Ellen DeGeneres needs to watch her Emmy back. Sure, she's been romping through the Daytime Emmys in recent years, but now Rosie O'Donnell is poised to return to the contest, turning it into a real heavyweight bout.

Back when Rosie O'Donnell had her original daytime gabfest, she won Daytime Emmys for best talk show five years in a row (1998-2002) and took home best host awards for all six years of the show's run (1997-2002). Her initial victories were especially impressive because Oprah Winfrey still hadn't bowed out of the Emmys yet. In 1998, Rosie beat Oprah for best talk show and they tied for the hosting trophy. Oprah dropped out of the host race in 1999 and the show race the following year.

Ellen DeGeneres has won both awards four times -- she took talk show host from 2004 to 2007 and talk show from 2005 to 2008. She proved particularly vulnerable last year -- even without Rosie in the race. She lost best talk/entertainment show to "Rachael Ray" and the host award to the gaggle on "The View." The latter outcome was a shockeroo considering that multiple hosts almost never win.

During Rosie's first TV run, she was still widely perceived to be the "Queen of Nice." Now many industry insiders consider her to be the "Queen of Mean," thanks to her reported diva antics. Also, on her old show, Rosie was still in the closet, pretending to be smitten with Tom Cruise. Do her old viewers feel deceived? Ellen's out and that doesn't appear to hurt her TV ratings. And she's the new "Queen of Nice," while Rosie is viewed as militant, sometimes hostile.

Although Rosie may or may not be replacing Oprah in her time slot, she does hope to emulate the soon-to-depart talker with the format for her new show. She told "Entertainment Tonight" that the program, which will begin airing in September 2011, will be "a single-topic, hourlong show about life, love and laughter" and that there will be "no desk" and "no celebs promoting movies," but that there "may be a few giveaways."

OTHER POSTS:

George Clooney cast his Oscar vote for Jeff Bridges -- really!

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Let's rank the Oscar hosts: Who was the best?

'The Mountaintop,' 'Spring Awakening' top Olivier Awards

Oscar bait 2011: Sneak peek at next year's front-runners

Photo: Rosie O'Donnell at the 1997 Daytime Emmy Awards. Credit: Steve Fenn / Associated Press

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During Oscar weekend, George Clooney ("Up in the Air') told pals and journalists that he had voted for Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") for best actor. We hear lots of that during Oscarmania — many nominees striving to appear humble by insisting that they personally support a rival's work. But should we believe them?

Notorious prankster George Clooney wasn't kidding.

"Clooney punched his ballot for Jeff Bridges -- and then photographed it and sent it to his fellow nominee," reports the New York Post. Said Clooney's publicist, Stan Rosenfield: "Story is true. According to George, 'It was an amazing performance.' He also told Jeff, 'If you don't win, you can't blame me.' "

Of course, there's something a bit fishy about this report. Oscar ballots aren't punched. They're marked with pen. Maybe the Post reporter was confused … or else George voted while in the state of Florida.

Photo: Paramount

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Aziz Ansari just watched "Twilight" and "Twilight: New Moon" for the first time in order to bone up on the film franchise that will probably sweep the MTV Movie Awards again, just like it did last year. But this year Ansari will be involved, according to the L.A. Times blog Show Tracker.

"Insiders tell Show Tracker exclusively that the comedian and 'Parks and Recreation' star is in final negotiations to host the 2010 MTV Movie Awards, slated to air live June 6 from the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City," reports Denise Martin. "Last week, Ansari spent a couple of days live-tweeting his first-ever viewings of 'Twilight' and its sequel 'New Moon.'"

Show Tracker recalls last year's award romp: " 'Twilight' swept the evening at the 2009 ceremony -- five awards including the one for best movie -- and stars Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart turned up to present a special extended trailer for 'New Moon.' (With the third 'Twilight' film, 'Eclipse,' premiering June 30 -- and with MTV long leading the charge in all things 'Twilight'-related -- one presumes viewers this year will get a similar treat.)"

Photo: NBC

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Last year, the Emmys expanded the list of nominees for best comedy and drama series to six or seven contenders. Six were planned, but one more could be accommodated if the seventh-ranked contender was extremely close in the vote tally. Thus both categories ended up with seven nominees.

