January 2016's rankings were a mess and other monthly meta

Yesterday, I told my readers to "expect the retrospective series to continue tomorrow withJanuary 2016's stats."  Why?  The same reason I posted the monthly meta for March 2016.

Today, I'm doing something I skipped over in June, when I posted the Monthly meta for April 2016.

I'm skipping over January and March to post April.

It's long past time I got around to posting this month.

Seven months past time, in fact.

January 2016 saw 16,780 page views for 34 posts over 31 days, which had been the second highest in the history of the blog up to that time.   It's now the fifth highest.  Those numbers translate to 541.29 page views per day and 493.53 page views per entry, an increases of 42.3% from the previous January's 11,721 page views, which translated to 378.10 views per day and 366.28 views per post, the latter an increase of 34.7%.

On the other hand, readers left only 19 comments that month (0.61 comments per day and 0.59 comments per post), a low for the year so far, and no entry received more than two comments, so no most commented on post was recognized.

There was one post that stood out as the most pinned on Pinterest during January, "Three Star Wars trailers: movie, television, and video game" with 2 saves.

Follow over the jump for the most viewed entries, which were, as the title says, a mess in terms of rankings.

Four candidates bid farewell after Iowa

I wrote that "I'll have more about Frothy and three other candidates quitting later" in The smart money and endorsements are more for Rubio than ever.  I'm outsourcing serious commentary on this news to PBS's Washington Week, which posted Four candidates exit 2016 race, Fiorina fights to be on debate stage, Gilmore gets 4 votes in Iowa to its YouTube account as a web extra.

After disappointing finishes in the Iowa caucuses, four presidential candidates left the 2016 race including Republicans Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Rand Paul and Democrat Martin O'Malley. Reid Wilson and Doyle McManus discuss why these candidates struggled to gain traction. Plus, Carly Fiorina is being left off the next Republican debate stage, despite being one of only nine remaining Republican candidates. And another Republican, Jim Gilmore, picked up only 12 votes in the Iowa caucuses.

Follow over the jump for my good-byes to each of the candidates no longer contesting their parties' nominations.

Examiner.com article on Michigan debates

Donald Trump, seen here while boycotting the last Fox News debate, has promised to attend the next Fox News debate in Detroit, Michigan.
Getty Images.

Republicans and Democrats announce dates for Michigan debates

This week, Michigan found out that it will be the host of both party's presidential debates in advance of the state's presidential primary on March 8, 2016.  The Republican candidates will debate in Detroit on March 3, while the Democrats will be in Flint on March 6.

In a statement released Thursday, February 4, Fox News Channel revealed Detroit as the location of the already scheduled Republican presidential debate.  Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly, and Chris Wallace will return as moderators for the third Republican debate of this election cycle on Fox News, which will last two hours and begins at 9 P.M. Eastern Time.

The Fox News press release followed in the heels of one from the Democratic National Committee.  The Democrats' press release, posted Wednesday, February 3, included Flint as the location of three debates added to the schedule in addition to the already scheduled two remaining debates on February 11 to be broadcast by PBS News Hour and March 9 to be shown by Univision as well as last night's debate on MSNBC, which was also added this week.

Details and quotes, including Donald Trump's promise to attend this debate after boycotting the previous one, at the link.

Diversity not a problem at the SAG Awards

Two weeks ago, I groused about Hollywood's diversity issues for MLK Day.  In particular, I singled out Idris Elba's lack of nominations.

Elba being left out was particularly surprising, as he was nominated for a Golden Globe (he lost to Sylvester Stallone), a BAFTA Award, and three SAG Awards (two for his film perfomance and one for a TV role).  The actors and foreign press were certainly behind him, even if the rest of the voters were not.

Last night, Elba got some of the recognition he was denied at the Oscars by winning two of the three SAG Awards for which he was nominated, Performance by a male actor in a supporting role for "Beasts of No Nation" and Performance by a male actor in a television movie or miniseries for "Luther."  He had earlier won a Critics' Choice Award for the latter role, keeping "Fargo" from completely sweeping the miniseries awards at that ceremony.

