A blog in limbo, and an awards season, too

As many of you know, I am no longer the entertainment gal at The Free Press or Mankato Mag. I'm immersed in news once again. It's been a detoxifying experience having a much simpler job description. It's my job to write stories. That's what I do. Before, my job duties were lists long every day, coordinating the myriad details and schedules of a number of people who looked to me for answers. Bottom line: I ran out of steam being in charge, and I missed being creative. So I'm enjoying my new lot.

However, I've received a number of inquires on what will happen to Katotainment. "Tainment" is no longer part of my job description, so what business do I have writing an entertainment blog? I'm just not sure on that, so I find myself in limbo. Blogs are personality based, and in my free time, entertainment in varying forms is a big part of my life. So if a blog is meant to represent a person's own interests, then Katotainment is appropriate. If it's supposed to represent my job here at the Freep, well, I guess I'd better conjure up some sort of educational blog instead. I'm just really not sure.

In the meantime, though, Katotainment will stay up, and while we're on the subject of entertainment, I really just have to talk with you for a moment about the kickoff to movie Awards Season -- Thursday night's Critics Choice Awards ...

I generally really enjoy the CCA. Whereas the Oscars are buttoned-up and formal, the CCAs are super casual. Generally, you get to see stars laugh and mingle and it's all very casual and fun. Thursday night, I started to fear for this year's awards season. The whole thing was just ... a mess.

Hosts Rob Huebel and Paul Scheer (don't know them well or like them much? Join the club) were off. Their jokes didn't land, and they didn't command the room the way a host needs to. The band that played for LENGTHS of time throughout the evening seemed like a strange choice. Hipsters singing oldies and not very well. And the awards themselves were kind of a grab bag. No movies jumped out as clear frontrunners this year, although it's clear Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer of "The Help" will quickly become the darlings of awards season.

I was glad to see Clooney get a nod as best actor for "The Descendants." His speeches are always good, and lordly-lord, he's still got that twinkle in his eyes, ladies.

Also, "The Artist" won for best director and best picture. But I'm just not that confident it will continue to sweep.

All in all, instead of igniting my Awards Season furnace last night, I was left cold. I'm hoping the Golden Globes Sunday night will turn things around. If anybody can do it, Ricky Gervais can. Here's hopin'!

Here's a complete list of this year's Critics Choice winners:

Best Picture: The Artist
Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants
Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help
Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Best Young Actor/Actress: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Best Acting Ensemble: The Help
Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Best Original Screenplay: Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
Best Adapted Screenplay: Moneyball, Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillian and Stan Chervin (based on the book by Michael Lewis)
Best Cinematography: (tie) The Tree of Life and War Horse
Best Art Direction: Hugo
Best Editing: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Best Costume Design: The Artist
Best Makeup: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Best Visual Effects: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Best Sound: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Best Animated Feature: Rango
Best Action Movie: Drive
Best Comedy: Bridesmaids
Best Foreign Language Film: A Separation
Best Documentary Feature: George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Best Song: "Life's a Happy Song," Brett McKenzie, The Muppets
Best Score: The Artist
Joel Siegel Award: Sean Penn
Music + Film Award: Martin Scorsese