The next batch of nominees won't be unveiled until mid-July, but our fearless experts Robert "Rob L" Licuria (AwardsHeaven.net) and Chris "Boomer" Beachum are already sticking out thin, trembling necks. Last week, they forecasted the comedy lineup. Below, they get serious and tackle drama.

Playing conservative, they plan for six nominees in the category. Boomer and Rob agree on four drama series: "Breaking Bad," "Damages," "Dexter" and "Mad Men." Then Boomer opts for "The Good Wife" and "Lost" as his other two predix; Rob chooses "House M.D." and "Big Love." Read their explanations below.

BEST DRAMA SERIES: BOOMER'S PREDIX
FRONT-RUNNERS
"Breaking Bad"
"Damages"
"Dexter"
"The Good Wife"
"Lost"
"Mad Men"

POSSIBLE
"Big Love"
"House"
"The Mentalist"
"Parenthood"
"Treme"
"True Blood"
 
BOOMER'S COMMENTARY: All seven drama series contenders return from last season, but the Emmy category is set up to most likely have only six nominees.  Right off the bat, one of those shows is squeezed out due to math. Two-time winner "Mad Men" should not only be the favorite again, but I don't think any other program has come close to the overall quality of its most recent season (it would be easy right now to say it will deservedly win the category again).

This season of "Dexter" was its most acclaimed yet, so it should be back in this race easily. The final season of "Lost" is as good as expected and should claim a slot in this category. Following those three shows, I can make a case for and against all of the returning nominees from last year. After a slow start but a much better job in recent weeks, I can certainly see "Damages" back in this category. The latest season of "Breaking Bad" hasn't even aired yet, but previews and early buzz indicated it will be as good as ever. It would certainly not be a surprise if "House" continued its run as a perennial nominee in this category, but many have complained about the quality of the current season. The same can be said of "Big Love."

I think the other remaining slot will go to the best new drama with both outstanding reviews and amazing ratings -- "The Good Wife."  Its star, Julianna Margulies, has already won the Golden Globe and SAG Award, so she should be the favorite to win her category.

Two other HBO series ("True Blood" and David Simon's "Treme") could figure prominently in this race, so several of these shows aren't completely safe.

BEST DRAMA SERIES: ROB'S PREDIX
FRONT-RUNNERS
"Big Love"
"Breaking Bad"
"Damages"
"Dexter"
"House"
"Mad Men"

POSSIBLE
"The Good Wife"
"True Blood"

ROB'S COMMENTARY: When deciding on which shows are out in front for Emmy's top drama series category this early in the game, I look at past nominees, buzz and ratings, and the choices made by the two primary "Emmy precursors": the Golden Globe Awards and the SAG Awards.

Let's join a game being played in our forums: Rank the Oscar hosts. Below is a list of the folks who've emceed over the last 20 years, ranked according to my personal preference. What's yours?

1.) Billy Crystal
3.) Steve Martin
2.) Whoopi Goldberg
4.) Hugh Jackman
5.) Ellen DeGeneres
6.) Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin
7.) Jon Stewart
8.) Chris Rock
9.) David Letterman

Photo: ABC

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The Olivier Awards -- Britain's equivalent of the Tony Awards -- revealed the winners of the 34th edition of the kudos Sunday at London's Grosvenor House. Topping the list of acting winners was Oscar champ Rachel Weisz ("The Constant Gardener") for her work as Blanche DuBois in a revival of the play "A Streetcar Named Desire." Weisz -- who had already won the precursor Evening Standard and Critics Choice awards -- edged out competition that included Emmy winner Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") for a revival of "A Doll's House," also at the Donmar Warehouse.

Tony winner Mark Rylance ("Boeing-Boeing") -- who also won the Critics Choice -- took home the best actor in a play prize for "Jerusalem." Among those he won over were Jude Law -- who had picked up the best Shakespearean performance prize for "Hamlet" at the Critics Choice Awards -- and two-time Tony champ James Earl Jones ("The Great White Hope," "Fences") in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," which won the play revival prize.