TNT posted two videos of Elba accepting his awards.  The first was for "Beasts of No Nation."


The second was for "Luther."


Congratulations, Mr. Elba!

He wasn't alone in making the SAG Awards winners a diverse group.  Follow over the jump for more on how diversity reigned on the television side of the awards.

Plymouth-Canton H.S. marching band at the Rose Parade

I promised that I'd post a video of the Plymouth-Canton (PCEP) marching band at the Rose Parade in Michigan marching bands parade in a new year.  The original time frame was "a couple of weeks."  It's now been more than four, so I'm going to (almost) close out the month the way I opened it, with marching bands parading down Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena.  Playing the theme from "Back to the Future," here's Plymouth-Canton HS Marching Band at the 2016 Pasadena Rose Parade.

From Canton, Michigan
Plymough-Canton High School Marching Band performing their musical selection at the at the 127th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on Friday, January 1st 2016. This band's last rose parade was 43 years ago, in 1973!
The Plymouth-Canton Educational Park is the home of 3 comprehensive high schools - Salem, Canton and Plymouth with an overall student population of over 6500 in grades 9-12. It is the 3rd largest school district in the state of Michigan and the only high school with three schools that feed into each other.

Now, here they are with the rest of the musical performers in Music213's Marching Bands of the 2016 Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.

Recap of the 20 marching bands that performed in the 127th Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade.

Stay tuned for the Sunday entertainment entry to conclude January.

Challenger disaster remembered 30 years later

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster.  The History Channel looks back in Remembering the Challenger Disaster.

On January 28, 1986, the tenth mission of the space shuttle Challenger ended in tragic disaster. We remember the seven astronauts who lost their lives that day, including Christa McAuliffe, who was chosen by NASA to pioneer its Teacher in Space program.

NASA commemmorated the event, as The Telegraph showed in Astronauts mark Challenger disaster anniversary.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station lead a moment's silence with Nasa to mark 30 years since the Challenger space shuttle exploded upon launch, killing seven.

I mentioned one of my memories of the event in Twentieth anniversary of Northridge earthquake.

When I woke up, Regis and Cathy Lee were not on, as I expected, but news coverage.  I recognized immediately  that this was a bad thing.  The last time I saw news instead of the mid-morning show was when the Challenger exploded.

That was a shocker.  I had overslept and was upset with myself for missing the launch.  Instead, I got to see it over and over again.  The next time anything like that happened after the Northridge Earthquake was when 9-11 happened.  I slept through that, too, but got to see the events over and over again as well.  I still have to tell that story.  Here's to remembering to do so on the 15th anniversary of that disaster this September.

Doomsday Clock remains at 11:57

Last year, I reported that the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists advanced their Doomsday Clock to 11:57.  Two days ago, they updated their assessment of the closeness of the end of civilization.  The Associated Press has the story in 'Doomsday Clock' Reflects Dangers to World.

Scientists behind a “Doomsday Clock” that measures the likelihood of a global cataclysm say the world is still under grave threat. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced on Tuesday that the minute hand was at three minutes-to-midnight. (Jan. 26)

The good news is that they didn't advance the minute hand.  The bad news is that they didn't set it back, either.

Limbo Kitty dances to $1.65 gas

Limbo Kitty makes his first appearance of the year as regular gas in my old neighborhood drops below the $1.69 of last November, when Michigan had the cheapest gas in the U.S.  Yesterday, the two stations down the street from the corner in my old neighborhood were selling regular for $1.65.  That's eight cents lower than the last time I checked, when the same stations were selling regular for $1.73.

Will it go lower?  At those stations, probably, as Gas Buddy lists the Detroit average as even lower at $1.62, although it is rising from $1.59 a couple of days ago.  So the second question becomes, "will I see that lower price?"  Probably not, so this might be Limbo Kitty's last dance until fall.  Just the same, I shouldn't be too sad, as gas was a dime cheaper than it was the same time last year and twenty-four cents cheaper than a year ago today, making them the cheapest in the history of this blog.

