And the Winner Is ... I Have No Idea

THE GOLDEN Globes were handed out last weekend. Various critics' groups have been identifying the best film performances from 2006. AARP Magazine's Entertainment Weekly's current cover, with three best-actress frontrunners, Judi Dench, Meryl Streep, and Helen Mirren, peering at the reader in all their veteran glory, promises a preview of the Oscar nominee race inside. Once upon a time these happenings would have scratched a serious pop-culture itch in me and sent me racing to compile my own lists for comparison purposes. But these days, my cinematic viewing consists of the stray DVD and the regular feature starring talking, animated animals. And so while the debates start up and the awards get polished and the monologue gets written, I look forward to a new episode of The Backyardigans and Higglytown Heroes, because, well, that makes my 5-year-old happy. I'm not complaining, mind you, just sort of wistfully thinking back. It'll be fun to return to periodic nights out at the movies, but until then, it's tremendously rewarding to create masterpieces for my own discerning viewers, in hopes of eliciting a smile, a giggle, a belly laugh, a delighted shriek. I'll take that over Ebert's thumb any day of the week and twice on Sunday.