Bob Odenkirk

Welcome to the March 1st edition of Working the Weekend with Luke here at the home of the best podcast in the business, Binge Media. This week, I put an end to my Oscar talk, pay tribute to an iconic character, and finally discuss the best prequel, sequel, and spin-off show on television. So let’s get to it.

If you’re familiar to the site, then you’ve seen how much I’ve written about the Oscars over the past six weeks. There were reviews and criticisms and a fan vote and last Sunday, it was finally showtime. And I’d have to say, all in all, most of the winners were who they were supposed to be. But just so I can finally put my Oscar talk to bed, let’s take a quick recap of what happened last Sunday night.

For the most part, I thought Neil Patrick Harris did a good job hosting. We all knew the opener was going to be a musical number, and I thought it was pretty solid. The Anna Kendrick bonus certainly didn’t hurt either (an excuse to put this picture up again).

I think the only hiccup that NPH really had was the “it takes a lot of balls to wear that dress” joke. I’ve got no problem with the joke itself, but the timing was a little poor after Dana Perry had mentioned her son’s suicide, but I’m actually wondering if he even heard her say that. For one, the music was playing her off of the stage, and he may have been waiting for his cue with the joke already on his mind. But other than that, I thought he was pretty solid.

And let’s get this out of the way. Stop whining people. The right movie won. No, Birdman didn’t have the real-life content of Selma or American Sniper, but it was a better movie. It doesn’t mean that the Academy is racist (do we remember the guilt vote for 12 Years A Slave last year) or that they don’t respect Chris Kyle. The movies just weren’t as good. And I know that there’s still a ton of people that think Boyhood should have won. Seriously, why? I said it before and I’ll say it again. The movie was average. I respect the process, but I just needed more than what was given to me. I know the focus is supposed to be on the boy, but I wanted more of the parents. Maybe that’s the father in me talking, but I thought Ethan Hawke was pretty solid and Patricia Arquette certainly did deserve the statuette she walked away with. The relationship between divorced parents is not an easy one, and I thought this was the only really good part of the movie. Otherwise, I was a little bored.

But not as bored as I was with The Theory of Everything. I think they really missed the boat with this movie. The story of Stephen Hawking is truly a remarkable one, but this was just off. They also didn’t include some very key details about the divorce and his second marriage. Oh, you didn’t know that he married one of his nurses and then divorced her as well? If you’re going to make a biopic, then make it. But don’t tell me that this is a great love story. What was given to me was a movie that was trying to be as good as A Beautiful Mind and failed. With that being said, I do think that Eddie Redmayne did a fantastic job in his portrayal of Hawking. But I must say that I was truly surprised when his name was called for Best Actor. I really thought it was Michael Keaton’s turn and I’m quite certain I’m not alone in that thought. But as usual, he took it like a pro when given the chance to speak when Birdman won Best Picture. “I’m just happy to be here.” Once again, one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors showed why he’s one of the most respected people in Tinseltown. I hope this Keaton resurgence continues. And just make a second Beetlejuice already.

So what was my favorite acceptance speech, you ask? I like the political one. Oh, that could be nearly all of them. But seriously, it was actually a tie for me.

J.K. Simmons is simply amazing and he’s cooler than you. Don’t believe me? Well, Law does. If you missed his article a few weeks ago, check it out HERE. I, too, have been a fan of this guy for a long time and it’s nice to finally see him getting some real recognition. This was easily the biggest lock of Oscar night and as an avid watcher of the Academy Awards, I know that they always start with this category, so I knew he’d be leading things off and he didn’t disappoint. Well done sir.

This was absolutely beautiful. There’s not much more I can say than that.

So to sum up, I’d say that it was a decent Oscar night. I thought every single musical performance was great and they were all so different, but in a good way. Hell, we got to see The Lonely Island perform live and it was awesome (yep, pun intended). Tim McGraw’s performance of the saddest damn song ever written was fantastic, but the right song won. The performance of “Glory” was so moving and powerful. Just ask Chris Pine.

It’s okay Chris. Blockbuster season is right around the corner, so we can finally put the Oscar talk on hold for a while. I’m sure I’ll be back with another series next year.

 

BETTER CALL SAUL

At some point, this will need its very own article. But with all of my Oscar talk, I haven’t had a free moment to mention Better Call Saul in this column yet. As you can obviously see by my weekly intro, I’m a huge fan of Breaking Bad, so when word got out that there was going to be a Saul Goodman spin-off, I was ecstatic. While most people look to Gus Fring as their favorite secondary character, I was a Saul guy and a Mike guy. So what do I get more of?

I won’t get into spoilers just yet, as I’ll probably do a season one wrap-up once everything has aired, but I’m digging the show thus far. Some people are wanting it to be Breaking Bad, but it’s not, and it’s not supposed to be. Sure, it’s awesome to see some old faces pop up here and there (tell me you didn’t have an “OHHHHHH” moment at the end of the first episode), but this show has to stand on its own two legs and they’re succeeding. It’s great to watch Bob Odenkirk get the chance to do different things with this character. I’m all in with Better Call Saul. I can’t wait to see where this goes. I mean, besides knowing that we’re going here.

 

RIP LEONARD NIMOY

I’m not going to pretend to be a Star Trek expert. Honestly, I really didn’t even really get into it until the reboot a few years ago. But nobody can deny that Leonard Nimoy is an American icon. Even people that have never watched a single second of any of the movies or series know who Spock is. And from everything I’ve ever read about Nimoy, he seems like a class act. Rest in peace, Leonard Nimoy. You certainly lived long and prospered.

Thoughts or comments on the Oscars, Better Call Saul, or Leonard Nimoy? You can leave them below or follow me on Twitter and tweet @THElukenorris. And don’t forget to check in tomorrow morning for the Bingecast. The guys have been “giggling for 2 days” so I’m sure we’re all in for a treat.