. 16 Kentucky easily dispatches upstart Alabama at home. All three teams coached by men who have won a natty and none of whom, Doug G.,  will be retiring after the season.  Also, LSU lost by 20 to an unranked team, the Hogs. Ben Simmons is going NIT unless the Tigers win the SEC tourney.

2. Basque in Glory

Merci, Messi!

FC Barcelona and Arsenal were scoreless through 70 minutes of the first leg of their Round  of 16 Champions League match at Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. Then Lionel Messi, the best practitioner of his craft of any athlete in any sport right now (perhaps only Stephen Curry and Novak Djokovic are close), scored 2 goals in the next nine minutes for Barca. Messi now has 303 goals in 336 appearances for Barca, which is ree-dick!

3. Grizzly, Man

Glass half-full? On the bright side, the bear doesn’t finish him…

When you saw The Revenant, if you saw The Revenant, was there ever a scene where you asked yourself, Haven’t I seen this movie before? Like, maybe a dozen times. I did. I saw aspects of Platoon, The Beach, Gladiator, The Empire Strikes Back and Grizzly Man in it. Think about it. Or just read my piece in Newsweek.

4. Better Watch Better Call Saul

It’s show time!

I went back and watched the first season of Better Call Saul all over again in the past week (related: it’s late February on the East Coast). Appreciate it even more now, and realize that we can now add both Chicago Sun Roof and Hoboken Squat Cobbler to our lexicon.

The weakest episode, if there is one, is the pilot. The strongest two in my opinion are “Five-O,” the sixth episode, which traces Mike’s final night in Philadelphia, and “Pimento,” the ninth episode, which is where Jimmy has his “I know it was you, Fredo,” moment with Chuck.

The Kettlemans. I think I’d rather tussle with Tuco than with Betsy.

In one season the producers established not only so much depth to each character (I love when Howard Hamlin  realizes how much Jimmy has sacrificed for his big bro every single morning), but took us on a wild coaster ride what with Tuco, the Kettlemans, the cops back in Philly and Sandpiper. By the way, try and persuade me that his character is not named after Harry Hamlin, who played the kind of arrogant d-bag attorney on L.A. Law that we are led to believe Howard is through most of the first season.

If you haven’t gotten behind BCS yet, or are worried that it is not going to measure up to Breaking Bad, I urge you to give it another try. Bob Odenkirk and Michael McKean are doing wonderful work (and Julie Ann Emery, who plays Betsy Kettleman is absolutely perfect in her role–and I do try to avoid using that term).

5. “Huuuuuuuuuuuuuge!”

Trump’s success in the primaries is beginning to incite a fuhrer. Heil, Donald

In Nevada, Donald Trump defeats Cruzbio by getting a greater percentage of delegates (45.9%) than the two of them combined (23.9% and 21.4%, which as no Trump voter can tell you adds up to 45.4%). Trump’s latest boast is that he loves the “poorly educated.” And there’s nothing wrong with you if you didn’t have an opportunity to have a good education. It just feels as if so many of Trump’s fans did have that opportunity and just opted not to take advantage of it. Welcome to the Fourth Reich, people.

Music 101

Wildfire

Oh, soft rock doesn’t get any better than this (Is that a paradoxical statement?). In 1975 Michael Martin Murphey provided the musical answer to the question that the band America had posed a few years earlier, specifically, How can you have a horse with no name? This classic hit No. 3 in 1975. Good times, those.

Remote Patrol

No. 1 Villanova at No. 5 Xavier

7 p.m. FS1

Josh Hart is Villanova’s leading scorer and rebounder, and he’s come a long, long way since 40 Days and 40 Nights.

Do you really believe that the Kitty Cats or the Mouseketeers are Top 5 teams? Of course not! But this should still be fun one from Cincinnati. Remember Friedman’s First Law of Sports: There are no home upsets in college basketball.