Yay! Winter's Bone just got a Best Picture nod. It won't win but it's gratifying to see it get some respect. My favorite movie of the year though I haven't seen True Grit yet.

That's the surprise with Winter's Bone, Armand. It sounds like a downer but it was just amazing. The young woman with the lead just nails it. The director lived down there at the Missouri/Arkansas border for a couple of years I guess. Also I grew up near the deep country folk they highlight. Not with them, thank god, but they were all around. Just think of them as meth freak elves. Really, really dark elves.

Portlandia is not bad but unfortunately it's a media darling right now so it's being way overplayed for what it is and that might come back to bite as unsuspecting viewer tune in thinking they are getting It's Always Sunny only to find a soggy version of SNL. I hope it does well and some parts are funny as hell. But like someone mentioned, the show mocks a type you can find in any city north of San Jose. Or in any bikesnobnyc column. The whole joke is these people only live in Portland but they are everywhere you find a certain type of young white liberal with more time than money and more money than sense and a bunch of friends in the same boat. The NYT has, for some reason, been cooing over Portland for years now so they are one of the bigger offenders in over hyping the show as they sort of own the whole Portland overhype thing in the first place. I have my fingers crossed for it though. It brought in a lot of work for young Portland area kids starting out in the film biz. [Image Can Not Be Found]

I think they pay shit but I know a lot of people that landed several weeks of work. Non union no doubt so not much help with benefits. Lots of production companies come up here to rape and pillage and flee with the cash so don't think they are noble or anything.

That chicken segment was shot partially at Tyron Farms, a co-op back to the land outfit right next to Lewis and Clark college. I went out there once and shot some pics for a project. It's a lot of young kids doing their communal thing but with an eye toward keeping the doors open. They do not believe in lawn mowers, I'll say that much. The day I was there they were giving a workshop on making straw and mud huts. I am not lying. I sort of liked them though. I thought of Helmut at the time which by the way, where is he?

I thought the feminist bookstore was funny.  I suspect the main actors have been working on those characters for a while. They seemed more polished than usual and the characters more universally recognizable.  I wouldn't doubt but what they will show up on SNL at some point. Of course they had Steve Buscemi to bounce lines off of, not a bad thing.