and the Oscar goes to...(part two)

Two more condo photos today....our west exterior is up top, and below is a shot looking into our unit....






















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Your Nielsen ratings o' the week are below...

Number / Show / Network / Viewers (in millions)

1. Academy Awards ABC 38.9
2. American Idol FOX 30.1
3. American Idol FOX 29.6
4. CSI CBS 27.8
5. American Idol FOX 26.3
6. Without A Trace CBS 19.8
7. CSI: Miami CBS 18.4
8. Two and a Half Men CBS 17.0
8. Oscar Countdown - Part 2 ABC 17.0
10. Lost ABC 16.4
11. Survivor CBS 16.1
12. NCIS CBS 15.1
13. Skating with Celebrities FOX 14.1
14. 24 FOX 13.9
15. Law & Order: SVU NBC 13.8
15. Courting Alex CBS 13.8
15. CSI: NY CBS 13.8
18. Free Ride FOX 13.6
19. Deal or No Deal NBC 13.4
20. ER NBC 12.9

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And now, part two of the Oscar diary....part one is here if you haven't read it yet and want to be one of the cool kids on the block...

The Event: 78th Academy Awards
The Place: T and H's south Denver villa...
The Time: 6pm was our start, it is now 7:20pm...
The Menu: Bagel Bites, Pizza Rolls, Grapes, Pistachios, Cheese & Crackers, etc...and the most addictive Sausage/Tomato/Cheese Dip ever invented...

7:20pm: Our 10-question contest has concluded, and "D" has the lead with five..only a miraculous push by our telephone correspondent "T" can dethrone him.."D" is creepily cocky...I put a pizza roll from his plate into the dog's mouth then back on the plate...sure, he doesn't know about it, but in my mind I've taken him down a notch....

7:24pm: Jennifer Lopez proves that it is possible for 3-dimensional objects to be airbrushed...who did her makeup, Mercedez-Benz?

7:32pm: There's a disturbing "anti-Keanu" vibe in the room right now....I'm trying to defend him with his work in "Speed", but it's to no avail....

7:36pm: You are a fine actor indeed Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, but no matter how hard you try, we all know you are reading off a teleprompter....

7:43pm: "C" blurts out that Don Rickles looks like a jellybean...I'm not sure what that means, and yet I strangely concur....

7:44pm: Salma Hayek also appears to be in the same cult as Pierce Brosnan as "Stars who not only do not age, but get mystifingly better looking each year"....good lord, what is she, in her upper 30s now? She looks incredible. (note: I later looked this up and she is 40. I am speechless. I have no speech.)

7:45pm: Just a quick reminder to myself to watch "The Constant Gardener" as soon as possible....

7:48pm: As gorgeous as she looks tonight, TVGal subtracts points after pointing out Ms. Hayek's third hair flip while giving the presentation...I am forced to agree...

7:51pm: A surprise win for Brokeback in one of the 7,451 tech categories pulls TVGal within one of me...I'm beginning to get a wee bit nervous...but I believe that her failing to choose Witherspoon as Best Actress will seal her fate..we'll see...

8:00pm: As if "The Hulk" wasn't enough of a reason for me to mock Eric Bana, he invents a new word in his presenting speech..."honestry"...ugh....

8:06pm: Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin have obviously worked together before and are obviously good friends...their back and forth banter is just great....Tomlin's dress indicates she still works part-time as a Benihana hostess however....

8:08pm: M. Night Shamalyan's American Express card commercial is so good I want to see it again immediately....(note: if you want to see it I put it in the links o' the week)

8:25pm: An aggressive selection for Best Song pays off as my lead grows back to two...

8:26pm: "T" gets the last four questions right on our "mini-Oscar-Quiz" to steal victory from "D"...I now feel bad for putting that pizza roll in the dog's mouth...but I'm not going to tell him...the prize is a $1 scratch off lottery ticket...I wonder if "H" ever gave it to him...

8:27pm: Jennifer Garner stumbles on her way to the podium for her presentation speech...but she bounced back up, looked directly into the camera, and declared her love for me to the whole world. Ben Affleck calls me on my cell phone, but I let it go to voice mail, savoring the moment...(I may have had one beer too many at this point...)

8:31pm: The always uncomfortable "People Who Died This Year" Montage is shown..still can't believe Pat Morita died...hey, they didn't mention Don Knotts?? That doesn't seem right...

8:38pm: Will Smith displays an eerie ability to speak in multiple tounges....who knew?

8:52pm: Hoffman's win for "Capote" just about does it...my lead is at 3 with three to go...

9:01pm: Reese seals my victory...a horrific TVGal misstep...you can't stop "the spoon"...

9:17pm: McDonald's commercial with the woman putting the scarf on the figurine of Ronald Mcd just emphasizes everything stupid about the American Advertising industry...I would further take shots at McDonald's here, but two things prevent it...

1. Everyone knows their food is terrible. Even if you have it occasionally, admit it...it isn't good.
2. They've helped about 8 billion cancer patients and their families with their Ronald McDonald Houses...which is far more than I'll ever do in this and future lifetimes...so I'll move on...

9:22pm: Jack Nicholson introduced the Best Picture nominees....I still think anyone who wears sunglasses indoors at night is just dumb, even you Jack...so why don't you just open that envelope, say "Brokeback Mountain", and we'll...

9:22:30pm: "Crash"?? WOW. Did Not see that one coming. I end the night with 16 out of 19, taking 1st place honors...and despite her Best Actress foible, TV Gal cements a 2nd place victory...we were on fire, no question...I think if TV Cat had filled out a ballot he would have at least placed fourth....time to finish off that snack food...

(Note: My 16 out of 19 was good enough to defeat my 250 co-workers who participated in our company Oscar contest....bring on the 2006 Blockbuster Famous Video DVD Superstar of the Century Awards!!))

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CJ: The more photo-friendly of the two turkeys gets a Presidential pardon and a full life at a children's petting zoo; the other one gets eaten.
President Barlet: If the Oscars were like that, I'd watch.
--"The West Wing", NBC.