The seasonal gas price rise should start any day now, but it won't be because oil is more expensive.  Follow over the jump for two stories from Reuters and a video from the Wall Street Journal on oil prices.

Michigan Attorney General launches investigation into Flint water crisis

Last week, Congress announces it will hold hearings on the Flint water crisis and two MDEQ employees were suspended for their part in the scandal. The probes continue this week, as WXYZ reported yesterday that Michigan's Attorney General launches investigation into Flint water crisis.



WXYZ has more on the two men that Schuette appointed to lead the investigation in The former head of Detroit FBI among those investigating Flint water crisis.



Based on the credentials of these two, I'm encouraged that justice may actually be done after all. As for Schuette, I stand by what I wrote four years ago.

He's looking forward to replacing Governor Snyder when OneToughNerd retires, either in 2014 (early retirement or defeat) or in 2018 (term limitations), so he needs to be enough of a populist to maintain his electability. Here's to his ambitions making him actually serve the residents of Michigan, at least occasionally.

Yes, I'm being cynical. In this state, that's a survival trait.

'The Big Short' is now the Oscar favorite after winning a Producers Guild Award

"The Big Short" won the equivalent of the Best Picture at Saturday night's Producers Guild Awards, The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.  Wochit Entertainment has the story in The Big Short Gets Best Picture At Producers Guild Awards.

The Hollywood Awards Season can be a rollercoaster ride. This year, there are two favorites to win Best Picture at the grand finale of awards season, the 88th Academy Awards. Both Spotlight and The Big Short have been critical and fan favorites as 2015's best film. And while general audiences may be more familiar with popular award shows such as the Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild and The Golden Globes, dedicated Oscar fans know that smaller industry awards can often predict where industry favor (And logically the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) will fall. So when the Producers Guild gave The Big Short their top prize this weekend, it was a big hint as to how producers in the Academy will be voting. The Big Short was written and directed by the man behind Anchorman, Adam McKay. It takes a darkly comedic look at the events that led up to the 2008 financial crisis.

The Producers Guild Awards may be very obscure, but they are indeed predictive, as FiveThirtyEight points out in their guide to predicting the Oscars.

This race is the most wide open. There are many preceding awards left to go, and the field is large (eight films), which makes it hard to pick a leader. This weekend’s Producers Guild of America awards ceremony should give us a little clarity; the guild’s award for best theatrical picture is the second-most-predictive award we follow for the best picture Oscar.
...
Whichever film wins at the Producers Guild awards will pick up a quarter of the remaining points and will be guaranteed front-runner status until at least February. After that, the key event to watch will be the Directors Guild of America’s top award. Any film that sweeps those two will be a strong favorite for best picture through the rest of February. If two films split them, we’ll have a serious race on our hands.

Based on its victory this past weekend, "The Big Short" is now in the lead over "Spotlight," which had been in first place because of its Best Picture win at the Critics Choice Awards.  The bettors at PredictWise now have "The Big Short" as the favorite at 43% with "Spotlight" second at 31% and "The Revenant" in third at 19%.  The rest are in the low single digits.  "Spotlight" is no longer the prohibitive favorite; instead, we have a contest!

R.I.P. David Bowie, sci-fi superstar

When I told my readers to "stay tuned for...an obituary of a science fiction rock star," I had no idea "The Martian" had a David Bowie song.  Here is "Starman" complete with images and clips from the movie.


I found that to be an appropriate tribute to both Bowie and the movie.

For more on David Bowie, science-fiction rock and movie star, I recommend reading two articles from io9, one listing him as one of the great music acts inspired by science fiction and another as a rock star who changed science fiction, showing that the influence went both ways.  Other articles in the same vein were published by Extreme Tech, Engadget, Tech Times, Huffington Post, and CBS affiliate WXRT.  All of them consider him a giant in both rock music and science fiction, as do I.  Farewell, Ziggy Stardust!

