Watch This: Eastbound and Down

Danny McBride, the genius behind the 2006 cult-sensation "The Foot Fist Way", stars once again in this HBO series. Will Ferrell serves as an Executive-Producer on the series and makes an appearance in one of the episodes as the obnoxious owner of a car dealership. McBride plays washed up ex-baseball star Kenny Powers who returns to his small hometown to find work. Powers ends up as a phys. ed. teacher and evokes the same harsh, crude, but equally funny schtick that provided endless laughs in FFW. I do wonder what the long-term prospects are for a show like this that is clearly geared towards male humor, and doesn't offer much in the way of plot and/or character development. Still, if you enjoyed FFW, or its kindred sibling- "Napolean Dynamite"- then you will undeniably be in splits watching this show.

Listen to This: Dark Was the Night (Various Artists)

This wonderful album is the genesis of Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Jon Carlin, founder of the Red Hot Organization. The Dessners are twin brothers and members of Indie Rock band "The National." The Red Hot Organization is a group devoted to providing awareness and support for HIV and AIDS. Despite its length (31 tracks), this album packs quite a punch. The album showcases the best and brightest of the Independent music scene. At times it boogies (Arcade Fire), it glides (My Morning Jacket), it grooves (Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings), and at times its mellow (Yo La Tengo). In sum its a delightful album that draws on the many talents of some of the industry's best acts, while also providing needed support to a worthy cause.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It: The 81st Annual Academy Awards

In case you've been on Mars for the last 24 hours, the 81st Annual Academy Awards were broadcast last night. Without going to into each and every obscure category, [my apologies to sound mixing enthusiasts] I'll share with you my thoughts on the awards in general.

At the outset, I should note that there really were no surprises last night. Unsurprisingly, "Slumdog Millionaire" ruled the night by winning 8 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director [Danny Boyle]. Predictably, Heath Ledger posthumously won the Best Supporting Actor award for his masterful performance of the Joker in "The Dark Knight." Equally predictable, Kate Winslet finally took home an Oscar for role as an SS guard in "The Reader." I think all of these categories went as predicted.

I was somewhat disappointed to see Penelope Cruz take home the Best Supporting Actress award. Cruz gave a strong performance as Javier Bardem's emotional ex-lover Maria Elena in Woody Allen's wonderful movie "Vicky Christina Barcelona." Yet, I would have preferred to see Taraji P. Henson take home an Oscar for her role as "Queenie" in "The Curios Case of Benjamin Button."

In what may have come as a surprise to some, Sean Penn won the award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his turn as fallen San Francisco politician Harvey Milk in "Milk." Mickey Rourke was predicted by many as the odds-on favorite for that award; winning a Golden Globe cemented this prediction. However, a closer look at how these things are decided would indicate that Penn's victory was no surprise at all. Specifically, Penn was given the same award by the Screen Actor's Guild. Further, recent Oscar awards for best actor have often favored actors playing real life characters (Idi Amin, Truman Capote, Ray Charles).

Finally, I was a bit disappointed to see that "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" did not receive more Oscar nods. From a technical standpoint, this film was a visual wonder. Although it did receive awards for makeup and art direction, its difficult to understand how the film did not garner more awards.

See This: Rachel Getting Married

One word sums this movie up: trainwreck. This movie explores the challenges that face a family faced to deal with a member who is a drug addict. Anne Hathaway delivers an Oscar-nominated role as Kim, the protagonist who departs from rehab to attend her sister's [Rachel] wedding. Almost immediately, viewers discover how tortured Kim is by her past when she gives a rather awkward speech at the rehearsal dinner. The movie does a wonderful job of exploring both the pain and joy that come with family. Aside from the family dynamic, the movie offers a rich undercurrent of music with cameo performances by Robyn Hitchcock, Christian Scott, and Tamyra Gray. What is equally joyful about this movie is that Sidney, an African-American [played by T.V. on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe] plays Rachel's fiance. Despite the marriage being mixed, the movie treats this fact as incidental. As a music junkie, I loved Sidney's accapella rendition of Neil Young's "Unknown Legend" during the wedding ceremony. Throw in strong performances by Hollywood veteran Debra Winger and Bill Irwin as the divorced parents of Kim and Rachel and you have a great, if not painful movie.

Public Enemy #1: Alan Keyes

Professional Campaigner Alan Keyes has proved once again that aside from being a shameless self-promoter, he's not very bright. During a recent interview, he referred to President Obama as a radical who was constitutionally unqualified to be POTUS by virtue of citizenship. Notwithstanding the utter nonsense of Mr. Keyes' claim, the Supreme Court recently denied certiorari (a review) on a recent claim on the same grounds. The issues regarding Mr. Obama's citizenship are twofold. First, it is being asserted that he was born abroad. Those claims have been supported by accusations that Mr. Obama refused to grant anyone review of his birth certificate. Secondly, a more nuanced argument posits that Mr. Obama was not a "natural" born citizen as required by the Constitution because his father was a Kenyan citizen. FactCheck.org does an excellent job of debunking argument #1. As for the latter, neither the courts nor the Immigration and Naturalization Service have ever interpreted the term "natural" in any other way than birth on U.S. soil; precisely the manner in which Mr. Obama gained his citizenship. As is typical of Mr. Keyes, these claims are nonsense and he should resist the temptation to spread such heinous and inaccurate claims.