Assorted ramblings from the world of entertainment:
Remember that cover story last week where I confidently made all of my Oscar predictions?
Well, forget that.
After this weekend, I'm ready to scrap all my picks, except for Daniel Day-Lewis and Anne Hathaway.
"Argo" continues to rack up Best Picture prizes in the lead up to the Academy Awards.
Its win at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday wasn't a shocker. After all, it's a movie where a movie producer plays a pivotal role in rescuing Americans trapped in Iran.
Its win for Best Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Sunday was less predictable. "Argo" has a big cast, but it had only one individual acting nomination (Alan Arkin for Best Supporting Actor). And it really is more of a story-driven film than a performance-driven one.
Those wins coupled with critics prizes at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards has "Argo" looking more and more like the frontrunner. And while it would be the first film in more than 20 years (and only the third film overall) to win Best Picture without a Best Director nomination, Ben Affleck's omission seemed to have been turned into an asset, with folks speculating that some voters are backing "Argo" for Best Picture as a consolation for the perceived snub.
That seems far-fetched but no more than any other theory used to predict how the 5,000 or so Academy members will vote in the coming weeks.
This year seems to prove screenwriter William Goldman's axiom about Hollywood - "Nobody knows anything."
With that in mind, don't forget to fill out a ballot for the Tribune Chronicle's annual Oscar Contest on page 13D. This feels like one of those years where I'm going to interview the winner, and he or she will say, "Oh, I didn't see any of the movies. I just kind of guessed."
The only risk is the cost of a stamp to win $100, and those who fill out a ballot online (there's a link on the Tribune Chronicle's homepage at www.tribtoday.com) won't even have to spend that. The deadline for entries is noon Feb. 21. Good luck.
Students from Liz Rubino Studio Ohio will perform next month at both Walt Disney World and the Give the Kids the World Village. To help cover the expenses for the trip, the studio is sponsoring a bachelor and bachelorette auction Saturday at the Upstairs Restaurant in Austintown .
Doors open at 8 p.m. and the auction starts at 8:30 p.m. with WYTV anchor Stan Boney as the celebrity auctioneer.
Participants include three women - Billie Anzevino, Kori Hendershot and Tinisha Murray - and three men - Michael Wilson, Anthony Genovese and Danny Welsh. Bios and photos of the potential dates can be found on the events' Date for a Cause! Facebook events page. Donations also will be accepted at the door.
Western Reserve PBS will premiere a documentary focusing on one Portage County family's service during the Civil War.
"The 'Sojer Boys' of Portage County" uses letters and diaries from the men to take a look at the war between the states through their eyes. The seven men ranged in age from 17 to 24. Two of them died during the war, and only one escaped injury.
The documentary was made by Fred Endres, a professor-in-residence at Kent State University's school of journalism and mass communication.
It premieres at 10 p.m. Sunday on WNEO 45.1/WEAO 49.1.
Andy Gray is the entertainment writer for the Tribune Chronicle. Write to him at grayareas@tribto-day.com