Two MDEQ employees suspended over actions in Flint water crisis

Yesterday, I wrote that "I expect more resignations and firings to come" in the wake of the resignations of the MDEQ Director and the regional EPA Director.  It didn't take long at all for that to begin to happen as WXYZ reported two MDEQ workers suspended in Flint water crisis later that same day.

Governor Snyder has suspended two workers at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality for their roles in the Flint water crisis.

The Detroit Free Press has more.

Gov. Rick Snyder announced the suspensions of two Department of Environmental Quality officials Friday afternoon, but if the state determines those or other workers need to be fired for mishandling the Flint water crisis, it could take more than a year to make it final.

Snyder said in a news release Friday two DEQ officials are suspended pending an investigation, in accordance with civil service rules. Although state officials wouldn’t reveal the names of the employees, they said they were managers within the Water Quality division of the MDEQ.

They were suspended without pay, although under civil service rules, the unpaid status can only last seven days. The internal investigation into further action against the two employees should take a couple of weeks, said Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the state’s department of Technology, Management and Budget. After seven days, they’ll go back on the payroll.

Once the investigation is complete, the action taken against the employees can range from getting their job back to getting fired, Weiss said.

So these suspensions may not be the ones to completely satisfy the prediction.  That's OK.  There are more dominoes to fall.

Speaking of falling dominoes, some have already toppled.

At the Department of Environmental Quality, two key employees — Liane Shekter Smith, who was the chief of the DEQ’s Office of Drinking Water and Municipal Assistance and Stephen Busch, a district manager in the drinking water division for MDEQ, whose area of responsibility included Flint — have been reassigned and no longer have any role in dealing with the Flint water crisis. An undetermined number of other employees in the drinking water division no longer have any role in the Flint water response, said Melanie Brown, a spokeswoman for the department.

Consequences may still be coming for high-level people, including the Emergency Manager for Flint at the time of the switch, Darnell Earley.  He can't be fired from that position, but he's currently the Emergency Manager for the Detroit Public Schools, which is currently having its own crisis, which includes environmental issues from poor maintenance of school buildings, resulting in teacher sickouts.  The New York Times has that story and more in Anger in Michigan Over Appointing Emergency Managers.  I recommend my readers read it, too.

Congressional hearings on the Flint water crisis and a resignation

I wrote yesterday that I didn't have much to say about the Flint water crisis until it got national attention.  Has it ever!  Wednesday, President Obama spoke on the issue while visiting the North American International Auto Show.  Yesterday, WXYZ reported on two more responses by the federal government.  First, Congressional hearings to be held in Flint water crisis.


As the caption read to an earlier version of this report, "Governor Rick Snyder will be requested to testify at U.S. Congressional hearings in connection to the Flint Water Crisis, according to the office for U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence."  That suggests to me that this is enough of a problem for national Republicans (thank you Hillary Clinton) that they have decided to do damage control.  Whether this will take the form of trying to save Snyder by making it look like a local problem or throwing him under the bus, I don't know.  I hope it's the latter.*

Speaking of throwing people under the bus, the report above mentioned an EPA regional adminstrator resigning.  Here's the clip from WXYZ on that part of the story: EPA administrator resigns amid Flint water crisis.

An EPA administrator is out of a job, and her agency is cracking down on the response to the Flint water crisis.

She's the second official to resign over the scandal, joining Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant.  I expect more resignations and firings to come.

*But probably not.  Instead, this quote from Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, indicates they have one of the GOP's favorite targets in their sights instead, "The EPA is rife with incompetence and Region 5 is no exception. Mismanagement has plagued the region for far too long and Ms. Hedman’s resignation is way overdue."  The same article reports that the U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the EPA as well, so the concern is bipartisan.

