Running Shorts

We are going to have to give Josh Barney a new title. The DP assistant city editor has been our CD reviewer for quite a few years now, but we might have to switch him over to movies.
Josh cleaned house in last night’s Oscar predictions. With his impressive 10 of 14 correct guesses Josh earns the right to adorn his desk with the coveted Paper Crown of Greatness … at least until we guess the Emmy winners.
Oddly enough, I watched the ceremony that celebrated European actors and extremely dark and gloomy films with my book club. Being the well-rounded book group that we are, we don’t limit our interests to the written word. So the Running-Biking-Tubing-Kayaking-Bowling-Pool Playing-Movie Watching-Sumo Wrestling-Book Club switched on the TV to root for our favorites.
Can you spell Sweeney Todd? (Just kidding.)
But a member of the club, Anne Causey, was the second place finisher in The Daily Progress Oscar predicting competition. Our columnist who writes about local Gatherings was a distant second to Josh with six correct guesses.
Did I mention the book we chose to discuss was “Blink” by Malcolm Gladwell? It says, in part, that often we overload our decision-making process with too much information. I saw four of the five best-picture nominees, so that probably explains why I did so poorly. I tried to think and not to blink. I thought myself to a woeful five right. But at least I had a lot of company. Entertainment editor Jane Norris, comics master Ben Wood and our special guest, playwright Peter Coy, all tied for third.
And that takes us to seventh place. That honor belongs to the man who actually interviewed Malcolm Gladwell when he came to the Virginia Festival of the Book. I don’t know if David followed the Blink method, but, if he did, I don’t think it helped. The man who didn’t see any of the movie contenders finished in last place with a big 2.
In the meantime, vive les winners: France’s Marion Cotillard, England’s Daniel Day-Lewis and Tilda Swinton, and Spain’s Javier Bardem.
I wonder if they would like to join the book club?