7:02 pm: Best Picture: The Artist. Wells comment: Easily one of the slightest, least substantial and least interesting Best Picture favorites in the history of the motion picture industry. People who voted for this film are emotional-default chumps and should really be ashamed of themselves. The Artist is a nice, likable, light-hearted film — neat concept, nothing wrong with it. But I spit on those who are calling it the best of the best.” (Lumenick: “The cameraman got Harvey Weinstein on the first try this time! Bravo!.”) Indiewire’s list of all the CCMA winners.

6:53 pm: Best Actor: George Clooney, The Descendants. Wells comment: I would have preferred to see Moneyball‘s Brad Pitt take it, but Clooney is open and wounded and hurting and quite good in Alexander Payne‘s drama. (Lumenick: “This house band is from hunger.”)

6:43 pm: Best Actress: Viola Davis, The Help. Wells comment: Davis doesn’t play a lead in The Help but whatever…a great actress, deserves her moment…fine with it. (Lumenick: “Sure hope this happens at an actual awards ceremony.”)

6:31 pm: Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist. Wells comment: Disagree, undeserved, overpraised, thumbs down.

6:23 pm Update: Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillian, Moneyball. (Lumenick: “Editing of presentation makes no sense, like anything else at CCMA show.”) Wells comment: Good fellows, great scripts.

Earlier: I’ve been working on a couple of things and not paying attention to the currently-underway Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium. The tally as of 6 pm: Acting Ensemble award: The Help; Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, The Help; Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, Beginners; Best Comedy Award: Bridesmaids; Best Animated Film: Rango; Best Foreign Film: A Separation; Best Young Actor or Actress: Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

N.Y. Post critic Lou Lumenick is hilariously cranky on Twitter: “This is the worst awards show I have ever seen — set, cameras, lights, sound — it’s just horrible!! Scorsese is probably wishing he could fix the sound mix…the interiors in Barry Lyndon look brighter than this…Does Dylan have a no-close-up clause? Or are they just forgetting to do them?…Scorsese seems to be struggling to hear his own award presentation. Sound is incredibly lousy. Not easy to make some of the most attractive people in the world look they came straight out of a casket. Oh, and by the way Marty, you also won the documentary award. Now get the hell off the stage. ”