As for Snyder, the just thing may be that he should resign, but I don't expect the just thing to happen any time soon.  That would give Michigan Governor Brian Calley as an incumbent in 2018.  Neither Attorney General Bill Schuette nor the more pragmatic Democrats who would run for the office would want that.  Better to campaign against lame duck Snyder for an open seat.

President Obama visits NAIAS and talks about Flint water crisis

While I've been busy with entertainment news, there are two stories that I've been ignoring, the North American International Auto Show and the Flint water crisis.  In the case of the former, which I'm usually all over every year, the awards shows proved to be shinier objects.  In the case of the latter, I've been watching the story, but just couldn't find much to say until it got national attention, much like the Courser-Gamrat scandal. Yesterday, something happened to finally direct my attention to both: President Obama visited Detroit.

President Barack Obama was in Detroit today to visit the auto show.

PBS has more: Obama tours auto show, pledges help for Flint’s water crisis.

DETROIT — President Barack Obama hailed the revival of the nation’s auto industry on Wednesday while acknowledging the water crisis in nearby Flint, Michigan, saying the detection of high levels of lead serve as a reminder that the government can’t shortchange basic services.

Speaking to auto workers after taking in the North American International Auto Show, Obama said he would be beside himself if his children’s health were put at risk. He said he met with Flint’s mayor the day before and promised federal help.

“I told her we are going to have her back and all the people of Flint’s back as they work their way through this terrible tragedy,” he said.
...
Obama spoke at the UAW-GM Center for Human Resources, the national headquarters of the joint relationship between the United Auto Workers and General Motors. His visit took place as longstanding problems with the drinking water in Flint have begun to capture the nation’s attention.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder asked Obama on Wednesday to reconsider his denial of a federal disaster declaration to address the drinking water crisis, saying its severity poses an “imminent and long-term threat” to residents. Obama declared an emergency — qualifying the city for $5 million — but determined that it is not a disaster based on the legal requirement that such additional relief is intended for natural events, fires, floods or explosions.

In his appeal letter, Snyder called it a “narrow reading” and likened the crisis to a flood, “given that qualities within the water, over a long term, flood and damaged the city’s infrastructure in ways that were not immediately or easily detectable.” He also said the state and city cannot meet all the needs of Flint residents. He again painted a bleak picture of the city and said the “economic injury” from the crisis is significant.

I could see the beginnings of the Flint water crisis in Detroit Regional Water Authority talks in the news, when I wrote about Detroit's contracts with Flint and Genesee County expiring in 2014 so they would stop using Detroit water.  I thought it was premature for Flint to leave the system then, as the new system wouldn't be finshed, but I had no idea the results would be so disastrous.  Sometimes, I'm not pessimistic enough!

NY Daily News mocks Palin endorsing Trump with music by Pet Shop Boys

Ah, yes, a politician turned reality TV star endorsing a reality TV star turned politician.  I like closing circles. I also like the Pet Shop Boys making fun of politicians.  Hit it!


"A moron" and "A billion dollar kid."  Perfect!

'Mad Max: Fury Road' wins nine Critics' Choice Awards

Speculative fiction nominees did much betterat the Critics' Choice Movie and Television Awards than last year, although the result was the opposite, at least for the movies, than for the Golden Globes, where "The Martian" won two awards.  Sunday night, "Mad Max: Fury Road" was the big winner, while "The Martian" was shut out.  The movie won Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, and Best Action Movie, while George Miller won for Best Director, Charlize Theron was named Best Actress In An Action Movie, and Tom Hardy won Best Actor In An Action Movie.  As I wrote on Sunday, "What a lovely day!"


"Mad Max: Fury Road" lost Best Picture to "Spotlight" and Best Science Fiction/Horror Film to "Ex Machina," both of which I expected.  In fact, I wrote "'Ex Machina' might sneak on past ["Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian"].  After all, it's the critics voting, not the movie-makers."  In addition, Brie Larson won Best Actress for "Room," which she also won at the Golden Globes.  That's no surprise, either.  Just the same, between the Golden Globes and the Critics' Choice Awards, it's been a great year for science fiction at the box office, and that's not even counting "Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which had to be added to the Critics' Choice Awards and is finally getting full consideration at the BAFTA Awards and Academy Awards.