Though "Jerusalem" -- a new work by Jez Butterworth -- had six nominations, it only won for Rylance and set design. Lucy Prebble's "Enron" also had six bids but prevailed only for best director (Rupert Goold). Both of these contemporary works lost best play to the historical drama "The Mountaintop" by American Katori Hall. "The Mountaintop" -- a stark look at the last day in the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. -- is now virtually assured a Broadway run later in the year. Productions of "Jerusalem" and "Enron" are opening on Broadway next month, making them eligible for this season's Tony Award nominations, which will be announced May 4. 

Unlike the Tonys, the Oliviers have a separate category for best comedy. Butterworth had a bid there as well with "Parlour Song" but lost to "The Priory," a farce about the misadventures of a group of friends on holiday, by Michael Wynne.

• The latest incarnation of "The Addams Family" -- which has already gone from 1940s cartoon to 1960s TV series to 1990s movie franchise -- is soon to bow on Broadway. The tuner stars Tony champs Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth as lovebirds Gomez and Morticia, and they both dispute rumors that they are less than happy with their stage marriage. As Neuwirth puts it, "I think we both have a nice, healthy dose of diva. But we also do really go together. You’ve got the little clown running around, and you have a very still, dry person. That’s a fun pairing." And Lane defends his leading lady's concerns about the dour demeanor of her role. "That’s not a fun thing to play, and it kind of undermined the character. They had to find a wittier way of dealing with it and not make it her main story line." NEW YORK

• NBC has renewed its last remaining soap -- "Days of Our Lives" -- till 2011. While the sudser has contended for best drama series at the daytime Emmys 15 times -- beginning with the first kudos in 1974 -- it has won only once, in 1978. The most recent of its nominations came last year.  "Days," which began as a half-hour in 1965 before expanding to an hour a decade later, is one of the only soaps to show year-to-year increases in key demographics.

• Mary Kaye Schilling sat down with Joseph Mazello and James Badge Dale -- two stars of "The Pacific" -- for a freewheeling conversation. "Dale plays PFC Robert Leckie and Mazzello is PFC Eugene Sledge, two men whose subsequent books about the war were used as source material for 'The Pacific' (which airs Sunday nights at 9). Though they filmed virtually no scenes together (the series follows three separate platoons within the First Division Marines in three historic Pacific theater battles), the actors became comrades in adversity." NEW YORK

• "Breaking Bad' begins its third season Sunday on AMC. Bryan Cranston has won the Emmy for best actor in a drama series for each of the first two seasons. Steve Kandell has compiled a super slideshow of the highlights of the series. As he writes in his intro, "if you haven’t already, give in because centering a drama around a nebbishy, cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who squanders his family’s (and the audience’s) sympathy by turning into a cold-blooded meth kingpin is no small feat, and it deserves your attention. You may not feel good, but you’ll feel something." NEW YORK

• While picking up the female star of the year award from ShoWest on Thursday, Katherine Heigl almost dropped her dignity after a shoulder strap snapped. "Heigl desperately tried to maintain her composure as she attempted to stop the dress falling away and exposing her left breast -- until host Billy Bush gallantly stepped in and spared her blushes by holding the outfit in place. After finishing her speech, Heigl headed backstage and repaired the broken strap with a safety pin. WENN

• "9 to 5" failed to make much of an impression on Tony Awards voters last year, landing just a couple of acting nominations (Allison Janney, Marc Kudisch) as well as bids for Dolly Parton who penned the music and lyrics and for choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler who had won a Tony the year before for his work on "In the Heights." However, the national tour is dropping his dance moves as well as the direction of Joe Mantello in favor of Jeff Calhoun, who will handle both tasks. Calhoun said, "I met Dolly Parton as a chorus kid dancing in the film 'The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas' only a few years after '9 to 5' was already a hit movie. It was a thrill to work with her then and an honor and privilege to be entrusted to direct and choreograph this exciting new tour." PLAYBILL

• Brad Brevet has been one busy boy since the Oscars aired just a couple of  weeks ago. He has compiled a list of 73 films in contention for the next Academy Awards. They range from "127 Hours" from Oscar-winning helmer Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") to "Your Highness" from David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express"). Oddly enough, both of these movies -- separated by 71 other entries in alphabetical order -- star James Franco. ROPE OF SILICON

