I was amazed how cranked and excited I was by yesterday’s Super Bowl duel. I haven’t felt so crazily absorbed by a game of any kind, ever.

And — this is an Adam Carolla thing — I was reminded again about how wonderfully un-woke the sporting world is…no equity, no race bullshit, no DEI, no POCs complaining about not being shown the proper deference or accusing whiteys of fucking them over.

The players last night were on the field because they were good, period. They had proven their worth during the just-concluded season and were totally trusted by their coaches to perform well and to their utmost, and that’s all anyone cared about.

What’s that expression again? Oh, yeah, right — “merit over equity.”

Another thing about sporting competitions is that everyone accepts is that one team or another (or one golfer or tennis player or whomever) is going to lose, and that’s that. Life is hard, competition is demanding and certain competitors are going to feel gutted when they lose. But that’s life.

Imagine if Hollywood and the Oscars were to operate with this attitude. Talent matters! Only the best! Industry politics and high school popularity sentiments have always been a thing but equity standards are a whole different game —- an obstruction, a corrective.

…will happen today at 5 pm Pacific, 8 pm eastern. I for one have never watched a livestream of the Oscar nominee luncheon class photo thing…whatevs.

Five days after reporting that domestic distribution-wise “nothing is in the works” for Woody Allen‘s Coup de Chance, THR‘s Jordan Hoffman has reversed course by in effect announcing “oops, sorry ’bout that…Woody’s film will be distributed here after all, and within a couple of months.”

The cool-as-a-cucmber Coup de Chance, which debuted to mostly rave or approving reviews at last September’s Venice Film Festival, will debut theatrically in “North American markets” on Friday, 4.5.24, to be followed by a digital/VOD release on Friday, 4.12. The distributor is MPI Media Group.

Need I repeat that two and a half weeks ago (1.24.24) HE reported that “a certain U.S.-based distributor is looking to open (or at least stream) Coup de Chance a couple of months hence, give or take”?

Need I also repeat that on the same day as Hoffman’s “nothing is in the works” article I reported that Hoffman was “dead wrong about this,” and that “a distribution deal has been hammered out (at the very least involving streaming and possibly even a touch of theatrical)” and that “an announcement about same would happen sometime this week.”

The MPI announcement was delayed until today…no biggie.

A Woody Allen film opening theatrically two months hence obviously represents a #MeToo thaw or a lessening of woke Robespierre insanity. Hoffman’s story ignores the cultural significance of this. Why doesn’t Hoffman acknowledge this? I’ll tell you why he doesn’t acknowledge this. Because he’s not allowed to mention it because Penske Media, which owns THR, is totally in bed with the wokesters.

The last Allen film to play theatrically was Wonder Wheel (Amazon) on 12.1.17 — just over six years ago. Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York (’19) and Rifkin’s Festival (’20) received no theatrical exposure due to #MeToo condemnation of Allen over the Dylan Farrow accusations, although both eventually turned up on airplane flights and as streaming titles. Hoffman notes that Rainy Day became a surprise international hit ($28.3 million gross), “particularly in Asia.”

For decades I’ve never even thought about having an occasional cup of Ovaltine. To me Ovaltine is nostalgia product that hasn’t existed since JFK or LBJ. It’s like TWA or Pan Am, S & H green stamps, black and white Philco swivel TVs, Geritol (“Do you have tired blood?”), etc. And yet here it is…strange.

There’s nothing wrong with an occasional friendly argument, and that’s how our special Super Bowl edition of Oscar Poker began earlier today. And then Sasha and I moved on. It’s all in good fun (most of it) and described below.

And it was a really great Super Bowl, and the Chiefs pulled off a win! Here’s the link.

Again, the link.

Twisters (Universal, 7.19) trailer conveys basic comfort.

I’m sorry but San Francisco 49er QB Brock Purdy, 24, is playing a brilliant game, hasn’t lost his temper, and is better looking than Travis Kelce.

Kelce’s meltdown wasn’t cool. His temper could eventually contribute to the end of the Taylor thing…who knows?

It’s halftime and the Chiefs are seven points behind the 49ers, 10 to 3. The Chiefs are going to lose…I can feel it. Update: The score is now 10 to 4, 49ers still in the lead.

Taylor Swift is too old for Purdy, of course. Plus he has a girlfriend, Jenna Brandt.

I don’t begrudge any name-brand director pocketing hefty dough on the side. The pudgy old guy in the diner is the guy who had a tense discussion with Javier Bardem (“Call it”) in No Country For Old Men.

Francis Scott Key’s “The Star Spangled Banner” + James Weldon Johnson’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” So why did that super-tattooed guy sing “America the Beautiful”? Was that meant to represent a non-tribal togetherness song?