Speculative fiction didn't fare as well on the television side, as only Carrie Coon of "The Leftovers" won for Best Actress in a Drama.   Given her competition, that's quite an accomplishment.  Unfortunately, it looks like I jinxed "Face Off."  Instead, "The Voice," which I thought might win last year, got another trophy.  Also, "Fargo" swept the Limited Series/TV Movie category, shutting out "American Horror Story: Hotel."

ETA: "Outlander" won Most Binge-worthy, yet another victory for speculative fiction.

Follow over the jump for the acceptance speeches from A&E.

Hollywood's diversity issues for MLK Day

The Wrap's predictions for a diverse set of acting nominees this year.  None were nominated.

I concluded Speculative fiction at the Critics' Choice Movie and Television Awards by telling my readers to "Stay tuned for an entertainment-themed Martin Luther King Day entry on the same theme as last year's."  That post lamented "Selma" being relatively snubbed by the Oscar voters, earning only nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Song when a lot of critics thought that the film's male lead and director deserved nods as well.  That was still better than this year, as Wochit Entertainment reported in Oscars Still So White?

Oh, no, not again. For many movie fans, Thursday's Oscar nominations brought a dispiriting feeling of deja vu. For the second consecutive year, no minorities were nominated in any of the four acting categories. One year after the critically acclaimed "Selma" was largely snubbed by academy voters, sparking protests, actors and filmmakers of color are again being ignored -- and Twitter is not happy. "It's actually worse than last year. Best Documentary and Best Original Screenplay. That's it. #OscarsSoWhite," tweeted April Reign, an editor who was credited with launching that hashtag in protest after last year's nominations were announced. Idris Elba had been expected to score a nomination for his performance as an African warlord in "Beasts of No Nation," but he was passed over. Other hopefuls such as "Concussion" star Will Smith, "Creed" star Michael B. Jordan, that movie's writer-director, Ryan Coogler, and the cast of N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton" also were ignored.

Of all the listed actors not nominated, FiveThirtyEight thought the biggest snub belongs to Idris Elba.

One of the biggest upsets of the morning was in the supporting actor category. While Mark Ruffalo (“Spotlight”), Tom Hardy (“The Revenant”), Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”) and Sylvester Stallone (“Creed”) were all favored by Paddy Power (which set odds for winning an award, not for being nominated), Christian Bale’s nomination for “The Big Short” was totally remote, as of data pulled midnight before the nominations were announced. That means Idris Elba (“Beasts of No Nation”) and Michael Keaton (“Spotlight”) lost out big. Elba had 6-to-1 odds of winning it all, according to the bookmakers, which gave him the third-likeliest score behind Stallone and Rylance. And although Keaton was a relative long shot to win, at 8-to-1 odds, he was still considered a more probable candidate than Ruffalo, Hardy or Bale.

Elba being left out was particularly surprising, as he was nominated for a Golden Globe (he lost to Sylvester Stallone), a BAFTA Award, and three SAG Awards (two for his film perfomance and one for a TV role).  The actors and foreign press were certainly behind him, even if the rest of the voters were not.  Follow over the jump for why that might be the case.

Speculative fiction at the Critics' Choice Movie and Television Awards

Tonight, A&E hosts the Critics' Choice Awards for both movies and television. I've already written about three of the nominees for the movie awards, "The Big Short," "Spotlight," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  Now it's time to look at the rest of the nominations, particularly in speculative fiction, which comprises science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

It turns out that the most nominated movie is a work of science fiction, "Mad Max: Fury Road."  From the press release:

“Mad Max: Fury Road” leads this year with 13 nominations including Best Picture, Charlize Theron for both Best Actress and Best Actress In An Action Movie, Tom Hardy for Best Actor In An Action Movie, George Miller for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Action Movie, and Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie.