• First "Glee" was a Golden-Globe winning TV show, soon it will be a live concert with the cast, and now comes word that it also will be turned into a tuner. Gordon Cox reports that licensing giant Music Theater Intl. -- the same company behind the legit edition of "High School Muscial" -- is in talks with the folks at Fox. As Gordon notes, "a stage adaptation of 'Glee' seems a no-brainer, especially one that could be performed by the real-life counterparts of the singing and dancing teens in the TV show." VARIETY

• The remake of 1970s Friday night TV staple "The Rockford Files" has cast three-time Emmy champ Beau Bridges to play pops to Dermot Mulroney. Mulroney is stepping into the shoes of James Garner, who earned five consecutive Emmy nominations for his work as Jim Rockford, winning in 1977. The TV icon's on-screen dad, Noah Berry Jr., went winless despite three nominations over the six years of the series. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

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Poll: Will 'The Pacific' win the Emmy battle?

Top photo: "The Addams Family" poster. Credit: Lunt-Fontanne Theater

Middle photo: "Breaking Bad" poster. Credit: AMC

Bottom photo: Academy Awards statues. Credit: AMPAS

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• The TV academy is saluting eight shows at the third annual Academy Honors on May 5 -- including "Glee," "CSI" and "Private Practice" -- for tackling social issues such as the disabled, racial profiling, and physician-assisted suicide. In making the announcement, academy president John Shaffner said, "This year, we were impressed by not only the number of entries received but also by the breadth of subject matters addressed. We went to great lengths to select programs that reflect the mission of the Television Academy Honors committee -- to highlight the power of television and its ability to initiate important dialogue and ultimately instigate change." ATAS

• Gary Thompson solves one of this year's Oscar mysteries -- how "The Secret of Kells" landed an animated feature nomination over the likes of "Monsters v. Aliens" and "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs." As director Tomm Moore told him, "There were people there (at a Cartoon Network screening) from the big studios, and everyone was buzzing about the film. I think it started trickling up to academy members, although it was very much a word of mouth thing." PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS

• Linking to the trailer for the big summer release "Eat Pray Love" -- Julia Roberts in writer-director Ryan Murphy's adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir -- Ryan Adams says, "Looks more charming and adorable than anyone had any right to expect. Exactly the vibe we want from a movie about the power of serendipity, when we shed expectations, stop fighting fate, quit swimming upstream, relax, let loose, and go with the flow." AWARDS DAILY

• The Royal Television Society named "The Thick of It" best comedy program at its annual awards in London Tuesday. The deft political satire begat this year's Oscar-nominated "In the Loop." Other winners included the anthology series "The Street" as best drama and "Eastenders" as best serial. The two stars of the mini-series "Small Island" -- Naomie Harris and David Oyelowo -- took the drama acting prizes while Miranda Hart won the comedy award for her laffer "Miranda." THE STAGE

• Oyelowo has landed the plum role of Martin Luther King Jr. in "Selma" opposite Hugh Jackman as the sheriff who opposed the 1965 civil rights marches in the Alabama town. Oscar-nominated helmer Lee Daniels ("Precious") is directing from a script by Paul Webb.

• Jackman appeared on "The Tonight Show" Tuesday and told Jay Leno he did tune in to this year's Oscars. "I sat there in my sweats with my bowtie on that I wore last year, and I was swanning around the house, organizing the betting pool, thinking, I have a feel for this kind of thing, I know how it's going to go. And I lost absolutely everything." And Hugh said he thought the hosts -- Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin -- "were brilliant. Last year, Steve gave me advice, and once I was on 'Saturday Night Live' when Alec was and Alec gave me advice, so it was great seeing them do it this year." THE MIRROR

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Poll: Will 'The Pacific' win the Emmy battle?

Top photo: "Glee" Season 1 DVD cover. Credit: Fox

Bottom photo: David Oyelowo in "Small Island." Credit: BBC

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Fess Parker never won an Emmy, but he was a player at TV's top awards.

