... FOR "HINDSIGHT IS 20/20"

From TheFreeDictionary.com:

20-20 hindsight: Perfect understanding of an event after it has happened; a term usually used with sarcasm in response to criticism of one's decision, implying that the critic is unfairly judging the wisdom of the decision in light of information that was not available when the decision was made.

I had to look that up, just to make sure I understood it correctly, since it's one of those terms we so often take for granted, like a dusty old heirloom that's been passed from generation to generation. And though you get the basic gist of it, the phrase only comes to mind because you've heard it somewhere before. You know how it is. You make a mistake. You realize you made the mistake. And when the sting and the embarrassment of it finally subsides, you chuckle quietly to yourself and say, "Well, hindsight is 20/20, after all," as if that's the perfect capper to whatever learning experience you're facing at the moment. Or maybe I'm alone in thinking this way, I don't know. You're squinting your eyes at me now, confused. I can see it.

... FOR "NUMBER CRUNCHING" (OR "QUIZ TIME, PART 6")

Yesterday, Finding The Wrong Words reached a minor milestone: 7,000 page views, officially. That means I've had 7,000 visitors to the blog, whether it's someone who's read an actual post I've published, someone checking to see if there's been a new post published since the previous post, or someone who's stumbled onto the blog by mistake. Whatever the reason, I'm grateful to have so many of you visit on a regular basis, as I've always wanted to share my personal rantings and ravings with folks outside my regular circles. I count my family and friends as my biggest fans, of course, though I've also had comments from readers in the United Kingdom among other places, and I'm grateful as well for your comments as it lets me know you're actually out there, willing to lend me an ear (or eyes) for at least a moment or two. Thank you.

I realize that 7,000 page views isn't exactly breaking any records. Just this week, as a matter of fact, Charlie Sheen scored 3 million followers on Twitter over the course of a single day (this on the heels of his much-publicized release from CBS TV's Two & A Half Men). From that perspective, when you consider that FTWW has been up and running since February 2010, a number like 7,000 is far from impressive.

... FOR "FRANCHISE FACE-OFFS (PART 4 - ST. PATRICK'S DAY EDITION)"

I was going to do a post on St. Patrick's Day movies, maybe even a little "Guess the Poster" action, when I realized that, apparently, St. Patrick's Day isn't the most cinematic of holidays. Oh, there's Darby O'Gill And The Little People, of course, but that seemed a little obvious. Instead, all I could really find were these:

... FOR "LOWERED EXPECTATIONS (PART 2 - 'MEGAMIND' EDITION)

Another entry in a (potentially) long list of titles that aren't quite as bad as their reputations would have you believe. Or vice versa, for movies that fail to live up to the hype.

I'm not the biggest fan of DreamWorks Animation. On average, I find they're too "hip" and self- referential for their own good. Unlike, say, Disney/Pixar, which practically oozes "quality entertainment" each time out (and sometimes even surpasses those expectations), DreamWorks' track record is a bit... splotchy at best. While the folks at Pixar divide most of their attention between pesky things like "theme" and telling an actual "story," the geniuses at DreamWorks worry instead about cramming as many in-jokes and pop- culture references into their movies as possible, to be "of the moment," as it were – too eager to cash in on current trends.

... FOR "HOLLYWOOD'S BIGGEST NIGHT - PART 2" (aka "OSCAR 2011") - UPDATED!

UPDATE: Checking around for Oscar results on the Internet this morning, it's great to see that Inception won so many technical awards last night, especially the award for Best Cinematography. Wally Pfister's been working with Christopher Nolan for a good long while now (since Memento), and he outdoes himself each time out.

If you have any thoughts on the telecast last night, please comment below - what you liked, disliked, what you think I missed out on, etc. (Because if there's one thing I love, it's living vicariously through others.) Oh, and the winners have been marked with a star for good behavior below.

Well, it's Oscar time again, folks - everybody's favorite night of the year. And on Sunday, February 27th, we'll all gather again, to see our favorite celebrities stroll down that red carpet, take their seats in Los Angeles' world-famous Kodak Theater, and enjoy an evening's worth of scintillating entertainment as they anxiously await those five magic words: "And the Oscar goes to..." It's almost too much to soak in. The glitz! The glamour! The pure intoxication of it all!

End of sarcasm. You already know how I feel about this, so there's no point in griping about it all over again. Instead (if you care), I thought I'd offer a few choice thoughts on the nominations this year. As always, feel free to voice your own opinion in the comments below.