What a lovely day!


How about the rest of the speculative fiction films being honored (bolding mine)?

“Carol,” “The Martian,” and “The Revenant” impressed with nine nominations each, all in the running for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, among others. “Spotlight” earned eight nominations, followed by “The Big Short” with seven, and “The Hateful Eight” with six. “Bridge of Spies,” “Brooklyn,” “The Danish Girl,” “Jurassic World,” and “Sicario” each garnered five nominations and “Room” earned four.

Jennifer Lawrence is up for three awards, for her work in both “Joy” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2,” while Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron are both nominated for two acting awards.

In addition to "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Martian," "Jurassic World," and "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2," "Ex Machina" has three nominations, while "It Follows" (the sole horror nominee), "Ant-Man," (the sole comic-book movie nominated), and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" each have one.  That's not a bad showing for speculative fiction, especially science fiction, at a movie awards show.

Both "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian" might do well, but not exceptionally so, in the mainstream awards, especially for directing, cinematography, editing, production design, and make-up, where they are in stiff competition with mainstream dramas, but it's the categories for genre films where the action (pun fully intended) will be tonight.  With no further ado, I present the nominees and my opinions of their chances, beginning with a mainstream category in which genre films predominate.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ex Machina
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
The Walk

Four of the six nominees are science fiction films.  Of these, I'd root for "Mad Max: Fury Road" except that the really spectacular visuals are the results of stunt work, cinematograpy, and editing, not special effects.  For those, my pick right now is "Jurassic World."  That written, I wouldn't be surprised by any of these films winning, especially "Ex Machina."

Speaking of special effects, it's the subject of an award that has already been decided.

The “Critics’ Choice Genius Award” will be given to ILM in recognition of its 40 years of revolutionary moviemaking that changed entertainment forever. Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams will be on hand to present the honor. For four decades, ILM has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, ILM continues to break new ground in visual effects. ILM has been awarded 15 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects, received 26 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards, and was presented with the National Medal of Technology by the President of the United States in 2004. Founded in 1975 by George Lucas, ILM is the leading effects facility in the world, serving the motion picture, commercial production and attraction industries. ILM has created visual effects for over 250 feature films, including all seven Star Wars episodes, the Jurassic Park Franchise, the Harry Potter series, the Indiana Jones films, the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Iron Man, Transformers, and The Martian.

Well deserved and it will make up for "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" not getting any awards (trust me, it won't win Best Movie and it didn't get nominated for any other categories).

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Furious 7
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Sicario

My favorite is "Mad Max: Fury Road" over "Jurassic World"--the former is both more clearly an action movie and a better film overall, but I would be disappointed if not surprised should the critics pick "Sicario," which is probably the best drama of the bunch.  As for "Furious 7," it may be all action, but it's mindless action, unlike "Mad Max: Fury Road," where the violence has intelligence behind it.  It should be happy with its People's Choice Award.

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Daniel Craig – Spectre
Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World
Paul Rudd – Ant-Man

Normally, I'd be rooting for Daniel Craig, but "SPECTRE" was a disappointment.  Instead, I'm hoping that Chris Pratt wins.  Tom Hardy is probably the better actor, but he wasn't even the star of his own movie; Charlize Theron was.  Speaking of whom...

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – Sicario
Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize's only serious competition is likely to be Emily Blunt.  Jennifer Lawrence is a great actress, but the material in "The Hunger Games" series does not lend itself to outstanding performances.  On the other hand, she might repeat her Golden Globes win for her performance in "Joy" as a comedic actress.

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
Ex Machina
It Follows
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian

Of this lot, it's a tight competition between "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Martian," although "Ex Machina" might sneak on past.  After all, it's the critics voting, not the movie-makers.  As for the field, I'd substitute "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" for "It Follows."  The latter is probably the best horror movie of the year, but it's not as good as the rest.

