This year, Nathaniel R. invited me to be part of his annual Oscar Symposium at The Film Experience, and I happily said yes, even though I’m sort of disgusted by the Academy’s choices this year, tend to not take the Awards as heart-attack seriously as most Oscar bloggers, and haven’t seen Frost/Nixon — all of which, according to Nathaniel’s and Sasha Stone’s commenters, are apparently crimes for which I should be punished by death. You can read my thoughts — as well as those of Nathaniel, Ed Gonzalez from SLANT, Kris Tapley from In Contention, Erik Lundegaard and Timothy Brayton of Antagony & Ecstasy –– at The Film Experience.

Also, yesterday I flew into Los Angeles to cover the Independent Spirit Awards. I’ll be live Twittering both those and the Oscars — if I’m not first fatally bludgeoned by a blog reader enraged by something I said that he/she disagrees with, I guess.