TV academy voters couldn't ignore him when he emerged as a sudden superstar leading a national craze for Davy Crockett lore. The Emmys nominated Fess Parker for best new personality of 1954, but he lost to George Gobel.

Parker's TV show "Davy Crockett" wasn't a stand-alone program. It was comprised of several one-hour dramas that were part of "Disneyland," an anthology series that also included mysteries, family dramas and cartoons. One of its Fess Parker segments, "Davy Crockett and River Pirates," got nominated for best single program of 1955, but lost to Mary Martin's classic "Peter Pan."

The huge popularity of the "Davy Crockett" segments helped "Disneyland" to win best action or adventure series of 1955, beating "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," "Dragnet," "Gunsmoke" and "The Lineup."

Fess Parker's other hit TV series, "Daniel Boone," was never nominated for Emmys.

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Photo: Disney

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It's only March, but already our feisty Emmy gurus Chris "Boomer" Beachum and Robert "Rob L" Licuria (AwardsHeaven.net) are coming out swinging with early batches of predictions: nominees for best TV comedy series.

Boomer and Rob agree on five of the six nominees in that Emmy category: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Glee," "Modern Family," "The Office" and "30 Rock." Rob thinks "Entourage" will be in that sixth spot. Boomer's betting on "The Big Bang Theory." Neither has the guts at this point to predict if any TV show can crush undefeated three-time champ "30 Rock," but Boomer and Rob both provide in-depth, lively analysis of likely nominees.

BEST COMEDY SERIES: ROB'S PREDIX
FRONT-RUNNERS
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Entourage"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"The Office"
"30 Rock"

POSSIBLE
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Family Guy"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Nurse Jackie"
"Weeds"

ROB'S COMMENTARY: When deciding on which shows are out in front for Emmy's top comedy series category this early in the game, I  look at past nominees, buzz and ratings, and the choices made by the two primary "Emmy precursors": the Golden Globe Awards and the SAG Awards.

There are six series in the running out of the seven nominated last year for Best Comedy Series: "Entourage," "Family Guy," "How I Met Your Mother," "The Office," "30 Rock" and "Weeds."

Four comedies made it into the top categories at this year's SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards: awards favorites 30 Rock and "The Office," as well the hottest new shows of the season, "Glee" and "Modern Family." The fifth choice for the HFPA was "Entourage," while the SAG voters went with "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (which was not eligible for Emmy consideration last year).

So that gives us nine series to work with, and I would argue that CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men" plus freshman cable series "Hung" and "Nurse Jackie" are also in the running, which gives us 12 comedies to choose from. (I don't think that, with this kind of competition, the likes of "Californication," "United States of Tara," "Community," "Parks & Recreation" and "Cougar Town" have a realistic shot this year.)

It's safe to say that "30 Rock" is the category front-runner at this point. And even though it is having a relatively weak season, "The Office" will also make another appearance. I am confident that the two breakout new comedies, "Glee" and "Modern Family," will be nominated as well (and if either of them are snubbed, expect howls of protest, the loudest emanating from me).

The "Seinfeld" reunion on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" will prove hard to resist for Emmy voters, and so that will likely be in the list. It also appears that, regardless how weak "Entourage" appears to be each season, it makes the cut, and this year will likely be no different.

That is six nominees, which gives us a white hot race for the seventh spot (if there is to be one) with the likes of last year's breakthrough nominees "Family Guy" and "How I Met Your Mother," CBS geekfest "The Big Bang Theory," and probably Showtime's "Weeds" or "Nurse Jackie" the most likely contenders for that final spot.

BEST COMEDY SERIES: BOOMER'S PREDIX
FRONT-RUNNERS
"The Big Bang Theory"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Glee"
"Modern Family"
"The Office"
"30 Rock"

POSSIBLE
"Entourage"
"Family Guy"
"How I Met Your Mother"
"Nurse Jackie"
"Two and a Half Men"
"Weeds"

BOOMER'S COMMENTARY: Even though it is only mid-March, one thing is clear in the comedy categories.  There are several new series with excellent reviews and great ratings ready to challenge the returning shows and performers. The 2009 race came up with seven programs in contention for the big prize, but only one of them is no longer eligible ("Flight of the Conchords"). Assuming the category doesn't have any ties and has an expected six nominees, that means these new highly regarded shows will have to kick out some veterans to make some room.