That completes my comments on the movies, but like the Golden Globes, I've been neglecting the TV shows.  Follow over the jump for those.

Al Jazeera America shutting down as oil subsidy dries up

Three years ago, I was asking Will Al Jazeera America hire Keith Olbermann?  (The answer was no.)  A few months after that, I announced that Al Jazeera America was premiering that day.  The next year, the cable channel contacted me as a source for a story.  I enjoyed that.

Now, I have sad news to report via USA Today: Al Jazeera America to shut down.

Al Jazeera America, the American cable news outlet owned by Qatar-based Al Jazeera, plans to shut down less than three years after its much-ballyhooed launch, unable to overcome low ratings, operational problems and a lack of advertisers.

The cable news network will be phased out by April 30, according to a memo that was emailed to staffers Wednesday. "As many as 700 staff members" could lose their jobs, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources. Al Jazeera couldn't be immediately reached to verify the number of people affected by the move. The NewsGuild of New York, the union that began representing 46 digital journalists at Al Jazeera America last year, says it was told by the company that it has a total of 291 employees.

Al Jazeera Media Network, which is funded by the government of Qatar, launched the U.S.-based network in August, 2013 after buying Current TV, the cable news channel co-founded by Al Gore, for about $500 million earlier in the year.

The decision to go out of business was “driven by the fact that our business model is simply not sustainable in light of the economic challenges in the U.S. media marketplace,” AJAM CEO Al Anstey was quoted as saying in an AJAM report.

TomoNews US includes their snarky speculation about what made their business model unsustainable in Al Jazeera America shutting down: AJ pulls the plug on U.S. operations as oil prices plunge.

Many are speculating that plunging oil prices ultimately led to the channel's demise as Al Jazeera is owned by energy-rich Qatar.

It didn't help that no one was watching, with prime-time ratings sometimes struggling to exceed 30,000 viewers.

Looks like oil falling to 12-year lows dragged more than stocks down with it.  I'm sorry to read this, as I appreciated Al Jazeera's investigative reporting and presentation without sensationalism.  In that, I'll echo what Al Jazeera America CEO Al Anstey wrote in an email to his employees: "I know the closure of AJAM will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future. The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job. Our commitment to great journalism is unrivaled."

The songs really are the best part of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

In Music for moving pictures at the 58th Grammy Awards, I opined about "Fifty Shades Of Grey" that "I suspect the music is the best thing about the movie, a point I'll return to later."  The awards shows have borne out the truth of my observation, as the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes 'Fifty Shades of Grey' going for Oscar and Razzie gold.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" has something none of this year's other Oscar-nominated films has: A Razzie nomination.

The film, which earned an Oscar-nom for Best Song (The Weeknd's "Earned It"), is up for six 2016 Razzie Awards, which [are for] the year's worst in film.

How bad is "Fifty Shades of Grey"?  I'll let Wochit Entertainment explain in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Leads 2016 Razzie Award Nominations.

To the surprise of no one, Fifty Shades of Grey is amongst the four most nominated movies at this year’s Razzie Awards. The Razzies, which celebrate the year’s worst Hollywood movies and actors by awarding the winners (i.e. the losers) with Golden Raspberries, have awards for Worst Picture, Worst Actress and Worst Actor. And this year, it’s a four-way tie between Fifty Shades, Paul Blart Mall Cop 2, Jupiter Ascending and Pixels leading the nominations with six nods each.

Entertainment Weekly details the damage, reporting that "The erotic drama scored nods for Worst Picture, Worst Actor (Jamie Dornan), Worst Actress (Dakota Johnson), Worst Director (Sam Taylor-Johnson), Worst Screen Combo (Dornan and Johnson together), and Worst Screenplay."  Ouch.  Fair or not,* it really does look like the music, particularly the songs, were the best thing about the movie.

Speaking of which, follow over the jump for the rest of the nominated songs and how my predictions of the nominees fared against reality.