Pop Smart - Turner Classic Movies: Bonus content!

Print editions being what they are, my cover story on Robert Osborne and Turner Classic Movies felt woefully short even given the fact my editor was kind enough to let me go over the traditional word count.

But there was practically another cover story’s worth of information that could have been crammed into the piece, so here’s a laundry list of some of the items:

• Robert Osborne’s Oscar book. Every five years, Osborne, who also is a longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter, updates an impressive coffee-table book on his favorite subject. In 2003, Abbeville Press published 75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, and it’s a mammoth endeavor. Over its 416 pages, the book serves up loads of black-and-white and color images, Osborne’s overview of a year’s highlights, nominees and winners, and extended comments from participants. When I asked him in January if he was concerned about how the (now-settled) writers’ strike might affect this year’s Oscar ceremony, Osborne seemed more excited than concerned. Not only would the drama serve as great fodder for his upcoming update for the book (due out this September), he saw it as an opportunity to revamp the ceremonies.

“What would be really wonderful is if the 80th year is like the first year, and there’s a banquet, no television and they just presented the awards,” Osborne said. “Wouldn’t that be a wonderful full circle?” (Shameless Oscar plug: CL film critics Felicia Feaster, Curt Holman and I will be live-blogging during the awards ceremonies this Sunday, Feb. 24, starting at 8 p.m. Please join in the fun.)