"Daytime Emmys will go on, but on which network remains a question," says Variety. "The New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is in negotiations with at least two networks, according to sources. What is likely is that the ceremony will air June 27 (a Sunday) in the West, likely at the Las Vegas Hilton."

That's good news because some cynics claimed that the award show might not find any telecaster after its precipitous Nielsen fall in recent years. Back in 2000, the awardscast drew 13 million viewers on ABC. In 2008, it drew just 5.4 million on the same TV network. When it moved to cable last year, landing on the CW, it was seen by merely 2.7 million.

"The program didn't even manage a 1.0 rating among adults 18-49, squeaking out an anemic 0.6/2. Among adults 25-54, the show did just a bit better at a 0.8/2," adds Variety.

Variety also reports that the Daytime Emmys have changed the voting system used to determine who prevails in the acting races.

"The previous procedure included a pre-nomination process in which each soap opera selected two (occasionally three) actors for each performing category," notes the trade paper. "Then, those performers would submit a reel of their work to determine who the final nominees (and winners) would be.

The Envelope's biggest stars, editors Patrick Kevin Day and Emily Christianson, assembled a snappy photo gallery featuring glimpses of upcoming movies that look like they have huge Oscar promise. Also check out this list.

Photos: "Salt" (Columbia), "The Kids Are All Right" and "Greenberg" (Focus Features)

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Just days after last year's Oscar winner Kate Winslet announced her split with hubby Sam Mendes comes news that the marriage of the newest champ, Sandra Bullock, may be on the rocks. In Touch Weekly reports that Bullock's hubby, Jesse James, had an affair on the sly while Bullock was filming "The Blind Side."

Now Oscarologists wonder: Is there really a kiss of death curse associated with winning best actress?

Over the past 12 years, eight of the best-actress champs busted up with their lovers after winning: Kate Winslet (won for 2008), Reese Witherspoon (2005), Hilary Swank (1999, 2005), Charlize Theron (2003), Halle Berry (2001), Julia Roberts (2000), Gwyneth Paltrow (1998), Helen Hunt (1997). Five of the splits occurred less than a year after their Oscar triumphs (Winslet from hubby Mendes, Witherspoon from hubby Ryan Phillippe, Swank from hubby Chad Lowe, Paltrow from boyfriend Ben Affleck, Roberts from boyfriend Benjamin Bratt). Berry's break-up with Eric Benet occurred 18 months after winning; Hunt split with Hank Azaria less than two years later.

It's ironic, looking back, at how effusively the stars gushed at the Oscar podium while thanking their men on the eve of their relationship's end.

Witherspoon: "I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband."

Swank in 2005: "Chad, you're my everything. Thank you for your support. It means the world."

Berry: "My husband, who is the joy of my life."

Bullock to James: "You get dressed up in monkey suits and you sit at a table with people you don't know. I love you so much, and you're really hot. And I want you so much!"

Can it be a mere coincidence that these women's romantic lives go kaput so soon after the biggest triumph of their careers? Is it because victory goes to their heads and these women become impossible divas to live with? Or is it because their men are overly macho types who can't tolerate being upstaged by their female partners' success? The latter may be a contributing factor in the split of Witherspoon and Phillippe. There were reports that Phillippe looked miserable and pouted all night at the parties — where he obviously didn't want to be — after Witherspoon won. Ryan should've exulted in his own victory too. That same night his film "Crash" won best picture, but he didn't win a statuette himself. Some observers believe that bothered him a lot as Reese flashed her glittering golden boy right and left, leaving her lover boy sitting alone in a corner, looking downcast.

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Photo: Los Angeles Times 

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Gold Derby asked the ultimate authority — Robert Osborne — what he thought of the recent, highly controversial Oscars telecast. Robert not only wrote the official Oscars book, he's the academy's official greeter on the red carpet. Oh, yeah, he's also the host of Turner Classic Movies, of course. Here are his views:

The Oscar show looked good in the theater, but I hear many negatives about the way it played on television. I have several quibbles -- the salute to horror films and thrillers: uninteresting time-waster. Stars coming on en masse to talk about nominees: great idea, but shouldn't they be talking about the actor's nominated performance instead of how cute they are, what a swell fellow, etc.?

Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin: I wanted more of them. The memorial section: cut whatever needs to be cut out of the show (that dance number, the opening number, the explanation of sound editors) and make that a real tribute to the wide range of people who have died -- not just a select few.

Have fewer vague starlets presenting awards and get more genuine stars involved (Javier Bardem as a presenter, not just in the audience with Penelope Cruz; people like Michael Caine, Joan Fontaine, Eva Marie Saint, etc. etc.); there was a frightening lack of star power.

I think the Joan Rivers factor (even though she's no longer on the red carpet) is also becoming more and more of a factor. One major actress (who must go nameless) who entered the back door told me at the Governors' Ball afterward, "Oh, I'd never do the red carpet again. They're not legitimate people anymore. They're 'Extra' and 'Insider' and others of that ilk." She went on to further her complaint: "They try to get you to say something controversial -- you try to be nice and say something interesting, and the next day they go on the air and talk about how badly you're dressed. Who needs it?"

It was one of these past Oscar champs: Jeremy Irons ("Reversal of Fortune"), David Niven ("Separate Tables"), Maggie Smith ("California Suite"),  Kevin Spacey ("American Beauty"), Emma Thompson ("Howards End"). To see the answer, click on the "Continue Reading" link below.

Gold Derby reader "Chris N" has a Tony Awards question we put to Howard Sherman, executive director of the American Theatre Wing. If you have a similar question about any showbiz award, you can reach us at GoldDerby@gmail.com. First, Chris' question:

I am not sure if there has ever been an instance of this. Has an actor/actress ever been nominated twice for the same role? For example, Idina Menzel was nominated (and won) for "Wicked" during the time of its "Original" performance run.  If she was to star as Elphaba in the "Revival" ten years later, would she be allowed to be nominated for Lead Actress in a Musical again?
 
I would think that it would be more likely in a play than a musical, but then again I have no idea if it is even allowed. Thanks for you help!

Howard Sherman's response:

Fast answer is that if an actor has won a Tony, they cannot be nominated again for that role. If they did not win, or were not previously nominated, they are eligible to be nominated if they play the same role in a subsequent production.

Photo: George Gershwin Theatre

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• A 2-D DVD and Blu-ray release of "Avatar" has been announced for April 22 by Fox. That just happens to be the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which coincides nicely with the eco-friendly message of the film. Buzz is that the studio will re-release the movie in 3-D later in the year, with additional footage, and that a 3-D home version of the film will follow.

• All of the above will add millions more to the coffers of all involved. Bloomberg estimates that Fox will reap at least $350 million from "Avatar." Fox also picks up a distribution fee for the film which could gross $3 billion worldwide. In an interview last month, writer-director James Cameron said the record receipts are, "well beyond our wildest dreams, we were hoping for sort of brea keven plus 10%, which would have been a high number but well south of $1 billion." BLOOMBERG

• Steve Pond tracks down why Stephen Colbert's comic rant against the Oscars, which included clips from the kudocast, has gone missing from "The Colbert Report" website. Turns out, "for the first day after the Academy Awards telecast, other media outlets are allowed to show three minutes of footage from the show.  For the second through the seventh day, they're permitted to show one minute. And after seven days, no Oscar footage can be used without special permission from the Academy." THE ODDS

• David Bauder recaps Monday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction of ABBA, Jimmy Cliff, Genesis, the Hollies, and Iggy Pop and the Stooges. Also feted during the ceremony at Gotham's Waldorf Astoria hotel were one-time record exec David Geffen and seven songwriters from the 1950s including Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," "On Broadway"), Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry ("Leader of the Pack," "Be My Baby"), Otis Blackwell ("All Shook Up," "Don't Be Cruel"), Mort Shuman ("Save the Last Dance for Me,") and Jesse Stone ("Sh-Boom," "Money Honey").  AP

• As for the ceremony itself, Randy Lewis suggests that the inductees by saluted by those who know their music best -- tribute bands. As Randy writes, "What to do when you’re being admitted into the halls of pop music history and only half your group is there? Tribute bands! It’s one of the few corners of the otherwise flailing music business showing growth. Just check the entertainment guide for Las Vegas: They’re everywhere." POP & HISS

• "The Pacific" drew 3.1 million viewers to a heavily hyped premiere Sunday. As James Hibberd reports, "that's 22% higher than than the debut of HBO's last miniseries, 'John Adams,' and 'The Pacific' tally grew to 4 million with its encore airing. Still, HBO has to be somewhat disappointed with this number. 'The Pacific' is the biggest production in the network's history and this is only 69% higher than the time period norm." THE LIVE FEED

• HBO used the Sunday premiere of its showpiece mini-series of the year -- "The Pacific" -- to promote the paycaster's marquee series for 2010 -- "Boardwalk Empire." Oscar winner Martin Scorsese ("The Departed") is executive producing the series about bootleggers in 1920s Atlantic City and directed the first episode that is featured in the promo running on HBO. HBO

• Terence Winter -- who adapted Nelson Johnson's novel "Boardwalk Empire" -- won two Emmys for scripting episodes of "The Sopranos" and another two when that HBO hit won best drama series in 2004 and 2007. One of the stars of that show -- Edie Falco -- won three Emmys for her performance as the matriarch of the mob family. When asked Monday if there will ever be a "Sopranos" reunion, Falco, who now stars on the Showtime comedy "Nurse Jackie," showed her funny side by responding she’s open to it if she could play Tony and James Gandolfini could play Carmela.

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Top photo: "Avatar" DVD cover. Credit: Fox

Middle photo: Phil Collins at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony. Credit: Getty Images

Bottom photo: Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire." Credit: HBO

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War dramas like "The Pacific" often do well in the Emmy clash to win best TV miniseries. For example, "Band of Brothers" won in 2002. Back in 1989, "War & Remembrance" pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the TV award's history when it shot down the critically acclaimed ratings hit "Lonesome Dove." But beware: War flicks are not almighty. Last year, "Generation Kill" lost to "Little Dorrit."

"The Pacific" has a few other strong pluses, though: It's exec-produced by Tom Hanks, who recently won the category several times ("John Adams," "Band of Brothers," "From the Earth to the Moon"); it's also produced by past champ Steven Spielberg ("Band of Brothers," "Taken"); and it airs on HBO. which claimed the category five times in the last 10 years.

But it must conquer some formidable foes in the battle over best mini: "Alice," "Emma," "The Prisoner," "Return to Cranford," "Small Island" and "Torchwood: Children of Earth."

"The Pacific" gets a high score at Metacritic (86). Matt Roush of TV Guide says, "'The Pacific' is magnificent in its visual and graphically visceral scope and shattering in its emotional, deeply personal impact." Robert Bianco of USA Today hails it as "the best war movie ever made for TV."

However, Variety blasted it for lacking "a strong sense of cohesion" and "a compelling hook to pull the audience along." The Washington Post says it "fails to arrive at a coherent, artistic sensibility."

Photo credit: HBO

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Can you name the one person who won both the Nobel Prize and the Oscar? No, it's not Al Gore. The Oscar for "An Inconvenient Truth" as best documentary of 2006 was given to its executive producer/ director/ cinematographer Davis Guggenheim, not to the former U.S. vice president who is listed in the doc's credits merely as its star.

Hint: The dual champ reaped both prizes before World War II. To see the answer, click on the "Continue Reading" link below.

Last year Sean Penn ("Milk") became the sixth actor to reap an Oscar for a gay role. The other five are cited below. Which role does not belong on this list? To see the answer, click on the "Continue Reading" link below.

a.) William Hurt, "Kiss of the Spider Woman"
b.) Tom Hanks, "Philadelphia"
c.) John Gielgud, "Arthur"
d.) Nicole Kidman, "The Hours"
e.) Charlize Theron, "Monster"
f.) Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"